{"id":2520,"date":"2025-05-03T03:39:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T22:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/?p=2520"},"modified":"2025-05-03T03:39:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T22:09:29","slug":"q-what-is-are-common-to-the-two-historical-places-known-as-ajanta-and-mahabalipuram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/upsc\/q-what-is-are-common-to-the-two-historical-places-known-as-ajanta-and-mahabalipuram","title":{"rendered":"Q. What is\/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both were built in the same period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both belong to the same religious denomination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both have\u00a0<strong>rock-cut\u00a0<\/strong>monuments.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Select the correct answer using the code given below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list mcq\">\n<li>1 and 2 only<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3 only<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 and 3 only<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>None of the statements given above is correct<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Answer:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>(b) 3 only<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"notes-hd-6814820a752aa\">Notes:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ajanta-caves\">Ajanta Caves<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drishtiias.com\/images\/uploads\/1576485286_image1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong>\u00a0Ajanta is a series of rock-cut caves in the\u00a0<strong>Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats)<\/strong>\u00a0on Waghora river near Aurangabad in\u00a0<strong>Maharashtra<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Number of Caves:<\/strong>\u00a0There are a total of\u00a0<strong>30 caves<\/strong>\u00a0including the unfinished ones, (<strong>all buddhist<\/strong>), of which\u00a0<strong>five (caves 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29) are chaityagrihas\u00a0<\/strong>(sanctuary) and the\u00a0<strong>rest, sangharamas or viharas<\/strong>\u00a0(monastery).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time of Development<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The caves were developed in the period between\u00a0<strong>200 B.C. to 650 A.D<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Ajanta caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of the\u00a0<strong>Vakataka kings<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Harishena being a prominent one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reference of the Ajanta caves can be found in the travel accounts of\u00a0<strong>Chinese Buddhist travellers Fa Hien<\/strong>\u00a0(during the reign of Chandragupta II; 380- 415 CE) and\u00a0<strong>Hieun Tsang<\/strong>\u00a0(during the reign of emperor Harshavardhana; 606 \u2013 647 CE). .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Painting<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The figures in these caves were done using\u00a0<strong>fresco painting<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The outlines of the paintings were done in red colour. One of the striking features is the\u00a0<strong>absence of blue colour<\/strong>\u00a0in the paintings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The paintings are generally\u00a0<strong>themed around Buddhism<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the life of Buddha and Jataka stories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>UNESCO Site:<\/strong>\u00a0The caves were designated a\u00a0<strong>UNESCO World Heritage site<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0<strong>1983<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Ajanta-Caves-1024x245.jpg\" alt=\"Ajanta Caves\" class=\"wp-image-51704\" style=\"width:796px;height:auto\" title=\"UPSC Prelims Research: Ancient History &amp; Art and Culture 2016 2\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ajanta Caves<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mahabalipuram\">Mahabalipuram<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram<\/strong>, is a\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/world-heritage-sites-in-india-upsc\/\">UNESCO World Heritage site<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0located on the\u00a0<strong>Coromandel Coast<\/strong>\u00a0of the Bay of Bengal in the state of\u00a0<strong>Tamil Nadu<\/strong>, India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Renowned for its\u00a0<strong>exceptional rock-cut temples, monolithic structures, and intricate carvings<\/strong>, Mahabalipuram stands as a testament to the architectural and artistic brilliance of ancient India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is an important town of the\u00a0<strong>erstwhile Pallava dynasty<\/strong>\u00a0that\u00a0<strong>ruled in parts of South India<\/strong>\u00a0from 275 CE to 897 CE.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was\u00a0<strong>founded by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman<\/strong>\u00a0I in the 7<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0century AD.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The name Mamallapuram derives from\u00a0<strong>Mamallan, or \u201cgreat warrior\u201d,<\/strong>\u00a0a title by which the Pallava King\u00a0<strong>Narasimhavarman I<\/strong>\u00a0was known.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>name Mamallapuram got distorted during the British era\u00a0<\/strong>to<strong>\u00a0Mahabalipuram<\/strong>\u00a0and thus it is also known as Mahabalipuram.