Rock Cut Temples
For the earlier Hindu temples, rock was the dominant construction material. There were many temples that were even cut, as a solid piece, out of large rock edifices. The temples at Ellora are good examples. These temples were built between the 5th and 10th century in what is presently the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Hindu temples at Ellora were carved out of the mountain from the top down. The picture in this post is one of the Hindu caves at Ellora.
It is important to note that not all the temples at Ellora were Hindu. There are 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu, and 5 Jain “caves”. This is often taken to show that a great deal of religious tolerance was present in the society at that time.