Indian rock-cut architecture is more various and found in greater abundance than any other form of rock-cut architecture around the world. Rock-cut architecture is the practice of creating a structure by carving it out of solid natural rock. Indian rock-cut architecture is mostly religious in nature.

The Oldest Caves is the Barabar caves, Bihar built around 3rd Century BC,other early cave temples are found in the western Deccan, mostly Buddhist shrines and monasteries, dating between 100 BC and 170 AD. They were probably preceded as well as accompanied by wooden structures which are destroyed over time while stone endures. The earliest cave temples include the Bhaja Caves, the Karla Caves, the Bedse Caves, the Kanheri Caves and some of the Ajanta Caves.

Although free standing structural temples were being built by the 5th century, rock-cut cave temples continued to be built in parallel. Later rock-cut cave architecture became more sophisticated as in the Ellora Caves, culminating ultimately the monolithic Kailash Temple. After this, rock-cut architecture became almost totally structural in nature (although cave temples continued to be built until the 12th century), made from rocks cut into bricks and built as free standing constructions. Kailash was the last spectacular rock-cut excavated temple.

Early caves

The earliest caves employed by humans were natural caves used by local inhabitant for a variety of purposes such as shrines and shelters.The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, a World Heritage Site, are on the edge of the Deccan Plateau where deep erosion has left huge sandstone outcrops.

Cave temples

The Western Ghats topography with its flat-topped basalt hills, deep ravines and sharp cliffs, was suited to their natural inclinations. The earliest of the Kanheri Caves were excavated in the 1rst and 2nd centuries B.C. as were those at Ajanta which were occupied continuously by Buddhist monks from 200 BCE to 650 AD.

Other examples of rock cut architecture are the Buddhist and Jain cave basadi, temples and monasteries,

There are around 1200 cave temples still in existence, most of which are Buddhist. The residences of monks were called Viharas and the cave shrines, called Chaityas, were for congregational worship.

The Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, a World Heritage Site, are 30 rock-cut cave Buddhist temples carved into the sheer vertical side of a gorge near a waterfall-fed pool located in the hills of the Sahyadri mountains.

Another example of cave temple architecture are the Badami Cave Temples at Badami, the early Chalukya capital, carved out in the 6th century. There are four cave temples hewn from the sides of cliffs, three Hindu and one Jain, that contain carved architectural elements such as decorative pillars and brackets as well as finely carved sculpture and richly etched ceiling panels. Nearby are many small Buddhist cave shrines.

Monolithic rock-cut temples

The Pallava architects started the carving of rock for the creation of a monolithic copies of structural temples.

Pancha Rathas is an example of monolith Indian rock cut architecture dating from the late 7th century located at Mamallapuram,a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Kailash Temple was created through a single, huge top-down excavation 100 feet deep down into the volcanic basaltic cliff rock. It was commissioned in 8th century by King Krishna I and took more than 100 years to complete. The Kailash Temple located at Maharastra on the Deccan Plateau, is a huge monolithic temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Ellora Caves is also a World Heritage Site.