Khajuraho is a picturesque village in the state of Madhya Pradesh of Central India. This village is the abode of unique, richly carved and astoundingly glorious temples, renowned for their inimitable architecture and fabulous sculptures. The artistic minded and imaginative kings of the Chandela dynasty, during 950-1050 A.D, built these temples and presented them as a gift to the world. Those kings probably believed that the fulfillment of the desires on this earth was the way for the ultimate liberation of the soul, Nirvana. This theory, therefore, might justify the theme of erotic love of the sculptures found on the exterior walls of the temples. The beautifully carved images on stone depict men and women engaged in their daily lives of love, desire and conjugal union, in various positions.
Only 22 temples of the 85 built in those days withstood the rage of time and in the year 1838, Captain T S Burt discovered them from an abandoned state. He categorized them as extremely indecent and offensive, as he could not fathom why the sculptors had explicitly selected the theme of love in their carvings. Every art has a purpose and so has the art of Khajuraho and why the Chandela kings had chosen to engrave the art of love may be justified thus: In Indian books on performing arts of music, dance and drama; and temple making, it is said that the purpose of art is to evoke in the beholders a taste for a particular human emotion. The nine human emotions listed are erotic love, humour, compassion, anger, courage, fear, disgust, wonder and peace. So on the walls of these temples, the artists have carved very splendidly those images to evoke in the beholders an experience of the subtle moods of love, various and different from one another, and in turn they instill an emotion of wonder and not erotic love.
These temples are the second most visited after the Great Taj Mahal.
The temples are divided into three groups Eastern, Western and Southern, each of them having breathtaking architectural features and sculptures.
There is an archaeological museum displaying sculptures and panels in stone and huge statues.
There is a sprawling complex in the centre of Khajuraho where craftsmen from all over India work to produce handicrafts of various ethnicities, for sale.
I had visited these temples in the year 1968 with my friends, when I was a bachelor. I could only identify the sculptures as images depicting erotic love. But when I visited them in April this year, with a more matured mind having seen the world with a broader outlook, those images evoked in me awe, bliss and a wonder and I saluted those kings and the artists of the past glorious days for their magnanimous vision and imagination.
In your next travel plan, don't forget to give top priority to this place of tranquility. You will be really thrilled with the experience.
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