City - KHAZURAHO State - MADHYA PRADESH Country - India
About
Khajuraho is a village in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 385 miles (620 kilometres) southeast of Delhi, the capital city of India. The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculpture. The name Khajuraho, ancient "Kharjuravahaka", is derived from the Sanskrit word kharjur meaning date palm. In the 27th century of Kali yuga the Mlechcha invaders started attacking North India some Bargujar Rajputs moved towards east to central India, they ruled over North-Eastern region of Rajasthan called Dhundhar and were referred to as Dhundhel/Dhundhela in ancient times, for the region they governed. Later on they called themselves Bundelas and Chandelas those who were in the ruling class having gotra Kashyap were definitely all Bargujars they were vassals of Gurjara - Pratihara empire of North India which lasted from 500 C.E. to 1300 C.E. and was at its peak when major monuments were built. The Bargujars also built the Kalinjar fort and Neelkanth Mahadev temple similar to one at Sariska National Park and Baroli, being Shiva worshipers. The city was the cultural capital of Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10th to the 12th centuries. Political capital of Chandelas was Kalinjar. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of 200 years, from 950 to 1150. The Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba after this time, but Khajuraho continued to flourish for some time. Khajuraho has no forts because the Chandel Kings never lived in their cultural capital.
The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 25 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 8 square miles (21 kmē).
The temples of Khajuraho suffered destruction by early Muslim invaders between c. 1100-1400 AD as various disfigured statues at the temple complex attest. Today, the temples serve as fine examples of Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their explicit depiction of the traditional way of sexual life during medieval times. Locals living in the Khajuraho village always knew about and kept up the temples as best as they could. They were pointed out to an English man in late 19th century and the jungles had taken a toll on all of the monuments.
Great vibrant tones and great about. Sounds like a fascinating place. do you have any closeups of the carving? I will look to see if any are posted, if not would you post some. Looks like a fascinating structure. Be well, Stan
Rich over saturated colors, great angle and so very fine detail and play with lightening and shadows dear Bubai ... love this shot ... thanks for sharing dear :-) Very impressive by my aspect !!!! 7/7 Hugs :-) Srna
A very imposing piece of Indian architecture my sweet Bubai. The details are superb as indeed are the rich tones and details. Well done to you my dear friend. I am back again, at least for a while, so I am trying hard to catch up on all of you....a mammoth task sweetie A great big HUUUUUUG, a little kiss and as always my very best wishes to you as always......Ray
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{K:4728} 4/13/2009
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