The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho (Hindi:), a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District. The name Khajuraho derived from khajura (date palm), which grows freely in the area and as there were two golden khajura trees on a carved gate here.
The name Khajuraho, ancient ?Kharjurvahaka?, derived from the Sanskrit words kharjura = date palm and vahaka = ?one who carries?. The old name was Kharjuravahaka (scorpion bearer), the scorpion symbolizing poisonous lust. The temples were built under the late Chandela kings followers of the Tantric cult which believes that gratification of earthly desires is a step towards attaining the ultimate liberation, between 950 and 1050 AD in a truly inspired burst of creativity. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the ?Seven Wonders of India?.
Khajuraho Temples, with extramural sexual themes (10% of the total carving), portray that for seeing the deity; one must leave his sexual desires outside the Temple. They also depict that the inner deity of the Temple is pure like the soul (atman) which is unaffected by sexual desires and other gross tendencies, destiny etc. they give the message that one should always have God as the central point in one?s life even though one is engaged in worldly activities.
Union of man and woman is one of the types of beauty in the Hindu religion. The basic Universal Divine Energy (Shakti) is a symbol of the union of man and woman and it is main spiritual emotion in Hindu art depicted in the man-woman sculptures. Here Divine Energy (Shakti) manifests in the Man-Woman Union, the basis of Vedic art and culture.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone. The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 25 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 20 Sq. Kms. Today, the temples serve as fine example of Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity.
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