Caves, Artificial

This was a common architectural form
in the western part of the state of
Maharashtra, particularly in the early
centuries of the common era. The earliest form was the chaitya or rock-cut
cave temple, which is specifically associated with Buddhist architectural sites. A
chaitya typically had a large chamber
sculpted into the side of a hill, usually
with a Buddha image at the far end and
a window above the entrance to admit
more light. These caves were excavated
and sculpted from the top down so that
no scaffolding was necessary. The sides
and central pillars were carved to mimic
wooden construction. Early Hindu
architecture adapted the chaitya form
but eventually moved beyond it to construct free-standing temples. The most
impressive Hindu rock-cut temples are
the caves at Ellora, particularly the
Kailasanatha temple (late 8th c.), dedicated to the god Shiva in his form as the
Lord of Mount Kailas. The Kailasanatha
temple was sculpted out of solid rock
but carved to look as if it were built of
masonry. This temple marked the
height of the artificial cave as an architectural type, although the temples at
Elephanta were done later. After this
period, the emphasis tended to be on
free-standing temples.

Caves, Artificial
The Kailasanatha Temple in the state of Maharashtra is surrounded by artificial caves sculpted into solid rock.