“Living rock” refers to sculptures, monuments and buildings that are sculpted in place, usually out of a mountainside or outcropping of rock, and intended to remain in place; as opposed to most sculptural or carved stone objects for which the stone is transported for carving and the finished work usually transported again and/or assembled in another location.
Some examples of living rock are quite familiar and among the most famous monuments in the world, Mount Rushmore and some of the great monuments of Egypt, for example.
R.J. Evens has assembled a collection of photos on Quazen of some lesser known examples of living rock, both ancient and contemporary: Living Rock: Massive Monuments Sculpted in Situ.
The image above is of a giant Buddha in Leshan, China that is over 70 meters (230ft) in height.
[Via Neatorama]
was well presented by Dan Cruickshank in his TV series Adventures in Architecture by the BBC.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/apr/03/lastnightstvdancruickshank
the part is on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bbjy-wMsfE
not sure how to edit my comments , probably double posted. sorry