The Khajuraho group of monuments, consisting of the largest group of Hindu and Jain temples, is a popular tourist destination. These monuments, known for its erotic sculptures, were built in medieval times. The historical and cultural elegance of these monuments can be seen in every sculpture and dimension of these structures. These monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These structures were built during the Chandela rule, which was a Hindu dynasty. The Chandelas ruled from the 10th to the 12th century of the Common Era. It took them 200 years to build these temples. This was indeed a huge task as there are above 80 temples in these groups of temples. Although Khajuraho was not the capital city in 1150 CE, it developed at a fast rate during that time.

Out of the 80 temples that were built by the Chandelas, only 25 are in good condition today. These temples are an amalgamation of gorgeous sculpture and architecture. These temples are the temples of 2 religions, namely Hinduism and Jainism. In spite of this they are the same type of temples. All the temples here are built on elevated platforms and are richly decorated. All the temples have ‘shikharas’.

The towers of these monuments are built in the Nagera style of architecture. In this architecture, the cosmic mountain, ‘Mount Kailash’ is represented. All these temples have a typical plan. It consists of an entrance, a large ‘mandapa’, a dark sanctuary and many subsidiary halls.

These temples which are in good as well as bad conditions are grouped into eastern, western and southern divisions. The temples, made of sandstone, have joints where one part is fixed into a hole cut into another part of the structure. The external sculptures, which are lifelike, show human beings in erotic positions. These sculptures are only on the outside of the temple. The sculptures inside the temple are that of deities and people going about their daily chores. The main intention behind showing erotic sculptures on the exterior is that every human being entering the temple should leave his earthly desires outside and become one with god when he is inside the temple. The beautiful sculptures inside the temple provide interesting study material for art students even today.

The most important buildings here are the buildings in the western zone, close to the archaeological museum. The temples in the western mass are Lakshmana, Varaha, Kandariya, Matangeshwara, Chopra tank, Mahadeva Chitragupta, Vishwanatha, Parvati and Nandi. The temples of Pashvanath, Ghantai, Shantinath, Adinath, Chaturbhuja and Dulhadeo are the important complexes in the eastern and southern zones.

It is also believed that the Brahmin boys who followed celibacy until they were married learned about life and its different aspects from the sculptures both inside and outside the temple.

The monuments of Khajuraho are more than mere sculptures, they depict life on the outside and spiritual peace on the inside.