The Chandela kings built some eighty-five temples here between roughly 950 and 1050 AD. The jungle then closed over them for several hundred years, which is precisely why they survived: invading armies never found what they could not see. About twenty-five remain.
Khajuraho is known abroad for the erotic carvings, and they are there — but they are a fraction of the surface. What covers these towers is an entire society in sandstone: musicians, teachers, potters, women at their toilet, armies on the march, gods and their consorts, all of it cut with a confidence that has not dated in a millennium.
The Western Group is the great one and deserves a guide who can read the iconography rather than simply point. The Eastern Group, JainJainA follower of Jainism, an ancient Indian religion whose central commitment is non-violence towards every living thing.Read in the glossary and quieter, is where most of the crowds are not. Around both, ordinary village Madhya Pradesh carries on much as it has.
Signature Experiences
- ◆The Western Group of Temples with a sculpture historian
- ◆The Eastern (Jain) Group, quieter and less visited
- ◆Rural village walk through the surrounding Bundelkhand countryside
Optional, By Arrangement
- ◆Orchha — the riverside fort and cenotaphs, two hours west
- ◆Evening sound and light show at the Western Group
- ◆Raneh Falls canyon on the Ken river
Where We Place Our Guests
- Taj Chandela
The Table
- Heritage dining at the hotel
- Regional Bundelkhandi cooking
Curator's Advisory
October to March. Khajuraho is small and easily done in a day and a half — the mistake is rushing the Western Group in an hour before a flight. Come with a guide who knows the sculpture; without one, the carvings collapse into a single note.
In & Around Khajuraho
Khajuraho sits within our Central India region guide.
Attractions
Journeys Through Khajuraho
The Journal
Related Reading
Khajuraho: The Temples of Central India
A thousand years ago, a forgotten dynasty carved some of the most exquisite — and famously sensual — temples in the world. A guide to Khajuraho.
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The Craft Guilds of India: Meeting the Master Makers
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