Earlier this month, UNESCO announced that 13 Chausath Yogini temples of India were on their tentative list of World Heritage Sites. Scattered across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu, these 9th- to 12th-century temples are dedicated to yoginis, the female practitioners of yoga who embody the feminine force of Devi and other goddesses. The word chausath, which means 64 in Hindi, refers to the number of yoginis that were feared and worshipped for their tantrik power.
To pay obeisance to these forest spirits and mother goddesses, roofless shrines that were circular in design were built across hilltops in India. Several of them have not survived, and the remaining 13 are in varying states of preservation. The temples were designed to reflect the form of a reclining, languid woman, celebrating the goddesses’ sensuality and fertility. Statues of the 64 female forms were in chambers or niches that lined the circumference of the temple; it is believed that dancers probably performed in the central courtyard.
Legend goes that there once lived a demon king called Raktabija who was invincible because of a boon he had managed to get from Hindu deity Shiva. The boon was that if anyone killed him, each drop of blood spilt from his body would give birth to hundreds of demon offspring. During a battle with deity Durga, she released 64 yoginis who drank Raktabija's blood before it touched the ground. Thus, the demon king was slayed, and the cult of the Chausath Yoginis was born.
Here’s what you need to know about each of the 13 Chausath Yogini temples on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.
The Chausath Yogini temple in Khajuraho was constructed in the late 9th century under the patronage of the Chandela dynasty and is the oldest temple on the site. Unlike the yogini temples at other places, it has a rectangular plan, but like them, it is hypaethral (open to the air). While there is no surviving trace of a central shrine, there are 64 cells for yoginis that measure one metre high and one metre deep. A large cell is located at the centre of the back wall, and faces the entrance at the north; it is presumed to be a shrine to the Hindu deity Durga. Three sandstone sculptures of Brahmani, Mahishasurmardini, and Maheshwari were found in this temple, now displayed in the Khajuraho Museum.
Khajuraho can be reached by air, train, or road. The best option is to fly into Khajuraho Airport (HJR), which has regular flights from major cities like Delhi and Varanasi. Alternatively, you can take a train to Khajuraho railway station (KURJ) or travel by road using buses or taxis from nearby cities.
In the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh and near the village of Lokhari are 20 images of yoginis, and a large quantity of stone blocks that once formed the walls of a Yogini temple. The temple is said to have been built in the first half of the 10th century. On the hillside adjoining the mound of stones are fragments of carvings that may have belonged to another shrine standing in the vicinity. The goat-headed Yogini of this temple went missing from Lokhari in the 1980s and was later found in London. It has since been returned to India.
Take the train to Banda railway station (BNDA) and cover the distance to Lokhari (37 km) by bus or taxi. You can also drive from Kanpur to Lokhari (115 km).
Also known as the Ekattarso Mahadeva temple, this 11th-century shrine in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh is one of the well-preserved Yogini temples in India. The circular wall has 65 chambers, apparently for 64 yoginis and the Devi, and an open mandapa in the centre of a circular courtyard that is sacred to Hindu deity Shiva.
The exterior surface of the outer wall, unlike other Yogini temples which are quite plain outside, was decorated with statues of couples flanked by maidens; these are now mostly lost or damaged. Locals in Mitaoli believe this temple inspired Edwin Lutyens' design of the Indian parliament building. However, there's no documented evidence to suggest this is true.
Mitaoli is 35 km from Gwalior, which you can reach by plane or train.
Located in Tamil Nadu, several yogini images from the Chola period (around 900 AD) were recovered from this site. These include one now in the British Museum, and others in the Madras Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Royal Ontario Museum.
Kancheepuram can be reached easily from Chennai, which is about 72 km away.
