View allAll Photos Tagged Insignificant
“You are not welcomed here Argemedes.”
“Do you two insignificant children honestly believe you can stop me?”
“We will defend our home to the end reinforcements are coming behind us.”
“I am just passing through, I do not want any trouble. Leave me be.”
“Then we will escort you, your reputation of honesty is the only thing that is sheathing out swords.”
Early morning on Christmas Day--which, in this part of the country is celebrated by a not-insignificant minority--there was a novitiation ceremony on the foggy streets for a young novice monk. These are often quite elaborate, with a big party after the religious portion for the hundreds of guests. The actual procession celebrates the soon-to-be student monk with pomp suited to royalty. Becoming a novice monk is an extremely common thing, expected of all Theravada Buddhist boys (although I'm sure it's possible to opt out), and for most boys it is temporary, lasting from one week to a few months. Rarely do they choose to remain monks for life, let alone for a year or more. Thus it never ceases to amaze me how much trouble & cost the families go through to honor these boys.
Seen from the slope of one of the surrounding hills the core area of the MeerKAR array looks insignificant.
Amid the vastness of space, we are not insignificant. We are miracles.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
39 Seconds -
Beside a steady stream that trickles through the forest, I noticed a damsel with waist so thin it could fit in the skinniest jeans. Somehow on the aviation scale, the short wings managed equilibrium with the so much longer flute. He attempted to blend in, but his slenderness made him stand out among the congregation of broad leaves. While the sunbeams in the grounding gleamed with rouge the color of fire, I gazed at my companion in aloneness. He does not know me and I do not know him, but we watched each other’s lives briefly.
Finally I killed the silence and spoke. “If you remove your airborne wings for just a while, you would understand how hard it is to live about here on land with legs.”
The introvert looked at me and though his China-blue doll eyes were heavily lidded, they send forth a cajoling tone.
I continued, assessing, unsure. “Three secrets lived inside me. Too black and somber; I won’t give a name but they make me who I am. Secrets that couldn’t be shared with anyone, not even mockingbirds on the trees. I mustn’t, I can’t. If I spill my beans, would you embrace them close and promise not to carelessly disperse in the neighborhood like seeds of the Cattail in the wind?”
Not all insignificant questions get replies I suppose. These days, listening ears are so difficult to find and very rare indeed. I thought the twitching wings reflected the green light that says, “Go ahead let’s hear one that causes the most pain.”
A pause of thought… finally I decide to give my earnest trust and bare my innermost. A murmur of words in soft whispers… he questioned not the cloak-and-dagger that slipped out of my lips.
Thirty-nine seconds is all it takes to know the joy of taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh of relief. The physical scars that laughed furiously and the mental wounds bottled inside, they all dissolved into ghosts when I leaked in entirety to a fly whose life is short. He acknowledged what he had heard by winging his arms and acceleration carried him up to the sky. My confidant disappeared, taking my ball and chain to his grave. I walked on and smiled with a light heart because the weighing burden is there no more.
I have never seen the River Sligachan in such a swollen state as on this particular occasion.
Fabulous to watch but quite intimidating to be stood so close ... makes you appreciate how insignificant you actually are compared with nature.
We, People of Bangladesh need very small excuses to be either happy or tensed. The ironic result is, we can hardly distinguish between critical excuses and insignificant excuses.
I don't know what was her excuse to become tensed, but she was tensed in any case.
The whole model is named after this small and mostly insignificant part of the house. But still, many design and technical decision had to revolve around the inclusion of a cellar.
The insignificant landscape, showing the reflections of the street lights in calm waters, against the vast night sky showing the trails of the stars as we orbit in our own bubbles we call life. 14/02/2013
Please favourite if you like this. (hit F)
The Feathers at Frenchman Coulee near Vantage, Washington. One of the most popular rock climbing areas in the state.
I sat near here for a couple of hours. The stars were amazing. They make me feel so small, and insignificant -- but not in a bad way.
I used my headlamp to brighten some areas of the rock in this shot.
...well I just love this location, especially as one can include a train and make it look so insignificant.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Khajuraho"
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location Madhya Pradesh, India Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates 24°51′08″N 79°55′20″E
Criteria Cultural: (i), (iii) Edit this on Wikidata[1]
Reference 240
Inscription 1986 (10th Session)
Khajuraho Group of Monuments is located in India
Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Location of Khajuraho Group of Monuments
[edit on Wikidata]
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, India, about 175 kilometres (109 mi) southeast of Jhansi. They are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.[2][3] The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.[4]
Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty.[5] Historical records note that the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by the 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers Of these, only about 25 temples have survived, spread over 6 square kilometers.[3] Of the various surviving temples, the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.[6]
The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions, Hinduism and Jainism, suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains in the region.[7]
Contents
1 Location
2 History
3 Description
3.1 Architecture of the temples
4 Construction
5 Chronology
6 Arts and sculpture
7 Tourism and cultural events
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
Location
The Khajuraho monuments are located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in Chhatarpur district, about 620 kilometres (385 mi) southeast of New Delhi. The temples are near a small town also known as Khajuraho,[8] with a population of about 20,000 people (2001 Census).
Khajuraho is served by Civil Aerodrome Khajuraho (IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Mumbai.[9] The site is also linked by the Indian Railways service, with the railway station located approximately six kilometres from the entrance to the monuments .
The monuments are about 10 kilometres off the east-west National Highway 75, and about 50 kilometres from the city of Chhatarpur, which is connected to the state capital Bhopal by the SW-NE running National Highway 86.
