By road
~175 km from Jhansi
Central India · Madhya Pradesh
Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
Temples carved with startling humanity · ~175 km from Jhansi
Getting there
By rail
Khajuraho (KURJ), ~6 km
By air
Khajuraho's own Civil Aerodrome has limited flights, mainly from Delhi and Varanasi
Best time to visit
October to March; the dance festival lights up February
Don't miss
Western Group (Kandariya Mahadeva)
Eastern Jain temples
Panna NP nearby
Things to do
Sculpture walks with a guide
Sound-and-light show
Raneh Falls trip
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Hiroki Ogawa · CC BY 3.0
What to pack
Sun protection for open complexes, guide-hiring budget — worth it
A quieter corner
The eastern group's Jain temples, nearly always empty
About Khajuraho
- Inland
Where it is
Khajuraho is a small town in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, in the Bundelkhand region of central India, not far from the Ken river and Panna National Park.
History
The Chandela dynasty built the Khajuraho temples between the late 9th and early 11th centuries, when the town was one of their capitals, and of an original group of around 85 temples about 25 survive. The temples were largely forgotten after the Chandelas declined and were brought to wider attention by British surveyors in the 19th century.
People
Khajuraho's people speak Hindi and Bundeli, the dialect of Bundelkhand, and farming and tourism are the main livelihoods. The region's folk traditions include the Rai, one of Madhya Pradesh's major folk dances.
Known for
- The Western Group and Kandariya Mahadeva
- Finely carved sculpture, including erotic friezes
- The Jain temples of the Eastern Group
- The Khajuraho Dance Festival
- Panna National Park nearby
Did you know?
Less than a tenth of Khajuraho's carvings are erotic; most depict gods and goddesses, celestial dancers, musicians and scenes of everyday life.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.