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The Kailasanatha Temple at Ellora, carved into a cliffside, is possibly the world’s largest monolithic structure. It was mostly excavated and carved in the mid-700s I love this sort of rock-cut architecture bc it's such a lovely blend of natural & human https://t.co/yjtLs56aED https://t.co/QcNUwL319I
the temple is literally carved into the rock, I want to touch everything https://t.co/6nsPqlJ1NB
quick segue to some of Stockholm's subway stations, which are beautiful in the same way https://t.co/R27MXwYclR
these are from the Nasik Caves, also in Maharashtra, about 4 hours away by bus. These were carved ~120 CE! https://t.co/3jjj4AtxJ4 https://t.co/oGlLgPKxtS
the Buddhist Ajanta caves, *also* in Maharashtra. There are 200+ caves, from 180 BCE to 480 CE. They are mentioned in the memoirs of several medieval-era Chinese Buddhist travellers to India – and then they were forgotten + hidden by jungles until 1819! https://t.co/Ne1iE8biuY https://t.co/1U07c4mRVZ
closer to (my) home, these are the Batu Caves in Selangor, Malaysia. These were excavated more recently, around 1890. I've visited a couple of times. There's a big Thaipusam festival here every year https://t.co/vgY0j2nTtb
of course you can't do a rock-cut architecture thread without talking about Al-Khazneh (The Treasury) at Petra, Jordan. It's believed to be a mausoleum for King Aretas IV of the Nabataean Kingdom (annexed by Rome in 104 AD). So this was done before 100 CE https://t.co/hGsEvcSySa https://t.co/ixvN8jPtMk
@DRMacIver could frame it as research for future books/novels but that might be a cart-before-the-horse, chicken/egg thing. The books themselves are expressions/consolidations of learning. Was a library nerd as a kid and all of this is part of me continuing that process/tradition
@DRMacIver part of a broader ongoing fascination https://t.co/yTNZSq36Mu
The influence of Hinduism on Thai culture is fascinating to me. The Thais have their own version of the Ramayana called the Ramakien In 1989, Indian poet Satya Vrat Shastri translated the Ramakien into Sanskrit https://t.co/bzj53rR5uP https://t.co/WhQdV4AXZf
