Brahma Temple, Khajuraho

The Brahma Temple, in Khajuraho's Eastern Group, is in fact a Shiva temple. Its sanctum holds a chaturmukha, or four-faced, linga, which led people to take it for a shrine to Brahma. It stands on the bank of Khajuraho Sagar lake, about 1.3 km from the Western Group.

The temple is built of granite with a sandstone shikhara, and is thought to date from the time when builders were moving from granite to sandstone. Its plan is simpler than most at Khajuraho and its outer walls carry little sculpture. It once had a sanctum and a porch; the porch is gone and only the sanctum survives. The way to it passes villages and fields, giving a view of everyday Khajuraho.