UPSC Static Quiz – Art and Culture : 17 March 2026

Solution: D

• Torana, is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes seen in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia.
• Torana is a sacred or honorific gateway in Buddhist and Hindu architecture. Its typical form is a projecting cross-piece resting on two uprights or posts. It is made of wood or stone, and the cross-piece is generally of three bars placed one on the top of the other; both crosspiece and posts are usually sculpted.
• Toranas are associated with Buddhist stupas like the Great Stupa in Sanchi, as well as with Jain and Hindu structures, and also with several secular structures.
• In Kalinga architecture we can see the Toran in many temples built from the 7th to 12^th centuries. Jagannath Temple, Puri, Rajarani Temple and Mukteswar Temple are the few example of Kalinga architecture having torana.

Solution: A

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The style of temple architecture that became popular in northern India is known as nagara. In North India it is common for an entire temple to be built on a stone platform with steps leading up to it. Further, unlike in South India it does not usually have elaborate boundary walls or gateways. While the earliest temples had just one tower, or shikhara, later temples had several. The garbhagriha is always located directly under the tallest tower.

Solution: B

Administration: The Chalukya administration was highly centralized unlike that of the Pallavas and the Cholas. Village autonomy was absent under the Chalukyas.

Architecture: The Chalukyas were great patrons of art. They developed the vesara style in the building of structural temples. However, the vesara style reached its culmination only under the Rashtrakutas and the Hoysalas.

Cave temple architecture was also famous under the Chalukyas. Their cave temples are found in Ajanta, Ellora and Nasik.

The best specimens of Chalukya paintings can be seen in the Badami.

Solution: A

Statement 2 is incorrect.

The themes of the paintings are the events from the life of the Buddha, the Jatakas and the Avadanas. Some paintings such as Simhala Avadana, Mahajanaka Jataka and Vidhurpundita Jataka cover the entire wall of the cave.

The other important paintings are the famous Padmapani and Vajrapani. Figures in these caves are painted with considerable naturalism and there is no over-stylisation.

Solution: B

• The Chalcolithic period, also known as the Copper-Stone Age, marks a transitional phase between the Neolithic and the Iron Age. During this time, humans began using copper along with stone tools, but iron was not yet known or widely used. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect because iron technology belongs to a later period (Iron Age), not the Chalcolithic phase.
• Painted pottery is a prominent feature of Chalcolithic cultures across regions such as Malwa, Jorwe, and Ahar in India. These cultures produced distinctive ceramics with geometric and naturalistic designs, reflecting both aesthetic development and cultural identity, making statement 1 correct.
• Additionally, this period witnessed advancements in metallurgy, especially the smelting of copper from its ores. The development of early metal extraction and processing techniques represents a significant technological leap from purely stone-based toolkits, making statement 3 correct.