India is a land of many beautiful ancient temples. Which one among the following temples displays the most extensive and sumptuous rock-cut shrines and is the most marvellous architectural freak in India ?

The Kailash (Kailasanath) temple at Ellora is widely regarded as the most marvelous architectural freak in India due to its unique monolithic construction. Unlike structural temples, it was hewn out of a single solid basalt rock from the top down during the 8th-century reign of Rashtrakuta King Krishna I [5]. This extensive and sumptuous shrine represents the abode of Lord Shiva and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Ellora complex, which contains 34 rock-cut caves [4]. The temple is two-storied, featuring life-size carved elephants that appear to hold the structure, along with intricate murals and sculptures of deities [5]. While the Rathas at Mamallapuram are also significant monolithic rock-cut structures [2], the scale and complexity of the Kailash temple at Ellora, carved entirely from a single rock without modern engineering, make it the most extraordinary example of rock-cut architecture in India [t1][t2].

Sources

1. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Rock-cut and Structural Temples > p. 98
2. [5] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > 9.5 Mamallapuram > p. 129
3. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 8: Harsha and Rise of Regional Kingdoms > Architecture > p. 114
4. [4] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > 9.3Ellora > p. 127
5. [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Caves of Vedic Religions > p. 128