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Category:Kandariya Mahadeva Temple

<nowiki>Templo Kandariya Mahadeva; কন্দারিয়া মহাদেব মন্দির; temple de Kandariya Mahadeva; Кандарья-Махадева; Kandariya-Mahadeva-Tempel; 坎德里雅濕婆神廟; კანდარია მაჰადევა; カンダーリヤ・マハーデーヴァ寺院; กันทาริยามหาเทวมนเทียร; කන්දාරියා මහාදේව දේවාලය; Kuil Kandariya Mahadewa; കന്ദരിയമഹാദേവക്ഷേത്രം, ഖജുരാഹോ; מקדש קנדריה מהדבה; Kandariya Mahadeva; Tempio Kaṇḍāriyā Mahādeva; कन्दारिया महादेव; కందారియ మహదేవ మందిరము; ಕಂದಾರಿಯಾ ಮಹಾದೇವ ದೇವಾಲಯ; Kandariya Mahadeva Temple; معبد كاندريا ماهاديفا; معبد كاندريا ماهاديفا; கந்தாரிய மகாதேவர் கோயில்; monumento de hinduismo de la India; ভারতের একটি হিন্দু মন্দির; temple en Inde; bangunan kuil di India; മദ്ധ്യപ്രദേശിലെ ഖജുരാഹോയിലെ ഒരു ക്ഷേത്രമാണ്‌ കന്ദരിയമഹാദേവക്ഷേത്രം; храм в Индии; Bauwerk in Indien; ଭାରତର ଏକ ହିନ୍ଦୁ ମନ୍ଦିର; The largest historic temple in Khajuraho (11th century); معبد هندوسي في خاجوراهو، الهند; ගුර්ජර ප්‍රතිහාර ශෛලියේ පැරණි දේවාලය; tempio indù situato in India; templo de Kandariya; Kandariya Temple; Kandariya Mahadeva Mandir of Khajuraho; Khandari Temple; Kundari Mandir; Lalaji Temple; Narmadesvara Temple; Kandarya Mahadeva; കന്ദരിയമഹാദേവക്ഷേത്രം; 坎德里雅湿婆神庙; කන්දාරියා දේවාලය</nowiki>
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple 
The largest historic temple in Khajuraho (11th century)
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LocationKhajuraho, Chhatarpur district, Sagar division, Madhya Pradesh, India
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Map24° 51′ 10.7″ N, 79° 55′ 10.42″ E
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The Kandariya Mahadeva temple of Khajurajo is a Shiva temple (1025–1035 CE). It is the largest and tallest surviving temple in the Khajuraho group of monuments. Along with the Lakshmana temple of Khajuraho, it is one of the best examples of complete Nagara-style Hindu temple architecture, Hindu art and sophisticated construction techniques by early 11th-century. The temple had over 872 surviving art panels on the outside and inside, when Alexander Cunningham's team counted them in the 19th century. Many more were nearly completely damaged or missing. A few dozen of the surviving panels depict kama/mithuna scenes and celebrate sex, sometimes in acrobatic poses – these are often photographed and used in tourist literature, bringing curiosity and fame to Khajuraho.

This sandhara-style Hindu temple stands on a massive platform, sharing the jagati with the Jagadambi temple for goddess Parvati to its north. Steps lead to the top of the platform. A makara-torana leads into the profusely decorated mandapa of the Kandariya Mahadeva temple. The mandapa – sometimes the platform itself – was and continues to be used for classical Hindu dance performances. The large temple has a mukhamandapa (entrance hall), a sabhamandapa (assembly hall), mahamandapa (pilgrims prayer, also the dance hall), antarala (vestibule) and garbhagriha (sanctum for darshana and offerings). The temple provides a pradakshina patha for clockwise circumambulatory around the sanctum.

The temple's sikhara is majestic and has 84 fractal-like replicas giving a sense of Kailasha mountain range – the home of Shiva. It dynamically illustrates and embodies Adam Hardy's "emanating cosmos" – a recurring theme in Hindu philosophy (Adam Hardy (2016), Hindu temples and Emanating Cosmos, Religions and the Arts, 20, 112-134). Inside the sanctum is a whitish marble Shiva lingam, likely from the valleys of river Narmada and the source for Narmadesvara mandir – another historic name for this temple. The Mahamandapa includes notable Shaiva tradition's artwork of Sadashiva, Nataraja, Tripurantaka and Andhakasur. The temple extensively includes artwork from Shaktism tradition (Saptamatrikas) and Vaishnavism tradition (Vishnu avatars and Lakshmi). The panels include secular and cultural scenes, as well as scenes from major Hindu epics.

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