Khajuraho - Temple Of Love- Madhya Pradesh
1. We Indians even have a god for sex - Kama. So it is only natural that we have erotic sculptures on our temples. There have been many questions raised on the reason behind having erotic sculptures and sexual imagery in a place otherwise considered so 'holy' and 'pure'. There are a few theories floating about but the most popular one seems to be that in order to enter a place so pure, you need to relieve yourself of all your desires and lust. It is by acceptance of lust and desire in you that you can learn to control it. Furthermore, these sculptures are always on the outer walls of temples meaning that the humans need to leave their desires outside before stepping in. In many Indian manuscripts, sex was considered to be spiritual and not hedonistic. There are many such theories but the fact remains that these temples are known more for their erotic sculptures than the deities residing inside.
The Khajuraho temples are located within the "Golden Triangle" of northern India. This is the tourist route that most vacation itineraries in this part of the country follow. New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur mark the rough outline of this triangle, and most vacation itineraries follow it for ten to fourteen days by motorcoach and/or short flights visiting the sites in those cities and along the way.
This Golden Triangle area and these three cities contain some of the greatest monuments, palaces, and forts of the mighty Mughal Empire—including the temples of Khajuraho and even the Hindu holy city of Varanasi set on the sacred Ganges River, which is a bit to the east of the triangle.
An itinerary that takes in all these sights really needs the full ten days to two weeks to give it full justice. However, the temples of Khajuraho represent one of the most visited sites in the country. The little village of Khajuraho has a modern airport, and it is possible for those who have less time to see the Taj Mahal images in Agra and enjoy a Khajuraho temple tour from New Delhi all in a single day.
The most famous of the lot, Khajuraho temples are located in Madhya Pradesh in the small town of Khajuraho which they are named after. It is not just one temple but a group of temples. It is rumoured that Shiva and other deities visited the region during ancient times to play and hence, the temples were created in their honour. All Khajuraho temples, except one, face the east and the architecture of the temples is designed in a way that is a perfect integration of male and female deities and symbols. The artwork outside the temple, that is found to be the most interesting by tourists, is a depiction of the four goals of Hinduism - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Hence, all the erotic imagery that has so enthralled tourists.
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