History of Kailasa Temple
The history of Kailasa is best told in layers: the Ellora ensemble, the Brahmanical cave group, and one 8th-century monolithic temple attributed to the Rashtrakuta court.
Google Maps ↗ ASI source listing ↗
Independent guide · Page reviewed 9 November 2026 · ASI listing consulted 2026-10-29
Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) is one monument within the UNESCO-listed Ellora Caves. Prices, opening status and routes are dated listings to re-check, not live confirmations.
A temple inside a larger ensemble
UNESCO describes 34 caves at Ellora associated with Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jain traditions, and inscribed the Ellora Caves as a World Heritage property in 1983. Kailasa is Cave 16, one monument among them, not a name for the whole group.
ASI also notes that Ellora, unlike Ajanta, was never lost to oblivion and that records by earlier travellers exist. That continuous visibility is part of why the site has a long documented reception history.
Attribution and chronology
ASI attributes Kailasa to the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I, approximately 757–783. UNESCO gives a broader 7th–10th-century range for the Brahmanical group as a whole, Caves 13–29. A group-wide chronology is not a precise date for every stage of this single monument.
It is therefore more accurate to speak of an 8th-century Rashtrakuta attribution than of a fully documented construction start and completion year.
- ASI: Cave 16 attributed to Krishna I (c. 757–783).
- UNESCO: Brahmanical Caves 13–29 span roughly the 7th–10th centuries.
- UNESCO: 1983 World Heritage inscription of the Ellora Caves property.
- ASI: the rock is Deccan Trap basalt; the monument is excavated, not assembled.
History, art and legend kept apart
The sculptural scene of Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa is an artistic expression of a Shaiva narrative, not evidence of a literal event. Religious stories belong in the cultural interpretation of the monument; dynastic attribution and chronology belong in its documented history.
This guide also avoids unverified engineering figures such as exact tonnage of removed rock, a fixed number of construction years or a claimed workforce size, because those are not established in the sources reviewed.
Sources: ASI Ellora Caves page (consulted 29 October 2026) and the UNESCO Ellora Caves property record. Reviewed 9 November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who built Kailasa Temple?
ASI attributes it to the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I, approximately 757–783. The attribution is to a reign, not a fully documented construction schedule.
How old is Kailasa Temple?
It is generally placed in the 8th century under the Rashtrakutas. UNESCO dates the wider Brahmanical cave group more broadly to the 7th–10th centuries.
Was Ellora rediscovered like Ajanta?
No. ASI states that Ellora was never lost to oblivion and notes records of earlier travellers.
Sources and review limits
Page reviewed 9 November 2026. The ASI Ellora Caves page was consulted 2026-10-29; that review is not an on-site inspection, and no clear page-update date was visible on the ASI listing. A Google Maps snapshot or a UNESCO property coordinate is not a verified entrance, ticket counter or accessibility survey.
- Archaeological Survey of India: Ellora Caves — identity, historical attribution, listed opening hours and admission categories.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ellora Caves — the 1983 inscription, the ensemble and its artistic significance.
- ASI official ticket service — check the actual visit date, eligibility and current charge.
- Google Maps: Kailasa Temple — dated manual snapshot, not site-collected reviews.
No business name, price, timetable, distance, star rating or review score is published here without verification. Temporary closures, conservation work and special orders may override any general listing.