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In Indian mythology, gods and goddesses were said to be great lovers of music composed by musical instruments, vocal singing and dances. The Khajuraho Dance Festival is one of the most celebrated festivals of India exemplifying the classical dance traditions of India. Watching the performances reveal the age-old trends are a visual delight. The Khajuraho dance festival organised by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, is a one week long festival of classical dances held annually against the backdrop of the majestically lit Khajuraho Temples in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. During the festival, the richness of India’s tradition is highlighted through various dance forms such as Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri and Kathakali. The festival is organised every year in the first week of February. The dances are performed in an open-air auditorium, usually in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to the sun god and the Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
“Our Indian classical dance culture is extremely rich. This is the only medium which introduces us to beauty and emotions. The renowned temples at Khajuraho is witness to our religious and cultural traditions which was popular worldwide. To protect this legacy is our responsibility. Over the years the Khajuraho dance festival has been successful in evoking public participation in the effort to protect our traditions and culture,” says Surendra Patwa, minister of state for tourism and culture, Madhya Pradesh. He adds, “This year there will be an Art Mart mela and Behind the Scenes exhibition which will certainly go a long way in popularising the rich cultural diversity of our country.”
There are hardly any written records and references to its origin, the history of Khajuraho has become trapped in the mythical folklore of the region. If the myth it is to be believed, Khajuraho was known as ‘Khajur-vahika’ or ‘Khajjurpura’ in the ancient times because of its golden date palms (known as ‘khajur’) that lined the gates of this city. Hemraj, the royal priest of Kashi (the old name for Varanasi), had an exceptionally beautiful daughter named Hemvati, who was unfortunately a child widow. One night, while she was bathing in a lotus-filled pond, the Moon God was in awe of her beauty that he descended to earth in human form full of lust and passion and ravished her. Later, he repented when the distressed Hemvati threatened to curse him for ruining her honour and dignity and blessed her with a valiant son who would later become a king and build the temples of Khajuraho. Hemvati left her home and gave birth to a brave and strong boy child in the tiny village of Khajjurpura. The child was named Chandravarman and it is said that by the time he was 16 years old, the glorious boy was strong and skilled enough to kill tigers or lions with his bare hands. With the blessings of the Moon God, his father he became a mighty king and built the fortress at Kalinjar. Then heeding to his mother’s wishes he built 85 legendary temples surrounded by lakes and gardens at Khajuraho and also performed the bhandya yagya, to wash away the sins of his mother. Yet another version says that Mani Ram, the royal priest of Kalinjar, miscalculated once and declared the dark night as the full moon night in front of the king. Hemvati, his widowed daughter could not bear the possibility of any stigma on her father’s reputation and prayed to the Moon God, who smitten by the lady’s beauty ravished her in return for his favour. When Mani Ram came to know of this entire incident, he was so ashamed and grief-stricken that he cursed himself and turned into a stone. However, Hemvati gave birth to a virtuous son by the name of sage Chandrateya who is believed to be the founder of the Chandela dynasty.