The erotic
temples Khajuraho are known the world over for their architecture,
sculptures, and their focus on life and sex.
In total 85 temples of
this type were built, all in one place in central India. They are made of
colored sandstone. The temples are believed to have been built in slightly over a
century, in the 10th century timeframe, during the time of the Chandela
Rajputs.
The builders must have used the skills of thousands of sculptors, architects and
masons to produced these gigantic, yet intricate works. Nevertheless one finds almost no records of this activity in the annals of Indian history.
Apparently after the last temple had been completed the Chandela dynasty sunk into
oblivion. The remaining evidence however suggests that the opposite
happened, that the end of the Chandela dynasty
began when the building-process stopped, that is, when the impetus that stood
behind the building process -- the celebration of life itself -- ended - as it to testify
that Life itself is the great builder.
Whatever society had created
85 of such temples in slightly over a single century, all richly adorned with art, must have had an amazingly
rich civilization that was supported with a powerful economic base, akin
to a renaissance civilization. Of the 85 temples
that had been built, 20 have survived. Many are in surprisingly good
condition. Today's village of Khajuraho is surrounded by woodlands, a
viallage populated by no more than 3,000 residents. However, it
is visited each year by tourists from all over the world. Only 10% of the
the thousands of carvings of all scenes of life that adorn the temples, are erotic in nature, and
those are exclusively located on the outside of the temples and on the
outer walls when the temples were created with double
walls.
The
remaining 20 temples of Khajuraho are now counted
among the great wonders of the ancient world, and are presently the center
of an annual dance festival. They are believed to have been built within
the 200-years span between 950 AD, extending possibly as far as 1150 AD. They are
scattered over an area of about 20 square kilometers. The tallest is
116 feet in height.
Khajuraho is located app.
620 kilometers southeast of New Delhi, the capital city of India. The Khajuraho temples,
themselves, are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and are considered one of the "seven wonders" of India.
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