Khajuraho Temples (Western Group)

The Khajuraho temples are a group of Hindu and Jain sandstone temples built between 950 and 1050 CE by the Chandela dynasty. Of the 85 temples that originally stood, 25 survive across three groups (Western, Eastern, Southern). The Western Group, inside the ASI ticketed enclosure, holds the largest and most-photographed monuments: Kandariya Mahadeva, Lakshmana, Vishvanatha, Devi Jagadambi, and Chitragupta. What draws crowds is the sculpture. The temples are covered in thousands of figural panels: gods and goddesses, dancers, musicians, processions, mithuna couples, and the famous erotic friezes that account for perhaps 10% of the carvings (a fact often lost in popular representation). The architectural style is the North Indian Nagara — a tall central spire surrounded by smaller subsidiary spires, mounted on a high platform — and Khajuraho is the canonical example. The site was nearly forgotten by the 13th century when the Chandelas declined. Dense forest reclaimed it until British engineer T.S. Burt 'rediscovered' it in 1838 (local villagers had never lost it). UNESCO inscribed it in 1986. The annual Khajuraho Dance Festival (February) stages classical Indian dance against the temple backdrop and is worth timing a visit around.