India: Ellora Caves – Cave 16
Cave 16 is the largest monolithic cave excavation in the world having a complete temple with stellae and surrounding rooms dug out of the black basalt. The Kallasha Temple is dedicated to Hindu Shiva and is adorned with sculptures and reliefs of various gods and goddesses as well as dozens of elephants throughout.This cave was “built” in the middle of the 8th century and is often considered the premier example of early Hindu architecture and art. Kallasha Temple was dug out vertically – carvers started with a flat basalt rock an carved downward. It’s absolutely stunning in its magnitude and intricacy and really should be on the wonders of the world list (rather then Taj Mahal).
