The temples of Khajuraho each year attract an ever-increasing flow of tourists. Khajuraho is a universally recognized architectural monument with a mysterious history of creation, prosperity, decline, oblivion and a happy resurrection from non-existence. The very fact of the existence of Khajuraho is surrounded by an erotic aura.

A bit of history

According to the legendary version of the events, the Khajuraho temples were built by descendants of a woman tempted by the moon god. Theoretically, in this case they should be edification for all adherents of extramarital affairs. According to another version, temple builders professed tantrism, religion, where the energy exchange during the sexual act is a meditative practice.

Anyway, the surfaces of the majority of the twenty-two temples found to date are abundantly covered with bas-reliefs of erotic scenes involving people and animals. But inside the temples of figures in piquant poses you will not find. So it's possible that the erotic shell is a kind of test: if a person is not ready to take the picture from the outside (or is too keen on seductive pictures), he has no chance to get inside the temple.

Western group of temples

Geographically the whole temple complex is divided into three parts. In the largest Western group of temples is the temple of Lakhmana - the oldest and most famous temple, named after the ruler who built it; the temple of Chitragupta, dedicated to the god of the Sun, facing the rising sun; the temple Matanageswara (Matangeshvara), dedicated to Shiva and adorned with a 2 meter long lingam - is the only functioning temple of Khajuraho. Here is the most notable temple - Kandarya Mahadeva, 80 meters high, surrounded by 84 smaller towers.

Eastern group of temples

Eastern group of temples is more traditional and consists of four Jainist and three Hindu temples. The Eastern group of temples includes: the temple of Parsvanath, distinguished by exquisite exquisite carving, in which are written the smallest details; the Jain temple of Ghantai; the oldest of the temples of the complex is the Brahma temple built of granite and sandstone and dedicated to Vishnu

Southern Group

Five kilometers from the center of Khajuraho is the smallest group of churches - there are only two of them. This is the so-called "Southern group of temples", where the temple of Dulhadev is located, glorifying the lingas of Shiva and the temple of Chattarbhuj - the only temple in the complex that does not have erotic sculptures.

Visit

The entrance to the temples costs $ 5 for foreign tourists (by the way, if you accidentally saved a ticket for which you were part of the Taj Mahal, you can use it here). Temples are open to visitors from sunrise to sunset