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Khajuraho,
which has lent its name to a complex of
exquisite Hindu and Jain temples, is a
small town located amidst the forested
plains of Bundelkhand in north-central
Madhya Pradesh. The beautiful temples
that dot Khajuraho are believed to have
been built by the mighty Chandela rulers
in the 9th and 10th century AD. The
engravings on these temples are highly
sensual and erotic that depict in
graceful forms intimate scenes of the
whole range of human emotions and
relationships. These sculptures congeal
in stone a lyrical paean to love and
passion and reflect the Chandela
dynasty/’s immense appreciation for art.
Architecturally, the temples are built
in the north Indian Nagara style. The
sculptor/’s fine skill and a sense of
imagination have given form to human
emotion in the form of spiritual and
physical love. Every façade—wall,
window, pillar, and ceiling—is carved
with figures of mythical and historical
origins, and while many of these depict
full-breasted, girdle-waisted women in
forms of innocent play, they also depict
carnal love.
In all 85 temples were built in
Khajuraho, but only 22 are left to speak
of the grandeur of conception of the
rulers and architects of the day. The
basic ground plan of the temples of
Khajuraho is almost a textbook example
of Hindu temple architecture consisting
of four compartments: an entrance porch
(ardhamandap), the vestibule (antarala)
and the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha).
In some of the large temples an extra
mandap with lateral transepts is added
for size and splendour, converting it
into a large assembly hall. The temples
rest on a risen open platform, a
distinctive feature of the Khajuraho
temples, with subsidiary shrines at the
four corners of the platform in the
bigger temples. |
