Thursday, July 29, 2010

Khajuraho Temples

From Orchha (State: Madhya Pradesh) we moved to our next destination Khajuraho (State: Madhya Pradesh) which is at a distance of 180 kms. Here one requires 2 full days to cover the monuments and other places around.

Khajuraho derives its name from the Khajur tree (the date palm tree), which can be found in plenty in the area. The World famous temples of Khajuraho were constructed between 950 and 1050 A.D. during the reign of Chandel Empire. During those days there were 85 temples, of which only 22 still exist.



Most of the temples are built of sandstone in varying shades of buff, pink or pale yellow. Erotic scenes represent a relatively small part of the carvings but sensuous eroticism prevails throughout all of the sculptures. The divine sculptures in these temples, are a tribute to Life itself, embodying everything that is sublime and spontaneous about it.The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions:
We shall attempt to cover these temples in some detail in the subsequent posts.

56 comments:

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

Beautiful!

sharmila said...

... not only the temples but Khajuraho itself is a heritage of India - but sad only 22 temples are left. Waiting for those subsequent posts :)

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Wonderful series! Kajuraho has perhaps interested historians in the scope of socio-cultural avenues for a very long time! Good collage here Sir. Am looking forward to the upcoming posts!

roughterrain crane said...

Magnificent towers or pagoda !

Phivos Nicolaides said...

So elegant, impressive and interesting monuments. India has such a great history and culture.

jabblog said...

It's surprising that a quarter of the temples have survived. I believe sandstone is quite a soft rock and so easily eroded. Are the temples being preserved in any way?

joo said...

Beautiful images:)

Sandy said...

Interesting!

Kirigalpoththa said...

This place should be one of the wonders of ancient world! I'm not kidding!

Regina said...

Exquisite structures and beautiful collage!
Happy SW weekend.

Steffi said...

Wow...wonderful set of photos.It´s always very interesting to see other countries!Have a nice weekend!

Sylvia K said...

Gorgeous temples and beautiful skies! Terrific captures of both, Rajesh! Have a great weekend!

Sylvia

Kcalpesh said...

A place of great historic importance... Awesome captures...

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Pearl Maple said...

Great photos, amazing to see what these artists were able to create out of stone. Happy Sky Watch Friday.

Tara said...

Wonderful structures to show us, as always!

Eaglesbrother said...

Love your Temple shots...but would like to view some of the skies along with the surrounding landsapes as you travel around.

clairz said...

Your posts are always unique; your photos wonderful. Thank you for sharing.

Carver said...

Wonderful collection of photographs of the different temples.

Ebie said...

The Temples reveal a lot of history. Love the architecture. I want to explore the Country, someday.

Nice photos.

Photo Cache said...

really outstanding historical and architectural relics. great post, as always.

www.ewok1993.wordpress.com

Tania said...

So many great buildings and architecture.
Wish you a blessed weekend:-)

Hildred said...

Beautiful temples - I look forward to further posts on them....

Pooch Purple Reign said...

i like the photo here.... a collage of temples. looking forward to more
~laura

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Hi, molto bello questo tuo mosaico di storia !
Buona giornata :-))

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful Rajesh. I think the sky must always be blue in India ;>)...
I'm glad you were able to spend enough time in that beautiful place to see all of the beautiful temples. Gorgeous.

eden said...

Impressive temples. Great photos as always, Rajesh. Thank you for sharing.

Have a great weekend.

Barb said...

Hi Rajesh, I am always fascinated by the intricate carvings on the temples. Each tells a story - you wonder how many hands and how much time even a small portion of the carvings took.

Carol said...

These beautiful temples have such elaborate details. Always impressive.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Rajesh: What a wonderful set of temple shots. Happy SWF.

alicesg said...

These temples have very beautiful architectural designs. Have a nice weekend.

magiceye said...

lovely collage

Rossel said...

Hi Rajesh! those are wonderful shots. thanks for sharing.

by the way, I am your new follower. hope you could follow me too.

have a great weekend!

Coffeeveggie addict. said...

Fantastic!th0se temples are great-the design and the way they sculpted it was t0tally impressive!

LadyFi said...

What lovely looking temples.

Urmi said...

Very nice,wonderful,impressive and gorgeous monuments. Very well described.

Glennis said...

I have actually been to visit these naughty temples, very intricate carvings all over the walls. And lots of them.

Lowell said...

I would think even two days would not be enough time to explore these beautiful structures.

Re your comment on Cedar Key DP: In some places in Florida, you can drive on the beach!

SandyCarlson said...

The deep spirituality of your homeland as it comes through these structures is always an inspiration to me.

MaR said...

Amazing the amount of beautiful temples found in your country!!


SWF

Alexander said...

Very interesting and beautiful facade.

Have a good weekend.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Indrani said...

Great collage.

Pietro Brosio said...

Fabulous temples, very nice collage.

Kim, USA said...

Couldn't believe the many beautiful temples in your country. And all of the have beautiful story. Thanks for sharing!

SWF~Fiery

Diane AZ said...

Breathtaking architecture and carvings, beautiful skies too!

Oakland Daily Photo said...

Very cool collage. Should be a travel poster.

Jeevan said...

Anything is interesting and beautiful looking at artist eyes. Nice details about the temple collection.

George said...

This is a beautiful collage of the temples of Khajuraho. I look forward to seeing more about them.

Sumandebray said...

a class room for the newly weds of yesteryears

Melsuine said...

I like your pictures of these temples, always nice stopping by your place to view India :)

Zuzana said...

Lovely images, the temples do appear as if build out of sand...
xoxo

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I know you must laugh when I do a post about the old buildings here in Charleston where we are now -- all the way back to the 1600s (that is ancient for this country). Thanks for showing your beautiful architecture and for visiting my not-so-old in the greater scheme of things!

Rajesh said...

Thanks for all the appreciation. I will soon cover this place with some more detail.

Bobbi Ann said...

Hi, my goodness every time I stop in at your blog you have the most impressive, interesting and gorgeous photos! Thank you so much for always sharing them, I really enjoy them very much! I hope that you have a lovely new week!
hugs...
Bobbi

Stephanie Suzanne Designs said...

It's so impressive that even 22 of these monuments still stand at all. Sandstone obviously is very durable.

These are beautiful..thanks so much for sharing.

I'm visiting for Mosaic Monday!

Happy Day,
Stephanie ♥

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for the appreciation.

Dr. Pratibha Singh said...

beautiful clicks.