The Lakshmana Temple is a 10th-century Hindu temple built by

Yashovarman Yashovarman (IAST: Yaśovarman) was a medieval Indian ruler of Kannauj, who founded the Varman dynasty of Kannauj. There are few sources that provide information of his life, although he was indubitably a powerful man. Life Yashovarman was k ...

located in

Khajuraho Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous f ...

, India. It is dedicated to

Vaikuntha Vishnu Vaikuntha Chaturmurti or Vaikuntha Vishnu is a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god Vishnu, mostly found in Kashmir (northern part of the Indian subcontinent). The icon represents Vishnu as the Supreme Being. He has a human head, a lion head, a b ...

- an

aspect Aspect or Aspects may refer to: Entertainment * ''Aspect magazine'', a biannual DVD magazine showcasing new media art * Aspect Co., a Japanese video game company * Aspects (band), a hip hop group from Bristol, England * ''Aspects'' (Benny Carter ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Location

This temple is located in the Western Temple complex in

is a small village in the Chhatarpur District of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Architecture

It is a Sandhara Temple of the Panchayatana Variety. The entire

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

complex stands on a high platform ( Jagati), as seen in image. The structure consists of all the elements of

Hindu temple architecture Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architecture has many varieties of style, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same, with the essential feature an inner sanctum, the ''garbha griha'' or womb-chamber, where ...

. It has entrance porch (ardh-mandapa),

Mandapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, ...

, Maha-Mandapa,

Antarala Antarala (Sanskrit: अन्तराल, lit. ''intermediate space'') is a small antechamber or foyer between the garbhagriha (shrine) and the mandapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian arch ...

and

Garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ''M ...

. Unlike other temples in

, its sanctum is

Pancharatha A Hindu temple is a ''pancharatha'' when there are five '' ratha'' (on plan) or ''paga'' (on elevation) on the tower of the temple (generally a ''shikhara''). The rathas are vertical offset projection or facets. The name comes from the sanskri ...

on plan (top-view). Its

shikhara ''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...

is clustered with minor

urushringa ''Urushringa'' (Sanskrit: ''uruśṛn̍ga'' उरुशृङ्ग, lit. ''having high peak'') is a subsidiary tower springing from the sides of the main ''shikhara'' tower in the Hindu temple architecture of northern India. Overview The urus ...

s (refer images of temple top i.e. shikhara). The wall portion is studded with balconied windows with ornate

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

s. It has two rows of sculptures (refer images of temple's outer wall) including divine figures, couples and erotic scenes. The sanctum doorway is of seven sakhas (vertical panels). The central one being decorated with the ten

incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...

of Vishnu. The Lintel depicts goddess Lakshmi in the centre flanked by

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

and Vishnu. The sanctum contains four-armed sculpture of Vishnu. One of the niches has the image of the sculptor and his disciples at work.

Sculptures

Main idol

Main image is of three-headed & four-armed sculpture of

. The central head is of human, and two sides of boar (depicting

Varaha Varaha ( sa, वराह, , "boar") is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu. Varaha is most commonly associated with the lege ...

) and lion (depicting

Narashima Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...

). File:Lakshmana Temple 01.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 02.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 03.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 04.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 05.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 06.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 07.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 08.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 09.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 10.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 11.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 12.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 13.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 14.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 15.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 16.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 17.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 18.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 19.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 20.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 21.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 22.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 23.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 24.jpg File:Lakshmana Temple 25.jpg

Outer wall sculpture

File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 02.JPG, Ganesha sculpture (outer wall), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 03.JPG, Sculpture (outer wall), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 04.JPG, Sculpture (outer wall), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 05.JPG, Sculpture (outer wall), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 06.JPG, Sculpture (outer wall), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India

Sculptures inside temple

File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 08.JPG, Narshima sculpture (inside temple sanctum), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 09.JPG, Damaged Varaha sculpture (inside temple sanctum), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 10.JPG, Devi Killing Mahisasura sculpture (inside temple sanctum), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 11.JPG, Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 12.JPG, Hayagriva sculpture (inside temple sanctum), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 13.JPG, Vamana sculpture (inside temple sanctum), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India File:Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 14.JPG, Shiva and Brahma sculpture (inside temple sanctum), Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho, India

References

External links

M.P. Tourism Website, Official Website of Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Corporation, Khajuraho

* ttp://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/chhatarpur_khajuraho_lakshmantemple.html Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal Division, Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho {{Authority control Monuments and memorials in Madhya Pradesh World Heritage Sites in Madhya Pradesh Hindu temples in Khajuraho