A megalith carved into a cliff face, it is considered one of the most remarkable cave temples in the world because of its size, architecture, and sculptural treatment.

[5] Most of the excavation of the temple is generally attributed to the eighth century Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (r. c. 756 – 773), with some elements completed later.

The temple contains a number of relief and free-standing sculptures on a grand scale equal to the architecture, though only traces remain of the paintings which originally decorated it.

[6] Kailasa (Kaliash) temple lacks a dedicatory inscription, but there is no doubt that it was commissioned by a Rashtrakuta ruler.

[7] Its construction is generally attributed to the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (r. 756–773 CE), based on two epigraphs that link the temple to "Krishnaraja" (IAST Kṛṣṇarāja):[7][8] However, the attribution of the temple to Krishna I is not completely certain because these epigraphs are not physically connected to the caves, and do not date Krishnaraja's reign.

This, combined with its relatively large size, has led some scholars to believe that its construction spanned the reigns of several kings.

[12] Based on this, art historian Hermann Goetz (1952) theorized that the construction of the Kailasa temple began during the reign of Dantidurga.

According to Goetz, the 11th century Paramara ruler Bhoja commissioned the elephant-lion frieze on the lower plinth during his invasion of Deccan, and added a new layer of paintings.

According to Dhavalikar, the following components were completed by Krishna: the main shrine, its gateway, the Nandi mandapa, the lower storey, the elephant–lion frieze, the court elephants, and the victory pillars.

[16] Dhavalikar admits that the most important sculpture of the temple, which depicts Ravana shaking the Kailasa mountain, appears to have been built after the main edifice.

These include the Lankeshvar cave and the shrine of the river goddesses (possibly constructed during the reign of Govinda III).

Assuming that one person can cut around 4 cubic feet of rock every day, Dhavalikar estimated that 250 labourers would have managed to construct the Kailasa temple at Ellora within 5.5 years.

[22] The Kailasa Temple is notable for its vertical excavation—carvers started at the top of the original rock and excavated downward.

Many 11th–13th century inscriptions from central India mention architects born in the illustrious family of Kokasa.

The arcades are punctuated by huge sculpted panels, and alcoves containing enormous sculptures of a variety of deities.

The central shrine housing the lingam features a flat-roofed mandapa supported by 16 pillars, and a Dravidian shikhara.

is a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon based on an engraving of a painting by Samuel Prout published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833.