Khajuraho Temple “Kandaraiya Mahadeva” The Heritage of India

Khajuraho temple based near the Khajuraho village of Madhya Pradesh one of the UNESCO world heritage sites of India. The Khajuraho temple is situated within the Vindhya Mountains of central India.

“Kandaraiya Mahadeva” the best and popular among the temples with fine depicted sculptures and north Indian architectural planning known as the Nagara style, one of the ancient form of temple architecture.

Largest temple “Kandaraiya Mahadeva”

The temple with the height of  116 feet from the ground level along with the depth of 109 feet and width of 60 feet. Largest temple built during the time of Chandela dynasty is the Khajuraho temples.

The Khajuraho temples are dedicated to the Hinduism and Jainism. About 85 temples were built as recorded by the history but only 25 of temples are still standing, Kandariya Mahadeva is among the 25 existing of the Khajuraho temples.

Sandstone Mortise and Tenon joints.

The temple is built up the sandstone interlocked with tenon joints and mortise. The foundation is built up of granite stone together highly lucrative and durable. The sculptures carved on the walls were interlocked with the tenon joints, architraves (beams) and columns are basically cromlechs that weighs to 20 tons made of sandstones.

The arts and carves of the temple are almost simultaneous and repetitive. You can find many poems as inscriptions on the walls of the temple, it consists of Mandala a sacred space for the aid of meditation including Purusha and Vaastu which are the main elements of developing the design of the temple.

The ornate of the entire temple internally and externally are mesmerizing with different stories depicted through building statues of the livelihood of the villagers and poems on the internal walls, images of the four requirements of life.

Garbhagriha the core centre.

The Garbhagriha at the centre from where the shikara the highest tower starts, such that the first rays of sunlight should fall on the deity. The Kandariya Mahadeva, the name itself signifies the deity in this temple, Mahadeva “Lord Shiva”. The garbhagriha is surrounded by the transepts in order to allow the air and light to enter. Every transitional part is divided into shikaras while descending from the centre.

Art and sculpture

The art and sculpture of Khajuraho temple is divided into five different parts a number of statues carved on the temple walls are niche statues, while second part is showing the animals and their amenities, third part  are the images of apsaras, forth part is the “Cult”, describing their lifestyle of the society, women rubbing her hair after bath, children playing around and many more, fifth the deities.

The temple and the structure of the temple are found to be based on the mathematical principles, central beliefs and myth. Art and sculpture carved on the wall are mesmerizing defining science and arts to its best form, being one of the largest temple and Indian heritage, also the oldest temple possessing about more than 870 statues.

While you exhibit the statues on the walls you will find similar or fractal structures which are consecutively found at least three times repeated at every spire.