Khajuraho.
Khajuraho is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 385 miles (620 kilometres) southeast of New Delhi. There is a commercial airport there with direct connection from Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi or Varanasi (Benares), but no railroad station. The nearest train station is Satna, approx. 120 km. 2-3 hours by car or bus. Indian domestic airlines are fairly reliable and inexpensive, very effectively saving gread deal of time on still very poor roads or also reliable but usually somewhat slow trains. On the other hand for the traveler on a tight budget A/C Sleeper overnite train connections are a good alternative to the extremely exhausting bus travel.
The name Khajuraho is derived from the Hindi word khajur meaning date palm.
One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu temples, famous for their erotic sculptures which when discovered by Victorian Britons, were effectivelly banned from the toursit offers in favor of the 'more appropriate' Muslim Architecture and heritage of the Northern India. The temples of Khajuraho are an example of religion laced with erotica. They are fine examples of Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their salacious depiction of the traditional way of life during medieval times. They were rediscovered only during the 20th century and the jungles had taken a toll on some of the monuments.
The city was once the religious capital of the Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of a hundred years, from 950 to 1050. The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 22 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 8 square miles (21 km) meticulously landscaped like a city park.
The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The region is plagued by floods.
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