KHAJURAHO

Devi Jagadambi Temple

The Khajuraho temples contain some sexual or erotic art outside the temple or near the deities. Also, some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. There are many interpretations of the erotic carvings. It has been suggested that these suggest tantric sexualpractices. Meanwhile, the external curvature and carvings of the temples depict humans, human bodies, and the changes that occur in bodies, as well as facts of life. Some 10% of the carvings contain sexual themes; those reportedly do not show deities but rather sexual activities between people. The rest depict the everyday life of the common Indian when the carvings were made and activities of other beings. For example, those depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians, potters, farmers, and other folk. The mundane scenes are all at some distance from the temple deities. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities.

The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho, a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometres (385 mi) southeast of New Delhi, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculptures.

The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.

Lakshman temple

The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone. The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenonjoints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons.

Chaturbuj Temple

The Saraswati temple on the campus of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India, is modeled after the Khajuraho temples.

Kandariya Mahadeva temple

The name Khajuraho, ancient "Kharjuravāhaka", is derived from the Sanskrit words kharjura = date palm and vāhaka = "one who carries". Locals living in the Khajuraho village always knew about and kept up the temples as best as they could. They were pointed out to the English in the late 19th century when the jungles had taken a toll on the monuments.In the 19th century, British engineer T.S. Burt arrived in the area, followed by General Alexander Cunningham. Cunningham put Khajuraho on the world map when he explored the site on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India and described what he found in glowing terms. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the "seven wonders" of India.

Khajuraho dance festival

Khajuraho dance festival, organised by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, is a one week long festival of classical dances held annually against the spectacular backdrop of the magnificently lit Khajuraho temples in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. From 2010 The Khajuraho Festival of Dance is conducted every year the first week of February from the 1st to the 7th.

This cultural festival highlights the richness of the various Indian classical dance styles such as Kathak, Bharathanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri and Kathakali with performances of some of the best exponents in the field. Modern Indian dance has also been added recently. The dances are performed in an open-air auditorium, usually in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to Surya (the Sun God) and the Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, belonging to the western group. 

The festival witnesses exceptionally good and mesmerizing dance performances by artists of World fame. For the tourists this festival provides a wonderful refreshment from the whole day hectic tours around the city, in the holy and traditional temple environment.

One can easily purchase tickets for this festival on the spot or book in advance. The tickets range from Rs.20 on daily basis to Rs.600 for seasonal ticket. The seasonal ticket is for those who plan to attend the festival all throughout the week where as the daily ones are for those who plan to watch 1 or 2 day performances depending on their area of interest. The ticket charges are also dependant on the row you choose to sit. A separate charge of Rs.100 is charged for Camera on per day basis.