The Khajuraho Group of Monuments are a group of Hindu and Digambara Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India. They are about 46 km (28.6mi) from Chhatarpur city, the district headquarter, 283 km (177mi) from Gwalior, 175 kilometres (109 mi) southeast of Jhansi, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Khajwa and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Rajnagar. The temples are famous for their Nagara-style architectural symbolism and a few erotic sculptures.
Most Khajuraho temples were built between 885 CE and 1000 CE by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by the 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi). Of these, only about 25 temples have survived, spread over six square kilometres (2.3 sq mi). Of the surviving temples, the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism, and expressiveness of ancient Indian art. The temple complex was forgotten and overgrown by the jungle until 1838 when Captain T.S. Burt, a British engineer, visited the complex and reported his findings in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
