Khajuraho's temples fit in one day by cab: the Western Group, the Archaeological Museum and Chausath Yogini in the morning, then the Jain, Eastern and Southern temples. A second day adds the Raneh Falls canyon and the Adivart tribal museum. A third goes to Panna Tiger Reserve for a morning safari and Pandav Falls. The light and sound show at the Western Group is on foot in the evening.
Each plan is a real route by cab, timed against opening hours.
All three temple groups
7 places · 14 km by cab
See the plan →The Western Group and the museums · Raneh Falls, then the Jain and Southern temples
9 places · 57 km by cab
See the plan →The Western Group and the museums · Raneh Falls, then the Jain and Southern temples · Panna tiger safari and Pandav Falls
11 places · 123 km by cab
See the plan →Call or message a local Khajuraho operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
We are still listing Khajuraho operators. Write to [email protected] and we will put you in touch.
With the best time to go and how long to stay.
| Place | Open | Best time | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Group of Temples | About 06:00 to 18:00 every day (sunrise to sunset); ticket sales stop at 17:30 | Early morning, in soft light and before the tour groups. | 2 h 30 min |
| Archaeological Museum | About 10:00 to 17:00 (some listings say 09:00); closed Fridays and public holidays | Late morning, after the Western Group. | 45 min |
| Chausath Yogini Temple | An open site, free, visit in daylight? | Any time in daylight; the light is softest late in the day. | 30 min |
| Adivart Tribal and Folk Art Museum | 12:00 to 20:00; closed Mondays and government holidays | Afternoon; it opens at noon. | 1 h |
| Jain temples (Eastern Group) | Open daily from early morning; one listing gives 06:00 to 20:00; free? | Morning or afternoon. | 1 h |
| Brahma, Javari and Vamana temples | Open sites, free, visit in daylight? | Any time in daylight. | 40 min |
| Duladeo Temple | About 06:00 to 18:00 every day; free | Any time in daylight. | 30 min |
| Chaturbhuj Temple | An open site, free, visit in daylight? | Any time in daylight. | 30 min |
| Raneh Falls | 06:00 to 18:00; Wednesdays 06:00 to 12:00 only. About ₹50 a person and ₹300 a car? | Morning, and on Wednesdays before 12:00. | 1 h 30 min |
| Pandav Falls | Daylight, about 08:00 to 17:00 in one listing and 06:00 to 18:00 in another; car and person fees? | Late morning, after Raneh Falls. | 1 h 15 min |
The main temple park of Khajuraho and the reason most people come. Inside a garden are the biggest temples, built by the Chandela kings about 1,000 years ago: Kandariya Mahadeva, Lakshmana, Vishwanatha, Chitragupta, Devi Jagadambi and the Varaha shrine. Every wall is covered in carved figures of gods, dancers, musicians, soldiers and couples. Matangeshwar Temple, by the gate, is the only one still in daily worship.
In the 1-day plan
The Archaeological Survey of India's museum of Khajuraho sculpture, opposite the Western Group. It holds statues and carved panels found round the temples, including a dancing Ganesha, and they are easier to see up close here than high on a temple wall. There is also a newer gallery building, opened in 2016, about 1 km north of the temples.
In the 1-day plan
The oldest temple site in Khajuraho, older than the Western Group. It is built of rough granite, not the smooth sandstone of the later temples, and is a rectangle of small empty shrines round an open court, on a low rise above Shiv Sagar lake. There are no carvings left, but it is quiet and few people come.
In the 1-day plan
A state museum of the tribes and folk arts of Madhya Pradesh. It has full-size village houses built by the communities themselves, painted walls, masks, metal work and everyday objects, with signs in Hindi and English. A change from the temples, and it stays open into the evening.
Day 1 of the 2-day plan
A walled compound of Jain temples that are still in use. Parshvanath is the finest, with carvings as fine as the Western Group's; Adinath stands next to it, and Shantinath holds a tall standing statue of the Tirthankara. A small Jain art museum is by the gate.
In the 1-day plan
Three small temples of the Eastern Group, near the old village of Khajuraho. Javari has a tall, slim tower and a carved gateway; Vamana has figures of heavenly women on its walls; the Brahma Temple, by Ninora Tal pond, is one of the oldest here. They are free and usually quiet.
In the 1-day plan
A Shiva temple of the Southern Group by the Khudar river, one of the last built at Khajuraho. Its carvings of dancers and heavenly women are crowded and lively, with jewellery cut in fine detail.
In the 1-day plan
The southernmost temple of Khajuraho, in open fields. Inside stands a 2.7 m statue of Vishnu with four arms, carved from one stone. It is the one big temple here with no erotic carvings, and it faces west across the fields.
In the 1-day plan
A canyon of the Ken river about 20 km east of Khajuraho, cut through red, pink and grey granite. In and just after the monsoon the river pours over the rocks in many falls; in the dry months it is a deep gorge with pools. It is inside the Ken Gharial Sanctuary, where gharials and crocodiles live in the river below.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A waterfall inside Panna Tiger Reserve, about 33 km south-east of Khajuraho on the Panna road. A stream drops about 30 m into a green pool ringed by cliffs, with small caves where, the story goes, the Pandava brothers stayed in exile. Steps lead down to the pool.
Day 3 of the 3-day plan
Panna Tiger Reserve covers the forests and gorges of the Ken river south-east of Khajuraho. Tigers were brought back here after 2009 and now breed again; leopards, deer, crocodiles and many birds are seen too. Safaris run from the Madla gate, about 25 km from Khajuraho.
Day 3 of the 3-day planAn evening show in the lawns of the Western Group. Lights pick out the temples one by one while a recorded voice tells the story of the Chandela kings and how the temples were built. It runs about 50 minutes.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.One full day covers the three temple groups. Two days is easier: one for the Western Group and the museums, one for Raneh Falls and the Eastern and Southern temples. Add a third day for a tiger safari in Panna and Pandav Falls.
About 06:00 to 18:00, every day of the week; ticket sales stop at 17:30. The Archaeological Museum opposite is open about 10:00 to 17:00 and closed on Fridays.
Every evening at the Western Group. From October to February the English show is at 18:30 and the Hindi show at 19:40; from March to September an hour later, 19:30 and 20:40. It is not held during the dance festival.
The Western Group is the only group with a ticket. The Jain temples, the Brahma, Javari and Vamana temples, Duladeo, Chaturbhuj and the Chausath Yogini Temple are free.
Every year in late February, for a week, in the evenings at the Western Group. In 2026 it ran from 20 to 26 February. Hotels fill up, so book early.
Yes, but each is a long day of its own. Ajaigarh is about 60 to 65 km away with a steep climb to the top, and Kalinjar, in Uttar Pradesh, about 100 km. They are not in these plans.
October to March, when days are mild. April to June is very hot, so see the temples early and late. Raneh Falls has the most water from August to October, but the Panna safari is closed from July to September.
