#incredibletemples

Built circa 960 C.E. during the reign of the Chandela king Dhanga and originally dedicated to Adinatha, Parshvanatha Temple is one of the finest Khajuraho monuments. The temple is rectangular in plan, with an east projection containing the entrance porch, and the west projection housing a shrine attached to the rear of the sanctum. The temple has an inner ambulatory, but unlike many other Khajuraho temples, it has no transepts with balconied windows. As a result, the outer wall of the temple is more solid, and the sculptors made maximum use of this blank canvas to apply their expertise. Beautiful carvings adorn the temple exterior, in particular of apsaras caught in the act of activities such as applying eye make-up. Their voluminous nature, size, and poise, draws many parallels with the Lakshmana Temple (western group). There’s also a vast array of vyalas with different heads, some of parrots, elephants, lions, and other creatures. The upper row of carvings is a little more animated, with varied scenes including flying figures and musicians. Nobody is quite sure why this Jain temple contains so many images of Hindu deities on the outside wall, a theme also mirrored by the adjacent Adinatha Temple. It is believed the earliest idol to be enshrined here was Adinatha. When Alexander Cunningham visited the temple in 1852 he found the main sanctum empty, and described it as merely “Jainatha Temple”. He also noted the temple was repaired by a Jain banker in 1847. 13 years later in 1860 a Parshvanatha idol was installed in the main sanctum. An inscription (dated 954 C.E.) on the left door jamb of the temple records gifts and endowments of gardens by Pahila as a devotee of Jainism, and states that he was held in great esteem by king Dhanga. The image installed in the shrine to the back of the sanctum is Adinatha, who the temple was originally dedicated to. I presume this a later installation as Cunningham made no reference to it in 1852. Repost from @kevinstandage1 #khajuraho #khajurahotemples #incredibletemples #madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #unesco #worldheritagesite #worldhistoricalmonuments #thegenuineindia #templesofindia #ParshvanathaTemp https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc6vCvYPgM9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Eran (Sanskrit:ऐरण ) is a small village situated on the south bank of the river Bina, a tributary of the river Betwa, about 100km NE of the ancient sites of Vidisha, Sanchi and Udayagiri. Eran is probably one of the most ancient towns in India, coins and epigraphs found here give us it’s ancient names of Erakanya, Erakaina and Airikina and it was no doubt a significant stop on the ancient route from Vidisha to Mathura. Excavations between 1960 and 1965 have revealed settlement deposits dating back to the second millennium B.C.E. However, the most significant archaeological finds from Eran has to be over 3,000 coins, dating from 300 B.C.E. through to 100 C.E. The most prevalent type of coins unearthed were square ones, and has contributed to archaeologists believing that Eran was once one of the ancient mints for Indian kingdoms along with Vidisha, Ujjain and Tripuri. The principal Hindu monuments that can be seen at Eran today are all located in one small complex west of the town. There are the remains of four to five temples here, the main temples standing in a line on a north-south alignment at the far end of the entrance. The Vishnu Temple houses an impressive image of Vishnu, 13 feet high and located in the temple sanctum. This is the best preserved temple at Eran, and although the roof and walls are missing the decorated sanctum doorway is intact. The door jambs have images of Yamuna and Ganga, river goddesses that are typically found higher up in door jambs from the Gupta period. This has led some experts to believe that the doorway and front mandapa was installed during the Pratihara period, which would date those structures to the 8th or 9th century C.E. Post Credit: @kevinstandage1 #eran #madhyapradesh #incredibletemples #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #worldhistoricalmonuments #thegenuineindia #templesofindia #incredibleindia #repost https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc2yYKhvWXN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Chaturbhuj Temple right in the heart of Orchha dominates the village quite unlike any other temple I have visited in India. It’s a magnificent, huge, tall, skyscraper-like structure, the impressive towering shikaras in the shape of pine cones almost seem to reach out to the sky. Construction of the temple was started in 1558 by Madhukar Shah who built it for his wife, Rani Ganesh Kunwari. It was subsequently completed by his son Vir Singh Deo. So why did Madhukar Shah build the Chaturbhuj Temple on such a grand scale for his wife ? Here we now have to delve into local legend. One night, Queen Rani Ganesh Kunwari had a dream visitation by Lord Rama, who instructed her to build a temple for him. Her husband, Madhukar Shah, approved the building of the temple and work commenced whilst the queen traveled to Ayodhya and returned with an image of Rama that was intended to be housed in the newly built temple. Upon her return the temple was still under construction, hardly surprising as it’s a massive building and I suspect may have taken decades to complete. So while everyone waited for the temple to be completed, the idol of Rama was placed in her palace next door, the Rani Mahal. Upon completion of the Chaturbhuj Temple, attempts were made to move Rama’s idol out of the Rani Mahal, but all efforts failed – the idol “refused” to be relocated. So the Chaturbhuj Temple remained without an idol in its sanctum, and as the Rama idol was now being actively worshiped in the Rani Mahal palace, the building was converted into the Ram Raja Temple. Today the Chaturbhuj Temple houses an image of Radheykrishan. The interior of the 105m high temple is as impressive as the exterior. Here the footprint of the building becomes even more obvious, with its cross shape representing the four arms of Rama (an avatar of Vishnu). In many respects the layout of the temple is very similar to that of a western Basilica. #swiggywala #localguides @googlemaps #incredibletemples #madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #thegenuineindia #templesofindia #orchha #Chaturbhuj #Chaturbhujtemple #vishnu https://www.instagram.com/p/CcA4eSNvV2M/?utm_medium=tumblr

Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho This cave-like temple gets its name from the word Kandara (meaning “cave”), and is one of the greatest monuments in India. Believed to have been built around 1030 A.D. and dedicated to Shiva, it is also the tallest and largest of all the Khajuraho monuments. The main shikhara (spire) of the Kandariya Mahadev Temple has a whopping 84 subsidiary spires, more than any of the other temples here, cascading down almost like a tiered waterfall. It’s a stunningly beautiful building with a lavish and grand profile. The exterior wall of the temple has three bands of wonderful sculpture representing Shiva, Dikpalas, griffins, apsaras and snake goddesses. When Alexander Cunningham visited this temple in 1864 he counted 646 figures on the exterior of the temple and 226 figures on the interior. It is believed that once there were as many as eighty five temples in Khajuraho, of which now only twenty five remain in various states of preservation. Thankfully the Kandariya Mahadev Temple is relatively well preserved, and is definitely one of the highlights of both the Western Group of temples, and of all the temples to be found surrounding this small town. #swiggywala #localguides @googlemaps #khajuraho #khajurahotemples #incredibletemples #madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #unesco #worldheritagesite #worldhistoricalmonuments #thegenuineindia #templesofindia https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb2spfXvhUy/?utm_medium=tumblr

Chausath Yogini Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. Situated away from but still classified as part of the western group of temples at Khajuraho, Chausath Yogini offers the visitor something a little bit different. This temple is a unique open-air sanctuary, considered to be one of the earliest shrines in Khajuraho, dating to around 885 CE. Dedicated to the Chausath (sixty four) Yoginis, essentially manifestations of the Great Goddess, unlike most other temples at Khajuraho that are made from Sandstone, this temple is constructed from coarse granite. The differences don’t stop there either, this is the only shrine at Khajuraho that is not aligned east-west, but is instead oriented north-east. The Sanctuary stands on a lofty platform 5.4m high. It consists of sixty seven cells, of which only thirty five now survive, all of equal size except for one single larger cell. Each tiny cell is entered by a small doorway and roofed by a basic curvilinear shikhara. The single larger cell housed an image of Durga Mahishasuramardini inscribed with the label ‘Hinghalaja’, a goddess that is revered in many parts of northern and western India. Of all the yogini temples in India, this is the most primitive in construction and unique in being rectangular. The remaining fourteen other yogini temples in India are circular in plan. When Major Alexander Cunningham visited the sanctuary in 1865 only three images remained in their cells; the goddess Hinghalaja, with Brahmani and Maheshwari in cells either side. All these images are now safely in the site museum, along with an image of a dancing Ganesha that used to face the Chausath Yogini sanctuary. #swiggywala #localguides @googlemaps #khajuraho #khajurahotemples #incredibletemples #madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #unesco #worldheritagesite #worldhistoricalmonuments #thegenuineindia #templesofindia #chausathyogini https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb1Ke10Pl3E/?utm_medium=tumblr

