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.
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B. 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. The sculptors cut the figures deep into the rock so that the shifting light of the cave models them in shadow, which is why the site is remembered for sculptural depth rather than for painting or plan.
Option A is wrong because Elephanta has no stupa and is not Buddhist; the Buddhist rock-cut sites of the region are Kanheri, Bhaja, Karle and Ajanta. Option C is wrong because Jain and Vaishnavite images do not dominate here, unlike the Jain caves at Udayagiri or the Ellora group. Option D is wrong because Elephanta is a cave complex cut into a hillside, not a monolith, and it dates from about the sixth century CE, long after the Mauryas.
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 →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 →The Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur was built by which ruler?
- A.Rajendra Chola I
- B.Raja Raja Chola I
- C.Narasimhavarman II
- D.Krishnadeva Raya
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The Brihadeshwara or Rajarajeshwara temple at Thanjavur was completed about 1010 CE by Raja Raja I. Its vimana rises in shrinking storeys to over sixty metres and is crowned by a single huge capstone, the whole structure is of granite, and the courtyard holds one of the largest monolithic Nandi…
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