Poetry in Stone! The Khajuraho Monuments

At the top of the world

Shiva and Parvati caress

Each caress lasts a century

for the god and for the man

an identical time

an equivalent hurling headlong

~ Octavio Paz

The monuments of Khajuraho are considered to be the highpoints of classical Hindu architecture. Built in the Northern (Nagara) style, they are famous around the world for their highly sophisticated sculptures, both divine and erotic. One of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in India, the temples were built over a period of 250 years (from 900 to 1150 AD) during the rule of the Chandela dynasty. It is said that there were about 85 such temples, only 25 of which survive today. Victims of plunder and loot by the Mughals.

As I stood watching them in awe, there were several questions on my mind… why build so many temples? Who were the artists who built them? What are the erotic sculptures doing on their walls? Were these from the Kamasutra?

I was overwhelmed by the huge mountain-like monuments, with each square inch of their surface covered with the most exquisite artistry in stone. It was simply poetry in stone!

Kandariya Mahadev Temple

Kandariya Mahadev Temple

The largest among the surviving temples is the Kandariya Mahadev temple. It gets its name from the word kandara which means cave. According to historian Devangana Desai there are about 646 figures on the exterior of this temple and 226 on its interior.

Devi Jagadamba Temple 

The temples of Khajuraho were built between 900 and 1150 AD during the rule of the Chandela dynasty.  Travellers of the medieval period had interesting accounts of Khajuraho. However, by the 16^th century, Khajuraho had vanished into oblivion. It was only in the 19^th century (in 1838) that Khajuraho was re-discovered by a British engineer, Captain T.S.Burt.

For the sake of convenience, the Khajuraho Monuments have been divided into three groups – Western Group, Eastern, Group and Southern Group

The Devi Jagadamba Temple, like the Kandariya Mahadev Temple is part of the Western Group of Monuments.

According to eminent art historian Devangana Desai, the Devi Jagadamba Temple was originally dedicated to Vishnu. She points out that this fact is known from the central image of Vishnu on the door lintel of its sanctum. Now however, the temple houses an image of the Devi who is worshipped by locals on festive occasions. The “yagna kunda” for rituals was added by the Maharaja of Chhatrapur in the mid-nineteenth century.

We often associate Khajuraho with just erotic sculptures... But Khajuraho is much more than just that... In fact the erotic sculptures are barely less than 10% of the exquisite artistry of the monuments.....

Lakshmana Temple

Part of the main Western Group of temples is the magnificent and colossal Lakshmana Temple. According to historian Devangana Desai, this is one of the most refined and well-planned temples, not only in Khajuraho but in all of India. It enshrines a rare and esoteric form of Vishnu called Vaikuntha. This majestic image with three faces – lion, man and boar, stands four feet tall.

The architect of this temple was the first to place erotic groups on the juncture wall of the ‘mahamandapa’ and the sanctum. In a kind of visual pun, he has put conjoint figures on this architectural juncture. Other puns have also been employed by the architect. There are many such gems of information hidden in these marvellous monuments…

Varaha Pavillion

According to Hindu mythology “Varaha” or wild boar is one of the ten incarnations of lord Vishnu. Vishnu in the form of “varaha” enters the primeval waters and lifts the Earth (“Bhudevi”) from the nether region.

The Varaha sanctuary, facing the Lakshmana Temple, is an open pavilion with a pyramidical roof. It enshrines India’s most powerful icon of Varaha. The massive boar measuring almost 3 by 2 meters is carved out of a single piece of solid sandstone. The canopy has an exquisite lotus ceiling. More than 675 miniature figures are carved into the body of the Varaha. They depict all the important divinities of Hinduism. In fact, the Varaha or boar himself represents the cosmic form or “Vishwaroopa” embodying all beings. There was also an image of the Earth goddess (“Bhudevi”) which is now missing. Only her feet can be seen attached to the pedestal.

Devi Temple

There is another small structure adjacent to the Varaha pavilion facing the colossal Lakshmana Temple. It now contains an image of goddess Brahmani, but it originally housed Vishnu's mount Garuda, the solar bird.

Vishwanath Temple

This is one of the three grand temples of Khajuraho (the others being Laskshmana and Kandariya Mahadev).  It has a long inscription stating that King Dhangadev (who built this temple in 999 AD) installed an emerald ‘linga’ along with another in stone. This precious linga was however, already missing by 1864. It is important to note here that the inscription mentions the name of the architect, Sutradhar Chhichchha, who was well-versed in the architectural tradition of Vishvakarma. It was heartening to see this as the architects and artists of our magnificent monuments don’t even find any mention anywhere. Another thing that is significant here is that this is the only temple at Khajuraho that has its Nandi Mandapa (pavillion of the Nandi or bull mount of Shiva) intact. A magnificent Nandi sits facing this temple.

Originally the Vishwanath temple was also five-shrined like the Lakshmana temple, but now only two subsidiary shrines survive.

Nandi Pavillion

Chitragupta temple

The only Surya (Sun) temple on this site is the Chitragupta temple. This temple is also part of the Western group. The icon of Surya stands seven feet tall. This statue too has been vandalised as are so many others on this site.

