UPSC STATIC QUIZ – Art and Culture : 30 May 2024

Solution: d)

The dry, arid soil on a 16-hectare expanse on the outskirts of Khatiya village in Gujarat’s Kutch district has thrown up several surprises — a shell bangle, pottery shards, stones blades, even human skeletal remains.

The Harappan civilisation, one of the oldest in the world, is said to have thrived along the banks of river Indus from around 5,000 BC to 1,000 BC. While the 2,500-year-long period from 5,000 BC to 2,600 BC is known as the ‘pre-urban’ Harappan phase, between 2,600 BC and 1,900 BC is the ‘urban’ Harappan phase. From there on, the civilisation declines and 1,900 BC to 1,000 BC is considered the ‘post-urban’ Harappan period.

So far, the findings at the burial site are consistent with its pre-urban Harappan status.

The fragment of a shell bangle collected from the Khatiya was found to be dating back to 2,850 BC. The pottery found as burial goods at the Khatiya site, mainly redware, buffware and grayware, is comparable to the pre-urban Harappan pottery of Sindh and Balochistan and North Gujarat.”

Solution: a)

Only Statement 1 is correct.

Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley civilization, located in the Bhāl region of what is now the state of Gujarat. The port city is believed to have been built in 2,200 BC.

Lothal was nominated in April 2014 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO. As per the nomination dossier submitted to UNESCO, “The excavated site of Lothal is the only port-town of the Indus Valley Civilisation. A metropolis with an upper and a lower town had in on its northern side a basin with vertical wall, inlet and outlet channels which has been identified as a tidal dockyard.

Solution: d)

Temple architecture

1.Various forms or aspects of the main divinity are to be found on the outer walls of the sanctum. The deities of directions, i.e., the ashtadikpalas face the eight key directions on the outer walls of the sanctum and/or on the outer walls of a temple.

2.Subsidiary shrines around the main temple are dedicated to the family or incarnations of the main deity.

3.Finally, various elements of ornamentation such as gavaksha, vyala/yali, kalpa-lata, amalaka, kalasha, etc. are used in distinct ways and places in a temple.

Solution: a)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Sites such as Ellora have Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments.

Bodhgaya is a pilgrimage site since Siddhartha achieved enlightenment here and became Gautama Buddha. While the bodhi tree is of immense importance, the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya is an important reminder of the brickwork of that time. The first shrine here, located at the base of the Bodhi tree, is said to have been constructed by King Ashoka; the vedika around it is said to be post-Mauryan, of about 100 BCE; many of the sculptures in the niches in the temple are dated to the eighth century Pala Period, while the actual Mahabodhi temple itself as it stands now is largely a Colonial Period reconstruction of the old seventh century design. The design of the temple is unusual. It is, strictly speaking, neither dravida or nagara. It is narrow like a nagara temple, but it rises without curving, like a dravida one.

Solution: b)

Statement 2 is incorrect.

Kuchipudi has its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. Like all major classical dances of India, it was also developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs. The Kuchipudi style was conceived by Siddhendra Yogi, a talented Vaishnava poet of 17th century.

It begins with an invocation to Lord Ganesha followed by nritta (non-narrative and abstract dancing); shabdam (narrative dancing) and natya. The dance is accompanied by song which is typically Carnatic music. The singer is accompanied by musical instruments like mridangam, violin, flute and tambura.

It is one of the major Indian classical dances.