Overview
The eastern group at Khajuraho, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho Group of Monuments. The Parshvanatha temple is the largest and finest Jain temple at the site. Sect: Digambara.
History
Built 950 to 970 CE in the reign of the Chandela king Dhanga, per the 954 CE inscription. The main temple may originally have been dedicated to a different tirthankara than the one now enshrined.
Spiritual Significance
Khajuraho is usually discussed as a Hindu site, and the Jain group is often overlooked. It should not be: these are major Chandela-period temples of the same quality and the same workshops, and they show that Jain and Hindu patronage ran side by side at the capital. The Parshvanatha temple carries something rare: a precisely dated consecration inscription of 954 CE.
Pilgrimage Information
Getting there and getting in. Within Khajuraho town, no climb, visited on the wider monument circuit. Jain temples of this rank commonly prohibit leather articles, restrict photography, and expect bathing before worship. Where this page does not state a restriction, it is because no source documented one for this particular site, not because none applies. Confirm on arrival.
Preservation
Protection status. UNESCO World Heritage, inscribed 1986, as part of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments.
Sources
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
Do you represent this temple? Confirm or correct this page. Tell us which trust, committee or board you speak for and we will verify before changing anything.
Not from the temple, but spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it against the sources.