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Kailasa Temple 16, Ellora: 8th century and rising 96 feet, a monolith

Kailasa Temple represents Siva's heaven on a Himalayan glacier, a place no mortal can reach.

Ellora (Marathi: वेरूळ Vērūḷa) is an archaeological site, 30 km (19 mi) from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty (Kannada: ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟ). Well-known for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site. Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 "caves" – actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock-cut temples and viharas and mathas were built between the 5th century and 10th century. The 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves, built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history.

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Uploaded on October 18, 2008
Taken on September 28, 2008