UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 2: Rock-cut Architecture – the Caves of India (24 MCQs)

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UPSC Indian Art and Culture – Chapter 2: Rock-cut Architecture – the Caves of India (24 MCQs) – 24 questions, subject: History. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India are at:

Correct Answer: C [Barabar]

Explanation:

Ashoka's caves in the Barabar hills of Bihar, of the 3rd century BCE, are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.

2.  

An inscription in Ajanta Cave 16 records that the cave was dedicated by a minister of the Vakataka king Harishena. He was:

Correct Answer: A [Varahadeva]

Explanation:

Varahadeva, minister of Harishena, dedicated Cave 16; his inscription there records the gift.

3.  

The doorway of the Lomas Rishi cave imitates:

Correct Answer: D [a wooden hut]

Explanation:

The Lomas Rishi doorway copies in stone the curved roof and beams of a wooden hut, with a frieze of elephants.

4.  

A chaitya hall is usually marked by:

Correct Answer: D [a stupa at the far end and a barrel-vaulted roof]

Explanation:

A chaitya is a prayer hall with a stupa at its far, often apsidal, end under a barrel-vaulted roof.

5.  

The Nasik caves (Pandu Lena) carry inscriptions of the:

Correct Answer: C [Satavahanas]

Explanation:

The Nasik (Pandu Lena) viharas carry inscriptions of Satavahana rulers such as Gautamiputra Satakarni, besides Western Kshatrapa records.

6.  

The second phase of the Ajanta caves was made under the patronage of the:

Correct Answer: A [Vakataka court]

Explanation:

Most of Ajanta's caves were cut in the 5th century CE under the Vakataka court of Harishena.

7.  

The Kailasa temple at Ellora was built under:

Correct Answer: B [Krishna I]

Explanation:

Rashtrakuta.

8.  

The Jain caves at Ellora are numbered:

Correct Answer: D [30–34]

Explanation:

Ellora's Jain caves, including the Indra Sabha, form the last group and are numbered 30 to 34.

9.  

The Mahesamurti (three-headed Shiva) is found at:

Correct Answer: C [Elephanta]

Explanation:

The great three-headed Mahesamurti of Shiva dominates the main 6th-century cave temple on Elephanta island near Mumbai.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. The Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela is at Udayagiri in Odisha.
2. The Udayagiri–Khandagiri caves are Jain caves.
3. The Udayagiri–Khandagiri caves belong to the Gupta period.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Kharavela's Hathigumpha inscription is at Udayagiri and the caves are Jain; statement 3 fails as they date to the 1st century BCE.

11.  

Assertion (A): The Kailasa temple at Ellora is called a monolithic temple.

Reason (R): It was carved out of a single mass of rock, from the top downwards.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Kailasa is called monolithic precisely because it was carved from one mass of rock, working from the top downwards.

12.  

The great Varaha panel of the Gupta period is at:

Correct Answer: A [Udayagiri near Vidisha]

Explanation:

The Gupta-period Udayagiri caves near Vidisha have the great early 5th-century panel of Varaha rescuing the Earth.

13.  

The Badami caves were made by the:

Correct Answer: C [Early Chalukyas]

Explanation:

The Early Chalukyas cut the Badami cave temples at their capital Vatapi (Badami) in Karnataka.

14.  

The cave temple whose inscription says it was made without brick, timber, metal or mortar is at:

Correct Answer: A [Mandagapattu]

Explanation:

Mahendravarman I.

15.  

The three-storeyed Buddhist vihara at Ellora is known as:

Correct Answer: C [Tin Tal]

Explanation:

Tin Tal (Cave 12) is the three-storeyed Buddhist vihara that closes the Buddhist group at Ellora.

16.  

A vihara differs from a chaitya mainly because it has:

Correct Answer: A [cells for monks around a hall]

Explanation:

A vihara is a monks' dwelling: a central hall with small cells around it for living and meditation.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Kailasa temple, Ellora
2. Lomas Rishi cave
3. Second phase of Ajanta
4. Karle chaitya

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [2-4-3-1]

Explanation:

3rd century BCE, around the turn of the era, 5th century, 8th century.

18.  

Ellora is famous because:

Correct Answer: D [it has caves of three faiths]

Explanation:

Ellora has Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jain caves side by side, which makes it a symbol of religious coexistence.

19.  

The Rani Gumpha is located at:

Correct Answer: B [Udayagiri, Odisha]

Explanation:

The Rani Gumpha, a two-storeyed Jain cave with carved friezes, is at Udayagiri near Bhubaneswar in Odisha.

20.  

The caves at Kanheri are located in present-day:

Correct Answer: A [Mumbai]

Explanation:

The Kanheri caves lie inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Borivali in Mumbai.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2021

Which one of the following statements is correct?

Correct Answer: A [Ajanta Caves lie in the gorge of Waghora river.]

Explanation:

the caves are cut into a cliff above the Waghora.

22.  
UPSC Prelims 2016

What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram?

1. Both were built in the same period
2. Both belong to the same religious denomination
3. Both have rock-cut monuments

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Correct Answer: B [3 only]

Explanation:

only the rock-cut monuments are common.

23.  
UPSC Prelims 2013

With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements:

1. The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.
2. The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally made for Ajivikas by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
3. At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: C [3 only]

Explanation:

Barabar is the oldest, and its caves were given by Ashoka; Ellora has Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jain caves.

24.  
UPSC Prelims 2013

Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called Chaityas, while others are called Viharas. What is the difference between the two?

Correct Answer: B [Chaitya is a place of worship, while Vihara is the dwelling place of the monks]

Explanation:

A chaitya is a prayer hall containing a stupa, while a vihara is a monastery where the monks lived.

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