The 10th century Bhand Deva Temple in Rajasthan was built in the style of the Khajuraho monuments and is often referred to as 'Little Khajuraho'.
History
The Khajuraho group of monuments was built during the rule of the Chandela dynasty. The building activity started almost immediately after the rise of their power, throughout their kingdom to be later known as Bundelkhand.[10] Most temples were built during the reigns of the Hindu kings Yashovarman and Dhanga. Yashovarman's legacy is best exhibited by The Lakshmana Temple. Vishvanatha temple best highlights King Dhanga's reign.[11]:22 The largest and currently most famous surviving temple is Kandariya Mahadeva built in the reign of King Vidyadhara.[12] The temple inscriptions suggest many of the currently surviving temples were complete between 970 and 1030 CE, with further temples completed during the following decades.[7]
The Khajuraho temples were built about 35 miles from the medieval city of Mahoba,[13] the capital of the Chandela dynasty, in the Kalinjar region. In ancient and medieval literature, their kingdom has been referred to as Jijhoti, Jejahoti, Chih-chi-to and Jejakabhukti.[14]
Khajuraho was mentioned by Abu Rihan-al-Biruni, the Persian historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in his raid of Kalinjar in 1022 CE; he mentions Khajuraho as the capital of Jajahuti.[15] The raid was unsuccessful, and a peace accord was reached when the Hindu king agreed to pay a ransom to Mahmud of Ghazni to end the attack and leave.[14]
Khajuraho temples were in active use through the end of 12th century. This changed in the 13th century; after the army of Delhi Sultanate, under the command of the Muslim Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, attacked and seized the Chandela kingdom. About a century later, Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller in his memoirs about his stay in India from 1335 to 1342 CE, mentioned visiting Khajuraho temples, calling them "Kajarra"[16][17] as follows:
Until the 12th century, Khajuraho was under Hindu kings and featured 85 temples. Central India was seized by Delhi Sultanate in 13th century. Under Muslim rule, some temples were destroyed and the rest left in neglect. Ruins of some old temples (Ghantai temple above) are still visible.
...near (Khajuraho) temples, which contain idols that have been mutilated by the Moslems, live a number of yogis whose matted locks have grown as long as their bodies. And on account of extreme asceticism they are all yellow in colour. Many Moslems attend these men in order to take lessons (yoga) from them.
— Ibn Battuta, about 1335 CE, Riḥlat Ibn Baṭūṭah, Translated by Arthur Cotterell[18]
Central Indian region, where Khajuraho temples are, remained in the control of many different Muslim dynasties from 13th century through the 18th century. In this period, some temples were desecrated, followed by a long period when they were left in neglect.[7][10] In 1495 CE, for example, Sikandar Lodi’s campaign of temple destruction included Khajuraho.[19] The remoteness and isolation of Khajuraho protected the Hindu and Jain temples from continued destruction by Muslims.[20][21] Over the centuries, vegetation and forests overgrew, took over the temples.
In the 1830s, local Hindus guided a British surveyor, T.S. Burt, to the temples and they were thus rediscovered by the global audience.[22] Alexander Cunningham later reported, few years after the rediscovery, that the temples were secretly in use by yogis and thousands of Hindus would arrive for pilgrimage during Shivaratri celebrated annually in February or March based on a lunar calendar. In 1852, Maisey prepared earliest drawings of the Khajuraho temples.[23]
Nomenclature
The name Khajuraho, or Kharjuravāhaka, is derived from ancient Sanskrit (kharjura, खर्जूर means date palm,[24] and vāhaka, वाहक means "one who carries" or bearer[25]). Local legends state that the temples had two golden date-palm trees as their gate (missing when they were rediscovered). Desai states that Kharjuravāhaka also means scorpion bearer, which is another symbolic name for deity Shiva (who wears snakes and scorpion garlands in his fierce form).[26]
Cunningham’s nomenclature and systematic documentation work in 1850s and 1860s have been widely adopted and continue to be in use.[23] He grouped the temples into the Western group around Lakshmana, Eastern group around Javeri, and Southern group around Duladeva.[27]
Khajuraho is one of the four holy sites linked to deity Shiva (the other three are Kedarnath, Kashi and Gaya). Its origin and design is a subject of scholarly studies. Shobita Punja[28] has proposed that the temple’s origin reflect the Hindu mythology in which Khajuraho is the place where Shiva got married; with Raghuvamsha verse 5.53, Matangeshvara honoring ‘’Matanga’’, or god of love.
Description
Sections and orientation of Khajuraho temples.
The temple site is within Vindhya mountain range in central India. An ancient local legend held that Hindu deity Shiva and other gods enjoyed visiting the dramatic hill formation in Kalinjar area.[27] The center of this region is Khajuraho, set midst local hills and rivers. The temple complex reflects the ancient Hindu tradition of building temples where gods love to play.[27][29]
The temples are clustered near water, another typical feature of Hindu temples. The current water bodies include Sib Sagar, Khajur Sagar (also called Ninora Tal) and Khudar Nadi (river).[30] The local legends state that the temple complex had 64 water bodies, of which 56 have been physically identified by archeologists so far.[27][31]
All temples, except[27] one (Chaturbhuja) face sunrise - another symbolic feature that is predominant in Hindu temples. The relative layout of temples integrate masculine and feminine deities and symbols highlight the interdependence.[28] The art work symbolically highlight the four goals of life considered necessary and proper in Hinduism - dharma, kama, artha and moksha.
