KHAJURAHO

KHAJURAHO
 THE TEMPLES OF KHAJURAHO ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE
GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS.
III. WESTERN,
IV. EASTERN, AND
V. SOUTHERN GROUPS.
 WESTERN GROUP OF TEMPLES
CHAUSATH YOGINI TEMPLE – KANDARIYA MAHADEO TEMPLE –
DEVI JAGDAMBA TEMPLE – CHITRAGUPTA TEMPLE –
VISHWANATH TEMPLE – PARVATI TEMPLE – LAKSHMANA
TEMPLE – MATANGESHWARA TEMPLE.
 EASTERN GROUP OF TEMPLES
BRAHMA TEMPLE – VAMANA TEMPLE – PARSVANATH TEMPLE –
GHANTAI TEMPLE.
 SOUTHERN GROUP OF TEMPLES
DULHADEO TEMPLE – CHATURBHUJ TEMPLE –
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEAM.
 KHAJURAHO DERIVES ITS NAME FROM THE KHAJUR TREE (THE
DATE PALM TREE) FOUND IN ABUNDANCE IN THE AREA.
 THE TEMPLES ARE SUPERB EXAMPLES OF INDO-ARYEN
ARCHITECTURE, BUILT IN THE SHORT SPAN OF A HUNDRED
YEARS,UNDER THE GENEROUS AND ARTISTIC PATRONAGE OF THE
CHANDELA RAJPUT KINGS OF CENTRAL INDIA IN A TRULY
INSPIRED BURST OF CREATIVITY.
IN THE TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE OF INDIA, THE KHAJURAHO
COMPLEX REMAINS UNIQUE. KHAJURAHO IS LOCATED IN THE
FORESTED PLAINS OF MADHYA PRADESH.
 KHAJURAHO
CITY MAP

Kandariya mahadeo
 HISTORY OF INDO - ARYAN STYLE
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

