The famous Gupta period Dashavatara Temple, recognised as one of the earliest Panchayatan temples in north India, is located at:

The correct answer is D, Deogarh. The Dashavatara Temple stands at Deogarh in the Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Betwa, and was built of stone around the sixth century in the late Gupta period. It is dedicated to Vishnu and is named after the ten incarnations shown on its walls, where the panels of Sheshashayi Vishnu, Nara-Narayana and Gajendramoksha are the best known. The temple is the earliest surviving example in north India of the Panchayatana plan, in which the main shrine stands on a raised platform with four smaller shrines at the corners, and it also carries an early curved shikhara that leads on to the Nagara style. A is wrong because Nachna-Kuthara in Madhya Pradesh has the Parvati temple, not this one. B is wrong because Bhitargaon near Kanpur is the well-known Gupta temple built of brick. C is wrong because Tigawa in Madhya Pradesh has the small flat-roofed Kankali Devi temple. Exam tip: Deogarh Dashavatara, stone, Panchayatana; Bhitargaon, brick; both Gupta work.