Chaturbhuj Temple, Khajuraho, Hindu temple in Khajuraho, India.
Chaturbhuj Temple is a Hindu shrine in Khajuraho built on a raised platform with a clear structural arrangement including inner sanctum, vestibule, and entrance hall. The outer walls display three bands of carved stone sculptures that divide the surface in a rhythmic pattern.
The temple was built around 1100 CE by the Chandela Dynasty and displays the stonework craftsmanship of that era. Its construction occurred during a period when this ruling family created temples as centers of their authority and faith.
Chaturbhuja means "one who has four arms", an epithet of Vishnu, and the sanctum holds a four-armed Vishnu image 2.7 metres tall. The temple is also called Jatakari after the nearby village, and it is the only temple at Khajuraho without erotic sculptures.
The temple lies in the southern group of Khajuraho monuments, about half a kilometre south of Jatakara village, in Chhatarpur district. It is a Monument of National Importance within the UNESCO-listed Khajuraho Group, so it is reached on foot from the surrounding temple grounds. The sanctum has no ambulatory, so visitors walk around the outer wall to see the three sculpture bands.
The temple's name means "one who has four arms", an epithet of Vishnu, yet the shrine is also called Jatakari after the village about half a kilometre north. Its 2.7-metre, south-facing Vishnu image is the tallest idol at Khajuraho. Hindi sources note the carvings show unfinished celestial women and only outlined ornaments.
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