Monolithic architecture

Monolithic architecture covers buildings carved, cast or excavated from a single piece of material, in historic forms rock. The most basic form of monolithic architecture is a rock-cut building, such as the monolithic churches of Ethiopia or the Pancha Rathas in India. These are cut out of solid rock, to which they remain attached at the base. In most cases this is evident from the remaining surrounding rock, but sometimes a building is cut from an outcrop, as in the Shore Temple in southern India, and only inspection at close quarters reveals that the building is monolithic.