Of the surviving temples, 6 are dedicated to Shiva and his consorts, 8 to Vishnu and his affinities, 1 to Ganesha, 1 to Sun god, 3 to Jain Tirthankars.[27] For some ruins, there is insufficient evidence to assign the temple to specific deities with confidence.
An overall examination of site suggests that the Hindu symbolic mandala design principle of square and circles is present each temple plan and design.[32] Further, the territory is laid out in three triangles that converge to form a pentagon. Scholars suggest that this reflects the Hindu symbolism for three realms or trilokinatha, and five cosmic substances or panchbhuteshvara.[27] The temple site highlights Shiva, the one who destroys and recycles life, thereby controlling the cosmic dance of time, evolution and dissolution.[28]
The temples have a rich display of intricately carved statues. While they are famous for their erotic sculpture, sexual themes cover less than 10% of the temple sculpture.[33] Further, most erotic scene panels are neither prominent nor emphasized at the expense of the rest, rather they are in proportional balance with the non-sexual images.[34] The viewer has to look closely to find them, or be directed by a guide.[35] The arts cover numerous aspects of human life and values considered important in Hindu pantheon. Further, the images are arranged in a configuration to express central ideas of Hinduism. All three ideas from Āgamas are richly expressed in Khajuraho temples - Avyakta, Vyaktavyakta and Vyakta.[36]
The Beejamandal temple is under excavation. It has been identified with the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahpati Kokalla inscription.[37]
Of all temples, the Matangeshvara temple remains an active site of worship.[28] It is another square grid temple, with a large 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) high and 1.1 metres (3.6 ft) diameter lingam, placed on a 7.6 metres (25 ft) diameter platform.[27]
The most visited temple, Kandariya Mahadev, has an area of about 6,500 square feet and a shikhara (spire) that rises 116 feet.[10][27]
Jain temples
Main article: Jain temples of Khajuraho
The Jain temples are located on east-southeast region of Khajuraho monuments.[38] Chausath jogini temple features 64 jogini, while Ghantai temple features bells sculptured on its pillars.
Architecture of the temples
The layout plan of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple. It uses the 64 pada grid design. Smaller Khajuraho temples use the 9, 16, 36 or 49 grid mandala plan.[39]
Khajuraho temples, like almost all Hindu temple designs, follow a grid geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala.[40] This design plan has three important components - Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the dwelling structure.[41]
The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, concentrically layered, self-repeating structure around the core of the temple called garbhagriya, where the abstract principle Purusha and the primary deity of the temple dwell. The shikhara, or spire, of the temple rises above the garbhagriya. This symmetry and structure in design is derived from central beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles.[42]
The circle of mandala circumscribe the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and as a symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while circle is considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon, water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other.[29] The square is divided into perfect 64 sub-squares called padas.[40]
Most Khajuraho temples deploy the 8x8 (64) padas grid Manduka Vastupurushamandala, with pitha mandala the square grid incorporated in the design of the spires.[39] The primary deity or lingas are located in the grid’s Brahma padas.
Khajuraho temples use the 8x8 (64) Vastupurusamandala Manduka grid layout plan (left) found in Hindu temples. Above the temple’s brahma padas is a Shikhara (Vimana or Spire) that rises symmetrically above the central core, typically in a circles and turning-squares concentric layering design (right) that flows from one to the other as it rises towards the sky.[29][43]
The architecture is symbolic and reflects the central Hindu beliefs through its form, structure and arrangement of its parts.[44] The mandapas as well as the arts are arranged in the Khajuraho temples in a symmetric repeating patterns, even though each image or sculpture is distinctive in its own way. The relative placement of the images are not random but together they express ideas, just like connected words form sentences and paragraphs to compose ideas.[45] This fractal pattern that is common in Hindu temples.[46] Various statues and panels have inscriptions. Many of the inscriptions on the temple walls are poems with double meanings, something that the complex structure of Sanskrit allows in creative compositions.[26]
All Khajuraho temples, except one, face sunrise, and the entrance for the devotee is this east side.
An illustration of Khajuraho temple Spires (Shikhara, Vimana) built using concentric circle and rotating-squares principle. Four spires (left) are shown above, while the inside view of one Shikara ceiling (right) shows the symmetric layout.
Above the vastu-purusha-mandala of each temple is a superstructure with a dome called Shikhara (or Vimana, Spire).[41] Variations in spire design come from variation in degrees turned for the squares. The temple Shikhara, in some literature, is linked to mount Kailash or Meru, the mythical abode of the gods.[29]
In each temple, the central space typically is surrounded by an ambulatory for the pilgrim to walk around and ritually circumambulate the Purusa and the main deity.[29] The pillars, walls and ceilings around the space, as well as outside have highly ornate carvings or images of the four just and necessary pursuits of life - kama, artha, dharma and moksa. This clockwise walk around is called pradakshina.[41]
Larger Khajuraho temples also have pillared halls called mandapa. One near the entrance, on the east side, serves as the waiting room for pilgrims and devotees. The mandapas are also arranged by principles of symmetry, grids and mathematical precision. This use of same underlying architectural principle is common in Hindu temples found all over India.[47] Each Khajuraho temple is distinctly carved yet also repeating the central common principles in almost all Hindu temples, one which Susan Lewandowski refers to as "an organism of repeating cells".[48]
Construction
The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed from view.[49] The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons.[50] Some repair work in the 19th Century was done with brick and mortar; however these have aged faster than original materials and darkened with time, thereby seeming out of place.
The Khajuraho and Kalinjar region is home to superior quality of sandstone, which can be precision carved. The surviving sculpture reflect fine details such as strands of hair, manicured nails and intricate jewelry.
