Archaeological Museum

Khajuraho


The town's original Archaeological Museum, opposite the Western Group of temples, has a good collection of sculptures from around Khajuraho, starting in the entrance hall with a wonderful 11th-century statue of Ganesh dancing remarkably sensuously for an elephant-headed deity, with a tiny mouse (his vehicle) at his feet. Admission is only with a same-day ticket for the Western Group. There is also a new archaeological museum in the northern part of town.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Khajuraho attractions

1. Western Group

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Khajuraho’s most striking and best-preserved temples are those within the fenced-off section of the Western Group. An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)…

2. Varaha Shrine

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Facing the Lakshmana Temple, the little Varaha Shrine houses a wonderful 1.5m-high sandstone carving of Vishnu as his boar avatar, dating from AD 900 and…

4. Lakshmana Temple

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The large Lakshmana Temple took 20 years to build and was completed in about AD 954 during the reign of Dhanga, according to an inscription in its mandapa…

5. Pratapeswar Temple

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Near the Vishvanath Temple, the white Pratapeswar is a much more recent bricks-and-mortar structure built around 200 years ago.

6. Matangesvara Temple

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Right next to the Lakshmana Temple but separated from it by the enclosure fence, Matangesvara is the only temple in the Western Group still in everyday…

7. Nandi Shrine

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A 2.2m-long statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull vehicle, faces the Vishvanath Temple dedicated to Shiva. The elephant frieze round the basement of this 12…

8. Parvati Temple

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Walking around the Western Group enclosure from the Chitragupta Temple you come to the closed-up Parvati Temple on your right, a small temple originally…