Kailasa Temple, Cave 16 At Ellora Caves Editorial Photo

Cave 16, known as the Kailasa temple, is a particularly notable cave temple in India as a result of its size, architecture and having been entirely carved out of a single rock.The Kailasha temple, inspired by Mount Kailasha, is dedicated to Shiva.It is modeled along similar lines to other Hindu temples with a gateway, an assembly hall, a multi-storey main temple surrounded by numerous shrines laid out according to the square principle,[41] an integrated space for circumambulation, a garbha-grihya (sanctum sanctorum) wherein resides the linga-yoni, and a spire-shaped like Mount Kailash – all carved from one rock.Other shrines carved from the same rock are dedicated to Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, the ten avatars of Vishnu, Vedic gods and goddesses including Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya and Usha, as well as non-Vedic deities like Ganesha, Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati), Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu), Annapurna, Durga and others.[38][39][43] The basement level of the temple features numerous Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakti works a notable set of carvings include the twelve episodes from the childhood of Krishna, an important element of Vaishnavism.