While recording the television show Lost Worlds (History Channel) at Khajuraho, Alex Evans recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved.[51] Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone.[52] They concluded that these temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.
Chronology
The Khajuraho group of temples belong to Vaishnavism school of Hinduism, Saivism school of Hinduism and Jainism - nearly a third each. Archaeological studies suggest all three types of temples were under construction at about the same time in late 10th century, and in use simultaneously. Will Durant states that this aspect of Khajuraho temples illustrates the tolerance and respect for different religious viewpoints in the Hindu and Jain traditions.[53] In each group of Khajuraho temples, there were major temples surrounded by smaller temples - a grid style that is observed to varying degrees in Hindu temples in Angkor Wat, Parambaran and South India.
The largest surviving Saiva temple is Khandarya Mahadeva, while the largest surviving Vaishnava group includes Chaturbhuja and Ramachandra.
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple plan is 109 ft in length by 60 ft, and rises 116 ft above ground and 88 ft above its own floor. The central padas are surrounded by three rows of sculptured figures, with over 870 statues, most being half life size (2.5 to 3 feet). The spire is a self repeating fractal structure.
Temples, religious affiliations and consecration years
Sequence Modern Temple name Religion Deity Completed by
(CE)[27][54] Image
1 Chausath Yogini Hinduism Devi, 64 Yoginis 885 Khajuraho,Chausath-Yogini-Tempel2.jpg
2 Brahma Hinduism Vishnu 925
3 Lalgun Mahadev Hinduism Shiva 900 India-5696 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
4 Matangeshwar Hinduism Shiva 1000 India-5772 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
5 Varaha Hinduism Vishnu 950 India-5595 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
6 Lakshmana Hinduism Vaikuntha Vishnu 939 India-5679 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
7 Parshvanatha Jainism Parshvanatha 954 Le temple de Parshvanath (Khajuraho) (8638423582).jpg
8 Vishvanatha Hinduism Shiva 999 India-5749 - Visvanatha Temple - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
9 Devi Jagadambi Hinduism Devi, Parvati 1023 Khajuraho Devi Jagadambi Temple 2010.jpg
10 Chitragupta Hinduism Sun, Chitragupta 1023 India-5707 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
11 Kandariya Mahadeva (Largest temple) Hinduism Shiva 1029 Temple at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India.jpg
12 Vamana Hinduism Vamana 1062 Khajuraho Vaman Temple 2010.jpg
13 Adinath Jain Temple Jainism Adinatha 1027 Adinath Jain Temple Khajuraho 12.jpg
14 Javeri Hinduism Vishnu 1090 Javari Temple, Khajuraho.jpg
15 Chaturbhuja Hinduism Vishnu 1110 Khajuraho Chaturbhuja Temple.jpg
16 Duladeo (Duladeva) Hinduism Shiva 1125 Khajuraho Dulhadeo 2010.jpg
17 Ghantai Jainism Adinatha 960 A ruin, pillars at Khajuraho, India.jpg
18 Vishnu-Garuda Hinduism Vishnu 1000
19 Ganesha Hinduism Shiva 1000
20 Hanuman Hinduism Hanuman 922[55] Hanuman Inscription at Khajuraho.jpg
21 Mahishasuramardini Hinduism Mahishasuramardini 995 Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 10.JPG
22 Shantinatha temple Jainism Shantinatha 1027 Jain group of temples - Khajuraho 09.jpg
Arts and sculpture
Khajuraho temples are famous for their erotic arts. These constitute about 10% of total art displayed at the monuments.
Erotic sculptures
The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of art work, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices.[56] Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples.[6][57] James McConnachie, in his history of the Kamasutra, describes the sexual-themed Khajuraho sculptures as "the apogee of erotic art":
"Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles....Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked maithunas, or lovemaking couples."
Over 90% of the art work at the temple is about daily life and symbolic values in ancient Indian culture.
The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva Temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these iconographic carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities;[58] however the kama arts represent diverse sexual expressions of different human beings.[59] The vast majority of arts depict various aspects the everyday life, mythical stories as well as symbolic display of various secular and spiritual values important in Hindu tradition.[3][6] For example, depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians making music, potters, farmers, and other folks in their daily life during the medieval era.[60] These scenes are in the outer padas as is typical in Hindu temples.
There is iconographic symbolism embedded in the arts displayed in Khajuraho temples.[6] Core Hindu values are expressed in multitude of ways. Even the Kama scenes, when seen in combination of sculptures that precede and follow, depict the spiritual themes such as moksha. In the words of Stella Kramrisch,
This state which is “like a man and woman in close embrace” is a symbol of moksa, final release or reunion of two principles, the essence (Purusha) and the nature (Prakriti).
— Stella Kramrisch, 1976[29]
The Khajuraho temples represent one expression of many forms of arts that flourished in Rajput kingdoms of India from 8th through 10th century CE. For example, contemporary with Khajuraho were the publications of poems and drama such as Prabodhacandrodaya, Karpuramanjari, Viddhasalabhanjika and Kavyamimansa.[61] Some of the themes expressed in these literary works are carved as sculpture in Khajuraho temples.[26][62] Some sculptures at the Khajuraho monuments dedicated to Vishnu include the Vyalas, which are hybrid imaginary animals with lions body, and are found in other Indian temples.[63] Some of these hybrid mythical art work include Vrik Vyala (hybrid of wolf and lion) and Gaja Vyala (hybrid of elephant and lion). These Vyalas may represent syncretic, creative combination of powers innate in the two.[64]
Tourism and cultural events
Temples layout map – Khajuraho Group of Monuments.
