The Jain Temples of Khajuraho

The temples of Khajuraho in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh are among the most celebrated monuments of India, renowned worldwide for their sculptural richness and their soaring shikharas. Less widely known is that alongside the famous Hindu temples of the western and other groups stands an eastern group of Jain temples, built under the same Chandela dynasty between roughly the tenth and twelfth centuries, and ranking among the finest achievements of medieval Jain architecture in central India.

The Jain temples of Khajuraho testify to the religious pluralism of the Chandela age, when Hindu and Jain communities alike enjoyed royal patronage and built temples of comparable grandeur, side by side, in the same distinctive Nagara style. The Jain temples share with their Hindu neighbours the same lofty spires, the same richly carved exteriors, and the same superb craftsmanship, demonstrating that the sculptors and architects worked across the traditions and that Jainism was a flourishing and honoured presence in the Chandela capital.

The greatest of the Jain temples is the Parshvanatha temple, dedicated to the twenty-third Tirthankara, which is among the largest and most beautiful of the entire Khajuraho group. Its exterior is covered with exquisitely carved figures, including celestial women engaged in the activities of daily life, rendered with a grace and naturalism that rank among the masterpieces of Indian sculpture. Within, the temple enshrines an image of the Tirthankara, and the whole structure exemplifies the harmony of soaring architecture and intricate ornament that makes Khajuraho unique.

Alongside the Parshvanatha temple stand other Jain shrines, including the Adinatha temple with its finely carved spire, and the group is maintained as a living centre of Jain worship, with a modern temple also serving the resident community. The eastern group thus combines ancient monuments of the highest artistic importance with active devotional life, and it forms an essential part of any visit to Khajuraho.

The Jain temples of Khajuraho are quieter and less crowded than the famous western group, and this tranquillity allows the visitor to appreciate their beauty at leisure, to study the superb carving of the Parshvanatha temple, and to reflect on the flourishing of Jainism in the medieval heartland of India. The temples demonstrate that the artistic genius that produced the celebrated sculptures of Khajuraho was equally devoted to the service of the Jain faith.

The whole Khajuraho complex is a World Heritage Site, recognised for its outstanding artistic and architectural value, and the Jain temples are an integral part of that recognition, contributing to the site's significance as a supreme expression of the temple-building of medieval India. Their presence attests to the depth and richness of the Jain tradition in the Chandela realm.

Khajuraho is well connected by air, rail and road, with its own airport and increasing rail links, making it one of the most accessible of India's great temple sites. The Jain temples of the eastern group can be visited as part of a tour of the whole complex, and dharamshalas serve the pilgrims who come to worship at the living Jain shrines.

The cooler months from October to March are the most comfortable for a visit, and the annual dance festival brings additional visitors to the site. For the Jain pilgrim and the lover of art alike, the eastern group of Khajuraho offers a profound encounter with the tradition's medieval flowering, where the Parshvanatha temple and its companions rise in soaring, richly carved splendour among the most famous temples in the world.