Kailasa Temple
Kailasa Temple is a Hindu temple located in the central part of the courtyard cut through in the basalt mountain. The uniqueness of the temple structure lies in the fact that it is not built, but cut out from a rock. The temple complex is considered the most important of the cave temples in Ellor and is an excellent creation in the architecture of India. From all other buildings it is separated by 30 meter depth.
Translated by Kailasanatha means "The Lord of Mount Kailas". They erected a temple in honor of the god Shiva in the 7-8th century AD under the leadership of the Pallava dynasty, beginning with Rayasimham and ending with his son Mahendravarman III. About seven thousand workers took part in its construction, using 200 thousand tons of cut down basalt, using only chisel and hammer. From under their hands came a huge temple complex, striking in its size and accuracy of calculations.
During the construction of the Kailasanatha temple, 2 styles of the construction of temples – cave and terrestrial were reunited. First, the necessary size of the rock was separated by cut-off trenches, and then they began to build the temple from above, deepening down. At the same time, they were engaged in the decoration of the complex, performing the finest work on stone carvings and decorating with columns and sculptures that depict Indian deities, heroes of the epic. The entire structure from top to bottom is decorated with carved patterns and different figures, there is simply no place for free from bas-reliefs.
Kailasanatha complex covers a total area of about 2000 square meters. meters and consists of three halls: the temple of the god Shiva, which is surrounded by five cells, the temple of the Nandi bull and a multi-colonial hall for prayers. These composite zones are interconnected by transitions, are located on the same base.
In the middle of the Nandi Pavilion is the statue of a bull that lies its head to the prayer hall. In the center of the most important sanctuary is a three-stage pyramid with a hex dome. At the entrance to the Kailasanatha temple, the monument of the god Shiva rises. From the southern part of the wall of the temple are decorated with embossed compositions depicting episodes « Ramayan », with the northern – with the image « Mahabharaty ».
The lower part of the structure is occupied by a basement 8 meters high. The constructed statues of elephants and lions up to 3 meters high are the foundation for the upper part of the Kailasanatha building. Each figure is individual.
In the interior of the temple, the main decoration is frescoes, which depict the main characters of the ancient Indian epic – god Shiva, Ravan, Sit.
The hand-made miracle of the Kailasanatha Temple is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