The temples in Khajuraho are broadly divided into three parts : the Eastern group, the Southern Group and the Western group of temples of which the Western group alone has the facility of an Audio guided tour wherein the tourists are guided through the seven eight temples. There is also an audio guided tour developed by the Archaeological Survey of India which includes a narration of the temple history and architecture.[65]
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held every year in February.[66] It features various classical Indian dances set against the backdrop of the Chitragupta or Vishwanath Temples.
The Khajuraho temple complex offers a light and sound show every evening. The first show is in English language and the second one in Hindi. It is held in the open lawns in the temple complex, and has received mixed reviews.
The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development has set up kiosks at the Khajuraho railway station, with tourist officers to provide information for Khajuraho visitors.
See also
List of megalithic sites
Jain temples of Khajuraho
Ajanta Caves
Badami Chalukya architecture
Western Chalukya architecture
Hindu temple
Madan Kamdev
Hemvati
Kama Sutra
Kamashastra
References
"World Heritage Day: Five must-visit sites in India".
Khajuraho Group of Monuments UNESCO World Heritage Site
Philip Wilkinson (2008), India: People, Place, Culture and History, ISBN 978-1405329040, pp 352-353
Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam, ed. India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 179.
Devangana Desai (2005), Khajuraho, Oxford University Press, Sixth Print, ISBN 978-0-19-565643-5
James Fergusson, Norther or Indo-Aryan Style - Khajuraho History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, Updated by James Burgess and R. Phene Spiers (1910), Volume II, John Murray, London
"Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
Khajuraho airport AAI, Govt of India
G.S. Ghurye, Rajput Architecture, ISBN 978-8171544462, Reprint Year: 2005, pp 19-24
Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. ISBN 9789380607344.
Devangana Desai 2005, p. 10.
also called Erakana
Mitra (1977), The early rulers of Khajuraho, ISBN 978-8120819979
J. Banerjea (1960), Khajuraho, Journal of the Asiatic Society, Vol. 2-3, pp 43-47
phonetically translated from Arabic sometimes as "Kajwara"
Director General of Archaeology in India (1959), Archaeological Survey of India, Ancient India, Issues 15-19, pp 45-46 (Archived: University of Michigan)
Arthur Cotterell (2011), Asia: A Concise History, Wiley, ISBN 978-0470825044, pp 184-185
Michael D. Willis, An Introduction to the Historical Geography of Gopakṣetra, Daśārṇa, and Jejākadeśa, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 51, No. 2 (1988), pp. 271-278; See also K.R. Qanungo (1965), Sher Shah and his times, Orient Longmans, OCLC 175212, pp 423-427
Trudy King et al., Asia and Oceania: International Dictionary of Historic Places, ISBN 978-1884964046, Routledge, pp 468-470
Alain Daniélou (2011), A Brief History of India, ISBN 978-1594770296, pp 221-227
Louise Nicholson (2007), India, National Geographic Society, ISBN 978-1426201448, see Chapter on Khajuraho
Krishna Deva (1990), Temples of Khajuraho, 2 Volumes, Archaelogical Survey of India, New Delhi
kharjUra Sanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
vAhaka Sanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
Devangana Desai (1996), Chapter 7 - Puns and Enigmatic Language in Sculpture in The Religious Imagery of Khajuraho, Project for Indian Cultural Studies, Columbia University Archives
Rana Singh (2007), Landscape of sacred territory of Khajuraho, in City Society and Planning (Editors: Thakur, Pomeroy, et al), Volume 2, ISBN 978-8180694585, Chapter 18
Shobita Punja (1992), Divine Ecstasy - The Story of Khajuraho, Viking, New Delhi, ISBN 978-0670840274
Stella Kramrisch, The Hindu Temple, Vol 1, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-0222-3
Ibn Battuta in his 1335 CE memoirs on Delhi Sultanate mentioned the temples to be near a mile long lake, modern water bodies are much smaller and separate lagoons; Director General of Archaeology in India (1959), Archaeological Survey of India, Ancient India, Issues 15-19, pp 45-46 (Archived: University of Michigan)
The number 64 is considered sacred in Hindu temple design and very common design basis; it is symbolic as it is both a square of 8 and a cube of 4.
Brahma temple is 19 feet square; Kandariya Mahadev has a four fused square grid; Matangeshvara temple is a 64 grid square; etc. See G.S. Ghurye, Rajput Architecture, ISBN 978-8171544462, Reprint Year: 2005, pp 19-25; and V.A. Smith (1879), "Observations on some Chandel Antiquities", Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. 48, Part 1, pp 291-297
D Desai (1996), The religious imagery of Khajuraho, Project for Indian Cultural Studies, ISBN 978-8190018418
Desai states that Khajuraho and Orissa Hindu temples are distinctive in giving erotic kama images the same weight as others and by assigning important architectural position; in contrast, surviving sculpture from temples of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Mysore show that there kama and sexual images were assigned to insignificant parts of the temple; Meister suggests that this aspect of eroticism in temple design and equal weight reflects evolution of design ideas among Hindu artisans, with temples built in later medieval centuries placing equal weight and balance to kama; see Meister, Michael (1979). "Juncture and Conjunction: Punning and Temple Architecture". Artibus Asiae. 41 (2–3): 226–234. JSTOR 3249517. doi:10.2307/3249517.
