Khajuraho is a village in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 620 Kms southeast of Delhi, the capital city of India. The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculpture. The name Khajuraho is derived from the Hindi word khajur meaning date palm.
Ancient temples and intricate carvings attract visitors to Khajuraho.
Source: wikipedia / wikitravel
The city was once the original capital of the Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of a hundred years, from 950 to 1050. The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 22 stand in a reasonable state of preservation now, scattered over an area of about 21 kms. The temples were rediscovered during the late 19th century and the jungles had taken a toll on some of the monuments
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Khajuraho's climate is quite extreme. Summer is a hot at 45°C and winter pleasant at 27°C. The annual rainfall is 114 cms. With summer too hot to be advised, winter is a good time to visit. The annual Dance Festival takes place in March, so the best time to visit Khajuraho is from September to March.
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The following banks are better for changing foreign currency.
State Bank of India is opposite the Western group of temples.
Canara Bank (also gives advances on Visa & MasterCard) is opposite the Western group of temples.
Source: wikipedia / wikitravel
By Air: Khajuraho Airport is located 5kms from the city, and is served by Air India (fomerly Indian Airlines) offering flights from Delhi, Varanasi and Mumbai, Jet Airways offering flights from Delhi and Varanasi and Kingfisher offering flights from Varanasi. If one is not prepared for a 5 hr bumpy ride from Jhansi to Khajuraho, then plane is the best mode. From the end of 2008 Khajuraho Airport will also be an International Airport with connections to the Middle-East, Singapore, Bangkok.
By Train: Indian Railways, state owned railways, has connectivity from all over India. Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) (175km) and Satna (Madhya Pradesh) (117km) are the convenient railheads to Khajuraho. Satna is on Allahabad-Mumbai main line while Jhansi is on the Delhi-Bangalore mainline. It takes around 6 hours to reach Jhansi from Delhi by train. The nearest rail junction is Harpalpur (94 km) and Mahoba (63 km).
By Road: Satna and Jhansi both are connected to Khajuraho by regular bus service. It takes around 3 hours to reach Khajuraho from Satna or Jhansi by taxi, and 5-6 hours by bus. There are daily bus services with Satna, Jhansi, Harpalpur, Chhatarpur, Mahoba, Sagar,Jabalpur, Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Panna, Agra, Allahabad and Varanasi. Khajuraho To Satna (117km, 4hrs), Harpalpur (94km), Jhansi (172km )and Mahoba (61km). Khajuraho is located 600km (11hrs journey) south West of Delhi. There are bus services from Agra (12 hrs), Gwalior (9hrs) and Jhansi. Taxis are recommended because the condition of buses is not good, and the is ride gruelling.
Getting Around: A good way to get around and see the temples as well the village life in Khajuraho is by bicycle which one can easily rent in the bike shops near the main temple complex or bicycle rickshaw.
Source: wikipedia / wikitravel
The Khajuraho temples, constructed with spiral superstructures, adhere to a northern Indian shikhara temple style and often to a Panchayatana 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 various Devi forms such as the Devi Jagadambi temple.
The temples of Khajuraho have sculptures that look very realistic and are studied even today. In every temple, there is the depiction of royalty, armies, wrestling, kinship, war, courtship, marriage, lovemaking, music and dancing, spiritual teachings, union, meditation, bliss, gods, goddesses, plants, animals and an abundance of all of human forms.
Western Group of Temples
There is an entry fee of Rs. 10/- (for Indians) and USD $ 5 (for foreigners) to enter the Western Group of temples. All the temples are open from sunrise to sunset. These are the richest and largest of all temple groups
Lakhmana Temple - The oldest and finest of the western group of temples, named after the ruler that built the temple.
Kandariya Mahadeo Temple - This temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures that are among the greatest masterpieces of Indian art.
Devi Jagdamba Temple - Dedicated to the Goddess.
Chaunsat Yogini - The only granite temple in the Khajuraho group
Chitragupta Temple - is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya), it faces eastward to the rising sun
Matanageswara Temple - A temple dedicated to Shiva, a huge 8ft Lingam adorns the temple.
