Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Hindu temple in Khajuraho, India

Kandariya Mahadeva is a Hindu temple in Khajuraho in the Chhatarpur district of India, with a central tower rising 31 meters into the air. Three successive mandapas lead to a Shiva sanctuary at the core of the structure.

The temple was built between 1025 and 1050 CE during the reign of the Chandela king Vidyadhara, who fought Mahmud of Ghazni in 1019 and again at the fort of Kalinjar in 1022. An inscription on a mandapa pilaster names the builder as Virimda, read as Vidyadhara's pseudonym. All Khajuraho temples, this one included, entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986.

The outer walls show scenes from daily life, religious figures and symbolic representations of Hindu philosophy and traditions in detailed stonework. These reliefs connect worldly and spiritual themes in a manner characteristic of Chandela art.

The temple opens daily from sunrise to sunset, and guided tours explain the architectural elements and religious meaning of the different chambers. Good footwear is recommended, as the visit involves a lot of walking and some uneven surfaces.

The name means "the Great God of the Cave", though local tradition links it to Kandarpi, an epithet of Shiva, which became Kandariya over time. An inscription on a mandapa pilaster names the builder as Virimda, read as a pseudonym of King Vidyadhara. The plinth is granite, with sandstone walls above it.