As earlier, this time also we two had to travel alone because Aditya presently is busy in his own schedule. As for the place, help came from a friend and colleague at ISTM, my workplace, Shri Arun Gaur, DD (OM). A few days ago he visited Khajuraho. So we also decided to visit Khajuraho.
Khajura
ho is a world famous place known mainly for its temples with erotic carvings on different temples. It is amazing to find how much different could be a myth from reality, as I would explain subsequently. Presently, here is a recount of the entire journey.
The journey began in the evening on 18.8.2011. The train, UP Sampark Kranti, was scheduled at 8.15 pm. Appatently, the name, UP Sampark Kranti doesn’t match with its de
stination because Khajuraho is in Madhya Pradesh. In fact, from Mahoba railway station, about four or five coaches with passengers for Khajuraho, are disconnected and attached to a diesel engine. The journey from Mahoba to Khajuraho is a treat for the eyes with lush green fields and waterbodies of different sixes all the way.
T
he Khajuraho temples are divided into 3 clusters, Western, Eastern and Southern. The Western cluster is the main, and the temples for which Khajuraho is world famous are located in this cluster. Due to heavy rain in the afternoon, we could cover only the western cluster in the forenoon. This cluster consists of Varah Temple, Lakshman
a Temple, Kandariya Mahadev Temple, Jagdambi temple, Chitragupta Temple, Visvanatha Temple and Nandi pavilion.
The Lakshmana temple dedicated to lord Vishnu was built by chandela king Yashovarman during tenth century.
The most awesome and the largest temple in Khajuraho is Kandariya Mahadev Temple. It was built around 1025-1050 AD. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva with a linga at the centre of the Grabha Griha.
Chitragupt
a temple faceing eastwards to the rising sun, is believed to be built during 11 century. This is the only temple in Khajuraho which is dedicated to Lord Surya.
The Vishwanath temple again is dedicated to lord Shiva. It was built by Chandela king Dhanga in 1002 AD.
The Nandi Shrine is an integral part of the Vishwanath Temple. Nandi the bull is the vehicle of Lord Shiva.
The temples here are so intricately carved that the
walls look like sandalwood instead of stone. The different postures of the human beings like writing a letter, playing with child, grooming themselves are beautifully carved out.
Adjacent to this cluster, there is one temple named Matangeswara, the only temple where pooja is still performed by locals.
Chitragupt
a temple faceing eastwards to the rising sun, is believed to be built during 11 century. This is the only temple in Khajuraho which is dedicated to Lord Surya.
The Vishwanath temple again is dedicated to lord Shiva. It was built by Chandela king Dhanga in 1002 AD.
The Nandi Shrine is an integral part of the Vishwanath Temple. Nandi the bull is the vehicle of Lord Shiva.
The temples here are so intricately carved that the
walls look like sandalwood instead of stone. The different postures of the human beings like writing a letter, playing with child, grooming themselves are beautifully carved out.
Adjacent to this cluster, there is one temple named Matangeswara, the only temple where pooja is still performed by locals.
Next day we first covered Raneh falls and then the other two clusters, i.e.
Southern and Eastern clusters. The Raneh falls on the Karnavati river now called Ken river (starting from Vindhyachal Parvat in Katni district in Madhya Pradesh and joining Yamuna river in Bandah district in Uttar Pradesh) are famous for their rock mountains. The main attraction is a 5 km long and 100 feet deep canyon made of pure crystalline granite in varying shades of colours ranging from pink and red to grey. It is an ideal picnic spot and has a very impressive scen
ic beauty. Although we had seen many falls earlier but this was a unique and unforgettable one. Here we saw Tendu tree, leaves of which are used for making bidis, Khair tree used to prepare kattha, used mainly in paans and Gunja tree of three types, for eating, burning and as an adhesive.
From falls, we came back to cover the other two clusters of temples. The eastern cluster consists of Brahma, Vamana and Javari Temples. The southern cluster consists of a row of Jain tem
ples(Adinath, Parsavnath and ….), Dulhadev and Chaturbhuj temples. The speciality of southern cluster is shiva temple having a white coloured linga discovered recently during excavation.
As for the erotic carvings, these are symbol of energy at the first of the s
even thresholds. The more it is open, the less it is at mental level. The less it is at mental level, the less is the need for suppression. If one is not involve mentally, this gushing energy leads one to super-conscious. The moment centre gets dropped, the boundaries also get dropped consequently and one is one with cosmic energy.
In the afternoon, we took some rest befo
re starting for the railway station, Khajuraho, from where we had to take a train to Delhi at 6.20 pm. The train started at time and was on time till it reached Badarpur, Delhi. From Badarpur onwards it started crawling, and by that time it reached Tughlakabad it was already around 6. We therefore 
had to get down on way near Jasola from where we took an auto to reach home.
Southern and Eastern clusters. The Raneh falls on the Karnavati river now called Ken river (starting from Vindhyachal Parvat in Katni district in Madhya Pradesh and joining Yamuna river in Bandah district in Uttar Pradesh) are famous for their rock mountains. The main attraction is a 5 km long and 100 feet deep canyon made of pure crystalline granite in varying shades of colours ranging from pink and red to grey. It is an ideal picnic spot and has a very impressive scen
ic beauty. Although we had seen many falls earlier but this was a unique and unforgettable one. Here we saw Tendu tree, leaves of which are used for making bidis, Khair tree used to prepare kattha, used mainly in paans and Gunja tree of three types, for eating, burning and as an adhesive.
From falls, we came back to cover the other two clusters of temples. The eastern cluster consists of Brahma, Vamana and Javari Temples. The southern cluster consists of a row of Jain tem
ples(Adinath, Parsavnath and ….), Dulhadev and Chaturbhuj temples. The speciality of southern cluster is shiva temple having a white coloured linga discovered recently during excavation.
As for the erotic carvings, these are symbol of energy at the first of the s
even thresholds. The more it is open, the less it is at mental level. The less it is at mental level, the less is the need for suppression. If one is not involve mentally, this gushing energy leads one to super-conscious. The moment centre gets dropped, the boundaries also get dropped consequently and one is one with cosmic energy.
In the afternoon, we took some rest befo
re starting for the railway station, Khajuraho, from where we had to take a train to Delhi at 6.20 pm. The train started at time and was on time till it reached Badarpur, Delhi. From Badarpur onwards it started crawling, and by that time it reached Tughlakabad it was already around 6. We therefore 
had to get down on way near Jasola from where we took an auto to reach home. Reaching back Delhi on a holiday gives one some breathing time before one is lost again in the humdrum of the normal routine.
No comments:
Post a Comment