Most people arrive in Khajuraho knowing roughly what they are going to see. The temples are famous and the sculptures more so. I expected nothing different. I had seen the photographs, read the standard descriptions, and filed Khajuraho mentally under the category of important historical sites worth visiting once.
What I had not prepared for was the degree to which the place would make me think differently about what sculpture actually is and what it can do.
Getting to Khajuraho
Khajuraho has a small airport with connections to Delhi, Varanasi, and a handful of other cities, which makes it accessible without the long overland journey that puts some visitors off. The train from Delhi to Khajuraho is also an option, arriving at a station a few kilometres from the town centre.
The town itself is small. There are hotels in Khajuraho within easy walking distance of the western temple complex, where most visitors spend the majority of their time. Staying close to the western group makes early morning visits straightforward, and the temples in the first hour after opening, before the organised tour groups arrive, are worth the early start.
The Western Group of Temples
The Western Group is the best-known and most complete section of Khajuraho. Built between approximately 950 and 1050 CE, the temples stand close together rather than being scattered across a large area, making it easier to appreciate the scale of the Chandela dynasty’s vision.
The KandariyaMahadeva Temple is the largest and most striking of the group. Rising around thirty metres above its platform, it is covered in layer upon layer of sculpted figures. Photographs capture the overall shape, but they struggle to convey the sheer density of detail. Only when standing close to the walls do the expressions, gestures, and fine carving become fully visible.
I spent more time at this single temple than I had originally planned for the entire Western Group, which says something about how quickly Khajuraho changes your sense of time.
Looking Beyond the Famous Carvings
The erotic sculptures are undoubtedly what Khajuraho is best known for, and they are worth examining carefully rather than rushing past. Yet they form only a small part of the overall sculptural programme.
Most of the carvings depict apsaras, celestial women shown in hundreds of graceful poses, alongside couples, musicians, warriors, hunters, and scenes from everyday court life.
What impressed me most was the consistency of craftsmanship. Even figures tucked away in less visible corners were carved with remarkable care. The attention to detail did not diminish simply because fewer people would notice it.
After realising this, I found myself paying more attention to the quieter parts of the temples. The quality remained constant wherever I looked.
The Eastern and Southern Groups
Many visitors focus almost entirely on the Western Group, but the Eastern and Southern temples reward anyone willing to spend additional time exploring.
The Eastern Group includes both Hindu and Jain temples. Among them, the Parsvanatha Temple stands out for its refined sculptures, particularly the apsara figures, which display an extraordinary delicacy of workmanship.
The Southern Group is smaller but offers a noticeably quieter atmosphere. The Chaturbhuja Temple is known for its large image of Vishnu, whose stillness provides an interesting contrast to the movement and activity depicted across several temples.
Why Hiring a Guide Was Worth It
I had not intended to hire a guide. The site is well signposted, and independent exploration seemed straightforward enough.
However, a local guide approached me outside the entrance to the Western Group and offered a two-hour tour at a reasonable rate. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I made during the visit.
His explanations brought the temples into focus. He pointed out details I would have overlooked, explained the symbolism behind the sculptures, and showed how the carvings formed part of a larger narrative rather than existing as isolated works of art.
Without that context, the temples felt visually impressive. With it, they became much easier to understand and appreciate.
Leaving With a Different Perspective
I arrived at Khajuraho asking the same questions many visitors do: who built these temples, when were they constructed, and why?
I left thinking about something else entirely. The temples were created over generations by craftsmen whose names have largely disappeared from history. Yet their work remains precise, inventive, and remarkably enduring more than a thousand years later.
That combination of anonymity and excellence stayed with me long after I left Khajuraho. It is one thing to admire the temples themselves. It is another to reflect on the people who devoted decades of their lives to creating them.