Edmund Leach, The Harvey Lecture Series. The Gatekeepers of Heaven: Anthropological Aspects of Grandiose Architecture, Journal of Anthropological Research, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Autumn, 1983), pp 243-264
Bettina Bäumer, A review, Artibus Asiae, Vol. 59, No. 1/2 (1999), pp. 138-140
Cunningham, Alexander (1880). Report of Tours in Bundelkhand and Malwa in 1874-75 and 1876-77. 8 Hastings Street, Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing. p. 22. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
James Fergusson, Jaina Architecture - Khajuraho History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, Updated by James Burgess and R. Phene Spiers (1910), Volume II, John Murray, London
Meister, Michael W. (April–June 1979). "Maṇḍala and Practice in Nāgara Architecture in North India". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 99 (2): 204–219. JSTOR 602657. doi:10.2307/602657.
Meister, Michael (1983). "Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples". Artibus Asiae. 44 (4): 266–296. JSTOR 3249613. doi:10.2307/3249613.
Susan Lewandowski, The Hindu Temple in South India, in Buildings and Society: Essays on the Social Development of the Built Environment, Anthony D. King (Editor), ISBN 978-0710202345, Routledge, pp 68-69
Stella Kramrisch (1976), The Hindu Temple Volume 1, ISBN 81-208-0223-3
Meister, Michael W. (March 2006). "Mountain Temples and Temple-Mountains: Masrur". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 65 (1): 26–49. JSTOR 25068237. doi:10.2307/25068237.
Meister, Michael W. (Autumn 1986). "On the Development of a Morphology for a Symbolic Architecture: India". RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (12): 33–50. JSTOR 20166752.
Devangana Desai, Khajuraho, Oxford University Press Paperback (Sixth impression 2005) ISBN 978-0-19-565643-5
Rian et al (2007), Fractal geometry as the synthesis of Hindu cosmology in Kandariya Mahadev Temple, Khajuraho, Building and Environment, Vol 42, Issue 12, pp 4093-4107, doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2007.01.028
Trivedi, K. (1989). Hindu temples: models of a fractal universe. The Visual Computer, 5(4), 243-258
Susan Lewandowski, The Hindu Temple in South India, in Buildings and Society: Essays on the Social Development of the Built Environment, Anthony D. King (Editor), ISBN 978-0710202345, Routledge, Chapter 4
V.A. Smith, "Observations on some Chandel Antiquities", Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 48, pp 290-291
"Lost Worlds of the Kama Sutra" History channel
"Lost Worlds of the Kama Sutra," History Channel
Lehner, Mark (1997) The Complete Pyramids, London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05084-8. pp. 202–225
Will Durant (1976), Our Oriental Heritage - The Story of Civilization, ISBN 978-0671548001, Simon & Schuster
From inscription or estimated from other evidence
Cunningham in Archaeological Survey Reports noted that one of two Hanuman statues bears an inscription of 868 CE
Rabe (2000), Secret Yantras and Erotic Display for Hindu Temples, Tantra in Practice (Editor: David White), ISBN 978-8120817784, Chapter 25, pp 434-446
See:
Heather Elgood (2000), Hinduism and the Religious Arts, ISBN 978-0304707393, Bloomsbury;
Stella Kramrisch, The Hindu Temple, Volume 1, ISBN 81-208-0223-3, pp 92-96;
Alain Danielou (2001), The Hindu Temple: Deification of Eroticism, ISBN 978-0892818549, pp 101-119
"Khajuraho". Liveindia.com. Retrieved on 2014-07-14.
Alain Danielou (2001), The Hindu Temple: Deification of Eroticism, ISBN 978-0892818549
George Michell, The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0226532301, pp 117-123 and pp 56-58
L. H. Gray, Journal of American Society, Vol. 27
H.M. Woodward (1989), The Lakṣmaṇa Temple, Khajuraho, and Its Meanings, Ars Orientalis, Vol. 19, pp. 27-48
Smith, David (1 January 2013). "Monstrous Animals on Hindu Temples, with Special Reference to Khajuraho": 27–43. doi:10.1558/rosa.v7i1-3.27. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
The Lakṣmaṇa Temple, Khajuraho, and Its Meanings, Hiram W. Woodward, Jr., Ars Orientalis, Vol. 19, (1989), pp. 27-48
Tourists to Khajuraho will now have an audio compass The Times of India (25 August 2011)
Khajuraho Festival of Dances
"Nothing has really happened until it has been recorded." Virginia Woolf
You blink and you will miss the phantom of a bird, the smallest of all extant birds. To compensate for this illusionary existence, due to their insignificant stature, hummingbirds hum, hover, and pause playfully around flowers, enough to get recorded plentifully, or live a long life, a long decade, in fact.
This shot reminds me of scene from one of my favorite books in high school, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. In a seemingly insignificant, but pivotal scene, the main character Janie spent a spring day stretched beneath a pear tree “soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun, and the breath of the breeze...,” when she comes to the realization that this is love.
This shot presented new challenges. Balancing the camera which was mounted on the tripod horizontally across the slope of a broken tree branch overhead to get the aerial perspective, then pressing the shutterbutton without disturbing the balance, followed by flinging myself on the ground and arranging my hair and dress in ten seconds. Then, of course the challenge that has now become my computer. It won't charge when it's on. We've already replaced the internal power receiver piece and just tried a brand new cable and it didn't work. It's dying slowly so, one day, I might suddenly disappear for a while....
Kylo is proud to present his new Weapon of Plot Destruction. A weapon so powerful that will make his enemies shake in their boots… if they ever survive the sight of such dreadful masterpiece of war technology.
Beware the ultimate power in the universe, beware the… Fart Cannon!
