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Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India

By Sonyaandtravis @sonyaandtravis

Western Temples

Khajuraho is famous for its many Jain and Hindu temples, which are scattered across the town. Our first stop was the group of temples on the western side of town. These temples are enclosed within a perfectly manicured garden with green lawns and require an admission fee. The temples in Khajaraho were built over a period of 2000 years from 950 to 1150 and are renown for their extremely explicit, erotic carvings. After spotting the most jaw-droppingly shocking of the carvings, we began to appreciate the intricacy of the carvings, and the level of minute detail to which the artists captured daily life in India. We also enjoyed playing around with the monkeys (and watching them fight with the local dogs) who seem to have staked their claim on a couple of the temples.

Varaha Temple enshrines a colossal monolithic image of Varaha, the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Sonya on the steps of the Lakshmana Temple

Lakshmana Temple, a Hindu temple, Dedicated to Vishnu

One of the many erotic carvings at the Lakshmana Temple

Two rows of sculptures including divine figures, couples and erotic scenes at Lakshmana Temple

Sculpture of the sculptors carving an elephant at the Lakshmana Temple

A humorous sculpture with an elephant peaking at an intimate couple

Row of Makaras along the perimeter of the Lakshmana Temple

Two intricate dancers carved on Lakshmana Temple

Sculpture of god Vishnu on Lakshmana Temple

Main Idol is the tri-headed and four-armed sculpture of Vishnu

Travis outside the Kandariya Mahadev Temple

Shikhara of the Kandariya Mahadev Temple

One of the most famous erotic carvings found on the Kandariya Mahadev Temple

Sonya admiring the architecture of the Kandariya Mahadev Temple

Sonya admiring the intricacy of the carvings of the Kandariya Mahadev Temple

Three rows of sculptures including divine figures, couples and erotic scenes

Travis sitting on the Shiva Linga (aka a phallus) at Kandariya Mahadev Temple

Head of lion with the Devi Jagadambi Temple in the background

In the sanctum an enormous image of the multi-armed goddess Devi

The roof of the Hindu Chitragupta Temple

Lakshmana Temple seen across the western temple grounds

Elephant sculpture outside Vishwanath Temple

A monkey text to some erotic sculptures at the Vishwanath Temple

Vishwanath Temple, a monkey can be sitting on the balcony window

A bird perched on a Vishnu statue at the Vishwanath Temple

Monkeys sitting on the balcony of the Vishwanath Temple

The entrance to the the Vishwanath Temple

Sonya admiring the Parvati temple, dedicated to Goddess Parvati

Eastern Temples

We then headed to the eastern and southern temples, arranging a rickshaw for transport to the further ones. Although less maintained, there were just as equally impressive and looked beautiful as the sun set.
In the evening as we headed back to the main town we had dinner at a South Indian restaurant and finished our day with some lassis.