Temple Tour

Temple Tour

"This is perfect. That is perfect. Perfect comes from perfect.
Take perfect from perfect; the remainder is perfect."
(Brihad-Aranyak Upanishad)

Xanadu offers a tour through Khajuraha the City of Gods fabled city of India

I (VARAHA & VAHANA)
II (ARDHAMANDAPA & MANDAPA)
III (MAHAMANDAPA)
IV (PRADAKSHINA)
V (GARBHAGRIHA)
VI (SHARDULA)
VII (DEVATA)
VIII (SHIKHARA)
IX (DEVASHTANAM)
X (SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW)

(I)

(VARAHA & VAHANA)

Colonnaded Colossi

Upon entering western group of temples
one meets Varaha shrine—Vishnu’s third avatar
as Cosmic Boar saving the Earth goddess
from being drawn into the milk-sea ocean
by a multi-hooded serpent king.
Boar decorated with Brahmanical gods and goddesses,
seated and standing some more elegant figures,
at its feet snake Shesha and remains of two sculptures,
one seated--torso and head broken off
one standing--only feet left
one or the other being Earth goddess Prithvi.

Oblong pavilion on fourteen pillars,
colonnade under southern pyramidal roof.

Pavilion shrine to Shiva’s bull-vehicle,
7 ft 2 in long and 6 ft high monolith,
integral part of pancayatana complex,
simple mandapa without walls
facing Shiva in Vishvanatha Temple,
showing four-armed God on south side
cum trishula in left and naga in right hand.
Two flights of stairs flanked by elephants and lions,
twelve pillars plus four times two projectional ones,
kakshasana balustrade and pidhas roof.

Hundreds of tiny figurines in sandstone flesh,
Hindu divinities seated like Buddhas,
like Thousand Buddha designs on Chinese robes
like thousands of temple tiles cum seated Gautamas.

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)

(II)

(ARDHAMANDAPA & MANDAPA)

Entrance Porch and Hall

Temples built on platform-terraces
decorated with moldings and friezes,
showing processions of elephants and horses.
Both carrying men on top
(Three on an elephant)
and are fighting with each other
(Clash of elephants cum riders)
alternated by images of Gods and erotics.
Huge extending heads of dragons
reminding of China and Tibet
as well as of Mesoamerican serpents,
snouts closed up onto two fangs.

After broad stairs one enters
through arch flanked by crocodiles,
seemingly cum elephant trunk
again known from Tibet to Beijing.
Rows of miniscule figures
emerging out of their jaws
opened widely for this purpose,
building an arching
bridgemakara-torana.
Simple but elegant
larger figures are hanging down from row
and are seated on crocodiles’ upper lip.

Cusps and floral cusps

decorative patterns of ceiling
receding to higher
over about five levels.

Combination square and circle
somewhat disproportionally
fixed together to gain and lose
best and worst of both alternatives in a
ornamental synthesis which is
strengthened only by its multiplication,
but also by its inward vegetational
range of pseudo-leaves showing splits
of stone as most decorative motives
in these temples do—light carvings
of curved and curled lines
like in Lucio Fontana’s poverty art.

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)

(III)

(MAHAMANDAPA)

Flying celestials backed to material clouds

Brown dark sculptures in yellow light
above what could be considered
a series of bases
and topped by some
sculptures invisible in the dark.

Play of shades in soft red yellow and brown,

inside windows covered by mazy iron nets in iron structures.

When eyes are used to darkness it is possible to detect
some more things in the interior of the temple,
which unfortunately isnot lit at all
apart from sunshine on this sunless day.

Pillars’ relief of scrollwork like in Gupta tradition,
to the top of which eight squatted sculptures of forward
looking figurines each tied to a rectangular block--
flying celestials backed to material clouds.

Second floor of pillars hanging obliquely down
with torso beneath like a stone diagonal tiebeam
as roof struts of Hindu temples in Kathmandu and Varanasi;
figures and creatures like horsey monsters again.
Only the first pillar to the right after entrance
has all its rectangulars filled with bracket figures
from the other pillars at least one of the upper statues is missing.

