Dadu Aur Madak
Temple Sixteen
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| Temple
Sixteen, known as the Kailasa Temple, is more accurately a series of
connected structures, courtyards, statues, and minarets, all of which
have been fashioned from a solitary promontory of rock by generations
of monks. Many of the photos shone here are from walking around the
edge
of the "cliff" that remains after being hollowed out to create this
masterpiece. As I mentioned on the previous page, it is believed that
it was crafted over a period of 150 years by more than 7000 workers. It
is so massive that barring the rental of a helicopter there is no way
to capture the whole thing in one photo. |
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| Above
is some of the detail of the upper story of the highest and rearmost
part of the structure. Below is a look down onto one of the middle
floor vestibules and the courtyard linking the portico of part of the
rear structure to one of the middle ones. |
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| Above
are to more shots from the south rim facing the rear of the structure
and the front respectively. You will note that the smaller building in
the right photo, which is lower than the two in the left is itself a
tall two stories high. |
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| Above
left is a view from the eastern rim from the back of the tallest part
of the Kailasa Temple. On the right is a look down into the northern
courtyard showing one of the elephants that flank the temple and one of
the stairways going into side rooms that probably served as monks
quarters. The shot below is taken from the north rim, again the people
reveal the height of the smaller structure at the center. Once again, the important thing to remember here is none of this is a "construction", it is, all of it, a carving done from one single piece of rock. |
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| The two shots
of the entry facade above and below convey how difficult it is to take
a single photo of any one portion of this place and have it do justice
to what you are seeing. The facade actually seems to downplay the
beauty that is found inside. I had seen photos of this place years
before, and knew that someday I had to see it. Photos are a humble
substitute. |
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