Khajuraho Tour of Chandela Temples with a Khajuraho Tour Guide
My name is Maya, and I had come to India from the United States to study yogic science at the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga in Delhi. I had imagined India as a place of yoga and spirituality, but living in Delhi soon showed me another side of the country—a city where centuries of history, faith, architecture and everyday life exist side by side.
One day, some friends and I decided to explore Old and New Delhi, and we were fortunate to have Harry as our friendly tour guide in Delhi. What began as a sightseeing day became one of those experiences that stays with you long after the tour is over.
As part of our yoga studies, we became curious about Khajuraho and its extraordinary Chandela temples. We wanted to see the temples for ourselves, but more importantly, we wanted someone who could help us understand the stories behind the stone—the history, architecture, symbolism and spiritual ideas that shaped this remarkable place.
By then, we already knew Harry and trusted the way he brought India’s history to life. So we asked him to come with us.
Maya explores the Chandela temples of Khajuraho with her Khajuraho tour guide, Harry.
That meant an overnight train journey from Delhi. By around 6 AM the next morning, we arrived in Khajuraho, ready to discover a completely different chapter of India.
And that is how my Khajuraho journey began—with a train ride, an old friend who happened to be our guide, and the magnificent temples of the Chandela kings waiting beyond the morning light.
The Legend of Khajuraho Temples
As we walked through the temple complex, Harry told us a beautiful Chandela legend about the origins of Khajuraho.
According to the story, Hemvati was a beautiful young woman who was bathing one night when the Moon God, Chandra, was captivated by her beauty. Their union led to the birth of a son, Chandravarman, who would grow up to become a powerful ruler and the founder of the Chandela dynasty.
Hemvati, according to the legend, raised her son away from society and eventually asked him to create temples that would portray the many emotions and experiences of human life. In this way, the story gives a symbolic explanation for the extraordinary range of human figures and scenes carved into the temples.
Harry paused and looked at the sculptures around us.
“Khajuraho is not only about the erotic carvings,” he explained. “Look carefully and you will see musicians, dancers, warriors, farmers, women preparing themselves, gods, mythical creatures and scenes from everyday life. The temples are almost like a stone book about the world in which the Chandela people lived.”
That changed the way I looked at the temples. What I had expected to be a monument famous mainly for its sensual sculptures was turning into something much larger—a celebration of human life, spirituality, beauty and imagination.
Harry also explained that the famous erotic sculptures represent only a small part of the temple carvings. Their meaning has been interpreted in different ways by historians and scholars, and there is no single universally accepted explanation.
For me, that was the most fascinating part of having a Khajuraho tour guide. Harry wasn’t simply pointing at sculptures; he was helping us ask questions about the people, beliefs and ideas behind them.
Temples Overview by Harry
As we entered the temple complex, Harry began to explain what made Khajuraho so extraordinary. The temples were built in the Nagara style of Indian architecture, with soaring shikharas and beautifully carved figures of gods, goddesses, musicians, dancers and everyday life.
“Don’t look only at the famous erotic sculptures,” Harry told us. “Khajuraho is much bigger than that.
Khajuraho Temples History: Harry Explains
Harry explains the intricate Chandela temple carvings as Maya discovers the stories behind Khajuraho’s sculptures.
As we walked between the temples, Harry explained that most of the monuments were built between the 10th and 11th centuries under the Chandela dynasty. The rulers created Khajuraho as an important centre of art, religion and culture, bringing together Hindu and Jain traditions in an extraordinary temple complex.
He told us that the temples were not built all at once. They developed over generations, with successive Chandela rulers contributing to this remarkable landscape of stone temples and sculpture.
Harry also explained the name Khajuraho, traditionally associated with khajur, the Hindi word for date palm. Legends say that the settlement was once surrounded by palm trees, although the exact origin of the name is not certain.
Today, around 20 temples survive, grouped broadly into the Western, Eastern and Southern groups. The Western Group contains the most famous monuments, including the magnificent Kandariya Mahadeva Temple.
As Harry spoke, I began to understand that Khajuraho was not simply a collection of beautiful sculptures. It was the artistic expression of an entire civilisation—and we had only just begun to discover its story
Khajuraho Temple Architecture: Harry Explains
With Harry’s stories, the ancient Chandela temple carvings were no longer just stone—they began to speak to Maya.
As we continued walking, Harry drew our attention to the architecture. He explained that the temples are magnificent examples of the Nagara style of North Indian temple architecture, built mainly from carefully fitted sandstone.
“What makes Khajuraho special,” he told us, “is that the architecture and sculpture are not separate. They work together.”
