The sand stone temple, Lakshmana Temple, is situated in
Khajuraho. According to the inscription on the Lakshmana Temple, it was built by a certain King Yasovarman to install a Vaikuntha-Vishnu image gifted to him by his
Pratihara overlord, Devapala. The image was brought originally from Tibet, where the cult of worshipping
Vishnu in his
Vaikunta avatar(the multi-headed Vishnu), was popular. The outer wall of the Lakshmana Temple is exquisitely carved. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the temple is noted for the explicitly sexual carvings on the southern side. The temple is covered almost completely with images of more than 600 gods in the Hindu Pantheon.
The temple stands on a platform that has a charming sculptural frieze of elephants and horsemen in procession. The deity’s sanctum is raised above floor level and contains a large image of the Vaikunta Vishnu, bearing three heads representing his various incarnations.The main shrine of the temple is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines at the corners of the temple platform. All the mandapa roofs show a pure pyramidical shikhara.
