Khajuraho Sightseeing

The temples built by the Chandela dynasty is undeniably the main sightseeing attractions. The temples are split into three groups: the western group, the eastern group and the southern group. Of these, the western group is perhaps the most notable.

Archaeological Museum
Situated in a building adjacent to the Matangeshwar Temple, the Archaeological Museum was established by government officer WA Jardine in 1910 as a place to house the loose statues and sculptures found lying on the grounds of the ruined ancient temples. The facility was initially known as the Jardine Museum until 1952 when the Archaeological Survey of India took it over and changed its name to the Archaeological Museum.

Chaunsath Yogini Temple
Also featuring a fairly extensive collection of erotic stone carvings is the Chaunsath Yogini Temple, a structure dedicated to the goddess Kali and notable for being the only temple in the entire range to have been made from granite. The oldest shrine of any of the temples in the western group can be found at Chaunsath Yogini.

Hindu Temples
Brahman, Vamana and Javari comprise the three Hindu temples within the eastern group. All three temples feature the same style of erotic carvings as the others; while Braham is known for its four-faced lingam statue, Vamana for its sculptures of nymphs, and Javari for its magnificent gateway.

Jain Temples
Parsvanath which is dedicated to Jain Tirthankara Parshvanatha, is the largest of the Jain Temples and, like the somewhat smaller Adinath (dedicated to the Jain Tirthankara Adinath), features a selection of erotic carvings as well as other stone works telling less sexually explicit stories. Ghantai Temple, meanwhile, features stone carvings that tell the stories of the 16 dreams of Mahavira's mother. The Jain temples are all a part of the eastern group of temples.

Kandariya Mahadev Temple
This is the tallest of the temples, not only in the western group but in the entire collection, and is believed to have been built around 1025 in honour of Lord Shiva. This 30-metre-high structure features erotic carvings along its northern and southern faces but also a variety of others depicting women engaged in non-sexual activity. Notable also, is the large lingam inside of the temple which is commonly held to be a representation of Shiva.

Lakshmana Temple
Lakshmana is a part of the western group of temples and among the most famous in this category on account of its erotic sculpture collection. While all of the temples in the town feature stone works of this nature, Lakshmana’s collection is especially extensive and the carving particularly sexually graphic, depicting a large number of coital scenarios.