The Kailasnath temple is one of the largest rock-cut ancient Hindu temples located in Ellora. A megalith carved out of one single rock, it is considered one of the most remarkable cave temples in India because of its size, architecture and sculptural treatment.
Its construction is generally attributed to the 8th century Rashtrakuta king Krishna I in 756-773 CE. The temple architecture shows traces of Pallava and Chalukya styles.
The Kailasnath Temple is notable for its vertical excavation—carvers started at the top of the original rock and excavated downward. The traditional methods were rigidly followed by the master architect which could not have been achieved by excavating from the front.
The entrance to the temple courtyard features a low gopuram. Most of the deities at the left of the entrance are Shaivaite while on the right hand side, the deities are Vaishnavaites .
The arcades are punctuated by huge sculpted panels, and alcoves containing enormous sculptures of a variety of deities. Originally, flying bridges of stone connected these galleries to central temple structures, but these have fallen.
