The Matangesvara Temple, Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh India

The Matangesvara temple is in active worship and is the holiest of the Khajuraho temples, besides being the plainest among the local sandstone temples. On plan and in design, it is a grand elaboration of the Brahma temple. While retaining its family- likeness to the Brahma temple, this temple anticipates the compositional arrangement of the mandapa roofs of the developed Khajuraho temples. Its pillars, however, are plain and the ceiling, formed of overlapping concentric courses, shows elementary ornaments of cusps and floral cusps. since both its exterior and interior are almost plain and devoid of the exuberant sculptured and carved ornamentation, there is no doubt that this is one of the earlier temples of Khajuraho, assignable to circa 900-925. The sanctum-floor is almost completely occupied by a large Gauri-patta (6.2m in diameter), supporting a stupendous polished linga (2.5 m high and 1.1 m in diameter). On the linga are written in indelible ink later Persian and Nagari inscriptions which are not of much significance.