The conch of Vishnu is known by which name?
- A.Sudarshana
- B.Panchajanya
- C.Kaumodaki
- D.Sharanga
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Panchajanya. Vishnu is recognised by four attributes, and each has its own name: the conch Panchajanya, the discus Sudarshana, the mace Kaumodaki and the lotus. Option A is wrong because Sudarshana is the discus, the flaming wheel held in an upper hand, and swapping the conch and the discus names is the commonest error in this question. Option C is wrong because Kaumodaki is the mace, usually resting on the ground or held upright in a lower hand. Option D is wrong because Sharanga is a bow associated with Vishnu and Rama in the epics, not the conch. The image is completed by the kaustubha jewel, the vanamala garland, the mount Garuda and the consort Lakshmi, and the reclining form on the serpent Shesha is called Anantashayana.
Read the full article: Iconography of Indian Art: Mudras, Avatars, Symbols
Practice Questions
View allThe Bhumisparsha mudra of the Buddha represents which event of his life?
- A.The first sermon at Sarnath
- B.The enlightenment at Bodh Gaya
- C.The great renunciation
- D.The death at Kushinagar
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In the Bhumisparsha, or earth-touching, mudra the Buddha sits with the left hand in his lap and the right hand lowered with the fingers pointing to the ground, calling the earth to witness that he had earned the right to enlightenment against the temptations of Mara.
Read the full explanation →Which mudra of the Buddha is associated with the first sermon at Sarnath?
- A.Dhyana mudra
- B.Abhaya mudra
- C.Dharmachakra mudra
- D.Varada mudra
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The gesture joins the thumb and forefinger of each hand into a circle, the wheel, and holds them before the chest, marking the turning of the wheel of law in the deer park at Sarnath, where the Buddha preached to his first five disciples.
Read the full explanation →Which avatar of Vishnu is depicted as a boar?
- A.Kurma
- B.Varaha
- C.Narasimha
- D.Vamana
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The correct answer is B, Varaha, the boar, third in the usual sequence of ten avatars, carved either fully as a boar or with a boar's head on a human body, often lifting the earth goddess on one tusk.
Read the full explanation →The Nataraja image shows Shiva performing which dance?
- A.Ananda tandava
- B.Lasya
- C.Garba
- D.Chhau
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The Nataraja shows Shiva within a ring of flames, hair flying, the damaru drum in one hand and fire in another, the right foot pressing down the dwarf of ignorance called Apasmara and one hand raised in the gesture of protection; the form is linked with Chidambaram and is the…
Read the full explanation →A Jain Tirthankara image with a serpent hood above the head represents whom?
- A.Rishabhanatha
- B.Mahavira
- C.Parshvanatha
- D.Neminatha
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The correct answer is C, Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankara, who is shown with the hood of a serpent, usually of seven heads, spread over his head and the coils rising behind him; his lanchana, the emblem on the pedestal, is a snake.
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