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This temple is better known
as The Lakshmana Temple. It is situated in the temple complex in the
small village Khajuraho in Chattarpur District of Madhya Pradesh. This
is the second highest amongst all the temples in this complex.
This temple was built by the great Chandela ruler, King Yashovarman in
the 10th century. This is one of the most beautifully designed temples
of the country. It is a dedication to Vaikuntha Vishnu, another avatar
of Lord Vishnu.
This magnificent temple is situated on a high platform and boasts of the
most uncommon art forms with very deep meanings. Like many other temples
of this region, this temple is also made of sandstone and the basic
design is of the ancient native Indian form.
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The temple surprises its
visitors from the initial step. The majestic entrance forms an arch
which is known as ‘ardhamandapa’. There is a huge hall which is used for
performing rituals. There is also the intricately designed main temple
hall and the Antaral and the secret chamber where the actual deity
resides which is known as the ‘Garbagriha’.
The whole structure, if you see carefully is that of a chariot drawn by
five horses. It is called a Pancharatha. The base is made of balconies
and wonderfully designed fences and the upper part has statues of as
many as 600 forms of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The specialty over here
is the stress on the erotic art forms of those times. This temple is
said to have been the inspiration of the ‘Indian Book of Ancient Sex’,
which is called the ‘Kama sutra’.
The first part of the
temple’s entrance has seven straight sections. The main entrance after
this has stunning structures of the various avatars and incarnations of
the prime deity here. These include statues of Lord Narasimha, Lord
Varaha and Bhagvan Brahma. The most unique attraction among these are
the two sculptures here, firstly that of Goddess lakshmi standing in
between Brahma and Vishnu and the other of Goddess Durga at the time of
the Demon’s death.
The main idol here is of Lord Vaikuntha. This idol has three heads and
four arms. This fantastic stone sculpture is accompanied by Narasimha or
the lion avatar and Varaha or the boar avatar of the deity.
The other attractive features are the statues of beautiful women with
their partners in love making postures which actually depict
infertility. There are also lovely towers also known as Shikharas which
have amazing designs on them. Besides these, there are also paintings
and other art forms depicting processions, tracking, and fight scenes
that will take you centuries back into the reign of the Chandelas. The
entrance temple has some eye-catching designs of four temples on four
sides and lotus motifs on the upper part of it and that of nymphs on the
columns.
Getting There
The temple complex, in the
Khajuraho village at an elevation of 282 metres (925 ft), is well connected
by road, rail and air services. Khajuraho is 34 miles (55 km) to the south
of Mahoba, 29 miles (47 km) away from the Chatarpur city to its east, 27
miles (43 km) away from Panna, 400 kilometres (250 mi) away from Jhansi on
the north, and 600 kilometres (370 mi) to the south - east of Delhi. It is 9
kilometres (5.6 mi) from the railway station.
Khajuraho is served by
Khajuraho Airport
(IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra and Mumbai. It is 6
kilometres (3.7 mi) from the temple. During peak
tourist season, the frequency of flights to popular destinations is often
increased. From the airport to the actual town of Khajuraho, catch a tourist
coach, bus or taxi.
Getting Around
Rented cars, taxis, cycle
rickshaws and tongas (horse drawn carts) are the common modes of
transportation in the town of Khajuraho. The more energetic can hire
bicycles or simply walk around town (try not to do this in summer). The
western group of temples lies close to the town and you only require
transportation to see the other two sets of temples.
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