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Khajuraho Temples
The best way to describe a vastu temple is to take you to Khajuraho to see the Matangesvara Temple, a "living" temple where a priest continues to perform pujas, and the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, which is an historic monument and no longer used for worship. In 1999, I visited this village with my friend Toshi. Pockmarked paved roads lead into semi-tropical Khajuraho, where undulating low mountains create a natural rhythm in the distance. The two shrines that we planned to see stand back from the skinny main street that cuts through the center of the villagetwo special rooks in a group of the temples created by the Chandella dynasty.
Matangesvara Temple
The eleventh-century AD Matangesvara Temple overlooks the rectangular Shivasagar Lake, which rests at the bottom of the hill that supports the temple. Most scholars believe that this small temple was originally built as a memorial to a Chandella king. It follows the vastu guidelines for such a structure, with a combined sanctum and hall and a roof designed as a pyramid.
Toshi and I joined a small group of worshippers who had come to the modest shrine to receive blessings from the linga (phallus) symbol of Shiva, which is honored inside the small sanctum. Shiva is an extremely popular Hindu deity and most of the significant temples in Khajuraho, including the Kandariya Mahadeva, are dedicated either to him or to Vishnu. In fact, Shiva and Vishnu long ago eclipsed Brahma, the Lord of Creation, in prominence. Very few temples were built to honor Brahma.
We removed our shoes and many of the worshippers pressed either their head or right hand to a lower step on the staircase that led to the temple platform. This is a customary gesture that conveys respect to the deity that is revered within the shrine. Midway up the steps to the small Matangesvara

 
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