There are many stone artifacts from the ancient world made from the hardest rocks on the planet such as granite and diorite. Ancient people cut and shaped them with such high precision that even modern technology can hardly do it easily.

The ancient Indian temple was carved out of a single block of stone

One of the mysteries about the ancient temple of Kailasa, India that has puzzled researchers for many years is: How could ancient people create such a masterpiece from mountain rocks with only rudimentary tools? Is it still difficult for people of the 21st century to do it?

Kailasa Temple, to be precise, is a giant monolithic monolith cut into a temple. It is one of India’s most impressive temples, mainly due to its size and incredible level of architecture and sculpture.

Its exact dimensions are 33.2m wide, 50m long, 29.8m high.

The temple is modeled after the mythical peak of Mount Kailash, home of Shiva, one of the most important gods of Hinduism. Additionally, Kailasa Temple is just one of 34 monasteries and temples in an area spanning just 2 km. The temple was literally excavated out of the surrounding rocks.

According to many authors, this elaborate temple shows that thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations were much more advanced than mainstream scholars can realize.

Thousands of years ago, ancient masons were able to quarry huge blocks of stone – some of them weighing over 50 tons – and transport them to different construction sites, before when precisely shaping super-hard rocks like andesite, and placing large blocks of rock as if the whole process were a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Kailasa Temple in Ellora, Maharashtra, India is a megalithic structure carved from a single block of stone. It is considered one of the most impressive cave temples in India, mainly because of its huge size, architecture and exquisite carvings. In other words, this is one of many places on earth that proves that ancient civilizations around the world became extremely advanced in many fields, possessing a knowledge that allowed them to establish – or sculpting structures that are still standing after thousands of years.

Barabar Caves, India

This is Lomas Rishi cave, one of the man-made Barabar caves. The oldest rock-cut cave exists in India, dating back to the Maurya Empire (322–185 BC).

Rock-cut architecture and cave architecture are often synonymous. This style is the most fascinating and magical element in Indian architecture. It was during the reign of the Mauryan Empire that the construction of the Barbara Caves took place. These caves are the only remaining ruins or a sign of Ajivika, a lost religious belief. The domed shape of the Lomas Rishi cave, one of Barbara’s three caves, and fascinating stories are what attract history fans from around the world.

The largest ancient rocks on the planet

They are called: “ The Rock of Pregnancy”, “The Rock of the South”, and “The Forgotten Rock” . These three monolithic rocks were processed and cut by ancient people and have an unbelievable size. It does not belong to any of the Baalbek structures that we know of.

The ‘forgotten rock’  far exceeds the size of the Great Tam Thach. It weighs 1,650 tons, is 19.6m long, 6m wide, at least 5.5m high – and part of it is still buried underground – making it the largest stone ever mined and processed on earth.

This rock was discovered by the German Archaeological Institute in 2014 and became one of the biggest mysteries in human history. Because it is cut very delicately on all four sides, square and easy as if someone used a knife and cut into a piece of butter.

Phuong Nam Rock is also a name that is not inferior when it weighs up to 1,242 tons, is about 20.5m long, more than 4.56m wide, and 4.5m high.

The Pregnant Woman’s Rock weighs more than 1,000 tons, is 20.76m long, 4m wide at the base, more than 5m at the top, and 4.32m high. This is also the most beautiful rock of the three megaliths – because it lies above the ground and is in good condition after thousands of years of rain and wind.

It is not clear why they were abandoned here, is it because they were too large and too heavy to carry them to the needed area?

Researchers estimate that, with today’s technology, nothing can move these rocks. Because using at least 25 heavy cranes can only lift them up, moving them is impossible.

According to engineer O. Colomichuk’s estimates, to move this huge block of stone – 60,000 people are needed, however, in reality no quarry can accommodate such a large number of workers.

Even in the largest Pyramid in Egypt, the largest block of stone only weighs 50 tons. The stone blocks processed in Baalbek have sizes that people today cannot imagine.