English: HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS CREATED WITH HAMMER AND CHISEL!

KAILASA TEMPLE (Cave No. 16 - named after the Kailas Mountain Range of the Himalayas where the God Shiva resides) is one of the most spectacular monuments in the world and it is the largest rock-cut structure anywhere. Rock cut excavation of the temple was done during the reign of Rashtrakuta King KRISHNA-I (756–773 CE) which involved the removal of approximately 200,000 tons of solid rock. In its four levels it contains halls with bases, beams, columns, pilasters, stairs, doorways, windows, monoliths and sculptures. It is quite hard to believe that this temple complex was vertically excavated out of monolithic basalt rocky cliff. And if we visualize the technical, design aspects of the architectural Grandeur of this temple, it would have been pretty much easier to CONSTRUCT the same elaborate temple plan from Bottom to Top than to EXCAVATE from Top to Bottom as it was done by the skilled sculptors of the era.

Also it is beyond our imagination to match the excavation with modern techniques, cost and time that would have taken to create this magnificent master piece.