Kailasa Temple Ellora

Kailasa Temple, Cave 16 at Ellora, is the crowning achievement of the entire Ellora complex and one of the most extraordinary structures in the world. Carved entirely from a single basalt outcrop between the 8th and 9th centuries under the Rashtrakuta dynasty, the process required removing approximately 200,000 tonnes of rock to reveal a freestanding temple modelled on Mount Kailash. The structure includes a gateway, assembly hall, main shrine, subsidiary shrines and galleries, all decorated with monumental panels of Shaivite and Vaishnava mythology.