Kailasa Temple, Ellora

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The Kailasa Temple is a huge Hindu temple at Ellora in Maharashtra, India, dedicated to the god Shiva. It was not built from stacked stones. Instead, workers carved it out of one giant cliff of basalt rock, which is why it is called a monolithic rock-cut temple, and it is the largest of all the temples at the Ellora Caves.

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At a glance

Country: India
Location: Ellora, India
Built: 770
Type: Religious building

Quick answers

Where is Kailasa Temple, Ellora?

Kailasa Temple, Ellora is in Ellora, India.

When was Kailasa Temple, Ellora built?

Kailasa Temple, Ellora was built in 770.

The world's largest monolithic rock-cut temple, carved top-down out of a single basalt cliff at Ellora.

Its top rises about 32.6 meters above the courtyard floor. Most of the carving is credited to the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I, who ruled in the 700s, although parts were probably finished later. Experts call it one of the most remarkable cave temples in the world.

How do you carve a temple from a cliff?

Archaeologists think the whole building was sculpted from a single rock, even though the cliff slopes downward from back to front. The carvers worked from the top down, cutting away rock to leave behind walls, pillars, halls and statues. The courtyard around the temple measures about 82 by 46 meters at its base, and it is edged by a three-storey arcade with huge sculpted panels.

What is inside?

The central shrine is dedicated to Shiva and faces a statue of Nandi, his sacred bull. Carved scenes show Shiva as an ascetic and as a dancer, and other gods fill alcoves along the walls. The temple has no inscription saying who built it, so scholars study carvings and old copper-plate records to guess the date. Only traces remain of the paintings that once decorated it.

Fun facts

It was carved from the top down out of a single basalt cliff.
Workers carved the temple out of a single rock instead of building it with blocks.
Its top stands about 32.6 meters above the courtyard.
There is no inscription naming its builder, so historians rely on clues from other records.
It is the largest of the 34 caves and monasteries at Ellora that are open to visitors.