In the 10th Century A. D., a minor prince of central India adorned his capital, Khajuraho, with what has been described as "a charming, splendid home of Vishnu which rivals the peaks of the mountain of snow." The building was one of 20 temples at Khajuraho, a city that contained some of the most graceful works of Hindu architecture.
Although the Khajuraho shrines are smaller than the grandiose monuments of Bhuvaneshvar and Konarak, they give an even greater impression of soaring height. Each temple is raised more than 20 feet above the ground on a lofty terrace; its various halls and pavilions are compressed into a compact shape, in which domed spires strain upward like a succession of foothills toward a mountainous main tower. The temples, in fact, are symbolic replicas of a Himalayan peak where the gods were believed to dwell.
Carved into the temple walls are sculptures that suggest the delights of living in the home of the gods. Many of these works depict voluptuous maidens and amorous couples. Some are brazenly erotic, showing the influence of a Hindu concept that imbued sexual pleasure with divine qualities.
SENSUOUS BEAUTIES crowd the facade of the Devi Jagadambi Temple at Khajuraho. The temple reflects the beliefs of the Tantric cult of Hinduism, which celebrated the sexual union of man and woman as being symbolic of the union of earthly beings with the divine.
THE MOUNTAINOUS EFFECT of the Kandariya Mahadeo Temple (opposite page) is enhanced by its compact design and series of aspiring domes. The floor plan of a sister temple (bottom) shows how pavilions and halls have been merged into a single, integrated structure.
World History
