The largest and finest of the Khajuraho temples, a Chandela masterpiece of about 1030 CE. Its central spire about 31 m high is surrounded by 84 smaller spires, and its walls carry some 870 sculptures. It is intact but no longer in regular worship, and is part of a UNESCO site.
HistoryDocumented history
Khajuraho had around 85 temples; about 25 survive. Their remote location probably spared them from destruction. Kandariya Mahadeva's rising spires are meant to echo the peaks of the Himalaya and Mount Kailasa.
Sthala PuranaTradition
The Chandelas traced their descent to Chandrama (the moon god) and Hemavati, a Brahmin girl he loved. Her son Chandravarman is said to have built the temples, following his mother's wish.
Aitihyas and storiesTradition and folklore
Popular explanations of the erotic sculptures range from teaching householders about kama to protection against lightning. Scholars link them to tantric ideas and royal ritual, and they are only a small share of the carvings.
PhilosophyInterpretation
Hindu thought counts kama (desire) among the four goals of life, with dharma, artha and moksha. The temple's carvings move from worldly life on the outside to the empty, dark sanctum within, a journey from the many to the one.
Meaning todayInterpretation
Khajuraho challenges narrow modern ideas of the sacred and shows a culture comfortable with the body. It hosts the Khajuraho Dance Festival each February.
Timeline
- 1025–1050constructedprobableVidyadhara (Chandela)Built at the height of Chandela power.
- After the 13th c.abandoneddocumentedKhajuraho lost importance and its temples were largely overgrown until their 19th-century 'rediscovery' by T. S. Burt (1838).
- 1986listeddocumentedUNESCOKhajuraho Group of Monuments inscribed.
Videos
No videos have been curated for this temple yet.
Sources
- Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation, Adam Hardy (1995)scholarly
- Wikipedia: Kandariya Mahadeva Templetertiary
- UNESCO World Heritage List no. 240official
This entry is a draft. Traditional stories are presented as tradition, not as historical fact.