|
Date: |
|
Description: | Photograph of the Adinatha Temple at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, taken an unknown photographer in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. The small town of Khajuraho in the Chatarpur district is the site of dozens of Shiva, Vishnu and Jaina temples, which were built between the 9th and 12th centuries under the aegis of the Chandella dynasty which ruled in central India. Of about 85 temples said to have been erected at this site only about twenty-five have survived. The compact temples, none of which are very large, stand on high plinths (jagatis) lifting them from their environs, instead of the usual enclosure walls. The sensuous sculptures that decorate them, some of which are explicitly erotic, are among the masterpieces of Indian art. The sculptures have been read as relating to Tantric practices, or illustrations of ancient treatises on sex. Notable for its sculptural decoration, the Adinatha temple belongs to the late 11th century. The sanctuary is covered by a tower with vertical bands decorated with arch-like motifs. The outer walls have three bands of sculptures depicting deities and celestial beings. | License: | http://www.bl.uk/services/copy/permission.html | Rights holder: | British Library | Subjects: | Temples Sacred Architecture Architecture Jain Temples | Source: | Collect Britain | Creator: | Unknown | Identifier: | http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personal... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
|
|