Consider the following statements : I. The Kailasanatha temple of Kanchi is the earliest Pallava temple hewn from solid rock. II. The Vaikuntha Perumal temple at Kanchi is a rare Pallava temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- A.I only
- B.II only
- C.Both I and II
- D.Neither I nor II
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, II only. The Kailasanatha temple of Kanchi is a structural temple built of stone blocks, not a temple cut out of solid rock, so statement I is wrong.
Pallava architecture moved in stages. The early rock-cut cave temples (mandapas) came under Mahendravarman I, and the monolithic rathas of Mahabalipuram, carved from single boulders, under Narasimhavarman I Mamalla. Only later, under Narasimhavarman II Rajasimha (around 700 CE), did the Pallavas build structural temples: the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram and the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram, which is dedicated to Shiva. The Vaikuntha Perumal temple at Kanchi, built under Nandivarman II, is dedicated to Vishnu, which made it unusual among the largely Shaiva temples of the dynasty; its walls also carry sculpted panels of Pallava history.
A is wrong because statement I is false and statement II is true. C is wrong because the Kailasanatha temple is structural, not rock-hewn. D is wrong because statement II is correct.
Exam tip: Rock-cut rathas are at Mahabalipuram; Kailasanatha of Kanchi (Shiva) and Vaikuntha Perumal (Vishnu) are structural temples.
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