Khajuraho History

Once the capital city of the powerful Chandela Rajputs, a clan, who claimed their ancestry from the lineage of the Lunar powers, the various temples in and around Khajuraho were constructed over a period of 100 years, a period which stretched between the years 950 to 1050.
After their initial spell at this beautiful city, the Chandelas moved their capital to the neighboring city of Mahoba, a move which, however, failed to put a stop to the rise of the city of Khajuraho, though, however, for some time.

Madhya Pradesh is land of great antiquity. Madhya Pradesh is the home of monuments representative of various periods of history. Among most popular world heritage sites of Central India like Rock paintings, Buddhist Stupas and Temples, Khajuraho is known for its ornate temples that are spectacular piece of human imagination, artistic creativity, magnificent architectural work and deriving spiritual peace through eroticism.

Khajuraho Temples are among the most beautiful medieval monuments in the country. These temples were built by the Chandella ruler between AD 900 and 1130. It was the golden period of Chandella rulers. It is presumed that it was every Chandella ruler has built atleast one temple in his lifetime. So all Khajuraho Temples are not constructed by any single Chandella ruler but Temple building was a tradition of Chandella rulers and followed by almost all rulers of Chandella dynasty.
The first recorded mention of the Khajuraho temples is in the accounts of Abu Rihan al Biruni in AD 1022 and the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta in AD 1335. Local tradition lists 85 temples in Khajuraho out of which only 25 temples are surviving after various stages of preservation and care. All these temples are scattered over an area of about 9 square miles.