Mahua Shiva Temple, Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh India

Mahua Shiva Temple, built around the 7th century, is situated at Mahua in Shivpuri District, Madhya Pradesh. It has decorated pilasters with sculptured niches on the cardinal offsets. The temple also has an inscribed record of the 7th century.

The temple, which was built during the 7th and 8th century are smaller and simple in its architecture than the Gupta temples at Sanchi and Tigawa. Mahua Shiva Temple has a more ornate doorframe and pillars and sculptured niches. It is a good example for an ornate temple of the 7th and 8th century. 

Mahua Shiva Temple is a gem from the pages of history as resplendent today as it was when constructed. Mahua, a small nondescript village in Shivpuri has treasures from the 6th and 7th century hidden in plain sight. Mahua village is a part of the ancient area known as Madhumati in the Ranod inscription. The inscriptions suggest the importance of the area amidst Shaiva Saiddhantika believers.

There a few temples that have survived the sands of time to stand resplendently today as a stark reminder of a long lost history. The Shiva Mandapika is one of the few monuments that can be assigned to the latter half of the 7th century CE. The temple as it stands today may point to an incomplete construction or an incomplete restoration. The Shiva temple in Mahua is an exemplary temple from the 7th century dedicated to Lord Shiva.