UPSC Static Quiz – Art and Culture : 15 April 2025

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• Vajrayana, often referred to as Tantric or Esoteric Buddhism, represents a later development in Buddhist practice, focusing on esoteric rituals, symbolic practices, and mantras.
• Statement 1 is correct: Taras, especially the Green Tara and White Tara, are significant deities in Vajrayana and are revered as female Bodhisattvas representing compassion and protection.
• Statement 2 is also correct. Vajrayana practitioners emphasize the use of vajra (thunderbolt or diamond) as a symbol of indestructible power and insight, and believe that through rituals, initiations, and meditative practices involving mandalas, mantras, and mudras, one could attain enlightenment or salvation quickly—sometimes even in a single lifetime.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. Vajrayana Buddhism did not become prominent in southern India. Its main centers were in eastern India, especially in regions like Bengal, Bihar, and later spread to Tibet and the Himalayan regions.

Solution: a)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• Aihole, often referred to as the “cradle of Indian temple architecture,” is renowned for its early Chalukyan architecture, making Statement 1 correct.
• It served as a laboratory for experimenting with different styles of temple architecture during the 4th to 12th centuries CE under the Chalukyas of Badami.
• Statement 2 is also correct, as Aihole is located along the banks of the Malaprabha River in Bagalakote district of Karnataka. The region features more than 120 stone and cave temples representing a blend of religious traditions.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. While Aihole predominantly hosts Hindu temples and a few Jain temples, it also houses at least one Buddhist temple, indicating a pluralistic religious environment. This makes the notion that it has no Buddhist temples inaccurate.

Solution: d)

• According to literary tradition, Nalanda, 10 kilometres north of Rajgir and a suburb of the ancient city, was visited by Buddha and Mahavira.
• By the time of Harsha A.D. 606-648, Nalanda had become the principal centre of Mahayana learning and a famed University town with numerous shrines and monasteries which attracted scholars from far and near.
• The Chinese Pilgrims Huien Tsang and Fa-hien studied at Nalanda and have left account of the settlement and its life.
• Nalanda was an important centre of Pala sculptures and bronzes and has also yielded seals and sealings of great historical significance.

Solution: a)

Only Statement 1 is correct.

• Statement 1 is correct. According to the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, dukkha (suffering) is an essential aspect of human existence, and it arises primarily due to tanha or craving—desires that are never fully satisfied. This craving leads to attachment and perpetual dissatisfaction. The cessation of suffering, he taught, comes through the elimination of craving via the Eightfold Path, which emphasizes right conduct, mindfulness, and wisdom.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The Buddha explicitly rejected extreme asceticism, including the practice of motionless meditation for long durations. Before attaining enlightenment, he practiced such asceticism and found it futile. He then adopted the Middle Path, a balanced approach between indulgence and severe austerity.

Statement 3 is also incorrect. Buddhism does not hold that the natural condition of the universe is suffering, but rather that human experience involves suffering due to craving and ignorance.

Solution: d)

Madhyamaka and Yogācāra are the two main philosophical trajectories associated with the Mahāyāna stream of Buddhist thought.

Madhyamaka refers to a tradition of Buddhist philosophy and practice founded by the Indian philosopher Nāgārjuna (c. 150-250 CE). The foundational text of the Mādhyamaka tradition is Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Madhyamaka thought had a major influence on the subsequent development of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. It is the dominant interpretation of Buddhist philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism and has also been influential in East Asian Buddhist thought.

Yogacara is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through the interior lens of meditative and yogic practices.