🏛️ History & Art-CultureUPSC 2014Architecture in India

With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs. S.No. Famous works of sculpture Site1. A grand image of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below Ajanta2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth from the deep and chaotic waters, sculpted on the rock Mount Abu3. “Arjuna’s Penance”/ “Descent of Ganga” sculpted on the surface of huge boulders Mamallapuram Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

a1 and 2 only
b3 only
c1 and 3 only
d1, 2 and 3
✓ Correct answer: c) 1 and 3 only
ExplanationPair 1 is correctly matched: The Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra) are famous for their rock-cut Buddhist architecture including sculptures and paintings from the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE.The Mahaparinirvana of Buddha (his final passing away) is depicted in Cave 26 where a huge reclining Buddha (over 23 feet long) is shown lying on his right side, with his disciples mourning below and celestial beings above.They were built under the patronage of Satavahana and Vakataka rulers.Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: The Varaha Avatar sculpture is not located at Mount Abu.It is found at Udayagiri Caves near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh.The Udayagiri Caves are famous for their early Gupta period rock-cut sculptures, including the iconic Varaha panel depicting Vishnu rescuing Goddess Earth (Bhudevi) from the ocean.Mount Abu (Rajasthan) is primarily known for its Dilwara Temples (11th-13th century CE) of Jain architecture.Pair 3 is correctly matched: The Arjuna’s Penance or Descent of the Ganges is a massive open-air rock relief located at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) in Tamil Nadu.It dep

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