Which one of the following is an example of rock-cut temple architecture?

Correct answer: (d) Kailasa Temple of Ellora

Explanation

The Kailasa temple (Cave 16) at Ellora, Maharashtra, is the best-known rock-cut temple in the world. It was carved from the top down out of a single basalt hill, as one piece, in the 8th century CE under the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I.

The other three are structural temples, built of cut stone blocks:

• the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram, built by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha);
• the Rajarajeshwara (Brihadeshwara) temple at Thanjavur, built of granite by the Chola king Rajaraja I;
• the Jagannatha temple at Puri, in the Kalinga style, begun by the Eastern Ganga king Anantavarman Chodaganga in the 12th century.