Far away from New Delhi (it took me all night to get there) lies a very old town called Khajuraho. It's not a big place and not very populated by indian standards, but it was introduced to the world in the 19th century by General Alexander Cunningham. After visiting the place he described Khajuraho to the public as a very beautiful place. Especially the temples, which are now one of the most popular destination for tourist in India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The temples are divided into three groups: western, eastern and southern. You can visit them all but the simplest to see are the Western temples. They have an audio tour, which is excellent and can provide many interesting information as well as explanation to the beautiful temples and carvings you will see. The whole complex is now set in a park like fashion. It's not the original design but an idea that admiring the temples is much easier and more enjoyable when surrounded by grass, trees and flowers. They also provide some escape from the sweltering heat.
The temples became very popular mainly because of their sexual carvings. Some of them are very explicit showing sex with animals, various sexual positions (some very acrobatic :), masturbation etc. Noone can definately explain why such carvings appear in a place of worship, however, there are many other sculptures showing regular life like: work in the fields, festivals, home life. Because sex is such an important part of our existance, why not include it here as well.
It takes a while to see the temples, especially if you want to see every detail. And it's so worth seeing all the details you can manage. The temples are beautiful, the scenes depicted so perfectly crafted, the grandeur undeniable. It's a wonderful place to loose yourself, far away from big crowds (yes, you can manage that), and transport yourself to the medieval times.
The Western group of templesThe temples became very popular mainly because of their sexual carvings. Some of them are very explicit showing sex with animals, various sexual positions (some very acrobatic :), masturbation etc. Noone can definately explain why such carvings appear in a place of worship, however, there are many other sculptures showing regular life like: work in the fields, festivals, home life. Because sex is such an important part of our existance, why not include it here as well.
It takes a while to see the temples, especially if you want to see every detail. And it's so worth seeing all the details you can manage. The temples are beautiful, the scenes depicted so perfectly crafted, the grandeur undeniable. It's a wonderful place to loose yourself, far away from big crowds (yes, you can manage that), and transport yourself to the medieval times.
The temples seen from a nearby Japanese restaurant
The Lakshmana temple from far away
The Lakshmana temple
The carvings
The carvings
The carvings
The carvings
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