Sightseeing in Khajuraho
Adinath Temple: The Adinath temple is believed to be built in the 11th century and is dedicated to the Jain Saint Adinath. This temple forms one of the most important constituent of the Jain group of temples on the eastern side of Khajuraho. The temple’s walls are beautifully decorated with stone carvings depicting court musicians. The temple includes three structures dedicated to Lord Brahma, containing a four faced lingam; the Vamana, adorned on its outer walls with carving of apsaras; and the Javari, with a richly-carved gateway and exterior sculptures.
Chattarbhuj Temple: The Chattarbhuj temple is located in the Jatkari village, which is 3 km to the south of Khajuraho city. The temple has an 11 ft. high image of Lord Vishnu, with an expression of transcendental calm and bliss on its face.
Chaunsat Yogini: The temple remains one of the few granite temples which have survived the test of time. It is also one of the earliest built shrines and is dedicated to Hindu Goddess Kali. This temple is in the western group and also features a fairly extensive collection of erotic stone carvings.
Chitragupta Temple: This east-facing temple is devoted to the Hindu God Surya and with his image highlighting his grandeur with high boots and a chariot of seven horses. The sculptures of the temple depict sura-sundaris, erotic couples, and an image of lord Vishnu in the 11 headed form.
The Chitragupta temple also houses an ancient three-storied stepped tank, known as ‘Chopra’. It is a small square tank with a flight of steps on all the four sides leading into the tank and is located at a distance of 200 yards to the north-west of the Chitragupta Temple.
Dulah Dev Temple: The Dulha Dev temple is one of the finest temples in the Southern Group and is also known as the Kunwar Math. The temple is decorated with some of the most beautiful sculptures especially the Shalbhanjika. The Dulah Dev temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, with his image on the lintel of the entrance to the garbh griha. The shrine is located on the banks of Khudar stream which adds to the scenic beauty of the temple.
Javari Temple: The temple, which is believed to be built around 1075 and 1100 AD, is among the Eastern group of temples and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Although the temple is relatively small compared to some of the other temples in the region, it is worth visiting owing to beautiful carvings on its elaborate entrance and the slender towering sketch of its spire.
Kandariya Mahadev Temple: The temple is perhaps the largest temple in the Khajuraho region with an image standing around 31 ft high. The main shrine of the temple has exquisite and detailed carvings of gods, goddesses, celestial maidens and lovers. Almost the entire temple is an illustration of medieval architecture with more than 800 images, a majority of which are almost 3 ft high. The platform of the temple is magnificent with sculptures of beautiful women in a variety of postures.
Ghantai Temple: Ghantai temple, which is believed to be built between 950 and 1050 AD, is amongst the most prominent Jain temples in Khajuraho despite not being in very good condition. The walls of the temple depict the 16 dreams of lord Mahavira’s mother along with an image Mahavira’s mother as a multi-armed goddess on a winged Garuda. The temple is also famous for its ornamentation, stately form and classical architecture. The Ghantai temple has several other prominent temples in the vicinity such as the Parsvanath temple, Adinath temple, and Shantinath temple.
Matangeswara Temple: The temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva with an 8 ft high lingam, is near the Western Group. The temple is one of the oldest in Khajuraho and is often visited by followers during morning and evening rituals as it is not situated in the protected area. The main attraction of the Matangeswara Temple is beautiful idols of polished deity and ceilings which display ornaments of cusps and floral cusps.
Parsvanath Temple: Parsvanath temple is the largest Jain temple among the Eastern group and is dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras. The temple is known for its detailed sculptures on the northern wall, which depict everyday activity in rural India in simple and charming way. The temple was built around 954 AD and is currently in one of the protected zones of the city.
Brahma Temple: The temple should be visited as it one of the few temples dedicated to Lord Brahma. The temple is not architecturally detailed but being located on the banks of Khajurahour Sagar or Ninora Tal, it makes for picturesque viewing. The main images in the temple are a four-faced lord Brahma along with an image of Lord Vishnu. The temple stands on the 12 pillars of granite, established on a high platform with an average elevation of 11 ft. The Brahma temple is known for beautifully carved latticed windows on the north and south walls of the temple.
Dhubela Museum: Dhubela Museum is converted from an old fort on the Jhansi-Khajurahouraho road. The museum has a collection of a variety of Shakti Cult sculptures. Moreover, the museum also has collections of garments, weapons and paintings, which are housed in different sections. The collection of helps tourists to understand the history and provide a glimpse to the lifestyle of the Bundela kings.
Raneh Falls: Raneh Falls, which is located at a distance of around 19 km from the city, is fed by the Ken and Khuddar rivers. The falls are famous for its rock formation, with the main attraction being a 100 ft. deep canyon created by crystalline granite in different shades of colors ranging from pink and red to grey. Named after the ruler Rane Pratap, the site also has some seasonal falls which appear during monsoon season
State Museum of Tribal and Folk Art: The museum has a collection of tribal and folk art and artifacts, offering insights into the custom and rituals of the tribal people. The collection in the museum also shows the traditional Indian culture and its exchanges with foreign cultures through trade and incursion. The museum highlights how different designs, styles, and forms evolved over time and has more than 500 items of terracotta, wood crafts, jewels, tribal and folk paintings, masks, tattoos and metal crafts.
Kalinjar Fort: Kalinjar Fort represents the architectural ingenuity of the Chandela dynasty and is now famous for its vast collection of monuments and sculptures, which reveals many historic events and practices. The fort is located on the top of a holy hill, which is mentioned in Hindu scriptures by different names. The fort has a height of around 35 meter and an 8 meter wide summit spread over an area of around 7.5 km over the hillock. The fort also has a temple of Neelkanth Mahadev along with other temples with rare stone images of Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Bhairava and Bhairavi, Lord Vishnu, and Goddess Shakti.












