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Kailasa temple, Ellora

8th century · 8th century · Also known as Kailasanatha temple, Ellora

The Kailasa temple at Ellora in Maharashtra, India, is a Hindu temple to Shiva carved downward from a single mass of basalt rock. Commissioned by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I in the 8th century, it reproduces a free-standing temple complex with shrine, halls, gateway and life-size elephants, and is the largest monolithic rock-cut structure in the world. It is the centrepiece of the Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kailasa temple, Ellora
Image: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Rashtrakuta dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kailasa temple, Ellora. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kailasa-temple-ellora
MLA
“Kailasa temple, Ellora.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kailasa-temple-ellora. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kailasa temple, Ellora.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kailasa-temple-ellora.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kailasa temple, Ellora’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kailasa-temple-ellora (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