THE INDO ARYEN STYLE ARCHITECTURE WAS AN INSPERATION FROM THE

BUDDIST CHAITYA CAVES WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE BEGUN DURING ‘MAURYA’S
PERIOD’. THIS MAURYA’S DYNASTY WAS FOUND BY CHANDRAGUPT MAURYA
WHICH WAS A PART OF GREAT MAGDHA EMPIRE DURING 321 TO 184 B.C.E.
 ASHOKA WAS A WELL KNOWN KING OF THIS DYNASTY. NOW AS THESE
TEMPLES WAS INSPIRED FROM THE BUDDHIST CHAITYA CAVES,THEY WERE
SIMPLE AND WAS KNOWN AS SIMPLE CAVE TEMPLES.
ONE OF THE EXAMPLE OF THE SIMPLE CAVE TMPLE IS RUSHI LOMASH
CAVE. BUILT DURING MAURYA’S PERIOD. THEN AS A TIME FOLLOWEDTHESE
SIMPLE CAVE TEMPLE BECAME MORE SIMPLE AND DECORATIVE. EXAMPLE
CAVE TEMPLES AT AJANTA AND ELLORA.WHICH WERE BUILT DURING
RASERAKUTA’S,PERIOD.
AND THEY BECAME MORE COMPLEX AND SOPHISTICATED DURING GOLDEN
AND CLASSICAL AGE.
 NOW THIS CLASSICAL AGE CONSISTED OF MANY GREAT EMPIRES
LIKE THE GREAT HARSHA EMPIRE WHO RULED NORTH FROM 7th TO 9th
CENTURY BEFORE HIS DEATH.FOLLOWED BY PRATIHARAS,MALWA AND
PALAS.
 KING HARSHA IS ALSO CONSIDERED AS THE LAST HINDU KING WHO
WAS ABLE TO CONQUER EMPIRE AS LARGE AS AKBAR.
 CHALUKIYAS AND THE PALLAVAS WHO RULED SOUTH INDIA AND
MADE SOME FAMOUS STANDARD INDO-ARYAN STYLE ARCHITECTURE
TEMPLES.
 THEN THE CHOLAS WHO RULED SOUTH FROM 9-12th CENTURY
FOLLOWED BY PRATIHARAS WHO RULED NORTH INDIA FROM 6-11
CENTURY.
 PALAS WHO CONTROLLED BIHAR AND BENGAL FROM 8th TO 12th
CENTURY.AND RAJPUTS WHO RULED FROM 6th TO 12th CENTURY.
 IT IS SAID THAT THIS RAJPUTS EMERGED IN RAJASTHAN IN 6th
CENTURY AND RULED MUCH PART OF NORTH INDIA INCLUDING
GUJARAT, MEWAR, MALWA, BUNDELKHAND, HARYANA.
 PRUTHVIRAJ CHAUHAN WAS THE WELL KNOWN WARRIOR HAVING
BLUDDY CONFLICTS AGAINST ENCROACHING ISLAMIC SULTANATES.
 THIS RAJPUT PERIOD IS ALSO KNOWN AS ARTISTIC AND
ARCHITECTURAL CONTRIBUTION.
 AND KANDARIYA MAHADEV TEMPLE IS ONE OF THE GREAT STONE
MASONARY TEMPLE FROM ALL THE TEMPLE AT KHAJURAHO. WHICH
WARE ERECTED BY RAJPUTS AT THE END OF 11th CENTURY.
 LOCATION
KHUJURAHO IS A CITY IN THE INDIAN STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH,
WHICH IS WORLD FAMOUS FOR ITS EROTIC SCULPTURES.
THE SITE WAS FORGOTTON FOR CENTURIES BEFORE IT WAS
REDISCOVERED IN 1838.
IT IS LOCATED IN CHHATARPUR DISTRICT, ABOUT 385 MILES 620
KILOMETRES SOUTHEST OF DELHI, THE CAPITAL CITY OF INDIA.
 HISTORY
 KHAJURAHO WAS A MAJOR CENTER OF THE LATER CHADELLA
KINGS FROM THE 9th TO 14th CENTURIES, IT WAS UNDER THEIR
PATRONAGE WHEN THE TEMPLES WERE DEVELOPED.
 IT IS BELIEVED THAT 80 TEMPLES WERE BUILT, OUT OF WHICH 22
STILL REMAINS IN VARYING DEGREES OF PRESERVATION.
 THE FASCINATING TEMPLES OF KHAJURAHO, INDIA’S
UNIQUE GIFT OF LOVE TO THE WORLD, IN THE STATE OF
MADHYA PRADESH.
 THE KHAJURAHO TEMPLES WERE OVER A SPAN OF HUNDRED
YEARS, FROM 950 TO 1050. WITH THE FADING OF CHADELA
FORTUNES, THE IMPORTANCE OF KHAJURAHO WANED BUT TEMPLE
BUILDING CONTINUED UNTIL THE 12th CENTURY AT A MUCH
REDUCED SPACE.
 AND THE KANDARIYA MAHADEVA TEMPLE AT KHAJURAHO WAS
BUILT IN 1050.
 SITE EXPLORATION

 THE NAME KHAJURAHO IS DERIVED FROM THE HINDI

WORD KHAJUR MEANING DATE PALM.
 THE WHOLE AREA WAS ENCLOSED BY A WALL WITH EIGHT
GATES, EACH FLANKED BY TWO GOLDEN PALM TREES.
 THERE WHERE ORIGINALLY OVER 80 HINDU TEMPLES, OF
WHICH ONLY 22 NOW STAND IN A REASONABLE STATE OF
PRESERVATION, SCATTERED OVER AN AREA OF ABOUT 8
SQUARE MILES (21 KM).
 KANDARIYA MAHADEVA TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