Parsvanath Temple - Largest among the group, with exquisite carvings in detail.
Ghantai Temple - This Jain temple has a frieze which depicts the 16 dreams of Mahavira's mother, and a Jain goddess on a winged Garuda.
Adinath Temple - Dedicated to Jain saint, Adinath, is lavishly embellished with sculpted figures, including yakshis.
Hanuman Temple
Brahma Temple - considered to be one of the oldest temples of Khajuraho made entirely in granite and sandstone, is dedicated to Vishnu.
Vamana Temple - is the dwarf form of Lord Vishnu, located in a secluded place and is known for its simple architecture.
Javari Temple
Southern Group of Temples
Dulhadev Temple - The last temple of Khajuraho, lies to the south of Ghantai temple. The temple enshrines a Shivalingam. The apsara and ornamented figures are the temples most striking features.
Beejamandal Temple - It is a ruined temple, and is near the Chattarbhuj Temple
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Light and Sound Show at Western group of temples - After visiting the temple complex is over, the sound and light show, narrated by the Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachhan, is held every evening.
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is also hosted here.
Source: wikipedia / wikitravel
The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board Hotels are Hotel Jhankar, Hotel Payal and Hotel Rahil. The Budget Hotels include Best Western Greenwood, Hotel Surya and Hotel Zen.
Holiday Inn,Khajuraho
Hotel Taj Chandela, Chhatarpur, Khajuraho
Hotel Jass Oberoi Pass Road
Amongst the more expensive accommodations are The Grand Temple View, Radisson Hotel and Usha Bundela.
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The area offers a good opportunity to try some local Madhya Pradesh delicacies. In particular, the region is famous for its desserts. Popular deserts are cashew burfi, jalebi, lavang lata, kusli, khurma, moong dal ka halwa (a pudding made from green lentils).
Paradise Restaurant is a small, but cozy restaurant offering delicious and inexpensive meals. It is also very clean establishment with helpful and friendly staff. Try the breakfast specialty of mango pancakes.
Blue Sky Restaurant is a rooftop dining area offering views over the Western group of temples - excellent Indian cuisine.
Siddhartha Hotel Restaurant is located across from the Western group of temples.
La Dolce Vita at the Town Center, is an Italian-theme restaurant with rooftop dining and good, hearty breakfasts.
La Terraza is Off Main Square and Mediterranean Restaurant is a Greek delicacy rooftop café serving western food and snacks.
Source: wikipedia / wikitravel
Iron, brass and stone sculptures depicting Kama Sutra poses are a specialty of Khajuraho and are available at the handicraft stores in the town.
Crafts Emporium, Jain Temple Road.
Market - A weekly bazaar is held at Rajinagar (5km from Khajuraho) on Tuesdays. The market is a good place to pick up silver and brass ware.
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Panna National Park (32km) - Madla Gate - Is a 543 Sq. Km Tiger reserve on the banks of the Ken River. You can take an elephant ride into the tiger reserve, but the real fun is when you go out in a jeep on the tiger-hunt.
Nachna -40kms from Panna was a famous city of the Nagvakataka and Gupta Empire.
Ajaygarh Fort - located 80 kms away from Khajuraho, is at a height of 688 meters above sea level and once the capital of the Chandelas during their decline.
Kalinjar - A historical fort.
Pandav Falls (34km)
Majhgavan Diamond Mines (56km) - India's only working diamond mines.
Benisagar Dam (10km)
Ranguan Dam (25km)
Gangau Dam and Sanctuary (34Km)
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Khajuraho's art is a manifestation of the essence of the philosophy of Indian aesthetics. The erotic sculptures of Khajuraho depicting Kama Sutra are unique in the world. These sculptures representing the indo-Aryan architecture, congeal in stone a lyrical paean to love and passion and reflect the Chandela dynasty's passion and immense appreciation for the forbidden art, paradoxically, in the land of Kama Sutra. They cannot be passed off as just an erotic sculptures as the temples have some of the most revered Gods of Hinduism.
