English: Also known as the Mrikundeswara temple, the Mrikunda Rishi temple faces east, has a large pillared mandapa and Nagara-style shikhara. It has a square plan and is dedicated to Shiva. The sabhamandapa pillars are elegantly carved, with figures of dancers and Hindu deities. The antarala has two niches – one with Shiva-Parvati and the other with Ganesha.

Overview: The Group of Temples at Markanda – also called the Markandi Temples – is a major complex of twenty four Hindu temples from the 9th to 11th century, on the western banks of Wainganga River in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, India. The village is named after this complex and called Markanda. It is about eight kilometers northwest of Chamorshi town.

The twenty four temples at Markanda were first documented and published by Cunningham in 1925. These include Shiva, Vishnu and Devi temples. Of the twenty four temples, four temples survive in a substantial form:

1. Markandeshvara Temple is the main temple; it is also called Markanda Rishi Temple, Markanda Mahadeva Temple or Markanda Deva Temple
2. Yamadharma Temple
3. Mrikunda Rishi Temple
4. Shankara Temple

These temples are notable for their architecture as well as their extensive and beautiful carvings. These narrate Ramayana and Mahabharata scenes, Vedic legends, stories from Shiva, Vishnu and Devi traditions, as well as kama and artha scenes.