 KHAJURAHO TEMPLES, CONSRUCTED

WITH SPIRAL SUPERSTRUCTURES,
ADHERE TO NORTHERN INDIAN (i.e
NAGARA STYLE) SHIKARA TEMPLE STYLE
AND OFTEN TO A PANCHAYATNA PLAN OR
LAYOUT.
 A FEW OF THE TEMPLES ARE
DEDICATED TO THE JAIN PANTHEON
AND THE REST TO HINDU DEITIES- TO
GOD’S TRIO, BRAHMA, VISHNU AND
SHIVA, AND VARIOS DEVI FORMS, SUCH
AS THE DEVI JAGDAMBI TEMPLE.
 A PANCHAYATNA TEMPLE HAD FOUR
SUB-ORDINATE SHRINES ON FOUR
CORNERS AND THE MAIN SHRINE IN THE
CENTER OF THE PODIUM, WHICH
COMPRISES THEIR BASE.
 THESE SHIKHARAS-SUBORDINATE AND
MAIN ATTRIBUTE TO THE KHAJURAHO
TEMPLES THEIR UNIQUE SPLENDOR AND
SPECIAL CHARACTER.
 WITH OVER 900 SCULPTURES CARVED IN
TO SANDSTONE STACKED WITHOUT MORTAR.
 THE MAIN SHRINE IS ORNATELY CARVED
AND DEPICTS VARIOUS GODS, GODDESSES,
APSARAS (HEAVENTLY MAIDEN ) IN
ELABORATE DETAIL.
 THE ENTRANCE ARCH, THE MASSIVE
PILLARS AND CEILINGS ARE ADORNED WITH
EXQUISITE CARVINGS THAT LEAVE THE
VISITOR SPELLBOUND.
 BEYOND THE ARCHWAY OF THE
KANDARIYA MAHADEV, LIE THE SIX INTERIOR
COMPARTMENTS WITH A GRADED RISE OF
THESE SHIKHARAS FROM OVER THE
ARDHAMANDAPA,
PLAN OF KHAJURAHO TEMPLE
CEILING CONSTRUCTION
 PORCH, TO MANDAPA, ASSEMBLY HALL, MAHAMANDAPA,
PRINCIPAL ASSEMBLEY HALL, ANTARALA, VESTIBULE, AND
GARBHAGRAHA, SANCTUME SANCTORUM, KHAJURAHO TEMPLES
ATTAIN THE FORM AND GLORY OF GRADUALLY RISING HIMALAYAN
PEAKS.
 THE TRANSEPT’S OUTER WALLS HAVE THREE HORIZONTAL
PANELS SHOWING DEITIES OF THE HINDU PANTHEON, AND GROUPS
OF LOVERS, A PAGEANT OF SENSUOUSNESS, VIBRANTLY ALIVE.
 THE VERY STONE SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN ON THE
LIVING,BREATHING QUALITY OF THE CARVED FIGURES
REPRESENTING AN ANIMATED ARRAY OF GODS AND
GODDESSES,(COUPLES) AND ‘SURA-SUNDARIS’ (NYMPHS)ON
PROJECTIONS AND MYTHICAL LIONS IN RECESSES.
 THE VIBRANTLY CARVED EXTERIOR CONTRASTS WITH A VERY
PLAIN INTERIOR SPACE THAT HOUSES A SHIVA LINGAM IN THE
WOMB OR ‘GRIHA’.
 THE INTERIOR OF THE KANDARIYA TEMPLE IS LARGELY
SIMILAR IN DESIGN TO THAT OF THE DEVELOPED LOCAL TEMPLES,
BUT IN MORE SPECIOUS AND GOREOUS AND IS REPLETE WITH A
LAVISH WEALTH OF CARVINGS AND SCULPTURES.
 IT IS THE ONLY LOCAL
TEMPLE,WHICH HAS
PRESERVED TWO
EXQUISITELY DESIGNED
‘TORANAS’ (FESTOONED
ARCHES) BOTH OF
EXQUISITE DESIGNED,IN
THE INTERIOR.
 LOOKING AT SHIKHARA
WE SEE AN AT TEMPLE TO
RECONSTRUCT THE IMAGE
OF SHIVA’S HOME IN
MOUNT KAILASHA.
 GIANT RELIEFS ALSO
PORTRAY VARIOUS
MANIFESTATIONS OF
SHIVA,WHO IS BOTH
ADESTROYER AND A
SAVIOR.
 LANDSCAPE
 THE KHAJURAHO TEMPLES ARE
NOW SET IN A PARKLAND
LANDSCAPE. WHEN INDIA GAINED
INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN IN
1947 THE LANDSCAPE SETTING
WAS SEMI-DESERT AND SCRUB.
 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK
NOW HAS SOMETHING OF THE
CHARACTER OF AN ENGLISH
PUBLIC PARK, WITH MOWN GRASS,
ROSE BEDS AND ORNAMENTAL
TREES.
 THIS MAY BE POPULAR WITH
VISITORS BUT HAS NO
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
HISTORIC LANDSCAPE AT THE
TIME THE TEMPLES WERE BUILT.
 THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANDSCAPE
ARCHAEOLOGY AS AN ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE RAISES QUESTIONS
CONCERNING THE LANDSCAPE OF
ARCHAELOGY OF KHAJURAHO AND THE
ORIGINAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE TEMPLE COMPLEX AND THE
SURROUNDING AREA.

