After visiting this place, I can say that there is definitely something more to add to its credit. The sculptures do not only depict the erotic postures, but also explain how the day to day life used to be in those days. Marriage processions, people singing and dancing in happiness, elephant fights, various avatars of lord Vishnu, Ganesha statues...and what not. The temples in Khajuraho are classified in 3 groups- Western, Southern and Eastern. Out of these, the western group is the most well maintained ones and attracts the major proportion of tourists.The western group consists of temples- Lakshmana temple, Kandariya Mahadev temple, Jagdamba temple, Chitragupta Temple, Vishwanath temple, Chausath Yogini temple.
Kandariya Mahadev temple
We got down at Mahoba station early morning and reached Khajuraho by 10:30am. After having light refreshments from the hotel restaurant, we headed for exploring the temple groups. The temples are properly maintained by the MP tourism department, some were also undergoing renovation. The temples depict the excellence in craftsmanship during the ancient era of the Chandela dynasty.The outer side of all the temples depict the various activities of day to day life- like warriors proceeding for battle field, sword fights, celebrations, various dance postures and of course,status where women are being embraced by their male partners,depicting various love-making postures. Apart for these , there are also statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses- Ganesha, Durga, Lakshmi, status showing various incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Carvings on the pillars of the Khajuraho temples
The inside of the temples have a mandap(flat platform) , with pillars having carvings of nymphs and royal men and women, shown as offering prayers, and worshiping the statue of the God kept in the inner sanctum. There are narrow corridors around the inner sanctum is used by the devotees for circling around the deity, as this a common ritual followed while offering prayers to Gods and Goddesses.The temple ceilings are beautifully sculptured just like any other part of the temples. All the temples in Khajuraho have the same theme and almost similar architecture. Each temple is dedicated to different God and Goddess.
Art at its best
The Lakshmana temple which is on the left side after entering the premises is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The garbha-griha(inner sanctum) has a large statue of Vishnu, considered to be the 'Organizer' of this world in Hindu mythology.
The Chausath Yogini temple id dedicated to Goddess Kali.
The Kandhariya Mahadev temple, as is evident from its name, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was built by the Chandela king to mark his victory over Mahmud Ghazni.Adjacent to it is the Jagdamba temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati. Next to Jagdamba temple is the Chitragupta temple, dedicated to Lord Surya, the Sun God. His majestic idol can be seen riding a chariot, carved on a stone base.A little far away is the Vishwanath temple. This temple has a Shiva linga inside it . There is a large statue of Nandi outside the Vishwanath temple, facing the Shiva linga.
The Nandi in front of Vishwanath temple
After exploring these magnificent monuments of ancient archeological supremacy, we headed to explore what nature had in store at Khajuraho. The Raneh falls are a little distance away from the city of Khajuraho. These falls are in full flow during monsoon.The river Ken(pronounced as 'Cane') rushes through the rocky canyon of granite and dolomite rocks, forms a waterfall at the ridges of this sharp canyon. The Ken also hosts alligators and crocodiles and there are some very good viewpoints to see them in the river.
River Ken
In the evening we went for the sound and light show, organized by the MP Tourism Board and narrated by none other than Amitabh Bachchan. He speaks the voice of the sculpturers of Khajuraho, the creators of this historical treasure. The story revolves around how and what circumstances encouraged the Chandelas for building temples at Khajuraho, how the temples underwent destruction during the invasion of Mahmud Ghazni. After many years of their anonymity, it was British Captain Burt who once again revealed them to the modern world.
In spite of the partially destructed sculptures and only a few temples from the lot remaining today,still they have retained their charm and silently elocute the history they have witnessed so far. In one phrase, they are simply amazing..!!
Marvellous...!!
How to Reach:
By Train: From Delhi reach Jhansi. There are a lot of trains for this route. Buses both private as well as good luxury buses of MP Tourism run from Jhansi to Khajuraho.
Alternatively, one can get down at Mahoba, and then hire a cab to reach Khajuraho in 2 hours.
A new railway station is coming up at Khajuraho itself.
By Air: Khajuraho has its own airport, there are direct flights from Delhi to Khajuraho.
Where to stay:
There are good and well maintained hotels run by MP Tourism at Khajuraho. They also provide the facility of online bookings and are very much affordable.
There are also several other hotels, including major hotels like Radisson in the city area.
No comments:
Post a Comment