In the forests of Bundelkhand, 85 temples once rose out of the flat plains of central India — sandstone shrines carved with such virtuosity that the entire surface of the buildings seems to move.
Only 25 of the original Khajuraho temples survive today, built between the 9th and 12th centuries by the Chandela rulers. They are together a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered one of the peaks of Indian temple art.
A Cluster of Sacred Geometry
Khajuraho is divided into three groups — Western, Eastern and Southern — spread across a village setting. The Western Group is the most famous and best preserved.
The star of the site is Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, dedicated to Shiva. Its main shikhara (spire) rises 31 metres and is surrounded by 84 smaller subsidiary spires — the whole composition designed to evoke Mount Meru, the sacred cosmic mountain.
What the Sculpture Really Depicts
Khajuraho is often reduced in popular imagination to its erotic sculptures. In reality these make up less than 10 percent of the total figure carving — the rest depicts gods, warriors, musicians, dancers, hunts, animals, and everyday courtly life.
Scholars offer many interpretations of the erotic panels: metaphors for divine union, protective apotropaic images, or reminders that spiritual liberation lies beyond — but not in denial of — worldly desire.
The Sound and Light Show
Every evening the Western Group hosts an hour-long sound-and-light show, narrated in English and Hindi. It traces the rise of the Chandela dynasty and the story of how the temples were "rediscovered" in the 1830s by British engineer T.S. Burt.
Getting There
Khajuraho has its own airport with daily flights from Delhi and Varanasi. The nearest railhead is Mahoba, 55 km away.
The best time to visit is October to March. The annual Khajuraho Dance Festival in February attracts classical dancers from across the country — with the temples as their stage.