The city can be explored on foot or by bike, the distances are reasonable. An event is not to be missed: the dance festival . In February-March, the fine flavour of Indian classical dance is found in Khajuraho for a week of shows.
Khajuraho, better known as Jejakbhukti of the Middle Ages and Bundelkhand from the XIV th century, was the capital of the Chandela dynasty in the X th century. Respecting the tradition, they decorated their temple palaces. There were 85 of them, and only 25 still testify to this sumptuous period. From 1500, the Chandela Empire began to decline and the temples fell into oblivion. Most of them are in sandstone and they mark the culmination of the construction of Hindu temples in Madhya Pradesh. The origin of the erotic sculptures remains a mystery, but today they attract visitors from all over the world. Moreover, you will prefer to come very early in the morning, at the opening, to avoid heavy crowd of visitors, especially during tourist season.
When this place was the capital of the Chandelas, the descendants of the Moon God-the rulers over the territory of Jejakabhukti (Bundeikhand), two golden date-palm (Khajur) trees flanked its entrance. The place, it is said, derives its name from Khajur.
According to a legend, a Brahmin damsel-called Hemavati was bathing in the Rati lake. It was a moonlit night. Chandra, the Moon God, enamored of the damsel's beauty, came down and married her and left her with the prophecy that the son born to her would found a powerful dynasty. That is the origin of the Chandelas. Some of the most exquisite specimens of the temple art that developed during 10th and 11th centuries are seen here. Beautiful and sensuous, varied in motif and executed in details, the sculpture of Khajuraho remains amazingly fresh. Our tourism office conducts a tour twice daily, guiding the visitors on foot, introducing the monuments, for a nominal fee.
The town of stones Khajuraho has a significant place on the touristic map of the world. In the 7th century, the Chinese traveler Huen Tsang had said after seeing Khajuraho that the cut and carved stones of these temples are so lively that it is not easy and normal to say anything about them. As per him, he had not seen so beautiful and artistic sculpture anywhere. Khajuraho was earlier known as Kharjur Vahak. The ruler of central India (Madhya Bharat) from 9th to 12th century, the Chandel kings constructed these artistic temples. It is a feeling of the historian that in the ancient times there had been 84 temples but now –a- days only 24 are remaining which have been declared as the monuments of the national importance by the Archeological Survey of India.