44th Khajuraho dance festival held in Madhya Pradesh

The 44th edition of Khajuraho Dance Festival 2018 was held at Khajuraho temple, a UNESCO world heritage site in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh. It was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and was organised by culture department of state government.

Key Facts

Khajuraho Dance Festival is annual cultural festival that highlights richness of various Indian classical dance styles. The 6-day festival showcased classical dances including Kathak, Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Mohiniattam. Art Mart, which is part of festival showcased paintings of international artists from Germany, France and China among other countries. During the festival, dances were performed in an open- air auditorium, in front of Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Chitragupta Temple dedicated to Sun God.

Khajuraho Temple

It is a group of Hindu and Jain Temples in Madhya Pradesh build by Chandela Dynasty between 950 and 1050 AD. They are UNESCO World heritage Site. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures (about 10% of total sculptures).
The temples at Khajuraho are all made of Sandstone. The largest temple at Khajuraho is the Kandariya Mahadeva temple which is attributed to king Ganda. All the towers or shikhara of temple rise high, upward in curved pyramidal fashion, emphasizing temple’s vertical thrust ending in horizontal fluted disc called Amalaka topped with Kalasha or vase. The erotic expression of sculptures in these temples gives equal importance in human experience as a spiritual pursuit, and it is seen as a part of the larger cosmic whole.