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Khajuraho Temples Fascinating view of Ancient Civilization

 

 Last fall I was fortunate to be able to take an Abercrombie & Kent tour of northern India.   I wasn’t expecting to be surprised.  While I hadn’t visited most of the cities on the tour, I had either read about them or looked at photos.

I was good to go. I had some idea of what to expect.

There was one place on the itinerary that puzzled me though and what a surprise it turned out to be.

The long abandoned Hindu temples of Khajuraho.

These temples, originally built in the 11th to 12th century, were lost to civilization for hundreds of years, covered over by nature and disuse.  Discovered in 1838 by a British Military officer, they give us a marvelous insight into life at the time they were built……and a lot of questions.

 INVASION 101

The sandstone temples are rare too.  When the conquering Islamic raiders came into India they pretty much destroyed all temples and artifacts of the culture they were taking over.  Our extremely knowledgable guide explained that this was common through out history.  “Invaders always come in and destroy religious images and religious symbols as a way of taking control. They then replace with their own images and deities.”

But these temples were so remote they somehow missed the wrecking ball for seven hundred years and we can visit them today. Wow. They were really something to see.

 I was particularly intrigued because a couple of years ago I visited the temples of Angkor Wat.  The story is similar in that these temples were unknown for hundreds of years………and the time period they were built were about the same.  I had an “erie sensation of having been here before.”

I found two things particularly interesting about the Khajuraho visit.  One is the wildly erotic and beautiful carvings all over the buildings, making me wonder what kind of pleasure loving civilization built these temples?  Would like to know more.  They apparently enjoyed life and the culture was rich and creative.

 

According to Wikipedia, only 10 percent of carvings show sexual activities.  The rest depict everyday life of the common Indian at the time.

 

And the other, I was intrigued with a temple with the roof styles of  three religions of India–Islam, Hindu and Buddhism.  What an odd combination.  But it was explained that the Hindu king who had this one built wanted to create a visible symbol that all could live peacefully in one land.

What a good guy.

Post Author
Susan J. Smith
Susan's career includes writing for newspapers, lots of community work and a wonderful family life. Now she is enjoying traveling, photography and writing for DesignDestinations and Grand Rapids Magazine. She welcomes you on her journey and appreciates your comments.

Comments

7 Comments
  1. posted by
    Julie Hawksworth
    Feb 21, 2012 Reply

    Susan – really interesting and wow what a monument. That must be the only time in history a king of any time willingly combined religious symbols!  Maybe as a Hindu he already worshipped a lot of gods, so what’s a few more, but still nice.  Your blogs of India are fascinating, they make me feel as though I have been there, but also that I want to go!  Thanks for a great post!  best – Julie

    • posted by
      Anonymous
      Feb 21, 2012 Reply

      Thanks Julie.  It was a wonderful experience.  Glad you are enjoying my posts.  I have one more to do.   Stay tuned.   

  2. posted by
    Margaret
    Feb 22, 2012 Reply

    If you didn’t distinguish between the temples in India and Angkor Wat, I could swear these photos were from Angkor…what an uncanny resemblance. Thanks for sharing, Susan.

    • posted by
      Anonymous
      Feb 22, 2012 Reply

      I’m glad you enjoyed this post.  The difference between the two groups of temples is in the grounds.  In India it is very grassy and cultivated.  The information says it isn’t “authentic” to the time the temples were built but lovely. A great walk in the park.  Angkor Wat, as you recall, is jungle and left the way it developed over time.   I marvel at both. 

  3. posted by
    Breathe Deeply: Asian Art Museum Centers on Yoga | DesignDestinations
    May 19, 2014 Reply

    […] painting, furniture and ceramics as you might expect.  The  reference to the temples in Khajuraho, India were  interesting. Click here if you want to know what I’m talking about.  You’ll “get it” when you read this blog […]

  4. posted by
    India: Holy Cow! | DesignDestinations
    Jun 9, 2014 Reply

    […] Khajuraho Temples  […]

  5. posted by
    Forts, Palaces and Temples of Rajasthan | DesignDestinations
    Apr 9, 2017 Reply

    […] run out of time and energy. Going to explore  the Temples separately.  The ones at Khajuraho deserve their own blog.   Click on the link and you’ll see […]

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