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Art & CultureHardAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper I

With reference to Chausath Yogini Temple situated near Morena, consider the following statements : 1. It is a circular temple built during the reign of Kachchhapaghata Dynasty. 2. It is the only circular temple built in India. 3. It was meant to promote the Vaishnava cult in the region. 4. Its design has given rise to a popular belief that it was the inspiration behind the Indian Parliament building. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A.1 and 2
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 4
  4. D.2, 3 and 4

Correct answer

C. 1 and 4

Explanation

The correct answer is C, 1 and 4. The temple at Mitaoli near Morena is a circular yogini shrine built under the Kachchhapaghatas, and its round, colonnaded plan is popularly linked with the old Parliament House.

The temple stands on a hillock in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh and is dated to the 11th century, to the reign of the Kachchhapaghata king Devapala. Its open circular courtyard is ringed by 64 small cells, one for each yogini, with a shrine to Shiva at the centre. Because the old Parliament House in New Delhi is also a round building with a long colonnade, many people believe its design took inspiration from this temple, though there is no documentary proof.

A is wrong: statement 2 is false, as other circular yogini temples exist, such as those at Hirapur and Ranipur-Jharial in Odisha.

B is wrong: statements 2 and 3 are both false.

D is wrong: statement 3 is false, because yogini temples belong to Shaiva and Tantric worship, not the Vaishnava cult.

Exam tip: Mitaoli (Morena) Chausath Yogini = Kachchhapaghata, 64 cells, circular, "Parliament look-alike".

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Q1.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IMedium

In which one of the following buildings the first extant true arch is found?

  1. A.Arhai din ka Jhonpra
  2. B.Quwwat ul Islam Mosque
  3. C.Tomb of Sultan Balban
  4. D.Alai Darwaza
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Tomb of Sultan Balban

The tomb in Mehrauli, Delhi, built in the late 13th century, has the earliest surviving true arch in India. A true arch is built from wedge-shaped stones (voussoirs) held in place by a keystone at the top, so it spreads weight sideways.

Q2.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

  1. A.Andhra
  2. B.Gandhara
  3. C.Kalinga
  4. D.Magadha
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Andhra

Dhanyakataka is the ancient Dharanikota, beside Amaravati on the Krishna river in present-day Andhra Pradesh. Dhanyakataka was a capital of the Satavahanas, who ruled the Deccan around the beginning of the Common Era, and the great Amaravati stupa stood close by.

Q4.Art & CultureEasy

The Rock Garden at Chandigarh, built out of industrial and urban waste, was created by whom?

  1. A.Le Corbusier
  2. B.Nek Chand
  3. C.M. S. Randhawa
  4. D.Pierre Jeanneret
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Nek Chand

Nek Chand Saini, a roads inspector in Chandigarh, began building figures and courtyards out of broken tiles, bangles, sockets and other waste in a gorge near the Sukhna Lake, and the work he did largely alone became the Rock Garden, now one of the best known sights of the city.