Khajuraho

Ancient Structures

According to tradition 85 temples once stood in this area, though only about 25 survive today. All of them were built between 900-1150 AD, which makes them around a thousand years old! After the decline of the Chandellas around 1200 AD, these temples fell into disuse and were eventually forgotten and lost to encroaching forests, much like the settlements at Macchu Picchu in Peru and the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. This probably helped them escape destruction in the many wars that were fought between feuding kingdoms in the medieval period and the surviving temples are extremely well-preserved, considering their age and location.

Rediscovery of the Khajuraho Temples

It was only in 1838 that the temples were re-discovered when T. S. Burt, a young British engineer, stumbled upon them when on an outing in the area. Imagine his surprise when he took a walk in the woods, only to come across a set of beautifully carved temple walls blocking his way! An excerpt from his account of the discovery states his opinion that “… they are probably the finest aggregate number of temples congregated in one place to be met with in all India…”

Evolution and Degradation in Architectural Style

The temples are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Jain cults, but all are similarly built and clustered into three distinct groups: the Western Group (largely Brahmanical), the Eastern Group (Jain and some Brahmanical) and the Southern Group, consisting of two of the newer temples.

Though all the temples were built in a relatively narrow period of 250 years, one can clearly make out the evolution in architecture and style as well as its decline. The earlier temples, such as the Chausath Yogini temple, were simple and made of granite with hardly any sculptural embellishment. The ones made during the Chandella prime such as the Lakshmana and Kandariya Mahadeva temples are towering, architecturally-evolved and intricately-decorated structures made in sandstone. The newer ones, such as the Chaturbhuja and Duladeo temples show a degradation in the architecture as well as the quality of stonework.