Khajurāho Kandariya Mahādev

Khajurāho Kandariya Mahādev

Tradition

Hindu / Shaiva

The Place

• Location: Khajuraho, Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh (24.8527°N, 79.9223°E)

Sacred Narrative

Khajurāho temples (10th–11th c. CE, Chandela dynasty) are a UNESCO World Heritage site — 25 surviving temples of an original 85. The Kandariya Mahādev Temple (1025–1050 CE) is the largest and most elaborate — the 7.5-m marble liṅga + 872 sculptures on the exterior. Famous globally for erotic sculpture on the walls — only 10% of the sculpture is erotic, but these have drawn the most attention. Temples represent all 4 puruṣārthas (dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa). Ancient Jain Khajurāho temples also survive. Living worship continues at the Matangeswara temple.

Why This Entry Matters

India's sacred landscape embraces all faith-traditions — Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, Zoroastrian, tribal, regional-folk — each with its own cosmology. This entry honors Hindu on its own terms.