The Lakshmana Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, was built from 930-950 AD during the reign of King Yasovarman of the Chandella kingdom. It houses a sacred image of Vaikuntha-Vishnu brought from Tibet. Though the temple is one of the oldest in the Khajuraho fields, it is also one of the most exquistely decorated, covered almost completely with images of over 600 gods in the Hindu Pantheon. The main shrine of the temple, which faces east, is flanked by four freestanding subsidiary shrines at the corners of the temple platform. The base of the temple is also carved with depictions of battle scenes, hunting and royal processions. The ceiling here is also beautiful with its lotus carvings and images of apsaras. Like all temples here, carvings of erotic structures decorate a small fraction of the temple. In the main temple, look out for the larger-than-life boar figure made of a single block of yellow sandstone engraved with 627 miniature figures in 12 carved rows.