Farther in mahamandapa
where there is more light
and the large windows aren’t covered
by iron fences anymore,
it appears that
capital figures may differ from each other;
one holding his hands next to body,
other holding a sword diagonally over its chest.
From the inside the figures seem to have one
pair of arms extra which origin is
but mythologically explainable.
Side view shows
seated body pressed up to
an above horizontal,
unexpected arms appear
which are faced in same
direction as head—
vertically forward.

Inside sanctum a statue of probably Vishnu,
who shines as an Egyptian king in the dark,
against an intricately and meticulously decorated
yellow door—two pillars at either side topped by a capital.
A third one is centering the top of the reddish arch
to the portal—Vishnu stands against his shadow
in almost female bodily shape,
broad chest and broader thighs.

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)

(IV)

(PRADAKSHINA)

Bernini’s Apsarases
Either Without or Within

"[sculptors]... who gave women dreams
and dreams their looking glasses."
(WB Yeats)

Around walls of garbhagriha
screened in sculptural niches
of pradakshina shining
in colored light and stone effects--
interplay of light and shade
through scanty sun on stone
from red to yellow
from brown to gray
constituting a soft kaleidoscopic
view in limited spectrum--
one finds many surasundaris
more elegant and slender
than in any other Khajuraho temple.

Heads in profile
playing hide and seek
with phallocentric curiosity--
nude serpentine body
adorned by rare
decorative strings
showing
back and only part
of spherical front
in a delicate contortion--
featuring an arm
in sharply oblique
elbow--
as willing to be turned
around for a fuller
view--as pubic thread
on divide of bills
may be inviting to get
removed from the other side--
as traditional Indian woman
seem to exhibit their bodies
in long frail dresses.

Beyond suspected erotic fantasies and uses
these celestials resemble as angels without wings--
secondary female divinities of Indra’s Heaven--
Bernini’s hermaphrodite who is shamefully hiding
its ambiguity laying down to a marble mattress
as the nymphs are clinging their chests to the wall
and Bernini’s radicalism of two-genderness
finds a natural equivalent in the many
sensitive yabyums and emotional mithunas
on the outer wall of the Kandarya Temple,
where both sexes are nailed on physical and spiritual level
looking into each other’s puppets--
salvation from union of
atman and paramatman
individual and universal soul
man and woman
Shiva and Shakti
linga and yoni
yoga and bhoga,
amongst God pictures and domestic scenes
of apsarases making their dress
removing a thorn
looking in a mirror
painting designs
playing a vina
carrying lotus-flowers
offering to the Gods,
as daily life may seem
an ongoing divine project--kama as preliminary of moksha--
Made in Khajuraho.

"As a man in the embrace of his beloved wife knows naught,
either without or within,
so man in the embrace of the Knowing Self knows naught,
either without or within."

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)
(Thanks to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV, 3, 21, and Jeff Koons)

(V)

(GARBHAGRIHA)

Supernatural Realism

Parvati Statue in Jagadambi Temple

Parvati statue is embellished with
a slightly pink garland and hell-red flowers
demonstrating it is still used in puja,
it has four arms—two hanging down
hands open in the front—two angled
by elbow to hold some instruments,
cord around her loins is a little whitened
her breasts are posited like full spheres
on her chest—rationally proportioned,
immobile cones known from western
art historical textbooks too--
and like some Indian waists
seem narrower than Roman ones--
gender symbols rather than icons
of a naturalism which is already broken in
the double arms—high headdress adds
another divine feature.

Where one would expect the ropes of torture
at her hands she shows double bracelets
at all four--

liveliness of Hindu human life is
only lightly frozen in its main shrines.

Surya Statue in Chitragupta Temple

Surya solar form of Vishnu
main shrine in Chitragupta Temple,
Personification of the Sun,
miniscully depicted at her feet
seven horses of chariot,
Seven colors of the rainbow
Seven musical notes
Seven poetic meters.

Seven symbol of Khajuraho,
Sapta-ratha sanctum (seven projections)
Saptanga-bada shikhara (seven segments),
highlight of Indian architecture.

Against arch with three caves at its top
high headdress like Parvati,
three standing Suryas in lintel of doorway.

