The name Khajuraho has been derived from the Sanskrit word khajur which means date palm. Khajuraho was established when some Bargujar Rajputs moved from central India to East India and ruled over the north-eastern region of Dhundhar in Rajasthan. The Bargujar Rajputs later called themselves Chandelas or Bundelas over the ruling class have in the gotra as Kashyap. The city of Khajuraho is considere
d to be the cultural capital of the Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty which ruled the north-eastern part of the country between the 10th and 12th centuries. The temples in Khajuraho were built over a span of over 200 years between 950 and 1150. When the Chandela capital was moved to Mahoba the city of Khajuraho flourished and grew. The temples in Khajuraho are made of sandstone since the builders of those times did not use mortar. This form of construction is extremely precise and the columns as well as the architraves of the Khajuraho temples were built with megaliths which often way more than 20 tons. The sculptures in the Khajuraho Temple are the most widely studied sculptures because of their realistic appearance. The Khajuraho temples are divided into three geographical divisions: Eastern, Western and Southern. The Western Khajuraho temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva and are extremely popular with tourists. The Western Khajuraho temples are Matangeshwara Temple, Kandariya Mahadeo Temple, Lakshmana Temple, Chitrsgupta Temple, Chaunsath Yogini and Vishwanatha Temple. The Eastern group of temples was first established in 1860 and the sculptures portray the general public following the religions of Hinduism and Jainism. The temples in the Eastern group include the Parsvanatha Temple, Ghantai Temple and the Adinatha Temple.
