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Khajuraho,
former capital of the old kingdom of Jajhauti, was the capital
of the Chandela Rajputs who claimed descent from the moon. The
Chandelas were a strong regional power in the area in the 10th
century. They built a series of forts and of course, the
splendid temples of Khajuraho. The name may come from the
numerous date palms found here or, as another legend has it,
because there were a pair of golden date palms on the gates of
the complex. There were 85 temples originally of which only 20
survive. These were all built between 950 and 1050 AD in one
inspired burst of building and then were lost for almost 800
years. |
