Showcasing Chandela brilliance
The Lakshmana Temple is an architectural and sculptural marvel that stands out amongst the other sandstone temples, leaving you speechless with its details. Prepare to be awestruck as you explore the temple's intricate carvings, majestic spires, and captivating sanctum, all of which exude an ancient grandeur that is truly remarkable.
As you approach the temple complex, marvel at the raised platform adorned with a staggering array of carved figures - elephants, horses, battles, hunting scenes, and processions, each one bursting with life and expression. Here, architecture becomes poetry. The temple stands as a Vaishnavite masterpiece of Sandhara style, featuring a square sanctum enclosed by a gallery of pillars meant for circumambulation (pradakshinapath) and a Panchayatana variety, with four smaller shrines surrounding the main one. In fact, the Lakshmana Temple is unique in Khajuraho – it's the only one that preserves all these subsidiary shrines and the jagati (platform) with its decorative mouldings and friezes intact.
Enter the temple through a simple yet elegant makara-torana (an ornamental archway adorned with motifs of ‘makara,’ a crocodile) with two decorative loops. The main shrine faces east and houses a three-headed image of Lord Vishnu within the inner chamber or garbhagriha. The deity's three heads—human, Narasimha, and Varaha incarnations—mirror the multiple facets of his cosmic presence. In the three cardinal niches of the ambulatory pathway wall are incarnations of Vishnu - Varaha in the south, Narasimha in the west, and Hayagriva in the North. Look closely, and you'll find stories and legends related to Lord Krishna, Hiranyakashyap and more.
As you pass through the sanctum doorway, the captivating seven vertical panels reveal various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, with the central panel featuring the goddess Lakshmi, flanked by Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. The western side of the temple showcases intricate sculptures and full figures of women adorned with elaborate jewellery, a sight that evokes awe and admiration. Delicately carved pillars narrate tales of scrollwork reminiscent of the Gupta tradition, while the ceilings breathe life with bold designs of cusps, capturing the essence of a rich legacy.
Gods, art, and symbolism
The walls of the Lakshmana Temple come alive with an incredible display of gods, goddesses, and numerous figures that are intricately carved and radiate a sense of grandeur. The temple also features sculptures that celebrate the sensuality and joy of life. These carvings, often misinterpreted as purely erotic, are actually symbolic of fertility, love, and the very essence of human existence. Speaking of iconic carvings, keep an eye out for a particularly captivating scene - a barefoot woman, elegant in her posture, pointing out a thorn in her foot. This seemingly simple scene is a celebration of human connection and the beauty of everyday life. The Lakshmana Temple is filled with such details!
