Rock cut art is another unique specimen of Indian art. Basically these rock-cut structures were related to various religious communities. The rock-cut architecture differs from traditional buildings in many ways. The rock-cut art is more similar to sculpture than architecture as cutting out solid rocks produced structures. Some of the finest rock cut structures is found in Bihar and Maharashtra. Chaityas and Viharas are rock cut structures made for Buddhist and Jain monks as their residence and worshipping zones. The rugged hills of the Western Ghats were naturally suited for these places.
The Ratha temples at Mahabalipuram are yet another great specimen of rock-cut architecture in ancient India constructed under the Pallava dynasty. The Stupa at Sanchi is another masterpiece in this regard. However in the Gupta period Buddhism began to be overshadowed by Hinduism resulting in a abundance of Hindu carving. The dramatic rock-cut shrine at Udayagiri, near Bhopal dated 402 AD (the reign of Chandra Gupta II) combining Kushan tradition with innovation, is the earliest example of Gupta Hindu art. Dashavatara Temple at Devgarh near Jhansi, is a well-known Gupta Hindu sculpture,displaying the Nagara (North Indian) style of temples, erected about 425AD. Here, events from Ramayana are depicted in abundance. Ajanta-Ellora, Konarak temple are wonderful work of rock cut art in the history of Indian art.
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