In which of the following palace built by Akbar in Fatehpur Sikri the Buddhist architecture was followed?
- A.Shaikh Salim Chishti's Tomb
- B.Buland Darwaza
- C.Panch Mahal
- D.Turkish Sultana's Palace
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Panch Mahal. The Panch Mahal is a five-storeyed open pavilion in which each floor is smaller than the one below, ending in a single domed kiosk at the top. This stepped, pyramid-like plan recalls the Buddhist vihara, which is why it is described as following Buddhist architecture. It stands on 176 carved pillars and has no walls on its floors, so it catches the breeze, and it was used by the royal ladies for leisure and to watch the palace courtyards. The mix of Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic styles in Fatehpur Sikri reflects Akbar's open-minded taste. Option A is wrong because Shaikh Salim Chishti's tomb is a white marble Sufi shrine famous for its fine stone screens, or jalis. Option B is wrong because the Buland Darwaza is a huge gateway built to mark Akbar's conquest of Gujarat. Option D is wrong because the Turkish Sultana's palace is a small pavilion known for the rich carving on its walls, not for a Buddhist plan. Exam tip: Panch Mahal = five storeys, Buddhist vihara style; Buland Darwaza = Gujarat victory.
Practice Questions
View allThe Ryotwari experiment in land revenue was started by
- A.Henry Dundas
- B.Alexander Reed
- C.David Ricardo
- D.Mountstuart Elphinstone
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Captain Alexander Read (the name is also spelt Reed) began the Ryotwari experiment in 1792 in the Baramahal region, which the Company had taken from Tipu Sultan, with Thomas Munro as one of his assistants.
Read the full explanation →Who deciphered the Brahmi and Kharoshthi scripts?
- A.Piyadassi
- B.Colin Mackenzie
- C.Alexander Cunningham
- D.James Prinsep
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Prinsep, an official of the East India Company's mint and secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, deciphered the Brahmi script in 1837 and also made the key breakthrough in reading Kharoshthi.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the Justice Party is not correct?
- A.It clamoured for the same kind of separate communal representation for the Non-Brahmins as had been granted to the Muslims by the Morley-Minto Reforms.
- B.It was patronized mainly by richer landowning and urban middle class Non-Brahmins.
- C.It succeeded in getting the provision for 28 reserved seats for the Non-Brahmins in the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.
- D.It supported the call given by the Congress to boycott elections in 1920.
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The Justice Party did not join the Congress boycott of the 1920 elections; it contested them, won a majority in the Madras Legislative Council and formed the first ministry under the new reforms.
Read the full explanation →Which organization was started at the Haridwar Kumbh Mela in 1915?
- A.Sanatan Dharma Sabha
- B.Dev Samaj
- C.Brahmin Sabha
- D.Hindu Mahasabha
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The All-India Hindu Mahasabha held its founding session at Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela of 1915, bringing together the provincial Hindu Sabhas that had grown up, first in Punjab, since 1909.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the All India Depressed Classes Association is not correct?
- A.The All India Depressed Classes Association was formed in Nagpur with M. C. Rajah as its first elected President.
- B.The All India Depressed Classes Association was not attended by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in 1926.
- C.Ambedkar resigned from the All India Depressed Classes Association and formed his own All India Depressed Classes Congress in 1930.
- D.The All India Depressed Classes Association favoured Ambedkar's demand for separate electorate for the depressed classes.
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The All India Depressed Classes Association did not back Ambedkar's demand for a separate electorate; under M. C. Rajah it supported joint electorates with seats reserved for the depressed classes.
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