Must-see attractions in Khajuraho

  • LAKSHMANA TEMPLE: Facade.Western Group, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India
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    Lakshmana Temple

    Khajuraho

    The large Lakshmana Temple took 20 years to build and was completed in about AD 954 during the reign of Dhanga, according to an inscription in its mandapa…

  • Kandariya-Mahadev Temple

    Khajuraho

    The 30.5m-long Kandariya-Mahadev, built between 1025 and 1050, is the largest Western Group temple and represents the high point of Chandela architecture…

  • Western Group

    Khajuraho

    Khajuraho’s most striking and best-preserved temples are those within the fenced-off section of the Western Group. An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)…

  • India, Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho, Vishvanath Temple dating from the 10th Century. (Photo by: Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

    Vishvanath Temple

    Khajuraho

    Believed to have been built in 1002, the Vishvanath Temple anticipates the plan and style of the Kandariya-Mahadev Temple. Dedicated to Shiva, it's a…

  • Parsvanath Temple

    Khajuraho

    While not competing in size or erotica with the Western Group temples, this largest of the Jain temples in the walled enclosure is notable for the…

  • Chitragupta Temple

    Khajuraho

    The Chitragupta Temple (1000–25) is unique in Khajuraho – and rare among North Indian temples – in being dedicated to the sun god Surya. While its…

  • Devi Jagadamba Temple

    Khajuraho

    Devi Jagadamba was originally dedicated to Vishnu, but later to Parvati and then Kali. The carvings include sardulas accompanied by Vishnu, surasundaris …

  • Mahadeva Temple

    Khajuraho

    Mahadeva, a small, partly ruined temple on the same platform as Kandariya-Mahadev and Devi Jagadamba, is dedicated to Shiva, who is carved on the lintel…

  • Adivat Tribal & Folk Museum

    Khajuraho

    Impressive, and creative little museum that showcases central India's rich tribal arts and culture through life-size village houses, as well as displays…

  • Varaha Shrine

    Khajuraho

    Facing the Lakshmana Temple, the little Varaha Shrine houses a wonderful 1.5m-high sandstone carving of Vishnu as his boar avatar, dating from AD 900 and…

  • Raneh Falls

    Khajuraho

    Raneh Falls, a series of waterfalls in a 30m-deep canyon carved by the Ken River, 21km east of Khajuraho, is a worthwhile nature excursion, especially…

  • Matangesvara Temple

    Khajuraho

    Right next to the Lakshmana Temple but separated from it by the enclosure fence, Matangesvara is the only temple in the Western Group still in everyday…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Khajuraho

    The town's original Archaeological Museum, opposite the Western Group of temples, has a good collection of sculptures from around Khajuraho, starting in…

  • Chausath Yogini Temple

    Khajuraho

    The ruins of Chausath Yogini, beyond Shiv Sagar lake, date from the late 9th century and are probably the oldest at Khajuraho. You may find it locked up…

  • Bijamandala Temple

    Khajuraho

    The 700m track to Bijamandala veers left (signposted) 200m before you reach Chaturbhuja Temple. This is the excavated mound of an 11th-century temple,…

  • Vamana Temple

    Khajuraho

    The Vamana Temple (1050–75), 300m north of the old village, is dedicated to the dwarf incarnation of Vishnu. It has quirky touches such as elephants…

  • Brahma Temple

    Khajuraho

    The granite Brahma Temple, with its sandstone sikhara (temple spire) overlooking Narora Sagar, is one of the oldest in Khajuraho, dating from about AD 900…

  • Ghantai Temple

    Khajuraho

    Located between the old village and the Jain Enclosure, the small Jain Ghantai Temple is named after the ghanta (chain and bell) decorations on its…

  • Old Village

    Khajuraho

    If you're ready to deal with requests from local children for pens, money or your bicycle, then a stroll or ride around the streets of the old village can…

  • Duladeo Temple

    Khajuraho

    The Duladeo Temple, dedicated to Shiva and set among well-tended gardens just above a small river, is Khajuraho's youngest temple, dating to 1100–50. Its…

  • Javari Temple

    Khajuraho

    Resembling the Chaturbhuja Temple in the Southern Group, the Javari Temple (1075–1100) stands just north of the old village. It’s dedicated to Vishnu and…

  • Chaturbhuja Temple

    Khajuraho

    The small Chaturbhuja Temple (c 1100) anticipates Duladeo and its flaws, but has a fine 2.7m-high, four-armed statue of Vishnu in the sanctum. It is…

  • Adinath Temple

    Khajuraho

    The late-11th-century Adinath has been partially restored over the centuries. With fine carvings on its three bands of sculptures, it’s similar to…

  • Shantinath Temple

    Khajuraho

    Shantinath, a mixture of old and modern construction, is the main place of worship in the Jain group. It has a collection of components from older temples…

  • Archaeological Museum New Building

    Khajuraho

    The bright, purpose-built, new building of the Archaeological Museum, north of the Western Group temples, opened in 2016. It contains a collection of…

  • Ken Gharial Sanctuary

    Khajuraho

    From Raneh Falls you can ride or drive 5km northward to see gharials, critically-endangered and very elegant crocodilians with long, slender snouts that…

  • Lalguan Mahadev Temple

    Khajuraho

    About 800m west from the Chausath Yogini Temple, down a track and across a couple of fields (just ask the locals), is the sandstone-and-granite Lalguan…

  • Parvati Temple

    Khajuraho

    Walking around the Western Group enclosure from the Chitragupta Temple you come to the closed-up Parvati Temple on your right, a small temple originally…

  • Nandi Shrine

    Khajuraho

    A 2.2m-long statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull vehicle, faces the Vishvanath Temple dedicated to Shiva. The elephant frieze round the basement of this 12…

  • Hanuman Temple

    Khajuraho

    The small, white Hanuman Temple contains a 2.5m-tall orangepainted statue of the Hindu monkey god. It's most interesting for the pedestal inscription from…

  • Lakshmi Shrine

    Khajuraho

    A locked shrine facing the large Lakshmana Temple.

  • Pratapeswar Temple

    Khajuraho

    Near the Vishvanath Temple, the white Pratapeswar is a much more recent bricks-and-mortar structure built around 200 years ago.

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