The temples rise from their platforms with a series of halls leading towards the sacred inner chamber, or garbhagriha, crowned by soaring shikharas that seem to rise towards the sky. The walls are covered with an extraordinary rhythm of gods, goddesses, musicians, dancers, mythical creatures and scenes from human life.
Harry also explained that the craftsmen fitted the stone blocks together with remarkable precision, using traditional construction techniques rather than relying on modern cement mortar.
The temple groups are generally divided into Western, Eastern and Southern groups. The Western Group is the largest and includes some of Khajuraho’s most celebrated monuments, such as Kandariya Mahadeva, Lakshmana, Vishvanatha and Devi Jagadambi.
Standing beneath the towering shikhara of Kandariya Mahadeva, I understood what Harry meant. At Khajuraho, the architecture itself seems to rise, move and breathe—and every surface tells another story..
Ten Famous Temples in Khajuraho: Walking with Harry
Harry and I continued walking through the temple groups, stopping at several of the monuments that make Khajuraho so extraordinary. Rather than rushing from one temple to another, he encouraged us to look at the details—the sculptures, the architecture and the different stories each temple seemed to tell.
Here are some of the temples he introduced to us:
Maya and Harry explore the beautiful temples and peaceful pathways of the Khajuraho complex.
1. Kandariya Mahadeva Temple
Harry described Kandariya Mahadeva as the grandest of Khajuraho’s surviving temples. Dedicated to Shiva, its soaring central shikhara rises dramatically above a richly carved exterior, creating the impression of a sacred mountain.
2. Chausath Yogini Temple
The Chausath Yogini Temple is one of the oldest surviving temples at Khajuraho and is associated with the worship of the 64 Yoginis. Unlike the elaborate later temples, its open-air circular arrangement gives it a very different character.
3. Lakshmana Temple
The Lakshmana Temple, dedicated to Vishnu, is one of the best-preserved temples of the Western Group. Harry pointed out its beautifully carved walls, showing deities, celestial figures, animals and scenes from human life.
4. Adinath Temple
Moving to the Jain temples, Harry showed us the Adinath Temple, dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara, Adinath. Its elegant carvings demonstrate how Jain and Hindu artistic traditions existed side by side at Khajuraho.
5. Matangeshwar Temple
The Matangeshwar Temple is dedicated to Shiva and remains an active place of worship. Harry explained that this makes it especially interesting because Khajuraho is not simply an archaeological site—the tradition of worship continues here.
6. Javari Temple
The graceful Javari Temple belongs to the Eastern Group and is dedicated to Vishnu. Its elegant proportions and beautifully carved entrance make it one of the smaller temples worth stopping to appreciate.
7. Devi Jagadambi Temple
At the Devi Jagadambi Temple, Harry drew our attention to the richly decorated walls and graceful female figures. The temple is often associated with the goddess Jagadambi, although its original dedication has been the subject of scholarly discussion.
8. Chitragupta Temple
The Chitragupta Temple is particularly interesting because it is dedicated to Surya, the Sun God. Harry pointed out the magnificent image of Surya and the temple’s finely carved exterior.
9. Parshvanatha Temple
The Parshvanatha Temple is the largest of Khajuraho’s Jain temples. Its exterior is covered with exceptionally detailed sculpture, including religious figures as well as scenes of everyday life.
10. Chaturbhuj Temple
Our final stop was the Chaturbhuj Temple, named for its four-armed image of Vishnu. Unlike most of the Western Group temples, it is located in the Southern Group and is particularly known for its impressive surviving Vishnu image.
By the time Harry finished explaining the temples, I realised that Khajuraho could never be understood by simply ticking monuments off a sightseeing list. Each temple had its own personality, its own architecture and its own story.
And having Harry beside us made the difference. He wasn’t simply telling us what we were looking at—he was teaching us how to look at Khajuraho.
Sitting Under a Tree: Harry’s Meditation on Khajuraho
Maya pauses for meditation inside a Khajuraho temple, experiencing the peaceful spiritual atmosphere.
Later, we sat beneath a tree near the cafeteria inside the temple complex. A cool breeze touched my face, and after hours of walking among the temples, the quietness felt almost like meditation.
Harry went to get us something to drink. He returned with a cup of tea and a coffee for me, sat beside us and began talking about what we had seen.
His voice became quieter and more thoughtful.
“So much attraction of sex is for a momentary Samadhi,” he said. “You will be free from sex the day you begin to experience Samadhi without sex.”
I looked at Harry. There was something very peaceful about the way he said it.
He explained that the famous erotic sculptures are only a small part of Khajuraho. Travel books and photographs often make the temples appear like an ancient destination devoted to erotic art, but when you actually walk through the complex, you discover something completely different.
