The Nandi temple is a Hindu temple located in

Khajuraho Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous ...

city of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is dedicated to Nandi, the bull which serves as the mount (

vāhana ''Vāhana'' () or ''vahanam'' () denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership between t ...

) of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, in

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...

. As a common architecture trend, temples of Shiva (and Parvati) display stone images of a seated Nandi facing Shiva. Following the trend, this temple is located opposite to the Vishvanatha Temple, which is dedicate to Shiva. This structure is one of the monument among

Khajuraho Group of Monuments The Khajuraho Group of Monuments are a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India. They are about 46 km (28.6mi) from Chhatarpur, Chhatarpur city, the district headquarter, 283 km (177mi) from Gwalior, southea ...

, a

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Site in

Location

The temple is located in the Western Group of Temple Complex

. Inside the temple complex, it is located opposite to Vishvanath Temple.

is a small village in Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Architecture

The temple stands on a rectangular modest (''chabutara''). The plan of the main structure is of the shape of cross quadrate (combination of cross and rectangle), where the rectangle form the sanctum and the cross edges form the four balconies (one on each side). Image:Nandi Temple Structure The temples walls are like balcony walls and do not complete cover the sanctum completely. The roof rests on the pillars (one at each corner). The border design is made of carvings depicting

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

(front view with head, trunk and two legs). Human figures are also depicted on both side of elephant. Erotic sculpture of couples are also seen on the outer roof. The sculpture of Shiva (with

trishula The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. It is most commonly associated with the deity Shiva and widely employed in his iconography. Etymology The name ''trishula'' ultimate ...

on right shoulder ; and snake on left shoulder) can also be seen on outer roof and wall(along with border design).

Nandi Sculpture

The Nandi Sculpture (see image) is 2.2 m long and 1.8 m high.

Gallery

Image:Khajuraho India, Nandi Temple 01.JPG, Nandi Temple, Khajuraho India Image:Khajuraho India, Nandi Temple 02.JPG, Identification Stone, Nandi Temple, Khajuraho India Image:Khajuraho India, Nandi Temple - Nandi 01.JPG, Nandi, Nandi Temple, Khajuraho India Image:Khajuraho India, Nandi Temple - Nandi.JPG, Nandi, Nandi Temple, Khajuraho India Image:Khajuraho India, Nandi Temple - Nandi 02.JPG, Nandi, Nandi Temple, Khajuraho India

References

External links

M.P. Tourism Website, Official Website of Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Corporation, Khajuraho

* ttp://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/chhatarpur_khajuraho_nanditemple.html Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal Division, Nandi Temple, Khajuraho {{Authority control Bundelkhand Monuments and memorials in Madhya Pradesh World Heritage Sites in Madhya Pradesh Hindu temples in Khajuraho