Westward along the garden path one comes to the largest and most handsome monument at Khajuraho, the Kandariya Mahadev Temple. This sandstone structure (like all the other temples built entirely without the use of cement and mortar) stands almost 30 meters above ground level and is as long as it is tall. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, with a linga at the centre of the garbha griha.
The temple stairs lead to the platform where one may enjoy the rich sculptural decoration of female figures in a variety of poses. There are ladies playing with a ball, some engaged in writing a letter, others applying make-up, and absorbed in altitude of other activities. On the southern and northern sides, between the balconies are the large-scale erotic panels, and in this temple they are distinctly acrobatic in nature. Below the bands of the main body of the temple are smaller, narrower friezes depicting court life, the army, and processions of elephants and horses.
The temple is approached by the eastern stairway, which has the most beautiful ornate toran, or entrance decoration of the entire group of temples. The floral toran is carved out of a single block of stone.