Jagadambi Temple, Khajuraho. Built between 1000 and 1025 A.D. and sharing the same platform as the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple and Mahadeva Shrine, the Jagadambi Temple (also known as Devi Jagadamba) was originally dedicated to Vishnu. This is suggested by the iconography in the cardinal niches of the temple, as well as the door lintel having a central image of the God. Although much restored and architecturally far less elaborate that its close neighbour the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, the temple is famous for the graceful sculptures on the exterior wall. The carvings are of similar high quality and no less exquisite compared to any that can be found in Khajuraho. #swiggywala #localguides @googlemaps #khajuraho #khajurahotemples #incredibletemples #madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #unesco #worldheritagesite #worldhistoricalmonuments #thegenuineindia #templesofindia https://www.instagram.com/p/Cby5asXPlEi/?utm_medium=tumblr

Vishvanatha Temple, Khajuraho. The superb Vishvanatha Temple (also known as the Vishwanath Temple) sits close to the eastern side of the western group compound at Khajuraho, close to the road. Along with Kandariya Mahadeva and Lakshmana temples, it is considered one of the three grand temples in the town. Architecturally this temple comes midway between the Lakshmana and the Kandariya Mahadeva. Its importance lies in the fact that it anticipates the Kandariya Mahadeva (also dedicated to Shiva), which marks the culmination of the central Indian building style. Thanks to a long inscription found on this temple we know quite a bit about the origins of the Vishvanatha Temple. It was built by the powerful Chandela king Dhanga and consecrated in 999 A.D. Dhanga installed two lingas within the temple, one made from stone and the other from emerald. The temple back then was known as the Lord of the Emerald Linga, or Marakateshvara. There has been some debate recently as to whether the inscription actually refers to two temples, each one housing a separate linga. Whatever the case, by the time Major Alexander Cunningham visited the temple in 1864 the emerald linga was already missing, so today only the stone one remains. #swiggywala #khajuraho #khajurahotemples #incredibletemples #madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #unesco #worldheritagesite #worldhistoricalmonuments #thegenuineindia #templesofindia https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbg4ggzvwH3/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Chaturbhuj Temple (also known as Jatkari Temple) is situated south of Khajuraho, about 650m south-west of Jatkari village not far from the airport. By far the best time to visit is around 4:30pm, for reasons that will become very clear in the second image. This is a modest sized and much restored temple, similar in plan to the Javari Temple, and consists of a sanctum, vestibule, mandapa and porch. The sculptures set within three bands on the exterior of the temple are considered somewhat stereotyped, which suggests this temple was probably built not long before the Duladeo Temple, around 1100 A.D. Despite what may be a slightly disappointing temple exterior by Khajuraho standards, the real wonder of Chaturbhuj is held within the sanctum. Here is possibly one of the most majestic icons of northern India, a 2.75m high four-armed statue of Vishnu. Unlike most other temples at Khajuraho, Chaturbhuj faces west, as does this magnificent sculpture. If you visit the temple at around 4:30pm you will be treated to the icon being lit by the golden rays of the setting sun, which is simply magical. There is some debate as to whether this really is an image of Vishnu. The head appears to have the Jata (hairs) of Shiva, but the posture with one leg resting on the toe is similar to that of Krishna (the eighth avatar of Vishnu). #swiggywala #khajuraho #khajurahotemples #incredibletemples #madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshtourism #mptourism #unesco #worldheritagesite #worldhistoricalmonuments #thegenuineindia #templesofindia #ChaturbhujTemple #vishnu https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbcq4cBPjYC/?utm_medium=tumblr