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)
(Thanks to Amy Dryansky)

(VI)

(SHARDULA)

Shardulas and Makaras
A Collapse of Categories

Alternation of attraction and terror of love and scare,
magic of sex and fear to protect a sacred monument,
apsarases and vyalas both auspices against
fall of lightning or the evil eye or ill luck--
female power and shardulas as images of Shakti--
deterrences like lokapalas in Chinese and Tibetan art,
Heavenly Guardians of the Four Quarters,
though smaller and lacking human verisimilitude--
still bigger than fanciful beasts on imperial Chinese eaves,
imaginary vyalas and monster heads kirttimukha,
Shardula and makara as hypostases of Face of Glory,
together with realist yabyums and mithunas,
they compose Tantric universe
and togetherness of both good and evil.

Water symbol makaras partly crocodile partly elephant
and kirttimukha appear as large decorative
motives in between arches and on window tops.

Vyala or Shardula--heraldic or fabulous beast,
varieties of boars elephants horses lions men parrots rams tigers ...
animal shape made by art of which there is no earthy likeness,
sided by multi-armed male and female God picturesSimha-virala cum head of a lion
Nara-virala cum head of a man
Gaja-virala cum head of an elephant,
In reliefs of the walls
In recesses between piers
In front of the ardhamandapas.

Dragon I with big birdlike eyes,
horse look-a-like with four feline fangs,
dragon II with primatial forwarded face,
et cetera.

Vyalas as rearing horses
one leg over a kneeling
or seated or otherwise human
figure--their heads turned
towards a small
human creature
on their backs who
is touching their teeth
as with a tooth-pick--

variety of
proportions
row of cartels or fins
on the hind of their
legs as if it were
reptiles.

Sometimes man on
back is missing as
in elephant design,
the trunk
of which seems
caught in a
ring fastened to
a weapon of
the warrior
in between his
legs.

Shardulas overpowered protected and rode by ksatriya,
knight in body of Fame and royal Splendour,
man draws his sword of knowledge
and protects hisself by his shield of dispassion
against Shakti Prakrti Maya--Nature.

In Lion and Man group before temple Shardula wears strings
of pearls collected from the storehouse of darkness
or stolen from the jaws of the Dragon--
precious pearls with one or too of which Chinese relief
dragons are playing on slabs along imperial staircases.

The pilgrim who circumambulates the temple
and whose eyes dwell on its images
"wanders in the trek of the Apsarases and the
Gandharvas and the wild beasts,"
he is aware of all knowables in the universe
and qualified to ride the Shardula.

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)
(Thanks to Rig Veda X.136.6)

(VII)

(DEVATA)

Elevenheaded Vishnu
A Baroque Look-a-like

Five micro heads at the left
five micro heads at the right
in the central-lower niche of the south facade
of Khajuraho’s Chitragupta Temple,
surrounded by minor creatures of his avatars,
personifications of his attributes
manifestations of his emanations
exemplifications of his consorts
representations of his iconologies
visualizations of his spiritualities
supremenesses of his ontologies
ecstacies of his ecclesiasticisms
neologisms of its classicisms
constructions of his nominalisms
derivations of its inflections,
heads seem merely lumps in his neck
and don’t decrease his man’s grace
to be deputed as a young mantribhanga threefold bent grace
trigonometric sinuous vortex of three amplitudes
four- or six-arms--some have broken off--
nude save for his embellishing jewelry
all over his body--long strings reaching
from loins to knees--a middle one
from loin cord to his ankles,
where they resemble the grips of a cape
covering him from behind as his enlarged
shade----as a mansize supernatural nimbus
taking shape like a sculptural-
technical mode to support the relief.

Vishnu is flanked by two pillars,
capitals at top--figures on top--
at the outside of pillars a second floor
of animals elephant (below)
horsey viala (higher)
an undeterminable creature (atop again),
theriomorphic protectors,
gracious love males and females on the ground,
some of which are seated in front of his knees.

