Khajuraho
is a city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located
in Chhatarpur District.Khajuraho has the largest group
of medieval temples that are adorned with numerous
sculptures of extraordinary grace and delicacy
celebrating the stylized and refined courtly
accomplishments of beauty, love and creative arts. Once
the religious capital of the Chandela Rajputs, the
temples of the city date from 950-1050 AD. The set of
temples at Khajuraho celebrating Hindu religious thought
in its mystifying variety of scope and inclusion stands
distinguished from rest of the Hindu temples.The temples
of Kajuraho is a perplexing example of religion laced
with erotica. They are fine examples of Indian
architectural styles that have gained popularity due to
their salacious depiction of the traditional way of life
during medieval time.
Jass Trident Hotel
Address: By Pass Road, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.
Rooms:
94 Rooms
Location: 2 kms from Airport,
170 kms from Jhansi, 110 kms from Satna.
The Western Group of
Temples is the most elaborately carved of the three groups (Western,Esatern,Southern).
The Lakshmi and Varaha Temple is dedicated to Lakshmi and the Varaha
(boar) avtaar of Vishnu. The Lakshmana Temple, intricate in its
workmanship; the Kandariya Mahadev, largest and architecturally the
most perfect, where the interior has 872 spectacularly carved
statues; the Mahadeva Temple is the smallest; the Devi Jagadamba
Temple was first dedicated to Vishnu, then Parvati and finally to
Kali. The Chitragupta Temple is dedicated to the Sun God, Surya,
while the Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Shiva and his faithful
vehicle, Nandi the bull. The Matangesvara Temple, the only temple in
this group, where worship continues, dedicated to Shiva and the
Chausath Yogini Temple, presently in ruins and believed to be the
oldest temple in Khajuraho.
This group, other
than housing the other temples also contains the Jain Temples. Of
the attractions, there is the Parasvanath Temple, the largest and
finest Jain temple in the city. Comparatively the Adinath Temple is
smaller in size with its sculptures forming a tri-band formation,
similar to Hindu temples. The Shantinath Temple is again
comparatively modern and was built a century ago with raw materials
from older temples. The Ghantai Temple is now mostly in ruins with
only the graceful carvings of the bell and chain motifs remaining.
The Javari Temple dates back to AD 1075-1100 and is dedicated to
Vishnu. The Vamana Temple is slightly older than the Javari Temple,
standing alone in the middle of a field. And there is the Brahma and
Hanuman Temple, the name confusing since the temple is actually
dedicated to Vishnu.
Southern Group of temples
Panna National Park
The
two temples here are the Duladeo Temple, 1 km away from the Jain
enclosure. Not very impressive, this temple does not seem to have
received the attention the others did. The other, the Chaturbhuja
Temple is south of the river and is quite dilapidated. It houses an
image of Vishnu.
The park is situated
32 km away from the city. A mere 30-minute drive away from Khajuraho
and extending over 543 km, spread along the banks of the River Ken,
the park's topography is a magnificent one of deep gorges, tranquil
valley and dense teak forests. During the monsoons, the park is a
lush green haven with cascading waterfalls. The park's area includes
the former shooting reserves of the erstwhile royal state of Panna
and Chhattarpur and the jungles today harbour many species of
wildlife. The tiger can be glimpsed here, along with other rare
species such as the Leopard, Wolf and Gharial.
How to reach
Khajuraho
By Air
By Rail
By Bus
There is a daily
return flight of Indian Airlines, on the route Delhi - Agra -
Khajuraho -Varanasi. Jet Airways also operates flight from Delhi
To Khajuraho.
Jhansi, 175 kms from Khajuraho, is the nearest mainline station
for Khajuraho and is well connected by super fast trains from
Delhi and Agra.
Direct bus services connect Khajuraho with major cities of
Madhya Pradesh.For local transport, cycle rickshaws, tongas, and
taxis are available
Events in
Khajuraho
Khajuraho Dance Festival
The Taj Mahotsav
festival is held in Shilpgram about 1km from the easten gate of taj.
Taj Mahotsav is a culturally vibrant platform that brings together
the finest Indian crafts and cultural nuances.
Weather
Khajuraho suffers
extreme climate, with drastic shifts in day and night
temperatures along with minimal rainfall. Summers are as hot as
45°C .Winters pleasant at 27°C. Winter season (October-Marh) is
a good time to visit. As also March, which is when the annual
Dance Festival takes place.
Last Minute Guide
Shopping At
Khajuraho
Many shops in
Khajuraho sell souvenirs and handicrafts made by the local artisans.
There are smaller stalls outside the temple gates where one can pick
up interesting souvenirs. A weekly bazaar is held at Rajinagar on
Tuesdays, 5 km from Khajuraho. The Chandela Emporium near Sibsagar
has a large selection of gifts, crafts and jewellery. For diamonds,
tryKaran Jewellers. For reasonably priced western garments you can
check out Ganesh Garments on the Jain Temples Road.
Cuisines of
Khajuraho
At Hotel Jass
Trident,there are multi-cuisine restaurants serving Indian, Chinese
and Continental cuisines. Bar facility is also available. At Hotel
Taj Chandela, the Café de la Paix(a French-style cafe) serves snacks
and beverages.Restaurant 'Rimjhim' serves buffet meals for
breakfast, lunch and dinner.Restaurant 'Rasana' offers
Continental,Chinese and Indian cuisine.
Hospitals in Khajuraho
Banks/Money Changers
Þ
Christian Hospital Chhatarpur, Chhatarpur,Madhya Pradesh
Þ
State Bank of India, Opp. the Western group of temples
Þ
The Canara Bank , Opp. the Western group of temples
