Khajuraho Temples
Khajuraho is one of the highlights of the northern trails, offering a feast of intricately carved erotic temples, spread over a tranquil, rural landscape. Most of the temples and architectural remains belong to the period 950 to 1050 A.D. It is believed that the temples were built to celebrate episodes from the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, from this stems the Tantric Cult, worshipping the activation of male forces by sexual union with Shakti.
Most of the temples are carved in sandstone. For a better understanding of the temple, one can divide it into two groups: Western Group and Eastern Group. Western Group consists of Lakshman temple, Vishwanath temple, Kandariya Mahadeva temple and Matangesvara temple, containing a magnificent lingam, over 6 feet high and the only temple still in worship. Eastern Group is composed of three richly carved Jain temples within an enclosure and four scattered Hindu temples. Temples in this group include Parshnanath, Adinath and many more.
