Buildings, Paints and Books — Social Studies STD 6 — Question

A monolith is a monument or natural feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock. A monolithic temple is thus a rock- cut temple, carved from a single large rock, and excavated and cut to imitate a wooden or masonry temple with wall decorations and works of art. Carving out of monolithic temples is known to have been started during the Pallava dynasty. The Pancha Rathas is one of the nine monolithic temples at Mahabalipuram, and is a fine example of monolith Indian rock-cut architecture dating back to late 7th century. The Kailash Temple at Ellora is another singular monolithic temple since it was excavated from the top down rather than by the usual practice of carving into the scarp of a hillside. This temple was created through a single, huge top- down excavation 100 feet deep, down into the volcanic basaltic cliff rock.