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Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Historical Temple in Khajuraho, Kandariya Mahadeva Temple travel guide

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Main Shiv Sites - Kandariya Mahadev(Khajuraho) - Introduction

Introduction

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Introduction: 
   
The world heritage site, Kandariya Mahadev Temple is situated in Khajuraho. Khajuraho is a small town in the Chhatarpur district of the Bundelkhand region of northern Madhya Pradesh.
    
Initially there were 85 temples in Khajuraho of which only 24 are left and this one is the largest and grandest.
    
The temples of Khajuraho were discovered by an English engineer T. S. Burt in 1938 A.D.
    
Khajuraho has been named after the large number of Khajur (date) palms found in this region. In the ancient times, it was known as Khajurvahak, Khajurpur etc.
   
Of the 4 objectives (Purusharth) of human life - Dharm (righteousness), Arth (wealth), Kaam (desire) and Moksh (salvation) - the temples here, display Kaam with priority. For this, sculpture art has been beautifully integrated into the architecture.

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Mythological Beliefs

Mythological Beliefs: 
   
According to Chandbardai’s composition, Prithviraj Raaso (which also has stories about the origin of other Rajput dynasties), one moonlit night in the summer, Hemvati, the pretty daughter of Hemraj, a Brahmin minister of the King of Kashi, was bathing in the lake when the Moon God (Chandradev) was entranced by her beauty and established illegitimate relations with her.
    
 When Hemvati was ashamed of her act, Chandradev assured her that she would give birth to a successful child who would eventually become a great king. He would build 85 temples in Khajuraho and perform a yagna that would liberate her of her sins.
    
This son of Hemvati was Chandratreya, considered as the first Chandel who also initiated the temple construction.
 

Historical Facts

History: 
   
In 831 A.D., Nannuk first established the Chandel rule in Jejak Bhukti (Bundelkhand), however then he was under the Pratihar influence.
   
In the 10th century, it rose as an independent and powerful kingdom under the leadership of king Dhang. It was from his reign that the construction of the Khajuraho temples began and he built the famous Laxman Temple in 954 A.D.
   
Mahoba was the political centre, Kalinjar the military centre and Khajuraho the spiritual centre of the Chandels.
   
In 1021 A.D., the region was attacked by Mahmood Ghaznavi. But the Chandel king, Vidyadhar and Mahmood agreed to a treaty. The scholar, Abu Rehan, who came with Mahmood, spoke of Khajuraho as the capital of Jajahoti (distortion of Jejak Bhukti).
   
Vidyadhar started the construction of Kandariya Mahadev Temple after the invasion (1025-50) by Mahmood.
   
In 1202 A.D., Khajuraho came under the Turkish Empire after the defeat of Paramdev.
   
In 1335 A.D., Ibn Batuta came here. In his writing, Rihla, he states that there were several temples of the Jogi Kabila (tribe).
   
In the Mughal period, the first conquest of the region was by Humayun, the son of Babar. However it was cut off from the mainstream of politics.
   
In 1838 A.D., the temples in Khajuraho were discovered.
 

Main Places To See

Main Places To See: 
   
 
The Khajuraho temples have been divided into 3 groups on the basis of their geographical location:
   
Western Group:
 
This group has many temples like the Kandariya Mahadev, Laxman Temple, Chaunsath Yogini,  Chitragupt Temple, Vishwanath Temple, Matangeshwar Temple, and Varah Temple etc. The entire  group is the best and has been declared as a world heritage by UNESCO.
Kandariya Temple -
 
This is the largest temple in Khajuraho with a 31 metre tall Garbhgriha (sanctum sanctorum). It is adorned with thousands of idols of which according to Cunningham, 872 are over 2 feet. The temple has 6 parts-Praveshika, Ardhmandap, Mandap, Mahamandap, Antaral, and Garbhgriha. The temple is shaped like a huge Shivling.
Chaunsath Yogini Temple -
 
It is the most ancient temple and due to the presence of the magnificent Chitragupt Temple and the Vishwanath Temple, an annual Khajuraho dance festival is held here.
    
Eastern Group:
 
The temples of this group are influenced by Jainism. The important temples in this group are  Parshvanath Temple, Ghantai Temple, Aadinath Temple, and Shantinath Temple etc. The prominent  Hindu temples are Hanuman Temple, Brahma Temple, and Vaman Temple etc. The idol of  Parshvanath in the Parshvanath temple was installed much later in 1860 A.D.
    
Southern Group:
 
These temples are situated at 5 km to the south of the city. The important temples are Duladev  Temple, Chaturbhuj Temple, and Bija Mandal Temple etc. The temples of this group seem to have  been built the last.
 

Main Festivals

Main Festivals: 
   
Khajuraho Dance Festival:
 
It is the biggest festival in Khajuraho and is being held every year from 25th Feb to 3rd March, since 2002. Artists of all the 6 Indian classical forms of dance, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Bharatnatyam and Manipuri participate in the festival. It is held in front of the Chitragupt Temple and the Vishwanath Temple (Western group).
    
