Monolithic architecture in the context of "Sacred architecture"

Sacral architecture (also known as sacred architecture or religious architecture) is a religious architectural practice concerned with the design and construction of places of worship or sacred or intentional space, such as churches, mosques, stupas, synagogues, and temples. Many cultures devoted considerable resources to their sacred architecture and places of worship. Religious and sacred spaces are amongst the most impressive and permanent monolithic buildings created by humanity. Conversely, sacred architecture as a locale for meta-intimacy may also be non-monolithic, ephemeral and intensely private, personal and non-public.

Sacred, religious and holy structures often evolved over centuries and were the largest buildings in the world, prior to the modern skyscraper. While the various styles employed in sacred architecture sometimes reflected trends in other structures, these styles also remained unique from the contemporary architecture used in other structures. With the rise of Christianity and Islam, religious buildings increasingly became centres of worship, prayer and meditation.

A monolithic church or rock-hewn church is a church made from a single block of stone. Because freestanding rocks of sufficient size are rare, such edifices are usually hewn into the ground or into the side of a hill or mountain. They can be of comparable architectural complexity to constructed buildings.

The term monolithic church is used of churches in various countries, not least the complex of eleven churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia, believed to have been created in the 12th century.

The Gommateshwara statue is a 57-foot (17 m) high monolithic statue on Vindhyagiri, also known as Indra-giri in the town of Shravanbelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka. Carved of a single block of granite, it is one of the tallest monolithic statues in the ancient world.

The Gommateshwara statue is dedicated to the Jain figure Bahubali and symbolises the Jain precepts of peace, non-violence, sacrifice of worldly affairs, and simple living. It was built around 983 CE during the Western Ganga dynasty and is one of the largest free-standing statues in the world. It was regarded the tallest Jain statue until 2016. The construction of the statue was commissioned by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya. Neighbouring areas have Jain temples known as basadis and several images of the Tirthankaras. Vindyagiri Hill is one of the two hills in Shravanabelagola. The other is Chandragiri, which is also a seat of several ancient Jain centres, much older than Gommateshwara statue. Chandragiri is dedicated to the Jain figure Bharat, the brother of Bahubali and the son of the first Tirthankara Rishabhnath.