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Question 9 of 9 · Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms
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The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, completed around 1030 CE, was built by rulers of the:

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Answer: Option D — Chandela dynasty

Detailed Solution

The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, the largest and finest temple at Khajuraho, was built by the Chandela dynasty. It is usually attributed to the Chandela king Vidyadhara and dated to about 1025-1050 CE. (Some older books credit his predecessor Dhanga, who ruled until about 1002 CE, with the temple; Dhanga built the earlier Vishvanatha Temple, dated 999 CE.)

About the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple:

  • It is dedicated to Lord Shiva; its name means "the great god of the cave".
  • It is about 31 metres high.
  • Its main tower (shikhara) is surrounded by 84 smaller miniature towers (urushringas), giving it the appearance of a mountain peak, representing Mount Kailash, the home of Shiva.
  • It has more than 800 finely carved sculptures of gods, goddesses, musicians, dancers, animals and couples.
  • It follows a typical plan with an entrance porch (ardhamandapa), a hall (mandapa), a large hall (mahamandapa), a vestibule (antarala) and the sanctum (garbhagriha), all built on a high platform.

About the Chandelas:

  • They ruled the Bundelkhand region (then called Jejakabhukti) in central India from the 9th to the 13th centuries.
  • Their early capital was Khajuraho, and later Mahoba; they also held the forts of Kalinjar and Ajaigarh.
  • They were originally feudatories of the Gurjara-Pratiharas and became independent in the 10th century under Yashovarman, who built the Lakshmana Temple.
  • Dhanga made the dynasty powerful; Vidyadhara resisted the attacks of Mahmud of Ghazni.
  • The last important ruler, Paramardi (Parmal), was defeated by Prithviraj Chauhan (1182) and later by Qutb-ud-din Aibak (1203).
  • The heroes Alha and Udal, celebrated in the folk ballad "Alha Khand", served Paramardi.

About Khajuraho:

The Khajuraho group of monuments was built mainly between 950 and 1050 CE. Of about 85 original temples, about 25 survive.

They are dedicated to Hindu gods and Jain tirthankaras.

They were rediscovered by the British officer T. S. Burt in 1838.

Other dynasties:

  • Paramaras: ruled Malwa (Raja Bhoja, Dhar).
  • Pratiharas: ruled from Kannauj.
  • Kalachuris: ruled from Tripuri (near Jabalpur).
  • Good to know
  • The Paramaras ruled Malwa from Dhar.
  • The Pratiharas were the Chandelas' former overlords.
  • The Kalachuris ruled from Tripuri.

Quick tip

Remember: Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho = Chandela dynasty (about 1030 CE, usually attributed to Vidyadhara; 84 miniature towers; Shiva); Khajuraho = Chandela capital; Alha-Udal = heroes of Paramardi; rediscovered by T. S. Burt (1838).

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Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India from about the 7th to the 12th century: the Rajput dynasties, the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the South Indian kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, along with the Sangam age and the temple architecture of the period. Questions often ask which dynasty built a temple (the Pallavas built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, and Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur), the capitals of dynasties, and the local self-government of the Cholas. Learning each dynasty with its capital, greatest ruler and one monument is the quickest way to answer these questions. Practise the early medieval India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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