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 The city was once the original capital of the Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of a hundred years, from 950 to 1050. The Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba after this time, but Khajuraho continued to flourish for some time.
The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 22 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 8 square miles (21 kmē).
Unlike other cultural centers of North India, the temples of Khajuraho never underwent massive destruction by early Muslim invaders between c. 1100-1400 AD. Due to overgrowth following their abandonment, a number of them survived to be discovered by the British in the 19th century. Today, the temples serve as fine examples of Northern Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their explicit depiction of the traditional way of sexual life during medieval times. They were rediscovered during the late 19th century and the jungles had taken a toll on some of the monuments.
 ARCHITECTURE
The Khajuraho temples, constructed with spiral superstructures, adhere to a northern Indianshikhara temple style and often to a Panchayatana plan or layout. A few of the temples are dedicated to the Jain pantheon and the rest to Hindu deities - to God's Trio, Brahma, Vishnu and hiva, and various Devi forms, such as the Devi Jagadambi temple. A Panchayatana temple had four subordinate shrines on four corners and the main shrine in the center of the podium, which comprises their base. The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.With a graded rise secondary shikharas (spires) cluster to create an appropriate base for the main shikhara over the sanctum. Kandariya Mahadeva, one of the most accomplished temples of the Western group, comprises eighty-four shikharas, the main being 116 feet from the ground level.
LANDSCAPE
The Khajuraho temples are now set in a parkland landscape. When India gained independence from Britain in 1947 the landscape setting was semi-desert and scrub. The archaeological park now has something of the character of an English public park, with mown grass, rose beds and ornamental trees. This may be popular with visitors but has no relationship with the historic landscape at the time the temples were built.
The development of landscape archaeology as an academic discipline raises questions concerning the earlier landscape of Khajuraho and the original relationship between the temple complex and the surrounding area. There are no records of what the original landscape might have been, but it is known that a large community of priests used the temple complex and that Indian gardens in the tenth century were predominantly tree gardens. They did not have lawns or herbaceous flowering plants.
GETTING
THERE
Air
The airport is 5km away from the village centre. Indian Airlines flies daily from Delhi to Khajuraho via Agra. Keep in mind that it is a very popular flight, and is usually booked days in advance.
Indian Airlines office
Clarks Bundela (Important: credit cards are not accepted in the Khajuraho airport.)
Trains & Buses
There are bus services from Agra (12 hours; Rs 160), Gwalior (9 hours; Rs 76 & Rs 112 for deluxe) and Jhansi (51/2 hours; Rs 72 deluxe). There’s a daily bus to Jabalpur (11 hours; Rs 75). But it’s a long and fatiguing ride; even if you’re on a tight schedule, it might make more sense to take a train from Satna.
Jhansi is the nearest approach to Khajuraho on the main Delhi to Mumbai railway line. There is no direct route that connects Varanasi to Khajuraho. Satna (about four hours from Khajuraho) is the nearest connecting station. On the Mumbai to Allahabad line there are plenty of connections.
SHOPPING
Gift shops sell cheap stone and bronze sculptures, handicrafts and gems in the bazaar near the western group. (Panna diamond mines, the largest in the country, are nearby.) You can try the small shops on the road to Javeri Temple for various handicrafts too.
The Chandela Emporium near Sibsagar has a large selection of gifts, crafts and jewellery. For diamonds, try Karan Jewellers. For reasonably priced western garments you can check out Ganesh Garments on the Jain Temples Road.
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