It’s the silliest weapon in the Galaxy but let’s not forget this weapon’s silliness is insignificant next to the silliness of Kylo’s Tantrums.
I know this is surely not a, well, noble content lol but we know Kylo always lowers himself, otherwise he would act with some dignity instead of covering himself in ridicule with this pathetic tantrums :)
May the Brick be with You :)
That big ol' motorhome looks pretty tiny in this setting.
Seen chugging along in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.
Every time. Every time I look at a sky full of stars, and at our neighbors in the spiral arms of our majestic Milky Way, I wonder. I wonder why. I wonder how. The fact that I'm here by chance. That I am so insignificant, and yet so significant. The fact that I am made of the same matter as that of those celestial bodies. That it took so many sacrifices for me to be born. The fact that I am standing at the center of that very universe that created me, and that I am able to experience it. To soak it in. To feel it. To touch it. To wonder. Why? How? Every time. Every time.
*The red hues on the top are the Northern Lights.*
Yesterday was a numerically insignificant anniversary of my birth (assuming you ignore that bit in the picture from yesterday where I went on about reaching an age I remember my grandmother being), so I took the afternoon and ran up to Illinois Beach State Park in Lake County, just south of the Wisconsin border. I walked around in the snow and ice for a while, stopping every so often to set up my tripod and take a picture of myself in a position that looks more precarious than it is. I'm on ice next to the lake, but it's sitting over the beach. I might break a leg if I fall through, but I won't drown.
If you've been following this page for more than 365 days, you might remember that I post a similar picture taken on my birthday every year that I put in an album called "Mile Marker," then do math to calculate how many miles the Earth has dragged me around the Sun. This year, the odometer rolled up 30,975,442,308 miles, all spinning in a corkscrew as the Sun pulls us all along around the center of the Milky Way. That's a lot of miles. I should probably ask for the high-mileage blend the next time I get my oil changed.
One advantage to having a birthday in February is that you can't really tell what my weight is doing in these pictures, unless I take the picture someplace in the South or global climate change has sent an unusually warm winter to Illinois. It's been a cold winter this year, but the yellow coat gives you a bit of an idea, because I haven't been able to wear that coat for a while. After years of increasing mass, I've finally managed to reverse things and have lost about 40 pounds since the last one of these Mile Marker pictures. (Which ... well, my camera was dying, so it's hard to tell with how dark that picture was, but that blue coat was looking pretty tight.) Now I'm back down around where I was when I had Robin take this Mile Marker picture almost a decade ago. I won't pretend to have accomplished this through hard work and sacrifice. It owes more to a doctor scaring the bejeezus out of me with heart monitors and insulin injections, then handing me one of those fancy miracle drugs. I make no apologies for jumping on the miracle drug craze.
“When we look up, it widens our horizons. we see what a little speck we are in the universe, so insignificant, and we all take ourselves so seriously, but in the sky, there are no boundaries..." ~ Julia Gregson
Another from last night's sunset....could have zoomed in on the old dilapidated barns, but the clouds clearly stole the show :-) This one's best viewed large too....just hit the letter "L."
Happy New Year's Eve to everyone...be safe & enjoy!!!!!
No one can give us the feeling
small and insignificant to be
if we do not allow it!!!!
Niemand kann uns das Gefühl geben,
klein und unbedeutend zu sein,
wenn wir es nicht zulassen!
I wish you my Flickr friends a wonderful weekend
Calexico - All Systems Red (Orange ;o)))
A pretty plant with an insignificant <5mm white flowers with a hint of blue on a plant growing in sand.
Photo: Jean
26 by 26 - Challenge #14
Photograph something you consider insignificant.
— Riitta Ikonen & Karoline Hjorth
IMG_7605
Though many have pondered our role here, on this particular mote in the vastness of space, I was drawn to these two quotes from the two hosts of Cosmos:
"The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty. And yet...I believe our future depends on how well we know this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky."
- Carl Sagan
"Nobody knows how life got started. Most of the evidence from that time was destroyed by impact and erosion. Science works on the frontier of knowledge and ignorance. We’re not afraid to admit what we don’t know. There’s no shame in that. The only shame is to pretend that we have all the answers."
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
Taken from Spanish Valley south of Moab. Moab glows in the lower right of the frame.
A not-insignificant slice on the bottom right has been filled in using Photoshop's generative fill. I intentionally left it low resolution so as not to confuse it with actual image data.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Kevin M. Gill
"Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people."
Carl Sagan
DREAMS
Dream away...continue to Dream Big. Let nothing stop you.
Build yourself up.
As they say - Sometimes your small dreams feel insignificant. But, a small ripple can gain momentum and build a current that is Insurmountable.
SOME may laugh. That's okey. MANY will follow...
Live to Inspire.
Taken during the same trip with this
location: Newport, Oregon Pacific Coast.
Thank You for viewing this image my flickr friends.
~ seen in my photostream: www.flickr.com/photos/donpar/show
___
Also, Advance Happy Birthday to a great buddy of mine Andreu, Sept. 12, who introduced me to flickr. a high school buddy, a great friend, hoops and baseball teamate with Chang-Mai hopes and a talented photographer. Just a simple shout-out. Happy Birthday parts!
So tiny when your amongst the world tallest mountains. A quick iPhone shot while working out way to the base of Mount Everest.
Puedes seguirme en mi /follow me in my web, 500px, o en facebook
Casi siempre utilizo las entradas para contaros mis historias de abuelo que poco tienen que ver con la fotografía, pero si con la vida, y no suelo hablar de por ejemplo el proceso creativo o la preparación de la salida, y queria ahondar en la importancia de esto último.
