rock-cut architecture occupies a particularly important place in the history of indian architecture. the earliest instances of indian rock-cut architecture, the barabar caves, date from about the 3rd to the 2nd century bce. they were built by the buddhist monks and consisted mostly of multi-storey buildings carved into the mountain face to contain living and sleeping quarters, kitchens, and monastic spaces. some of these monastic caves had shrines in them to the buddha, bodhisattvas and saints. as time progressed, the interiors became more elaborate and systematized; surfaces were often decorated with paintings, such as those at ajanta. at the beginning of the 7th century hindu rock-cut temples began to be constructed at ellora. unlike most previous examples of rock-cut architecture which consisted of a facade plus an interior, these temples were complete three-dimensional buildings created by carving away the hillside. they required several generations of planning and coordination to complete. other major examples of rock-cut architecture in india are at ajanta and pataleshwar.