India is a land of many beautiful ancient temples. Which one among the

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 Rath temple at Mamallapuram
The Kailash temple at Ellora
The Chaturbhuja-Vishnu temple at Khajuraho
The Kailash temple at Kanchi
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2011
The correct option is B) The Kailash temple at Ellora.
The description “most extensive and sumptuous rock-cut shrines” and “most marvellous architectural freak” perfectly fits the Kailash Temple (Cave 16) at Ellora. It is a monolithic structure carved out of a single rock face, designed to replicate a structural temple, and is unparalleled in scale and craftsmanship among rock-cut monuments in India.
The Kailash Temple at Ellora, built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty (likely under King Krishna I in the 8th century), is one of the most spectacular examples of Indian rock-cut architecture. It is carved top-down from a single massive rock, creating a complete temple complex with a main shrine, gateway, pavilions, and courtyard. The Rath temples at Mamallapuram are also monolithic but are much smaller and less complex. The temples at Khajuraho and the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchi are structural temples, built stone by stone, not rock-cut.
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