A Level Headed Vishnu--

National Museum in New Delhi
shows on one of its verandas
Chaturmukha Vishnu from North India,
medieval period ht 155 wd 94 dep 94 cm,
looks like red sandstone
on occasion decorated with
yellow in the deep niches
among the figures at Vishnu’s
feet—again wide shoulders,
slender waist decorative loin-
cloth which extends to up knees;
at both legs six figures—male and
female—four celestial beings
at either side of its head.
Beneath pedestal three tiny
figures supporting it as caryatids
amori cupidi and putti in western art.

Sculptured help devices seem to
hook the statue to its back-
ground as to a totem pole,

at its sides flattened by
mutilations
downward.

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)
(Thanks to National Museum of Art New Delhi)

(VIII)

(SHIKHARA)

Tapering Tower
Cum Curvilinear Arhythmetrics

From ground to top shikhara
measures about 100 ft,
highest one is most magnificent temple
of the Central Indian building-style,
largest number of projections and recessions
amounting to a compact myriadly
bordered
brimmed
brinked
edged
ledged
margined and
rimmed,
organic structure of complexities raised to squares
and circles obeying meticulous radius terminologies
for though square is holy rounds dominate shikhara.
Basement adhishthana cum series of ornamental moldings,
central wall jangha cum balconied windows
and horizontal rows of sculpture and statuary
from ground to top animal heads
elephants bracketing couples of figures
animal heads again
two procession rows
seated figurines flanked by square pillars
at either side and flower designs in between
plumb decorative oblongs
balcony railing,

axially placed above confined garbhagriha sanctum
as a mountain peak above a dark cavern,
atop of superstructure amalaka disc cum vase of plenty kalasha,
ribbed disc modeled on the seed of small lobed amala fruit.
Lower four minor urushringas cluster around the major shikhara
regularly incised with threefolds of ribbons and amalaka in apex
as ivy towards a tree
chameleonic mimicking its host
though remaining sufficiently substantial
to add to the quality of their master
instead of parasitically decreasing it
resembling mountain ranges—though too organic
honey-combs—though no bees around
pyramidal roof—though too curvilinear
cumulus clouds—though too dark and detailed
baroque elongations (Chartres, Gaudi)—though too compact,
resembling only itself in outstanding complex achievement,
growing lower and broader towards entrance
in three or four roof structures,
more like a fir-cone egg than
like a honeycomb ovality--
a strong lightweight cellular structural material—

Balcony shows two rows of oblong shields
from lightened (yellow) to darkened (brown red);
sinuous zigzag borders the railing of the balcony
as well as the decorations below their open
bases filled with standing stone diamonds--
moldings scalloped at either side.

Lower row perpendicular higher one inclined

(odd)
even
(recessive)
projections

forward ones show

above arabesque arch
center oblong
below circles

backward ones
one
vertical
con
ca
vo

con

vex

curl

like Hindu puntuation lotus wheels mandalas
speckled basaltic carved wood cutting,

stone calligraphies through a looking glass,

higher row has twin pillars instead of curls in recessive reliefs,
small capitals on tall columns shaft broken in four parts
shorter towards the top—forward parts bear only
one large circle right in its center.

Oasis of decorative rest like American
postwar art has returned to basics
preceding Koons by some decades
legal concubination of politics and art.

Arithmetical regularity strikes in any Hindu tower
(though it might as well be biological or organic)
believed to mirror the structure of the universe--
four-towered Shiva Temple in Varanasi

four tapering shikharas

each one

four times seven
four times five
four times three
four times one
one

totals sixty-five

peak topped by golden star

odd recession
up to top
loosing weight
gaining height--

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)

(IX)

(DEVASHTANAM)

Parvati Temple

Seat of the Gods in elementary skeleton,
Lonely garbhagriha near bigger structure.

Seated Vishnu in center of horizontal lintel
pillars of which are decorated with six love scenes--
micro reliefs in red and whitened atop,
amorous loving and copulating mithunas
low ones—
in love
kissing
embracing
bracketing,
middle ones—
love
holding one another
standing together
leaning to each other,
high ones—
passion
touching another’s gens
embracing in kissing
entangling is unifying
subjects are sexual.

Affection
either with shy protective attention (from lust)
or in passionate surrender to each other’s desire.

