Oldest temples in India

The dates measure when worship or building began, and in India that often precedes the present structure by centuries. The Ajanta Caves head the list with rock-cut halls of the 2nd century BC, followed by the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, an ancient shrine whose present building is largely 18th-century. More firmly dated are the Ellora caves, among them the Kailasa Temple, carved down into the rock from about 756, and the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram of about 725. Kedarnath and Kamakhya rest on 8th-century tradition and later rebuilding.