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Art & Architecture
History & Culture
Useful for: UPSC Civil Services
Overview
Indian art and architecture include rock-cut caves, stupas, temple styles, sculptural schools and Indo-Islamic buildings and paintings.
Key points
- Ajanta caves are Buddhist; Ellora has Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves; the Kailasa temple at Ellora was built by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I.
- Sculpture schools: Gandhara (Greco-Roman influence, grey schist), Mathura (red sandstone), Amaravati (white marble).
- Temple styles: Nagara (north, curvilinear shikhara), Dravida (south, vimana and gopuram), Vesara (mixed, Deccan).
- Sanchi stupa is a major Buddhist monument with carved gateways.
- Indo-Islamic architecture introduced the true arch and dome; examples include the Qutub complex and the Taj Mahal.
- Odisha’s temples (Lingaraj, Konark) are a Kalinga variant of the Nagara style.
Practice MCQs
From the perspective of definition and scope, which one of the following statements about Art & Architecture is correct?
- Art & Architecture has no exceptions or limitations in exam analysis.
- Indian temple architecture is often discussed through Nagara, Dravida and Vesara labels, but regional forms are more complex.
- Every Indian temple can be classified perfectly into a single rigid Nagara, Dravida or Vesara type without regional variation.
- Art & Architecture is unrelated to institutions, processes or real-world applications.
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Answer: (b) Indian temple architecture is often discussed through Nagara, Dravida and Vesara labels, but regional forms are more complex.. Indian temple architecture is often discussed through Nagara, Dravida and Vesara labels, but regional forms are more complex.
Consider the following statements on Art & Architecture and Buddhism & Jainism, focusing on definition and scope: 1. Every Indian temple can be classified perfectly into a single rigid Nagara, Dravida or Vesara type without regional variation. 2. Buddhism and Jainism accepted the authority of the Vedas as the sole basis of their doctrines. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
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Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2. Neither statement is correct; both are common misconceptions.
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