Inside temple Gauri with godha (iguana) as her vehicle,
sort of flat sphere—deadly poisonous to man--
like in Laksmana Temple figure standing in or before
niche of itself but somewhat larger shape—
at the end of her hanging hands
(next and alongside to her body)
three figurines about a third
length of main statue--four hands—four
hands—second pair held up from elbows,
headdress twice size of her head,
miraculously transcending laws of nature
in three-dimensional grace
of sublunar theology—
Spiritual Body
Supersoul
Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Natural and Supernatural Love--

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001)

(X)

(SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW)

Hidden Cities of the Gods

CELEBRATE A MILLENNIUM

At night the temples speak
at turns when lit to show
gracious forms against
night sky—voice over situated
in temple top in the midst
of the temples telling rise and fall
of Khajuraho till the 1838 initial rediscovery of TS Burt
and ends with a mystical and rhythmical
om shani … om shani … om shani …
when the self becomes one with the all-encompassing Godhead,

love
man must transcend the body to reach the spirit
....
symbol of cosmic art creation
....
passion—how gracefully she moves
like poetry in motion
dance is ready--final
....
ritual invocation to the sun
....
group of yogis
....
1335—5000 years after Laksman Temple
....
we hea… bu … gh powers of Surbanalah
and Surya—the Sun
....
forest reclaims lands
earthquakes,

1838—TS Burt

there are temples in the jungle, Sir
hidden cities of the Gods

Burt came

Why did you bring me to this infernal jungle…?

and went,

women before statue

karma—need good deeds
it disappears when Self becomes one with
encompassing jungle

to seek peace om … shani ...

music percussion

om shani … om shani … om shani …
om shani … om shani … om shani ….

THANKS
PLEASE COME AGAIN

Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for Kavitanjali (November 2001)

(EXCURSUS)

(COLLAGE AESTHETICS)

Collage Art Ideal
Rhymes and Reasons

Fancy of fragments from space and time
Deconstruction of words and realities alike
Destruction of reality’s mute building blocks
Construction of supernatural edifices of signification
Composition of new wholes out of disparate parts
Restoration of modern temples out of archaeological remains
Through metonymical and metaphorical displacements
Through ages and spaces west and east north and south
Through scientifical conservations and restorations
Survival of iconoclast art in revival of contrareformation

Khajuraho—highlights of Brahmanical art
Tantrisms Vaisnavites Shaivites and Jainisms
Saved by jungle to flourish once again
When Hindu art lives on
Through modernist techniques
Through technical innovations
Through industrial reproductions

From Tagores’ Bengal mysticisms
To popular prints in vivant colors
Showing its metaphysical extremities
Again in numerous numbers of arms heads and legs
To be analyzed as collages of surrealist modernisms
To be synthesized as postmodernisms of eclectic vitalisms
To be deconstructed as conjunction of poetries and rationalisms
On poetical rhythmical rhymes of affixal orthographisms
Prosodic deconstruction of etymologies derivations and inflections

Poetries are sciences and sciences are poetries
Humanities are naturalisms and naturalisms are humanities
Metaphysics are physics and physics are metaphysics

Through nonromanticized romanizations of non-Roman alphabets

From aleph to taw
From alif to ya
From alfa to omega
From a (like u in but) to h (aspriation)

From spirit to letter
From glyph to character
From character to pinyin
From sound to symbol

From dialect to alphabet
From transliteration to translation
From romanticisms to neoclassicisms
From universities to universalisms

From proses to poetries
From poetries to prosodies

Towards an international romanization of world’s cultural heritage

Aesthetic Epilogue

Some sentences built around nouns gerunds and participles
Auxiliaries are sometimes omitted—elongated elliptical sentences
To be or not to be—the former is presupposed
The latter is lived enjoyed and forgotten again
Till life returns to its starting points
Remaining elementary punctuation at the end of verses
Though not in their middles amidst
And unless punctuation falls out
in
fall-
ing
verse
or
con- crete
frag- ments
in which arrangement of signs
mirror appearance of objects
like Hindu ornaments its Sanskrit alphabet

~ Xanadu (Oftagorefame) for You (November 2001) ~

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