Mahashivratri:
 
It is celebrated in the month of Magh (February/March) with great exuberance when people come from far off places. The religious rituals take place largely in the Matangeshwar Temple; however the splendour of the Kandariya Mahadev Temple is beyond compare.
   
  The other festivals celebrated here are:
Lohri / Makar Sankranti (January)
   
Holi (March)
   
Baisakhi (April)
   
Jheeri Mela:
 
In the Jheeri Village, 14 km from here.
 

Where To Stay

Where To Stay : 
   
Hotels:
 
 Category  General
 Name  Surya Hotel
 Address  Jain Temple Road, Near Bazar, Khajuraho,
 Madhya Pradesh - 471 606
 Telephone  +91 - 7686 - 274 145
 Fax  +91 - 7686 - 274 143
 Web Site  www.hotelsuryakhajuraho.com
   
 
 Category  General
 Name  Hotel Yogi Lodge
 Address  Near Western Temple, Khajuraho
   
 
 Category  Medium
 Name  Jain Hotel
 Address  Near Jain Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh - 471 606
 Telephone  +91 - 7686 - 274 228
   
 
 Category  Medium
 Name  Jhankar Hotel
 Address  Chhatarpur, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh - 471 606
 Telephone  +91 - 7686 - 274 063, 274 194
 Fax  +91 - 7686 - 272 330
 Email  mptjhankar@sancharnet.in
 Web Site  www.fhrai.com
   
 
 Category  High
 Name  Chandela
 Address  Airport Road, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh - 471 606
 Telephone  +91 - 7686 - 272 355 / 72364
 Fax  +91 - 7686 - 72365 / 72366
 Web Site  www.tajhotels.com
   
 
 Category  High
 Name  Radisson
 Address  By-pass Road, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh - 471 606
 Telephone  +91 - 7686 – 272 777
 Web Site  www.radisson.com
 

Location/Climate

Location/Climate: 
 
Location
 
 Geographical  Location  Height  Above  Sea Level  Average Annual Rainfall
 Latitude  Longitude  257 metres  1200 mm
 24° N  80° E
   
 
Temperature

Temperature is given in degrees Celsius.
 
 Month  Jan   Feb   Mar   Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct   Nov    Dec
 Maximum   25  27  35  40  42  39  33  31   32  32   29  25
 Minimum  -7  10  15  22  27  28  26  25  24  20  12  8
   
 
Important Information
Khajuraho is situated at the centre of northern Bundelkhand where a small stream called Khodar, flows.
Monsoon sets in, in the third week of June with rains up to 1200 mm in July-August.
Being situated in the plains, the summer temperature peaks up to 47° Centigrade while that in winter falls up to 4° Centigrade.
The ideal season to visit Khajuraho is between October and March.
 

General Information

General Information: 
 
 STD Code
 07686
 Puja Timings  6.00 a.m.-12.00 p.m., 6.00-9.00 p.m.
 Police Assistance
  +91 - 7686 - 274 032
 Ambulance/Hospital  Khajuraho Hospital, Link Road No. 2
 Tel: +91 - 7686 - 272 498
 Currency  Exchange  State Bank of India
 Khajuraho, Dist-Chhatarpur,
 Madhya Pradesh - 471 606
 +91 - 7686 - 272 373
 ATM Centre  State Bank of India
 Hotel Gautam Complex,
 Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh - 471 606
 Post Office
 Khajuraho Sub Post Office
 Tel: +91 - 7686 - 274 022
 Tourist Office
  +91 - 7686 - 272 348
 Shopping
 Tourists can buy sarees, handicraft articles, and   statues   of Gods etc. from here. Shopping can be   done from Gol   Market.
   
 
Food
Khajuraho has been developed as an international tourist centre and therefore a variety of foods are available here. Some important restaurants are Ganesh Restaurant, Mediterranean, Blue Sky Restaurant, Agrasen etc.
 

Travel Planner

Address (Click on "A" to locate): 
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PDF File: 
application/pdf iconkandariya.pdf
Airports in the vicinity: 
Allhabad
Khajuraho
Satna
Jabalpur
Varanasi
Bilaspur
Railway: 
 Main Railway Stations  Station Code
 Chirakoot dham  CKTD
 Satna  STA
 Jabalpur  JBP
 Ambikapur  ABKP
 Maihar  MYR
 Allahabad  ALD
Road Distance from Destinations: 
 Chitrakoot   Allahabad 218 km
  Khajuraho 111 km
  Satna 80 km
  Jabalpur 274 km
  Kanpur 191 km
 Khajuraho

 

   Jabalpur 240 km
  Maihar 129 km
  Satna 110 km
  Allahabad 247 km
  Varanasi 375 km
 Maihar devi   Satna 39 km
  Varanasi 284 km
  Khajuraho 130 km
  Allahabad 195 km
  Jabalpur 155 km
 Amarkantak   Jabalpur 213 km
  Bhopal 514 km
  Bilaspur 868 km
  Raipur 262 km
  Varanasi 406 km

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