Description of the attraction
The ancient and beautiful Vishwanath Temple is considered one of the most beautiful and famous temples in Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. It belongs to the Western group of the famous temples of Khajuharo, and is located on its northeastern edge. Vishwanath was built, as it is assumed, at the very beginning of the XI century.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. And in its central part is the main value - a unique marble Shivalinga, a kind of symbol of Shiva, represented in the form of his statue. But besides the deity himself, Nandi is also worshiped in the Vishwanath temple - a bull-demigod who accompanies Shiva everywhere, and at the same time is considered his kind of "container".
In addition to Shiva and Nandi, images of God Brahma can also be found in the temple. He looks especially impressive with three heads and surrounded by elephants and lions.
The temple is over 13 meters wide and over 27 meters long. Unfortunately, only two main buildings have survived to this day in a fairly good condition. Their architectural style is so unique that they stand out favorably against the background of all the other temples in the complex. The southern gate of Vishwanath is "guarded" by large stone elephants, and the northern gate is "guarded" by lions.
Vishwanath is famous for its amazing carved panels - the outer walls of the temple are decorated with hundreds of magnificent figures carved from stone, depicting animals, plants, people, scenes from life. There you can see beautiful women, groups of musicians, feasts. Moreover, some of the scenes are of a very frank erotic nature. Some scholars believe that the temple was created as a symbol of the eternal heavenly union of Shiva and his wife Parvati.