The temples are filled with gods, musicians, dancers, warriors, ordinary people, animals and scenes from everyday life. And after seeing the sculptures in their architectural and spiritual setting, the erotic images no longer seemed shocking to me. They seemed to be part of a much larger story about human life, desire, duty and spiritual aspiration.
Maya connects her yoga journey with the graceful human forms carved into the walls of a Khajuraho temple.
Harry connected this with the traditional Hindu ideas of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha—duty, prosperity, desire and liberation.
“Perhaps,” he said, “the lesson is not that desire should never exist. Perhaps the journey is to understand it, experience life, and eventually move beyond attachment.”
I sat quietly with my coffee, looking back towards the temples.
For the first time that morning, I stopped thinking about the famous sculptures.
I was thinking about what Harry had said.
And somehow, sitting there beneath the tree, with the breeze moving gently through the leaves, his words seemed truer than truth itself.
After listening to Harry’s meditative explanation of Khajuraho, Maya rests peacefully beneath the tree.
While listening to Harry’s narration, I don’t know when I fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, I found Harry sitting nearby, smiling at me.
“Shall I tell you the story again, Maya?” he asked with a gentle smile.
I smiled back at him.
“No, Harry. I think I have understood it differently now. You have changed the way I see Khajuraho. I came here expecting to see famous erotic sculptures, but you made me feel the deeper aura of Tantra—the connection between the human, the spiritual and the divine.”
I looked once more towards the temples.
The stones had not changed.
But my perspective had.
Khajuraho was no longer just a place of beautiful temples and famous sculptures. It had become a journey into human nature, spirituality, desire and the search for something beyond ourselves.
And perhaps that was the greatest lesson my Khajuraho tour guide Harry had given me.
Sometimes, you don’t need another temple, another photograph or another explanation.
You simply need to sit quietly, listen—and allow a place to change the way you see it.
Maya’s Journey Home
The journey home on the Vande Bharat Express gave Maya time to smile, reflect and relive the unforgettable stories of Khajuraho.
When I returned to Delhi, my friends kept asking me about my trip to the Chandela temples of Khajuraho.
I simply smiled and said, “My Khajuraho tour guide made it unforgettable.”
I shared my photographs in our WhatsApp groups and on Instagram, but photographs could never capture what I had experienced there.
I had gone to Khajuraho expecting to see beautiful temples and famous sculptures. I came back carrying stories, silence, spirituality and a completely different way of looking at those ancient stones.
Harry had not simply shown me Khajuraho; he had changed the way I saw it.
And whenever I look back at those photographs, I remember that peaceful morning, the temples glowing in the sunlight, the cool breeze beneath the tree—and Harry’s voice telling me that there was much more to Khajuraho than what the eyes could see.
That was my Khajuraho journey. And I will never forget it.
— Maya
Our journey did not end in Khajuraho. From the magnificent Chandela temples, we continued towards Varanasi, the city of ghats, where another chapter of India’s spiritual heritage was waiting for us.
FAQ
Q1. How can I visit the Khajuraho Chandela Temples from Delhi? The easiest way to travel from Delhi to Khajuraho is by Vande Bharat Express. Train 22470 departs New Delhi at around 6:00 AM and reaches Khajuraho at around 2:20 PM. The return Vande Bharat 22469 leaves Khajuraho at around 2:50 PM and reaches Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station at around 11:10 PM. Timings and availability should be checked before travelling.
Q2. How many days do I need for a Khajuraho tour? One full day is enough to explore the main Chandela temples, especially the Western Group. Staying overnight, however, gives you more time to discover the temples at a relaxed pace and understand their fascinating history and architecture with a local Khajuraho tour guide.
Khajuraho Tour Guide: Stories Shared with Travelers from Around the World
Then place both images underneath, with the Canadian and American reviews as separate short testimonials.
Harry explains the stories and architecture of Khajuraho temples to Canadian travelers.
“Our Khajuraho tour with Harry was fascinating from beginning to end. He explained the Chandela temples, their architecture and the stories behind the sculptures in such an engaging way. We especially appreciated how he helped us look beyond the famous erotic carvings and understand the temples as a remarkable expression of Indian art and spirituality. Harry was knowledgeable, friendly and made our visit to Khajuraho truly memorable.”
Harry shares the stories of the Chandela temples with American travelers during their Khajuraho tour.
“Our Khajuraho tour with Harry was an unforgettable part of our India journey. He brought the ancient temples to life with fascinating stories about the Chandela dynasty, architecture and the meaning behind the sculptures. Harry encouraged us to look beyond the famous erotic carvings and appreciate the temples as extraordinary works of art and spirituality. His knowledge and storytelling made our visit much more meaningful.”
