UPSC STATIC QUIZ – Art and Culture : 13 May 2024

Solution: d)

Meenakshi Temple is in TN.

Hawa Mahal is a palace in Jaipur.

Jantar Mantar (there are many, but the famous one) is in Delhi.

The Panch Mahal is known as the wind catcher tower. It was commissioned by sikarwar rajputs.

This is an extraordinary structure employing the design elements of a Buddhist Temple; entirely columnar, consisting of four stories of decreasing size arranged asymmetrically upon the ground floor.

Solution: b)

Options 1 and 3 are correct.

Lomus Rishi caves: Located in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills of Jehanabad district in Bihar, this rock-cut cave was carved out as a sanctuary (man made). It was built during the Ashokan period of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BC, as part of the sacred architecture of the Ajivikas.

Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli was created during Ashoka’s reign (272-231 BC). It is the earliest Buddhist sculpture of Odisha.

Udayagiri Caves: It is a Hindu cave and was made during the Gupta reign. It contains the famous Varaha sculpture.

The Badami cave temples are a complex of Hindu and Jain cave temples located in Bagalkot district in northern part of Karnataka, India. The caves are considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya architecture, which dates from the 6th century.

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Virupaksha Temple is located in Hampi in the Ballari district of Karnataka, India. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple was built by Lakkan Dandesha, a nayaka (chieftain) under the ruler Deva Raya II also known as Prauda Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Hampi, capital of the Vijayanagara empire, sits on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha, as the consort of the local goddess Pampadevi who is associated with the Tungabhadra River.

Solution: b)

These temples were built by the Chandella ruler between AD 900 and 1130.

They are world-wide known for their erotic sculptures. The first recorded mention of the Khajuraho temples is in the accounts of Abu Rihan al Biruni in AD 1022 and the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta in AD 1335.

The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions, Hinduism and Jainism, suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains in the region

Solution: a)

Only Statement 3 is correct.

Architectural edifices in the Indian sub-continent, as elsewhere in the world, were constructed by wealthy people. They were, in descending order, rulers and nobles and their families, merchants, merchant guilds, rural elite and devotees of a cult.

By the twelfth century India was already familiar with monumental constructions in grandiose settings. Certain techniques and embellishments were prevalent and popular, such as trabeation, brackets, and multiple pillars to support a flat roof or a small shallow dome. While arches were shaped in wood and stone, these were unable to bear the weight of the top structure. Now, however, the arcuate form of construction was introduced gradually in which arches could support the weight of the domes.

In spite of the obvious Saracenic, Persian and Turkish influences, Indo-Islamic structures were heavily influenced by prevailing sensibilities of Indian architectural and decorative forms.