kailasa temple
World’s largest monolithic structure
Known locally as ‘Verul Leni’, the Ellora Caves are known for the Great Kailasa Temple, the largest single monolithic excavation in the world. The Great Kailasa is a separate multi-storey temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. A distinctive feature of this his 1300-year-old architectural marvel is that it was carved from a single volcanic basalt in the Charanandri Hills and is considered the largest monolithic work of art in India and the world. Even the enigmatic temple carvings are carved from the same rock fragment as the rest of the temple. The architecture of the Kailasatemple shows-traces of the Pallava & Chalukya styles. It has attracted many tourists from all over the world for centuries and is one of the must-visit places during your Aurangabad tour in Ellora.
carve from top to bottom
The Kailasa temple architecture is notable for its vertical excavation. Work begins at the top and rolls down a large boulder split from the mountain by a steel auger. There are still visible excavation marks on the surrounding walls. A megalith hewn from a single rock, the Kailasa Temple is the only structure in the world that is haunted from top to bottom. All designs and measurements were planned very carefully. Once cut, there was no way to modify it by adding extra stones or pieces of rock. According to legend, about 200,000 tons of rock were removed to build this monolithic structure.
Built in just 18 years
Built between 756 and 773 AD by Rashtrakta King Krishna I, the Kailasa Temple stands out among all the caves in Ellora and has fascinated researchers and visitors for centuries. Archaeologists had calculated that it would take over 100 years to complete the construction of the temple. But in reality it took him only 18 years to complete it. It is a rock-cut temple that was cut out from the basalt cliff of Charanandri Hills to a U-shape about 50m from the back of about 200,000 tons of rock. Everyone is trying to understand how the rock-hewn temples were built in such a short time using ancient traditional methods without modern technology.
Represent Mount Kailash
The architecture of temples dedicated to Lord Shiva
