India’s history, culture, heritage and religion are amply depicted in its architectural structures. One such glorious monument is the Kailasa Temple, located in the Ellora Caves of Aurangabad, Maharashtra, a popular tourist destination. The temple, built by King Krishna I of the Rastrakuta dynasty in 760 AD, is mysterious in several ways. Also known as cave 16, this mammoth structure is among the 34 cave temples and sanctuaries collectively known as the Ellora Caves.
These magnificent caves were formed by nature’s seasonal wear and tear. However, the spiritual monasteries and shrines were carved by the Hindus from the face of the cliffs between the 5th and 10th centuries. Let us explore the most intriguing and enigmatic facts about the Kailasa Temple that you probably didn’t know.
The world’s largest monolithic structure
The magnificent Kailasa Temple is the world’s largest monolithic structure carved from a single rock. This 1300-year-old architectural marvel, known as the Great Kailasa, was carved out of volcanic basaltic rock from the Charanandri hills of Sahyadri range. The multi-storied temple is devoted to Lord Shiva, influenced by the Pallava and Chalukya style of architecture. This temple is twice as large as the Parthenon in Athens, with dimensions of 90-feet height, 195-feet length and 145-feet width! It was completed within 18 years, much to the astonishment of archaeologists, whose calculations projected 100 years for such an enormous structure. Constructed by Krishna I, the temple has an interesting tale around it.
The legend of Kailasa temple
The ruling king Krishna I suffered from an incurable illness. In order to save her husband, the queen offered prayers to Prabhu Ghrishneshwara (Shiva) at Elapura, pledging to build a temple if her wish was granted. She also swore to fast until she could catch a glimpse of the shikhara (the topmost roof-like structure) of the temple. As soon the king recovered, the queen ordered the initiation of temple construction. However, architects asserted that it would take years to construct the shikhara.
However, an architect called Kokasa (known as Manikeshwara at the time) told the king and queen that they would see the shikhara in less than a week. And he could meet his target only because of his astuteness of beginning the etching from the top, rather than the bottom. The queen finally fulfilled her oath to Lord Shiva and broke her fast once the shikhara was built.
Carved from top to bottom
The engraving that runs from top to bottom of the Kailasa Temple is among its most stunning and mysterious features. Carving such a flawless construction from the top to bottom even with modern equipment seems impossible, and back then, all the artisans had was chisels and hammers. Fascinating, right? According to archaeologists, vertical excavation for the construction of the Kailasa Temple began at the top and then continued downhill, rolling down the giant boulders that had been broken from the mountain using steel rod drills. Each design and its measurement was meticulously planned, because once a rock was cut, there was no way to undo it.
The temple resembles Mount Kailash
The carving of elephants of the base level create an illusion that elephants are supporting the entire structure. Some traces of the original white plaster made this structure appear snow-covered, resembling the revered Mount Kailash. Constructed by over 7000 labourers for years and blessed by sages, the temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, was built as a reminder of the holy Mount Kailash, the mystic snowy home of the presiding deity. It has been observed by experts that the sculptors had plastered the temple in white in the beginning to make it look like Mount Kailash. Its pyramidal structure also resembles the mountain.
A temple that Aurangzeb could not destroy
Call it the nature or divine power of the almighty, this enormous structure survived the wrath of many Islamic rulers who tried to destroy it. During the reign of the Mughal empire (1862), it is said that 1000 people were sent to destroy the Kailasa Temple by the ruling King Aurangzeb, who destroyed thousands of other Hindu temples. The army could hardly destroy the temple despite working non-stop for 3 years and only succeeded in disfiguring the statues. Finally, Aurangzeb gave up on this task.