Discovered by chance, India's second biggest single tourist attraction, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval temples that are adorned with numerous sculptures of extraordinary grace and delicacy celebrating the stylized and refined courtly accomplishments of beauty, love and creative arts. Once the religious capital of the Chandela Rajputs, the temples of the city date from 950-1050 AD. A wall with eight gates encloses the entire area and two golden palm trees flank each of them. Originally, there were over 80 temples, of which only 22 now can be said

remarkably preserved. The set of temples at Khajuraho celebrating Hindu religious thought in its mystifying 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, Khajuraho is a prominent, must-see destination and its temples are India's unique gift to the world as they capture life in every form and mood in stone.

Places to See ...

Temples of Khajuraho

Conforming to the central Indian style of temple architecture, the temples of Khajuraho are adorned with explicit erotic sculptures with utmost architectural harmony and beauty. Built within a 200-year span, the temples plan, from the simplest to the most inspiring, follow the same pattern and all of them are ornately carved. The temples of Khajuraho are divided into three groups - the Western group, the Eastern group, and the Southern group. The largest and most easily accessible is the Western group.

1. The Eastern Group, which encompasses five detached sub-groups in and around the present village of Khajuraho. It includes three Brahmanical temples known as Brahma, Vamana and Javari and three Jain temples, the Ghantai, Adinath and Parsvanath.

2. The Southern Group, which is the most distant and has two main monuments near and across the Khudarnala, namely, the Duladeo and the Chaturbhuja temples.

3. The Western Group, which is the largest, compact and centrally located group in Khajuraho, includes some of the most prominent monuments, built by the Chandela rulers. The Lakshmana Temple, the Matangesvara Temple and the Varaha Temple form one complex and the Visvanatha and Nandi temples are not far from this complex. The Chitragupta, Jagadambi and the Kandariya Mahadeva temples are about a furlong to their west. The western group of monuments is best maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and is set amidst green lawns, colorful shrubs and flowerbeds.

Panna National Park

A 30-minute drive away from Khajuraho, it has it all - deep gorges, tranquil valley and dense teak forests. It houses Leopards, Wolfs and Gharials along with Wild Boars, Sloth Bears, Cheetals, Chowsinghas, Indian Foxes, Porcupines and many others.