He leído en mas de una ocasión de fotógrafos nocturnos que salen a la aventura, de noche y sin previa preparación de la localización, ni de posibles encuadres vistos en internet por otros compañeros. Me quedo asombrado con su capacidad de improvisación, o de otros por su temeraria acción, y me explico. Alguna vez he salido a hacer fotos sin conocer el sitio, pero porque era un lugar que sabía de fácil acceso y sin peligros, o porque no esperaba mucho del lugar, ahora bien, si de verdad quiero trabajar a gusto y tener unos resultados que me satisfagan, necesito haberlo visto de día. Y como podría enrollar con información muy superflua, prefiero explicaros una de estas salidas: Peñalara.
Un par de meses antes, buscando localizaciones interesantes por internet, me acordé de la ruta que hice con mi chica por Peñalara, era verano y se encontraba precioso, asi que empecé a buscar información: distancias desde el parking de cotos, posibles encuadres de otros fotografos, para ello utilizo panoramio y google earth o maps, la ruta, horario..etc. Y empiezo a darle al coco sobre que hacer, en este caso como iba sin Iván, ni tampoco "actores", sería todo naturaleza, o como máximo la relación de ésta con el ser humano.
Un mes antes de la fecha en la que salí a hacer las fotos contacté con mi amigo Tomás, alpinista aficionado, con experiencia en montaña, le expliqué que quería hacer unas fotos por Peñalara y entre los dos buscamos una fecha propicia teniendo en cuenta en primer lugar nuestros horarios laborales y familiares, luego la luna, necesitaba bastante luz que me iluminara la montaña y me diera ese aspecto de azul profundo al cielo; despues la meteorología, una vez fijada la fecha, teníamos que comprobar que el tiempo era estable y sin excesivo frío, aunque en pleno invierno.
Un par de días antes, comprobamos que haría una noche ideal para mi objetivo: cielos rasos, sin apenas viento y no excesivo frío (unos 2 o 3 bajo cero). Adelante, a preparar el equipo y la ropa. En este caso aparte de lo habitual, incorporé algo mas de comida y bebida, ropa de cambio, un mechero, navaja, la batería del móvil a tope y Tomás trajo sus crampones, ya que sabíamos que había bastante hielo. No llevé ningún mapa ni tampoco llevaba un gps independiente del de la cobertura del móvil, pero iba con una persona con experiencia en alta montaña y por las previsiones no habría nada de niebla.
Esta es la ruta que hicimos, y las localizaciones desde donde tomé las fotos que acompañan a la entrada, saliendo del parking del puerto de cotos, dirección a la laguna grande por una pista bastante grande, rodeo a ella, subida al refugio Zabala y vuelta al parking. Total unas 6 horas de ruta, de las cuales aproximadamente 3 son andando y el resto tomando fotos.
La subida se hace durilla con el hielo y los crampones, pero caminando despacio se hace sin problemas. Uana vez en lo alto (en el plano donde hay 3 lineas) ya se puede apreciar la ubicación al fondo al Norte la laguna, y hacia el oeste el refugio, los dos lugares que quería fotografiar. Fue desilusionante ver que no habia tanta nieve como yo quería y creía , pero el lugar es increible y tan cerca de Madrid es una joya que todos debemos cuidar. Por cierto desde hace unos meses está´dentro del Parque Nacional Sierra de Guadarrama.
Todas las fotos de la ruta las teneos aquí: el-farero.blogspot.com.es/2014/02/ruta-por-penalara.html
Linkar Hire was a fairly insignificant operator on Merseyside for around 10 years, and if they hadn't operated this AEC Reliance for a couple of years in 1985-7, they wouldn't have got a mention here !
WRO 442S had been new to Brewer's Happy Wanderer Coaches from Byfleet, Surrey, and never seemed to settle for long at any of its many owners over its 25-year life, the exception being its final home, Shephardson's Coaches at Barton-upon-Humber, who ran it from 1996 to 2003.
MUFC, Old Trafford, 22/3/86
Among the many great things about aerial photography are two important ones. One, the completely different way of seeing things we take for granted or even walk by every day.
The other is a reminder of how insignificant we really are barely visible even from less than 100 feet up the air. Imagine how much more insignificant we are in the cosmos.
If I remember correctly, that is a ribcage bone from an old whale visible on the ground, showing how easily even a mortal whale can swallow us whole without a hiccup.
But, our greatest gift is in the gift and opportunity we have to be mere red or brown specks on the landscape, not even that noticeable in the universe, yet having the ability to leave our name on the sands of time before we ascend the stairway to heaven(s). Can you spot me and my name from where you are watching, my friends? Have a whale of a time!
© 2016 IMRAN™
DJI_0140
It's interesting that we humans seem to think we're the most important thing in the world, where in every aspect we're insignificant creatures to all of nature.
on 24.07, David Williams and I visited the site where we'd previously seen adults of this species. We failed to find any adults this time, but did find 3 larvae, one of which was pre-pupal. Knowing it wouldn't need feeding, I decided to bring it home with me! The next morning, I had a pupa! This gradually darkened over the next few days, eventually becoming almost black! On 01.08, the ladybird eclosed! This took about 20 mins, and then he rested with wings out drying. For the next 24 hrs, no spots were showing... was it C. rufa after all?? Most ladybirds spots develop within hours. Well, it took around 48 hours before the markings started to appear! These became more evident in the following days. We returned to the site on 07.08 to release him!
It's not until you stand outside under a bazillion stars that you realise how insignificant we all really are...