Kandariya Mahadev Temple

Kandariya Mahadev Temple is the largest temple in Khajuraho's Western Group and is dedicated to Shiva. It was built by the Chandela king Vidyadhar, who, according to the historian Ibn al-Athir, held off Mahmud of Ghazni; the temple is said to mark that victory. It was listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The name is linked to kandara, a cave, making Shiva the god of the cave.

The temple rises about 30 m from a raised granite base and covers roughly 6,500 sq ft. Its sandstone shikhara is shaped after Mount Kailash, with five peaks clearly visible. Around 900 sculptures of deities, dancers, musicians, warriors, horses and elephants cover the walls, and a finely carved stone makara-torana frames the entrance to the sanctum. The smaller Chitragupta Temple shares its premises.