Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho and Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha : MP Temples

The Lakshmana sanctuary was the first of a few sanctuaries worked by the Chandella lords in their recently made capital of Khajuraho. Between the tenth and thirteenth hundreds of years, the Chandellas disparaged specialists, writers, and entertainers, and assembled irrigation systems, royal palaces, and various sanctuaries out of sandstone. At one time over 80 sanctuaries existed at this site, including a few Hindu sanctuaries committed to the gods Shiva, Vishnu, and Surya. There were likewise sanctuaries built in honour of the divine educators of Jainism (an ancient Indian religion). Roughly 30 sanctuaries stay at Khajuraho today. The first supporter of the Lakshmana sanctuary was a head of the Chandella tribe, Yashovarman, who captured territories in the Bundelkhand region of focal India that was once part of the huge Pratihara Dynasty. Yashovarman tried to construct a sanctuary to legitimize his rule over these territories, however he died before it was done. His child Dhanga finished the work and dedicated the sanctuary in 954 C.E.

The sanctuary is a Sandhara sanctuary of the Panchayatana assortment. The whole sanctuary complex stands on a high stage and comprises of all the elements of Hindu temple architecture. It has a passage yard, mandapa, maha-mandapa, antarala, and garbhagriha. The foundation of the sanctuary is perfectly designed with examples of elephants and horsemen doing march. Apart from this, scenes of fights, chasing and parades are likewise engraved on the lines of the foundation of the sanctuary. Lakshmana Temple is remarkable for its four auxiliary sanctums at the four corners of its rectangular platform.

The sanctuary has just one entrance on the east side. The entrance porch has a toran over the entrance. The porch wall has two lines of models including divine figures and erotic scenes. The sanctum entrance has seven vertical boards. The focal board is brightened with the different incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The lintel portrays goddess Lakshmi in the middle flanked by Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. The sanctuary houses the three-headed and four-furnished symbol of Vaikuntha Vishnu. The central head is of human, and rest of the two portrays Lord Varaha and Lord Narshima. This picture was initially brought from Tibet.

The top perspective on temple sanctum appears like Pancha-ratha. The western side of the sanctuary is delightfully enlivened with models and the full figures of various forms of women with fancy adornments. There are two open mandapas before the sanctuary. The one towards the south is known as the Varaha mandapa which has a huge picture of the standing Varaha. The carved idol of Varaha is put alongside the figures of more than 600 divine gods and goddesses.

Devotees approach the Lakshamana sanctuary from the east and stroll around its entirety—a movement known as circumambulation. They start strolling along the huge plinth of the sanctuary’s base, moving in a clockwise direction beginning from the left of the steps. Etched friezes along the plinth portray pictures of every day life, love, and war and many recall chronicled occasions of the Chandella period.

Chaturbhuj Temple, devoted to lord Vishnu, is situated at Orchha in Madhya Pradesh. The name Chaturbhuj is a mix of ‘chatur‘ signifying “four” and ‘bhuj‘ signifying “arms” which in a real sense means “one who has four arms” and alludes to lord Rama -an Avatar of Vishnu. The sanctuary has a complex multi-storied structural perspective which is a blend of temple, fort and palace architectural features.

The sanctuary was initially built to idolize an image of lord Rama, as the chief deity, which was installed in the Rama Raja Temple inside the Orchha Fort complex. At present a picture of Radha Krishna is adored in the temple.[1] The sanctuary is noted for having one of the tallest Vimana among Hindu sanctuaries standing at 344 feet.

The Chaturbhuj sanctuary has tall towers looking like pine cones built on a high foundation of 4.5 meters (15 ft) tallness. The overall tallness of the sanctuary is 105 meters (344 ft) high and its layout is contrasted with that of a Basilica and planned to resemble the four arms of lord Vishnu for whom it was built. The imposing view of the temple is that of multi-storied palace with arcaded openings, a very large entrance, a large central tower and fortifications. The climb to the temple facade involves climbing steep and narrow steps numbering 67, each of about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) height, forming a winding stairway. The inside has numerous lobbies and the principle lobby or mandapa of the sanctuary is built in the shape of a cross or cruciform and is expressed to be a blend of Māru-Gurjara architecture, and it is at right angles to the vestibule, of indistinguishable design on one or the other side.

The sanctuary’s outside is lavishly ornamented with lotus images. The structure shows a mix of religious and secular styles taken from sanctuary and fortress design. The sanctuary points toward the east and is situated on an axis with the nearby Ram Mandir, which is inside Orccha Fort complex. However, there isn’t a lot of ornamentation in the interior part of the sanctuary. The roof of the focal arch, which has a few stands, is covered with sprouted lotuses. The outside compositional provisions incorporate “petaled stone moldings, painted flower and mathematical plans, moldings upheld on lotus bud pendantive sections, jeweled stone supports, false gallery projections”.

It is said that the pinnacles of the sanctuary, when built, had been covered with gold plating which throughout the years has been pilfered.

The top of the sanctuary is open from where one can see the picturesque views on the Orccha town, the winding Betwa River, the Sawan Bhadon, the Rama Raja Temple and the monumental Laxmi Narayan sanctuary some distance away.