Thursday, September 9, 2010

Vishwanatha Temple, Khajuraho

After visiting the other group of temples in the morning session, we visited the Western Group of Khajuraho Temples (State: Madhya Pradesh) after lunch. Most of the temples of this group are enclosed by a compound wall known as Western Group Khajurho temple complex. 


One such temple is Vishwanatha Temple built in 1000 A.D located towards the northeastern corner of the complex. This magnificent temple is built by the rulers of Chandel Dynasty, is one of the largest temple in Khajuraho.



The external wall of temple has more than 3000 exquisite sculptures. The band of sculptures on the walls represent musicians, dancers and deities. Inside the garbha graha there is marble Shiv linga.



There are images of deities set into the outside walls. On one of the walls there is a four-armed dancing Lord Ganesh, holding an axe and broken tusk in his proper right hands, and with his proper left hands holding a laddu (sweet) and extended in a boon-granting gesture.



The above image is rear view of the temple.

55 comments:

Kirigalpoththa said...

Amazing work of art of ancient time!

Zuzana said...

Hmm, for some reason the pictures are not showing up for me, I will try to come back later.;)
xo

Indrani said...

Great captures of the temple.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Wooooow! Absolutely fantastic! I'm amazed by the architectural detail! Truly impressive! Thanks very much for sharing!

Unknown said...

your place is very rich in architecture and history.

Tammie Lee said...

magnificent~

Pietro Brosio said...

Vishwanatha Temple is so beautiful! The sculptures in the second image are absolutely amazing. Nice pictures!

Carver said...

Very beautiful. I like the way the lighting in the first and last one makes it look golden.

clairz said...

It is so amazing to me that all this was going on over a thousand years ago! Thank you for sharing your land and your knowledge.

And Happy Skywatching!

PJ said...

I can't begin to imagine what it took to build that, you've given us a spectacular view with that bright sky for a backdrop.

Pearl Maple said...

Fantastic views of the temple, like that way they were able to add the top tier like a wedding cake. Have a great weeekend.

Kay L. Davies said...

Rajesh -- it is beautiful to see how your temples fill the sky.
Kay
Alberta, Canada

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Le tue foto, ogni volta mi fnno restare senza parole !
Meravigliosi questi templi !

Maude Lynn said...

Absolutely amazing!

Sylvia K said...

And another gorgeous temple! Superb capture as always! And as always, I love the information about each that you include! Wonderful post, Rajesh!
Have a great weekend!

Sylvia

eden said...

Wow, impressive temples. Love all your photos, Rajesh. Thank you for sharing.

Coffeeveggie addict. said...

Fantastic ph0t0s and great st0ry.

Jim said...

Amazing.

Colin Campbell said...

Wow. More temples!

LifeRamblings said...

great shots of the temple and love the intricate carvings.

SandyCarlson said...

Utterly stunning.

magiceye said...

fantastic captures!!

George said...

It's hard to believe that this gorgeous structure is over a thousand years old. The carvings are exquisite.

Unknown said...

AirAsia travels from myplaces to afew places in India. Is Hyderabab a nice tourist place ? Iam thinking of visiting there as the flight is on offer now..

Lakshmi said...

I cant tell which temple is better than the other..wonderful pics

paul said...

Amazing sculptural works, beautifully shown. Thanks.

Zuzana said...

Beautiful images, so glad I can see them now;) The carved details are amazing.;))
xoxo

Diane AZ said...

Beautiful views! In the first image, it is amazing to see the sky through that open area between the layers. Very impressive structure!

Gattina said...

What an architecutal master piece !! just beautiful !

Francisca said...

Another gorgeous structure.

Unknown said...

Wonderful! The second shot is amazing.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Thanks as always for the grand tour Rajesh!

Tania said...

Wonderful photos of the temple!! So great deatils.
Wish you a nice weekend:-)

Arti said...

The temple photos are amazing!
Loved the lord Ganesh carving too!!

Anonymous said...

A magnificent temple!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

The second photo, are the statues life size?

Trotter said...

Hi Rajesh! I’m back!! One week off, one week to deal with the mess created by the absence, a birthday almost no one noticed and a weekend to rest a little bit...

Wow! Another fabulous temple! What a collection you have!!

Meanwhile Blogtrotter Two is enjoying a fabulous hotel: the Cala di Volpe in Costa Smeralda!! Enjoy, comment and have a great weekend!

cat said...

So incredilbe beautiful the old temple is!

Linda said...

Really struck by the pillars holding up such a huge edifice.

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

What a beautiful monument, thank you for sharing these pics - hope I can go there one day.

Unknown said...

If I could spend time in India and see these beautiful sights, I'd draw draw draw... and draw some more!

Love your photos. Hope you are having a nice weekend, Ev

Kaori said...

I love the last shot! Such a magnificent architecture :D

Jeevan said...

awe... The temple looks majestic in the sun’s glisten! And it’s really interesting in details and sculpture.

Your posts are causing an interest in me on heritages and to admire the beauty.

Nalini Hebbar said...

the sculpture of the outer wall is spectacular...WOW...:)

Kay L. Davies said...

Perfect for Mellow Yellow Monday, too, Rajesh.

Kay
Alberta, Canada

Urmi said...

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi to you and your family. Hope Lord Ganesha brings happiness and peace in your life.
http://urmi-z-unique.blogspot.com/
http://amazing-shot.blogspot.com/

Liz said...

Amazing! Everything was done in great details.

Happy MYM.

Liz @ MLC

Dianne said...

it's amazing that there are 3000 sculptures!
beautiful

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all appreciating the wonderful architecture of the temple.

Kbguy: Thanks, Hyderabad is also a nice place with lot of interesting sites to see.

Phivos Nicolaides said...

Very impressive monuments full of history!

Dr Lily N Joshi said...

Amazing images! Very impressive.Your email address is not working. Please update.

Lily Joshi

Rajesh said...

Thanks for the appreciation.

Dr. Lily: Thanks. I have updated the address.

Dr. Pratibha Singh said...

lovely sculptures.

pramod said...

beautiful pics, nice presentation.

Injection Mold Design said...

"Western Group of Khajuraho Temples "
They are definitely on my list of must visit places.
Read a lot about them in history classes before too.