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The Khajuraho temples are well known for their erotic sculptures, which have been carved out in stones in explicit details.

Built by Chandela kings between 950 and 1050 AD the temples at Khajuraho were lost to civilization till the middle of 19th century when they were rediscovered.

Originally 85 temples are believed to have been built by the Chandela kings. Of these, only 24 still exist. The temples are divided into various groups namely - Western, Eastern, Southers, and Jain group of temples.

Many explanations are given for the eroticism depicted on it’s walls, such as:

1. These were meant to distract rain god Indra so as to prevent him from striking down with lightning,
2. These were meant to familiarize Brahmcharis with worldly ways,
3. Chandela kings believed in Tantra practices and had these sculptures incorporated to ward off evil eye to protect the temples as well as to depict the futility of carnal desires in the pursuit of spiritualism.

However, eroticism is but a mere segment of these temples which follow a unique architectural style characterized by the exquisite details of their sculpture and the effect of overall lightness that they produce.

These temples have now been painstakingly restored and present a stunning picture to the millions of tourists who visit them.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 12:10 am and is filed under Indian Art & Culture, Wonders of India. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.