The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple at Khajuraho was built for the Chandela ruler Vidyadhara, who reigned about 1003 to 1035, around 1025 to 1050. A pilaster inscription gives the builder as Virimda, read as a pseudonym for Vidhyadhara. The article names no architect, and the infobox lists the style as North Indian, with a shikhara spire common in Central India from the 10th century. Shiva is the chief deity in the sanctum.
The temple is 102 feet (31 m) high on a 13-foot (4 m) plinth and 102 feet long by 66 feet (20 m) wide. The shikhara carries 84 miniature spires, and the torana is carved from a single stone. The article mentions only stone as a material.
The temple is said to celebrate Vidyadhara's success against Mahmud of Ghazni, after a 1019 battle that was inconclusive. UNESCO listed it in 1986.
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