Ancient & Classical Architecture

The 'Dancing Girl' of Mohenjo-daro is a celebrated example of Indus Valley Civilization art, reflecting high craftsmanship in metalwork. The Dancing Girl is made of bronze, created using the lost-wax casting method.

*  Statement 1 is incorrect. Chandraketugarh, located in West Bengal, not Odisha, was an ancient port city known for its extensive trade networks. *  Statement 2 is correct. Inamgaon is a well-known archaeological site in Maharashtra, providing valuable insights into the Chalcolithic period. *  Statement 3 is correct. Kerala has numerous megalithic sites, The megalithic monuments at Mangadu consisted of 28 hard compact and unhewn laterite blocks within an area of 5 cents of land. * Statement 4 is incorrect. Salihundam, is a village and panchayat in Gara Mandal of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. It is a historically important Buddhist monument of ancient Kalinga, not rock-cut caves. Therefore, the correctly matched rows are 2 and 3.

Out of the four sites listed, two were included in the World Heritage List (WHS) in 2023: Shantiniketan and Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas. While Rani-ki-Vav was added to the WHS list in 2014 and the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya in 2002.   * Shantiniketan: It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore's father, Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, in 1863 as a spiritual retreat. Shantiniketan was further expanded by Rabindranath Tagore into Visva-Bharati University in 1921, emphasizing the fusion of traditional Indian and modern Western education.  * Rani ki Vav: It was built in the 11th century CE by Queen Udayamati of the Solanki dynasty in Patan, Gujarat, as a memorial to her husband, King Bhimdev I. It is an exceptional example of stepwell design.  * Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas: These were built during the 12th-13th centuries CE under the patronage of the Hoysala dynasty, centered in Karnataka. Hoysala temples are characterized by star-shaped platforms (jagatis). Some of the renowned temples are Chennakeshava Temple (Belur), Hoysaleswara Temple (Halebidu), and Keshava Temple (Somanathapura).  * Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya: It was built during the reign of Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE at the site where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The concept of a stupa predates Buddhism; it originally served as a pre-Buddhist burial mound. However, it was later adopted and popularized by Buddhism as a key religious monument. Statement 2 is correct: A stupa typically housed relics of the Buddha or revered monks, serving as a sacred repository. Statement 3 is correct: Stupas also functioned as votive and commemorative structures, built to honor significant events or express devotion.

Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: Besnagar (Bhilsa or Vidisha) in Madhya Pradesh, is not particularly well-known for a Shaivite cave shrine. Archaeological excavations revealed remains of Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu temples, but the site is more famous for the Heliodorus Pillar, an ancient Garuda pillar dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Pair 2 is correctly matched: Bhaja Caves (near Pune, Maharashtra) are a group of 22 rock-cut caves built during the 2nd century BC and are well known for their Buddhist architecture and sculptures. Pair 3 is correctly matched: Sittanavasal (Pudukottai district, Tamil Nadu) is a village known for its Jain cave shrine, considered to be among the oldest Jain monuments in India.

* Alexander Rea (1858-1924) was a British archaeologist who worked mainly in South British India. He is known for unearthing a sarcophagus from the hillocks of Pallavaram in Tamil Nadu. * Albert Henry Longhurst (1876-1955) was a British archaeologist and art historian, working in India and Ceylon. From 1927 to 1931 he was in-charge of the systematic digging of Nagarjunakonda. * Robert Sewell (1845-1925) worked in the civil service of the Madras Presidency during the period of colonial rule in India. Sewell undertook archaeological work at the Buddhist stupa at Amaravati, which had already been largely destroyed prior to his arrival. The site had previously been surveyed by Colin Mackenzie and Walter Elliot (1803-1887) * James Burgess (1832-1916), was the founder of the Indian Antiquary in 1872 and an important archaeologist of British India in the 19th century. From 1886-89 he was Director General, Archaeological Survey of India. * Walter Elliot (1803-1887), visited the Amaravati site in 1854, collecting sculpture panels that later became crucial for understanding South Indian Buddhist art.

Statement 1 is correct. One of the 12 holy Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva is in Jyotirlinga here in Somnath. Statement 2 is correct. Al Biruni writes that the temple was built of stone and constructed about 100 years before Mahmud’s attack (which would date it to the 10th century) and that it was set in a fortress surrounded by the sea on 3 sides. Statement 3 is incorrect. The Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of the present-day Somnath Temple in 1951 was performed by India's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, at the invitation of K.M. Munshi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He remarked that it symbolized a victory of reconstruction over destruction.

Pair 1 is correctly matched. Dhauli is located in Odisha. Pair 2 is correctly matched. Erragudi or Yerragudi is located in Andhra Pradesh Pair 3 is incorrectly matched. Jaugada is located in Odisha. Pair 4 is incorrectly matched. Kalsi is located in Uttarakhand.

* Dholavira is one of the five largest Harappan sites and is located in the present-day state of Gujarat, India. It was a prominent city of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, flourishing around 4500 years ago. * Dholavira is renowned for its sophisticated water management system, which includes reservoirs, dams, channels, and other hydraulic structures. * Dholavira was a well-planned city with three distinct divisions: the citadel, middle town, and lower town. The city also had a large stadium or public gathering area, suggesting community events or administrative functions. A remarkable discovery at Dholavira was the earliest known signboard, with inscriptions on a large wooden board, indicating the use of writing for communication or identification. Kalibangan (Rajasthan)
- First site to show ploughed field patterns.
- Fire altars, indicating ritualistic practices.
- Houses made of mud bricks instead of baked bricks.
- No large water reservoirs like Dholavira. Rakhigarhi (Haryana)
- Largest IVC site in India.
- Evidence of multi-roomed houses, pottery, and jewelry making.
- Skeletons found suggest the continuity of Harappan genes.
- No evidence of large-scale fortifications like Dholavira. Ropar (Punjab)
- First Harappan site excavated after India’s independence.
- Harappan culture overlapped with later Vedic culture.
- Evidence of burials with pottery and personal belongings.
- Found near the Sutlej River, showing river-based settlement.

Pair 1 is incorrect. Burzahom, located in the Kashmir Valley, is an archaeological site known for its Neolithic and Megalithic phases. Rock-cut shrines were not a prominent feature of the Neolithic period. Pair 2 is correct. Chandra-Ketugarh is indeed well-known for its terracotta art. Excavations at Chandra-Ketugarh, located near Kolkata in West Bengal, have revealed a vast collection of terracotta objects dating back to the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Pair 3 is correct. Ganeshwar is an archaeological site located in Rajasthan, India. It is known for its Copper Hoard Culture, dating back to the Chalcolithic period (approximately 4000-2000 BCE). Ganeshwar is renowned for its large number of copper artefacts, including tools, weapons, and ornaments, providing valuable insights into ancient metallurgy and trade networks. Therefore, pairs 2 and 3 are correct.