Khujuraho school

Under the Chandela kings of Bundelkhand, a great school of architecture flourished in the 10th and 11th century. An example of this style is a group of temples at Khajuraho, in Madhya Pradesh. The finest is the shaivite temple known as Kandariya Mahadev, built around CE 1000. The standard type of Khajuraho temple has a shrine room, an assembly hall, and an entrance portico. These entities were treated as a whole, whereas in the odishan style they were conceived as separate elements joined by vestibules. The sikhara is curved for its whole length, and miniature sikhkaras emerge from the central tower. The halls and porticos of the temple are also crowned with smaller towers which rise progressively to lead the eye upto the main tower, and give the impression of a mountain range.

Khajuraho’s temples are also known for their extensiveerotic sculptures; the erotic expression is given equal importance in human experience as spiritual pursuit, and it is seen as part of a larger cosmic whole. Many Hindu temples therefore feature mithun (embracing couple)sculptures, considered auspicious. Usually, they are placed at the entrance of the temple or on an exterior wall
or they may also be placed on the walls between the mandapa and the main shrine.

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