Pratapeshwar Temple

This temple was built during the reign of Raja Pratap Singh of Chhatrapur state between 1784 and 1854. Built in medieval architectural style it is devoid of any ornamentation and is unlike any of the other Khajuraho temples.

The temple is an interesting conglomeration of three architectural styles. It has a Rajputana dome in the front, a pagoda style shikhara in the middle and a typical Brahminical shikhara at the back.

It enshrines a small ‘shivlinga’.

Located some distance from the main Western Group of monuments is the Southern group which comprises Chaturbhuj Temple and Dulhadev Temple.

Chaturbhuj Temple

This temple faces the west, unlike most of the Khajuraho temples which are east oriented. The temple has an unusual ascetic form of Vishnu in its sanctum. It is truly of the most majestic images I’ve seen in Khajuraho. Standing 9 feet tall this charming image standing in “tribhanga”, decorated with beautiful ornaments is Chaturbhuj or “the four-armed one”.

Some restoration has been done to the exterior of this temple. Some rare images such as one of goddess Narasimhi with a lion’s face and human body and a magnificent Ardhanareshwar can be seen in the niches.

Dulhadev Temple

Chronologically this is the last of Khajuraho’s great temples. It is markedly different from the others in style and architecture. Here the figures have sharper features and angular postures and are heavily ornamented.

The name Dulhadev refers to local tribal myth of Dulhadev who is wedded and slain amidst marriage celebrations as part of fertility rituals. Such amazing stories lay hidden amongst these magnificent monuments!

Ten minutes from the main Western Group of monuments lies the Eastern group. Among this group are the Brahma, Vamana and Jawari as well as the Jain group of temples. There is also a statue of Hanuman considered part of the Eastern group. It now stands inside a white washed structure that was recently built. This image coated with red lead, is still worshipped by locals.

Brahma Temple

This is a humble little temple situated on a pretty spot next to the Khajur Sagar lake. Actually this temple is wrongly attributed to Brahma as it presently has a four-faced Shiva Linga. The temple was originally dedicated to Vishnu. There is an image of Vishnu on the lintel to indicate this. Also, the temple doesn’t have the usual sculptural adornment on its walls.

 

In the midst of fields stand the Vamana and Javari temples.

Vamana Temple
(a Vishnu shrine)

Dedicated to the Vamana (dwarf) incarnation of Vishnu this temple has a cute chubby image of Vamana! This is an interesting temple as not many temples are dedicated to this form of Vishnu. However, Khajuraho was a major centre for the worship of Vamana. According to historian Devangana Desai, a brick complex excavated in the late 1990s, to the north of this temple has yielded exquisite statutes of Vamana.

Jawari Temple

(a Vishnu shrine)

 

The adjacent Vishnu shrine, Javari Temple, gets its name from ‘jowar’ (a millet) that is grown in the surrounding fields. This one has a beautiful and ornate gateway or ‘torana’.

The Jain Temples

Part of the Eastern group, the Jain Temples comprise of Adinath, Parshavnath and Shantinath Temples.

Parshavnath

This is the largest among the Jain temples. According to historian Devangana Desai, this temple was originally dedicated to Adinath, the first Thirthankara, but the present image of Parshavnath was installed in 1860 when some renovation work was undertaken.

 

Adinath

This is a single-spired temple. The crisp chaitya-arch designs on the spire create interesting light and shade effects.

Shantinath

This is the principal site of Jain worship at Khajuraho. The temple complex has several small shrines and consists of components from older temples and sculptures. These small shrines were built into a composite structure only about a hundred years ago. There is a 14 feet tall, polished statue of Shantinath within the main sanctuary. 

After being mesmerized by the exquisite beauty of these monuments, I was appalled to read a bonafide article, a part of which I reproduce here: "That great Victorian puritan Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi found these temples deeply distressing and gave his blessing to a band of pious vandals who wanted to chip the walls of the temples clean from their 'indecent and embarrassing' affronts to their ignorant notions about Indian culture. It took the intervention of no less than Rabindranath Tagore who wrote an appalled letter to Gandhi, explaining that this was a national treasure and could not be so cavalierly demolished because some people were uncomfortable that their ancestors were sexual beings."     

It was therefore heartening to read prolific Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand's book, 'Homage to Khajuraho'. An excerpt :

“There is nowhere among the surviving erotic reliefs of Khajuraho any vulgarity if one brings to the sculptures the warmth of the heart rather than the cold stare of obscene inquiry or the furtive gaze of a later, more cynical and weary, age. Whether it is the withdrawn look on the faces of the modest women attendants, helping in the ceremonies of love, or the unselfconscious embraces of the mithuna couples, the bodies of the persons involved are like the graceful curves of those in whom passion has become incarnate. In most cases, the man is tender and contemplative, folding his beloved with the most devoted protection and love, while the woman is looking up, as though reaching out with all her body and soul towards the gracious bent head of the lover. Seldom do the faces reflect mere animal lust, as though the artisan always remembered the spiritual values of which the naked physical connection was merely the expression.”

There certainly couldn't have been a greater tribute to these exquisite monuments than this.  

Nivedita Kothare

November 2022