MPPSC 2023 Prelims Q97: Where is the historical Matangeshwar temple

Q: What is the answer to MPPSC 2023 Prelims Q97?

C. Correct — C, Khajuraho. The historical Matangeshwar temple stands at Khajuraho, Chhatarpur district, built by the Chandela dynasty. It is dedicated to Shiva and houses a large monolithic lingam, and — unlike most of the other Khajuraho temples, which are protected monuments — it remains in active daily worship.

MPPSC 2023 Prelims Paper-I · Question 97 of 100

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official MPPSC answer key.

Where is the historical Matangeshwar temple situated?

(a)Ujjain
(b)Maheshwar
(c)Khajuraho
(d)Vidisha

Answer

Why

Correct — C, Khajuraho. The historical Matangeshwar temple stands at Khajuraho, Chhatarpur district, built by the Chandela dynasty. It is dedicated to Shiva and houses a large monolithic lingam, and — unlike most of the other Khajuraho temples, which are protected monuments — it remains in active daily worship.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Ujjain — Ujjain is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, a different and separately famous Shiva shrine — not the Matangeshwar temple.
(b)Maheshwar — Maheshwar, on the Narmada, is known as Rani Ahilyabai Holkar's capital and its riverside temples/ghats — not the site of Matangeshwar.
(d)Vidisha — Vidisha, near Sanchi, is known for the ancient Heliodorus pillar, not the Matangeshwar temple.

Concept

The Matangeshwar temple at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, is a Shiva temple built by the Chandela dynasty. Unlike most other Khajuraho temples — which are ASI-protected monuments no longer used for worship — Matangeshwar remains an active place of daily worship, housing a large monolithic Shiva lingam.

MPPSC and UPSC both like to pin a named monument to its exact town and builder-dynasty; the trap is picking another well-known Bundelkhand/Malwa-region MP temple town (Ujjain, Maheshwar, Vidisha) instead of Khajuraho.

Key facts

Location: Khajuraho, Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh (Bundelkhand region)
Built by the Chandela dynasty, among the earliest of the Khajuraho temples
Dedicated to Shiva; houses a large monolithic lingam
One of the few Khajuraho temples still in active daily worship, unlike the other ASI-protected monuments there

Matangeshwar Mahadev Temple, Khajuraho — a Chandela-era Shiva temple housing one of India's largest monolithic lingams, standing outside the main Western Group of temples.

Study next

Khajuraho Group of Temples — Western, Eastern and Southern groupsChandela dynasty temple architectureNagara style of North Indian temple architectureOther still-worshipped ASI-protected monuments in IndiaBundelkhand region's historical monuments

Common traps

Confusing Matangeshwar (still actively worshipped) with Kandariya Mahadev, the largest and most famous Khajuraho temple, which is an ASI monument without daily worship
Mixing up Khajuraho's district (Chhatarpur) with nearby Panna or Tikamgarh

MPPSC/UPSC pin named monuments to their exact town and dynasty — expect direct one-line fact questions like 'Temple X is located where / built by which dynasty'.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
The Kandariya Mahadev temple, the largest and most ornate at Khajuraho, was built during the rule of which dynasty?
- (a)Chandela
- (b)Chalukya
- (c)Pallava
- (d)Gupta
Answer(a) Chandela — the Chandela rulers built the entire Khajuraho temple complex, including Kandariya Mahadev.
practice — not a real PYQ
In which district of Madhya Pradesh are the Khajuraho temples located?
- (a)Panna
- (b)Chhatarpur
- (c)Tikamgarh
- (d)Damoh
Answer(b) Chhatarpur — Khajuraho lies in Chhatarpur district, in the Bundelkhand region of MP.