Western Group of Temples,Khajuraho

The Western Group of Temples at Khajuraho, in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, is the largest and most architecturally elaborate cluster within the Khajuraho Group of Monuments, built during the rule of the Chandella dynasty, for whom Khajuraho served as a principal seat of power. Of an original count of around 85 temples, only about 25 survive today. Notable structures include the Lakshmana temple dedicated to Vishnu, built under king Yasovarman around 954 CE, the Visvanatha, Parsvanatha and Vaidyanatha temples from the era of king Dhanga, and the Kandariya Mahadeva temple - the largest of the group - attributed to king Ganda around 1017-1029 CE. Other temples in the cluster include the Jagadambi, Chitragupta, Vamana, Adinatha, Javari, Chaturbhuj and Duladeo temples.

Most of the temples are built of fine-grained sandstone in buff, pink or pale-yellow tones, while a few structures such as the Chausath-Yogini, Brahma and Mahadeva temples are of granite. The temples stand on lofty terraces (jagati) and combine mandapas, sanctums and subsidiary shrines, celebrated for their sculptural friezes depicting divine and human forms. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, and only the Western Group requires an entry ticket; the Eastern and Southern groups remain freely accessible.