Kandariya Mahadeva temple

Kandariya Mahadeva
Name:	Kandariya Mahadeva
Creator:	Vidyadhara of the Chandelas
Date built:	circa 1050
Primary deity:	Mahadeva
Architecture:	North Indian
Location:	Khajura

The Kandariyâ Mahâdeva Temple (Devanagari:कंदरिया महादेव, IAST:Kandariyā Mahādeva) is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple in the medieval temple group found at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is considered one of the best examples of temples preserved from the medieval period in India. Khajuraho was once the religious capital of the Chandela Rajputs and today is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. The Kandariya Mahadeva temple is the largest of the Western group of temples and was built by Vidyadhara, arguably one of the greatest Chandela kings. The temple was built around 1050 on Hindu beliefs dating back to 1000 BC; The main spire or shikhara rises 31 m to depict Mount Meru, the holy mountain of Shiva and is surrounded by 84 miniature spires. Inside the sanctum is a marble linga representing Shiva. The Archaeological Survey of India protects the temple, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site at Khajuraho.

Features

The temple takes its name from kandara or cave and Mahadeva, another name for Shiva. Like many other temples in the Khajuraho complex, it has a linear series of access-steps facing the east-west directions. Other features are columned halls with balconies, an entrance porch, and the inner sanctum. Decorating the sides of the temple are over 646 statues. At the top of the shikhara is the amalaka, a circular ring motif common in North Indian temple architecture. Many of the side panels depict Shiva in the presence of apsaras, consorts, and other divinities. These erotic figures do not span the whole temple and are not to be found among the 226 found inside.

Analysis

The Kandariya Mahadeva has been praised as the pinnacle of the tradition of medieval Hindu North Indian temple building (vide references). The appearance of the Kandariya is deceptive as it seems to be carved out of a solid piece of stone. Arguably, the complexity and ornateness of design gives one a sense of a closed dimension since the Kandariya can be entered through very few entrances. The sculptured figures are well-rounded yet supple and do not display significant musculature or tension despite numerous erotic implications. Most of the sculptures have economy of drapery but are effusively patterned with ornaments and flower motifs. The effect of height of the shikharas are advanced by the gradation of the rise. From the front, the various designs, many of which are erotic, are not visible to the worshipper. The east-west axis and this thrust, it is argued, focus the worshipper on the central point inside the temple, where the linga is kept.