Kailash Temple, Ellora

Kailash Temple at Ellora is one of the most famous temple among the 34 monasteries and temples here. This temple designated as Cave No. 16 is a true architecture marvel dug of a high basalt cliff. This rock-cut temple in Dravidian architecture with elaborate craftsmanship is a art gallery with sculptural ornamentation.

Designed to resemble Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva is built in the 8th century by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I. The temple was planned and begun under the Rashtrakuta King Dantidurga and major work went on in the reign of King Krishna I.

A two-storeyed gateway opens into a huge courtyard. The sculptural extravaganza on the interiors is a total contrast to the relatively plain exterior. The courtyard is edged by a columned arcade three stories high. This temple complex, with all essential elements of temple, including main shrine, Nandi shrine, gateway, surrounding cloisters and subsidiary shrines.

Most prominent feature about how this monolithic structure is built is its vertical excavation where the temple is carved out of the rock starting at the top and then moving downwards. It is believed that temple is built over a period of 200 years by scooping 400,000 tons of rock all through from outside to inside to give it a remarkable shape that we see and admire today.

The temple is richly carved with niches, pilasters, windows and cornices. The whole temple is decorated with gigantic images of deities, freezes of epic scenes along with fauna, floral, and geometrical designs. We will discover more of this temple in more detail in subsequent posts:

• Flagstaff
• Nandi Mantapa,
• Main Temple
• Top view
• Sculptures (1)