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Khajuraho,
derived from the word 'khajur' meaning the
date palm, was a quiet, unknown town till a
chance discovery made it a popular tourist
destination. Forgotten and unvisited until
the mid-1960s, the place is now, after the
Taj, India's biggest single tourist
attraction. Khajuraho has the largest group
of medieval temples; each studded
with countless sculptures of extraordinary
grace and delicacy. The temples of Khajuraho,
are indeed, celebrations of the stylized and
refined courtly accomplishments of beauty,
love and creative arts.
KhajurahoKhajuraho lies about 385 miles (616
kilometers) southeast of Delhi. It was once
the religious capital of the Chandela
Rajputs, a tribal dynasty who ruled this
part of India from the tenth to the twelfth
centuries. The Khajuraho temples were built
in the short span of a hundred years, from
950-1050 AD in a truly inspired burst of
creativity. The whole area was enclosed by a
wall with eight gates, each flanked by two
golden palm trees. There were originally
over 80 temples, of which only 22 now stand
in a reasonable state of preservation,
scattered over an area of about eight square
miles.
The set of temples at Khajuraho celebrating
Hindu religious thought in its bewildering
variety of scope and inclusion stands
distinguished from rest of the Hindu
temples. The temples highlight the
existential ethos in religion that venerates
'Yoga' and 'Bhoga'. 'Yoga' is union of the
self with the Almighty, while 'Bhoga' is the
path to God through physical pleasure. The
temples at Khajuraho, dedicated to physical
love and pleasure are a testimony to this
philosophy.
Declared a World Heritage Site in 1986 in
order to preserve its splendour for
posterity, Khajuraho is a prominent,
must-see destination on most tourist
itineraries. The temples of Khajuraho are
India's unique gift to the world,
representing, an ode to life, to love, to
joy; perfect in execution and sublime in
expression. Life, in every form and mood,
has been captured in stone, testifying not
only to the craftsman's artistry but also to
the extraordinary breadth of vision of the
Chandela Rajputs under whose rule the templ es
were conceived and constructed.
The Legend of Khajuraho
The creators of Khajuraho claimed descent
from the moon as is testified by the
fascinating legend behind the creation of
this great dynasty and the temples. Hemwati,
the lovely young widowed daughter of a
Brahmin priest, was seduced by the moon-god
while she was bathing in a forest pool. As
the moon-god prepared to leave, Hemvati
threatened to curse him for having molested
her chastity, at which the moon-god blessed
her with an invincible son, who would grow
up to become a reputed world ruler and from
whom will would spring a thousand royal
branches. The child born of this union was
Chandravarman, founder of the Chandela
dynasty. It is believed that Brihsapati; the
preceptor of gods' descended on the earth to
write his horoscope.
Khajuraho
Brought up in the forests by his mother who
sought refuge from a censorious society, at
an age of sixteen, the young Chandravarman
was so strong that he killed a tiger with a
piece of stone and a full grown lion with a
small stick. When he was established as a
ruler, he had a dream-visitation from his
mother. It is said that she implored him to
build temples that would reveal human
passions, and in doing so bring about a
realization of the emptiness of human
desire.
It is also believed that Chandelas were
followers of the Tantric cult, which
believes that gratification of earthly
desires is a step towards attaining the
infinite liberation or 'nirvana'.
With their decline, the temples lay
forgotten for many centuries, covered by the
encroaching forests, victim to the ravages
of the elements. Re-discovered only in this
century, restored and cleaned, the temples
of Khajuraho once again testify to a past
glory. |
