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of centuries past The city was once the impressive capital of the Chandela kings, who ruled during the 10th and 11th century AD - and it was here that they built what must surely be some of India's most magnificent Hindu temples. Following repeated Afghan invasions the capital was abandoned after the 12th century, and when the Arab traveller IBn Batuta visited here in 1335 he wrote that the famed city was lost to the wilderness. It was only after a British Army engineer "discovered" the site in 1839 that the temples were reclaimed from jungle and repairs instituted. Today about 20 of the original 85 temples have been restored, and these make up separate Western, Eastern and Southern groups. The Southern group, some distance from the main village, is particularly attractive at sunset against the backdrop of the Vindhya mountains. The Eastern group comprises mainly Jain temples which even today attract worshippers of this faith. These temple walls are covered with sculptures - and although they do not depict battle or erotic scenes, they are attractive in themselves and well worth a visit. It is the eight temples of the Western group that have given Khajuraho its well-deserved reputation. Set in a well-maintained garden, they were constructed when the Chandelas were at the height of their power and have today been tastefully restored to their former glory. An impressive Sound-and Light show staged every evening cleverly recreates the atmosphere of those ancient days - and shouldn't be missed. Close to the south entrance, the Varaha temple is dedicated to God Vishnu and has an intricately carved 10-ton statue depicting him in his incarnation as a wild boar. Near the north gate is a similar pavilion, which has an amazing two metre long polished sandstone carved statue of Shiva's vehicle, the bull Nandi. The skills of the ancient Khajuraho craftsmen are best appreciated, however, by seeing the magnificent Lakshmana and Kandariya Mahadeva temples. The taller Kandariya Mahadeva temple is a towering structure constructed of intricately carved sandstone blocks fitted together without cement of any kind. Built to resemble the Himalayan mountain ranges, its roof rises in a series of seven bands of peaks to a tower 31 metres high. Constructed around 1050 AD, at a time when cranes and earth moving equipment were unknown, this temple epitomizes the knowledge and capabilities of India's architects and engineers of the time. The outside walls of the 950 AD Lakshmana temple are covered by some of India's finest sculptures. The yellow sandstone of a thousand years ago, soft enough to work on but hard enough to preserve its shape for a thousand years, allowed these ancient craftsmen to create beautiful life-like sculptures. The detailed figures show deities, royalty, sura-sundaris (heavenly maidens) and animals as well as ordinary human beings performing all the usual activities of householders - from hunting and farming to feeding and making love. Much has been made of the Khajuraho sculptors' choice of themes. The same frieze of figures may show respectively a couple in sexual union, a hunting procession, farmers at work and a scene of a mother feeding her child. One plausible explanation is the Hindu society at the time held the view that Artha (achieving prosperity by right livelihood) and dharma (morality) were as important as kama (sexual desire which was necessary for procreation and the maintenance of the race). Showing all these day-to-day activities in detail was simply depicting what most normal people spent their lives doing. The beautiful sculptured figures are anatomically perfect - the sensuous curve of a sura-sundari's spine, the perfectly proportioned arms and back of a hunter drawing his bow, the bony prominence of a woman's ankle and the curve of her calf depicted as accurately as in a textbook of anatomy. Of course there are intriguing sculptures that demonstrate some interesting sexual activities. Although Khajuraho's erotic sculptures make up less than 10% of all the carved figures, they are certainly attractive and exotic - even after a thousand years. Unusual among these buildings is the Parvathi temple, which has three domes - one shaped like the minaret of a mosque, one like a square-tiered Buddhist pagoda, the third like the tower of a Hindu temple. A later construction, it is thought to demonstrate the essential unity of all religions. It also, perhaps, emphasizes the fact that one does not have to be a Hindu to appreciate the marvels of art and architecture found in Khajuraho. |
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