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mamallapuram contains many surviving\u00a0<strong>7th- and 8th-century Pallava temples and monuments<\/strong>, chief of which are the sculptured rock relief popularly known as\u00a0<strong>\u201cArjuna\u2019s Penance,\u201d or \u201cDescent of the Ganges,\u201d a series of sculptured cave temples, and the Shore Temple<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>town\u2019s Five Rathas, or monolithic temples<\/strong>, are the remnants of seven temples, for which the town was known as\u00a0<strong>Seven Pagodas<\/strong>. The entire assemblage collectively was designated a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/world-heritage-sites-in-india-upsc\/\">UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/a>\u00a0in 1984.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The monuments may be\u00a0<strong>subdivided into five categories:<\/strong>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>mandapas (rock-cut caves)<\/strong>: During the time of\u00a0<strong>Narasimhavarman-I Mamalla<\/strong>, new innovations were introduced in the rock medium in the form of cave temples. Notable examples of the cave temple are\u00a0<strong>Konerimandapa, Mahishmardhini cave, and Varahamandapa.<\/strong>\u00a0These rock-cut caves are richly embellished with sculptural representations known for their natural grace and suppleness. Noteworthy among them are Mahishamardhini, Bhuvaraha, Gajalakshmi, Tirivikrama, and Durga.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>rathas (monolithic temples)<\/strong>: The monolithic temples are locally called \u201cratha\u201d (chariot), as they resemble the processional chariots of a temple. These\u00a0<strong>five monolithic temples are each hewn out of a huge boulder<\/strong>. They display the full form and features of the contemporary temple form and show variations both in ground plan and elevation. They are richly carved with artistic motifs and wall panels depicting many Hindu divinities and royal portraits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The rock reliefs<\/strong>: The sculptural bas reliefs are another very important class of masterly creations created during Mamalla\u2019s reign. There are\u00a0<strong>four such reliefs at Mamallapuram<\/strong>, the most noteworthy among them being the\u00a0<strong>Arjuna\u2019s Penance and Govardhanadhari.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The temples<\/strong>: King Rajasimha introduced structural architecture on a grand scale. The earliest and most modest is the\u00a0<strong>Mukundanayananar temple<\/strong>, followed by the\u00a0<strong>Olakkanesvara temple<\/strong>, perched on a rock near the lighthouse. The tempo of structural edifices culminated in the creation of the famous Shore temple, having the most finite layout of a Dravida vimana, majestically fringing the sea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The excavated remains<\/strong>: Sustained removal of the sand over a period of time has brought to light several buried structures around the\u00a0<strong>Shore temple<\/strong>. Unique among them is a stepped structure, a miniature shrine, a\u00a0<strong>Bhuvaraha image<\/strong>, a reclining image of Vishnu, and a well from Pallava King\u00a0<strong>Narasimhavarman Rajasimha\u2019s reign\u00a0<\/strong>(638-660 CE), all of which are carved in the live bedrock. Remains of additional temples have recently been excavated, including one to the south of the Shore temple.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mamallapuram-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"Mamallapuram\" class=\"wp-image-51705\" style=\"width:698px;height:auto\" title=\"UPSC Prelims Research: Ancient History &amp; Art and Culture 2016 3\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Select the correct answer using the code given below. Answer:&nbsp;(b) 3 only Notes: Ajanta Caves Mahabalipuram<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[40,43],"years":[57],"class_list":["post-2520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc","category-prelims","tag-ancient-history","tag-art-and-culture","years-57"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":1,"label":"UPSC"},{"value":3,"label":"Prelims"}],"post_tag":[{"value":40,"label":"Ancient History"},{"value":43,"label":"Art and Culture"}],"years":[{"value":57,"label":"2016"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"LotusArise","author_link":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/author\/team-lotusarise"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":1,"name":"UPSC","slug":"upsc","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1269,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1,"category_count":1269,"category_description":"","cat_name":"UPSC","category_nicename":"upsc","category_parent":0},{"term_id":3,"name":"Prelims","slug":"prelims","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":1,"count":1251,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3,"category_count":1251,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Prelims","category_nicename":"prelims","category_parent":1}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":40,"name":"Ancient History","slug":"ancient-history","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":40,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":108,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":43,"name":"Art and Culture","slug":"art-and-culture","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":43,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":80,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2520"},{"taxonomy":"years","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/years?post=2520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}