Description of the attraction
Lakshman Temple is located in Khajuraho, a small village in the state of Madhya Pradesh, which is located in the center of India. It is part of the famous temple complex and belongs to the Western group of buildings. It is dedicated to one of the most important Gods of the Hindu pantheon - Vishnu. But like other temples in the Khajuraho complex, Lakshman attracts more tourists than pilgrims.
The temple is very ancient - its construction lasted about 20 years - from about 930 to 950. The initiator of the creation of the Lakshman temple was the ruler of the once powerful state of Chandela Yasovarman.
The architecture of the temple is not much different from the architecture of other buildings in the complex. Its main charm is in the details.
Lakshman stands on a kind of high pedestal and has all the traditional "parts" of religious buildings of this type: a small terrace, or as it is called ardh-mandapa, mandapa - a large pavilion with a colonnade for performing public rituals, maha-mandapa - the main hall of a very large size, antrala and garbhagriha - a small unlit room where the main shrine of the temple is located.
The walls of the building are decorated with many small windows with balconies and graceful balustrades. Also, the outer walls of Lakshman, as well as other temples in Khajuraho, are covered with sculptures depicting mostly people in very candid poses and erotic scenes.
The main attraction and shrine of the Lakshman Temple is the three-headed and four-armed Vishnu sculpture. The central head of the statue is human, the other two are a boar and a lion.