The Chausath Yogini temple of Bhedaghat in Madhya Pradesh, also called the Golaki Math (“circular lodge”), is unique among the Yogini temples for having 81 shrines rather than the usual 64. The temple is the largest of the circular temples, some 125 ft in diameter. The 81 images include eight matrikas (mother goddesses); one of them is Chandika, who is depicted riding a human corpse in a cremation ground. The temple includes other ancillary structures, such as a courtyard, pillared halls, and a stepped water tank.
To reach Bhedaghat, travel by train or plane to Jabalpur first, which is about 19 km away.
The Chausathi Yogini Pitha in Ranipur-Jharial in the Balangir district of Odisha was the first Yogini temple to be discovered. At its centre is a shrine with four pillars, holding an image of Nateshwar (Shiva as the Lord of Dance).
Uniquely, all the Yogini images are depicted as if they are poised to dance, in the karana pose of Indian classical dance. Fourteen of the yoginis are animal-headed; among them can be seen goddesses with the heads of a cat, an elephant, a snake, a horse, a buffalo, and an antelope.
The nearest railway station to Ranipur-Jharial is Titlagarh Junction (TIG), located about 27 km away. The closest airports are Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI) and Swami Vivekananda Airport (RPR).
The town of Badoh in Madhya Pradesh has a Gadarmal Devi temple, which appears to have been dedicated to 42 yoginis. The rectangular shrine has a tall and massive shikhara. The few remaining images of the yoginis are too fragmentary to determine the temple's age conclusively.
The closest major railway station is in Vidisha (BHS), which is about 72 km away. The nearest airport is in Bhopal, approximately 131 km away.
The site of Hinglajgarh on the border between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh yielded a vast number of sculptural remains when it was being cleared to construct the Gandhi Sagar dam. Among the more than 500 sculptures that were recovered, a number of fragmentary yogini images and a Mahishasuramardini sculpture have been identified.
The closest railway station is Mandsaur (MDS), 151 km away.
The Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh, known in ancient inscriptions as Sahasa-dollaka, has yielded a large collection of Yogini images that may be divided into two groups—one being a series of seated yoginis, and the other a set of standing images. The Shahdol Yoginis are today dispersed in three different locations.
The nearest airport to Shahdol is Jabalpur Airport (JLR), located about 179 km away. Shahdol railway station (SDL) is well connected with major cities of the country. Regular bus services are available from Shahdol to cities like Indore and Bhopal.
While Rikhiyan's Yogini temple is no longer in existence, it can be inferred that like Khajuraho, it was rectangular in shape. Today, the ruins of a solitary temple on a rocky outcrop indicate that the town was the site of considerable temple building once upon a time. The dating of these weathered and often mutilated sandstone yoginis of indifferent workmanship is not easy. The absence of the halo and the lack of attendant figures suggest an affinity with the Orissan temples.
The nearest major city is Kanpur, 71 km away.
Located roughly 18 km from Gwalior, Naresar is home to a group of over 20 small Shaiva temples. Unfortunately, no existing foundations of the Yogini temple remain, but one possible site for its location is at the top of the hill overlooking a small artificial tank. Twenty images of yoginis, housed mostly in the Gwalior Museum today, were collected from here.
Take the train or plane to Gwalior, and a bus or taxi for the onward journey to Naresar.
Hirapur in Odisha has the smallest of all Yogini temples. Fifty six of the 64 idols, made of black stone, survive. They surround the main image at the centre of the temple, the Hindu deity Kali, who stands on a human head, representing the triumph of the heart over the mind. The Yogini images depict standing goddesses and their animal vehicles. The figures are extraordinarily beautiful with exquisite features and sensuously formed bodies; they are adorned with bracelets, armlets, necklaces, and anklets.
Hirapur is approximately 14 km from Bhubaneswar, the nearest major city.
On the border between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, standing in isolation on the top of a mound, is Dudhai’s circular Yogini temple, locally known as akhada. The temple is believed to have been constructed in the 10th century by the rulers of the Chandela kingdom.
Take the train to Lalitpur (LAR) in Uttar Pradesh, 37 km from Dudhai.
