Noted for its erotic temples', Khajuraho is a quaint town which has much to offer a visitor. Added to that, the Millennium Celebrations to be held in Khajuraho are sure to attract attention and acclaim to these beautiful temples.

Khajuraho, situated in the heart of Central India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, is noted for the country's most exotic, erotic statues. Not many are aware that these marvellous statues are a thousand years old. Khajuraho's Millennium Celebrations in 1999, will last throughout the year. In a rare example of public, private and local enterprise working together, the Celebrations are being organised by the Madhya Pradesh Government, the Archaeological Survey of India, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural HeritageKhajuraho Temple (INTACH), companies like Eicher, newspapers like the Times Group, hotels like the Oberoi and Taj and travel agencies like the Orient Express. It was the Orient Express' founder, who can be described as the man who 'discovered' Khajuraho. This was in the '50s when it was little more than a jungle-town, infested with snakes and dacoits. But it was the sight of the stupendous temples that caused him to give up everything and work on building roads, telephone lines, and a hotel so that Khajuraho could be accessible to the world. The work is now being enthusiastically carried on by his son Kanti and his 5 brothers.

There are very few people today, who have not heard of Khajuraho. It is, in fact, a World Heritage Site. But for the first-timer, the temples continue to amaze and mystify. Who built these amazing temples? How did the sandstone structures last so long? Why is it that not much is known of the varied social scenes that the sculptures portray so graphically?

There is a statue to 'the Unknown Sculptor', in the middle of Khajuraho town, constructed by Poddar, which is a tribute to the superb craftsmanship of these temples, with their beautiful apsaras, gandharvas, mythical animals, gods and goddesses. There are warriors, lovers, artists, dancers — a celebration of every section of society. So, who were these people? It is believed that the Khajuraho temples were built between 950-1050 AD by the Chandela Kings of Bundelkhand. These were warrior-kings who fought many wars but did not allow their land to be subjugated by other invaders. Thus, the statues are a testament of 'pure' Indian art, unsullied by any other influences.

There is a fascinating legend behind the Chandela kings, who claimed descent from the moon! According to the legend, Hemwati, the lovely daughter of a Brahmin priest, was seduced by the moon-god, while bathing in a forest pool. The child born of this union was Chandravarman, founder of the Chandela dynasty. He was brought up in the forest by his mother to avoid a censorious society. But when he became a ruler, he had a dream- visitation of his mother, who implored him to build a range of temples that would reveal human passions. Thus Handravamian began building the first temples which were continued by his successors. It is also believed that they were followers of the Tantric cult which believes that the gratification of earthly desires is a step towards Nirvana (salvation).

These temples are, indeed, a celebration of life with all its passions and energies. Out of the original 85 temples, only 22 remain. They have a unique architectural design, each temple standing on a high masonry platform, with a marked upward direction, almost as if pointing to the heavens above. You enter the temples through a porch or Ardhamandapa, behind which is a hall or Mahamandapa. This is supported by pillars and a corridor around it. A vestibule then leads into the Garbhagriha or inner sanctum. There are three geographical divisions for the temples — Southern, Eastern, and Western. There are only two Southern temples, which are scenically situated on the outskirts of the city, with the Vindhyakt temples in the background. The intricately carved Duladeo temple is dedicated to Shiva, while the Chaturbhuj temple has a huge 3-meter high image of Vishnu.

The Eastern temples are partly Jam and Hindu. In fact, this is a common pilgrimage center for Jams and there are many Dharamsala. The most striking is the Parsvanath temple, with its exquisite sculptures depicting the everyday activity. There is a bull-emblem of the first Tirthankara, Adinath. But the Parsvanath image was installed in 1860. It is this lain-Hindu combination that is singularly interesting about these temples. There is the Shantinath temple, visited by the Digambar Jams, with a 4.5-meter high image of Adinath and the Ghantai temple with a lain goddess on a garuda (Hawk-like bird). The Hindu temples include the richly carved Brahma, Vamana and Javari temples, as also a Hanuman temple with a 2.5-meter high idol of the monkey-god.

There is a lot of excavation work going on, and it was fascinating to see several heads of gods and goddesses being unearthed from the ground. Khajuraho Temple The Western temples, in the heart of the city, are the most famous, with all the mithunas (couples), Gandharvas, apsaras, vidyadaras and kinaras. The images of the apsaras are stunning, with their sensuous poses and liquid movements.

There are the unforgettable images of a maiden adorning herself before a mirror, applying kohl on her eyes, plaiting her long hair, removing a thorn from her foot. The erotic images, of course, have been much written about, and one was amused by the guide who described the 'group-sex' scenes to a group of American tourists.