KhajurahoTravel Guide

The largest and most ornate of the Khajuraho temples — a soaring 31-metre sandstone spire covered in nearly 900 sculpted figures depicting gods, celestial dancers, and the famous intricate carvings that have made the site world-famous.

A rare temple dedicated to Surya, the sun god — inside, an image of the deity riding his seven-horse chariot, while the exterior walls feature lively hunting scenes and royal processions carved in remarkable detail.

Originally dedicated to Vishnu and later rededicated to the goddess Parvati, this temple's exterior carvings include some of Khajuraho's most celebrated depictions of divine and earthly love, alongside scenes of everyday medieval life.

Held nightly among the illuminated Western Group temples, this show narrates the Chandela dynasty's rise and the construction of the temples — a dramatic, atmospheric way to see the monuments after dark.

The largest and finest of Khajuraho's Jain temples, built in the 10th century — its exterior carvings rival the Hindu temples in detail, while the interior houses a striking black image of Lord Parsvanatha.

The only major temple in the Southern Group, notable for its complete absence of erotic imagery — instead, it houses a colossal, beautifully proportioned image of a four-armed Vishnu, best viewed in the late afternoon light.

A compact but excellent museum displaying sculptures and architectural fragments recovered from the temple complexes — useful context for understanding the iconography and craftsmanship before or after exploring the temples themselves.

A short drive from Khajuraho, this reserve along the Ken River was once nearly emptied of tigers but has become one of India's great conservation comeback stories — jeep safaris through dramatic gorge-and-plateau terrain offer good chances of sightings.

A dramatic, little-visited canyon of crystalline pink and grey granite cut by the Ken River into a series of waterfalls and rock formations — a striking geological contrast to the temple town's sandstone carvings.

Wander beyond the monuments into the surrounding villages, where farmers and artisans go about daily life largely untouched by tourism — an unhurried way to see rural Madhya Pradesh up close.