 THESE ARE NO RECORDS OF WHAT

THE ORIGINAL LANDSCAPE MIGHT
HAVE BEEN BUT IT IS KNOWN THAT A
LARGE COMMUNITY OF PRIESTS USED
THE TEMPLE COMPLEX.
 AND THAT INDIAN GARDENS IN THE
TENTH CENTURY WERE
PREDOMINANTLY TREE GARDENS.
 THEY DID NOT HAVE LAWNS OR
HERBACEOUS FLOWERING PLANTS.
 CLARIFICATION ON
EROTIC SCULPTURES

 THE NAME KHAJURAHO MAY BE

DERIVED FROM KHAJURA (DATE
PALM), WHICH GROWS FREELY IN
THE AREA AND PERHAPS BECAUSE
THERE WERE TWO GOLDEN
KHAJURA TREE ON A CARVED GATE
HERE.
 THE OLD NAME WAS
KHARJURAVAKAHA (SCORPION
BEARER), THE SCORPION
SYMBPLIZING POISONOUS LUST.
 THE CHADELAS WERE FOLLOWERS
OF THE TANTRIC CULT WHICH
BELIEVES THAT GRATIFICATION OF
EARTHLY DESIRED IS A STEP
TOWARDS ATTAINING THE ULTIMATE
LIBERATION.
 TANTRISM HAS BEEN MOSTLY
MISUNDERSTOOD AND THE
PHILOSOPHICAL PART OF TANTRAS
LIKE THE MAHANIRVANA TANTRA
HAVE BEEN TOTALLY FORGOTTEN.
 THIS WAS ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY TANTRICS
PERISHED.NEVER THE LESS IT
REMAINS A DISTINCTS PATH OF
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE THOUGH IT
HAS VERY FEW FOLLOWERS ALL
OVER THE WORLD.
I. IT MUST BE EMPHASIZED THAT KHAJURAHO TEMPLES, DO NOT
CONTAIN SEXUAL THEMES INSIDE THE TEMPLE PREMISES OR
NEAR THE DEITY BUT ONLY ON EXTERNAL CARVINGS. THEY
PORTRAY THAT FOR SEEING THE DEITY,
II. ONE MUST LEAVE HIS SEXUAL DESIRES OUT SIDE THE TEMPLE.
THEY ALSO DEPICT THAT THE INNER DEITY OF THE TEMPLE IS
PURE LIKE THE SOUL (ATMAN) WHICH IS UNAFFECTED BY DESIRE,
DESTINY ETC, WHEREAS THE EXTERNAL PORTRAY THE BODILY
CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN US.
III. ONLY AS MANY AS 10% CARVINGS CONTAIN SEXUAL THEMES, NOT
BETWEEN ANY DEITIES BUT BETWEEN ORDINARY HUMANS. THE
REST PORTRAY THE COMMON MAN’S LIFE OF THOSE DAYS. FOR
EXAMPLE LADIES APPLYING MAKEUP, MUSICIANS, POTTERS,
FARMERS ETC. ALL THESE ARE AWAY FROM TEMPLE DEITIES.
THEY GIVE THE MESSAGE THAT ONE SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE GOD
AS THE CENTRAL POINT IN ONE’S LIFE EVEN THOUGH ONE IS
ENGAGED IN WORLDLY ACTIVITIES.
IV. IN KHAJURAHO TEMPLES, THE IDOLS OF SHIVA, NANDI, GODDESS
DURGA, INCARNATIONS OF VISHNU ETC FULLY CLOTHED.
 CONCLUSION
 THE KANDERIYA MAHADEVA TEMPLE IS A RENOWNED
HISTORICAL SEAT OF INDIAN ART AND CULTURE.
 IT IS A LARGEST AND LOFTIES MONUMENT OF KHAJURAHO.
 IT IS THE ONLY TEMPLE OF KHAJURAHO WHICH HAS TWO
‘MAKARTORANAS’.
 THIS TEMPLE IS COMPLETE IN SHIKARA PLAN.
 IN THIS TEMPLE SHIKARA HAS TOTAL EIGHTY FOUR REPLICAS.
 IN THIS WAY, IT BECAME LOFTY AND INTRICATELY
ORNAMENTED.