The monolithic Kailasa temple at Ellora was excavated during the reign of which dynasty?
- A.Rashtrakuta
- B.Chalukya of Badami
- C.Satavahana
- D.Yadava
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Rashtrakuta. Cave 16 at Ellora, the Kailasa temple, was cut for the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I in the eighth century. It is a complete temple with gateway, Nandi shrine, mandapa, sanctum and vimana, but instead of being built up it was carved downward and inward out of a single basalt hillside, so the whole complex is one rock. Ellora, with its Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves side by side, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Option B, the Chalukyas of Badami, worked at Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal and are associated with the early Vesara experiments, not with Ellora. Option C, the Satavahanas, are linked to the earlier Buddhist chaityas at Karle and Bhaja and to Amaravati. Option D, the Yadavas of Devagiri, ruled the Deccan much later and are associated with the Hemadpanti temple style, not with rock-cut excavation on this scale.
Read the full article: Temple Architecture: Nagara, Dravida and Vesara Styles
Practice Questions
View allIn the context of temple architecture, the most important part of the temple is:
- A.Gopuram
- B.Mandapam
- C.Pradakshina Patha
- D.Garbhagriha
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The garbhagriha, the womb house, is the small square windowless cell that holds the image of the presiding deity. Every other part of a temple is added around it: the tower rises over it, the hall stands in front of it and the circumambulatory passage runs around it.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following heritage sites shows the Dravidian style of architecture?
- A.Konark
- B.Bodh Gaya
- C.Akshardham
- D.Hampi
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Hampi on the Tungabhadra in Karnataka was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire, and its Virupaksha, Vittala and Hazara Rama temples are Dravidian work of the most elaborate kind: walled enclosures, towering gopurams, pillared kalyana mandapas, the famous stone chariot and the musical pillars.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following features distinguishes the Elephanta Caves from other rock-cut sites of early India?
- A.They are primarily Buddhist caves with large stupas.
- B.The caves focus on Shaivite themes and feature sculptural depth through light and shadow.
- C.They contain a mix of Jain and Vaishnavite depictions in pillar halls.
- D.The caves are entirely monolithic structures from the Mauryan period.
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Elephanta, on Gharapuri island near Mumbai, is a Shaivite rock-cut group whose panels tell Shiva stories: the Trimurti Sadashiva, Ardhanarishvara, Gangadhara, the marriage of Shiva and Parvati and Shiva as Nataraja.
Read the full explanation →The famous caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri are located in ______.
- A.Uttarakhand
- B.Chhattisgarh
- C.Tripura
- D.Odisha
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The twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri stand near Bhubaneswar and hold Jain rock-cut cells cut for monks in the first century BCE.
Read the full explanation →The Kanheri Caves, built by Buddhists, are located in which of the following states?
- A.Maharashtra
- B.Odisha
- C.Rajasthan
- D.Delhi
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The Kanheri caves are cut into a basalt hill inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.
Read the full explanation →