UPSC Static Quiz – Art and Culture : 22 April 2025

Solution: d)

• The Mimamsa philosophy, particularly Purva Mimamsa, is one of the six orthodox schools of Indian philosophy and focuses primarily on the ritualistic and dharmic aspects of the Vedas. It asserts that the Vedas are eternal, infallible, and self-authenticating, containing all necessary knowledge for righteous living. The school emphasizes that religion is the performance of Vedic duties (karma) as prescribed in the Samhita and Brahmana sections of the Vedas, which include rituals, sacrifices, and duties (dharma).
• The Mimamsa system also contributed significantly to Indian epistemology, particularly concerning the concept of valid knowledge (pramana). Though it does not directly integrate the Nyaya-Vaisheshika schools, Mimamsa shares their emphasis on logic and systematic reasoning to validate Vedic injunctions. Its ultimate goal is not liberation, as in Vedanta or Yoga, but precise interpretation and performance of Vedic duties to ensure cosmic order and societal stability.

Solution: d)

• While construction of stupas continued, Brahmanical temples and images of gods also started getting constructed.
• Often temples were decorated with the images of gods. Myths mentioned in the Puranas became part of narrative representation of the Brahmanical religion.

Each temple had a principal image of a god. The shrines of the temples were of three kinds—(i) sandhara type (without pradikshinapatha), (ii) nirandhara type (with pradakshinapatha), and (iii) sarvatobhadra (which can be accessed from all sides).

Solution: c)

Option 4 is incorrect.

There are many temples at Khajuraho, most of them devoted to Hindu gods. There are some Jain temples as well as a Chausanth Yogini temple, which is of interest. Predating the tenth century, this is a temple of small, square shrines of roughly-hewn granite blocks, each dedicated to esoteric devis or goddesses associated with the rise of Tantric worship after the seventh century.  Several such temples were dedicated to the cult of the yoginis across Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and even as far south as Tamil Nadu. They were built between the seventh and tenth centuries, but few have survived.

Solution: c)

The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, one of the best examples of temples preserved from the medieval period in India, is the largest of the western group of temples in the Khajuraho complex which was built by the Chandela rulers.

The group at Karla is one of the older and smaller of the many rock-cut Buddhist sites in Maharashtra, but is one of the best-known because of the famous “Grand Chaitya” (Cave 8), which is the largest and most completely preserved” chaitya hall of the period

The Dashavatara temple is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples located at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh. Vishnu Temple shows the ornate beauty seen in Gupta style architecture.

Solution: c)

• The phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, meaning “the world is one family”, originates from the Maha Upanishad (Chapter 6, Verse 72) — a minor Upanishad that reflects the universalist and inclusive worldview of ancient Indian philosophical thought. The full verse, “Ayam Nijah Paroveti Ganana Laghuchetasaam, Udaaracharitaanaam tu Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, contrasts narrow-minded thinking that divides people into “mine” and “other” with the noble-hearted perspective that sees the entire Earth as a shared human family.
• This idea promotes universal brotherhood, global peace, and shared humanity, transcending boundaries of caste, creed, religion, or nationality. While often cited in diplomatic and interfaith discourse today, especially in India’s global outreach and soft power narrative, its roots lie deep in ancient Indic philosophy, emphasizing ethical cosmopolitanism.