Art & Culture Test 6

Answer – D

• In the Deccan, some of the most architecturally important Jain sites can be found in Ellora and Aihole. Hence statements 1 and 2 are correct.
• Karnataka has a rich heritage of Jain shrines and at Sravana Belagola the famous statue of Gomateshwara, the granite statue of Lord Bahubali which stands eighteen metres or fifty-seven feet high, is the world’s tallest monolithic free-standing structure. It was commissioned by Camundaraya, the General-in-Chief and Prime Minister of the Ganga Kings of Mysore.
• In central India, Deogarh, Khajuraho, Chanderi and Gwalior have some excellent examples of Jain temples. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Answer – A

• The theme of Ravana shaking Mount Kailasha has been depicted several times in the caves of Ellora. Hence option A is correct.

Answer – D

• The temples at Khajuraho are all made of sandstone. Hence statement 1 is true
• They were patronised by the Chandella dynasty. The Lakshamana temple represents the fullfledged, developed style of temple architecture during the time of the Chandellas. Its construction was completed by 954, the year as per the inscription found at the base of the temple, by Yashovarman, the seventh ruler of the Chandella dynasty. The temple plan is of a panchayana type. Hence statement 2 and 3 are true.

Answer – C

• Jain temples at Mount Abu were constructed by Vimal Shah. Notable for a simplistic exterior in contrast with the exuberant marble interiors, their rich sculptural decoration with deep undercutting creates a lace-like appearance. The temple is famous for its unique patterns on every ceiling, and the graceful bracket figures along the domed ceilings. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The great Jain pilgrimage site in the Shatrunjay hills near Palitana in Kathiawar, Gujarat, is imposing with scores of temples clustered together. Hence statement 2 is true.

Answer – D

• Gujarat and Rajasthan have been strongholds of Jainism since early times.
• A famous hoard of Jain bronzes was found at Akota, on the outskirts of Baroda, dated between the end of the fifth and the end of the seventh century CE.
• Many famous Jain bronzes from Chausa in Bihar are now kept in the Patna Museum.
• Many Jain bronzes from Hansi in Haryana and from various sites in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are kept in various museums in India.
• Hence all statements are correct.

Answer – D

• The sculptural art of Nalanda, in stucco, stone and bronze, developed out of a heavy dependence on the Buddhist Gupta art of Sarnath. By the ninth century a synthesis occurred between the Sarnath Gupta idiom, the local Bihar tradition, and that of central India, leading to the formation of the Nalanda school of sculpture characterised by distinctive facial features, body forms and treatment of clothing and jewellery. Hence all statements are correct.

Answer – B

• The monastic university of Nalanda is a mahavihara as it is a complex of several monastries of various sizes. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• Till date, only a small portion of this ancient learning centre has been excavated as most of it lies buried under contemporary civilisation, making further excavations almost impossible.
• All three Buddhist doctrines— Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana—were taught Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Most of the information about Nalanda is based on the records of Xuan Zang previously spelt as ‘Hsuan-tsang’— which states that the foundation of a monastery was laid by Kumargupta I in the fifth century CE; and this was carried forward by the later monarchs who built up a fantastic university here. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Answer – B

• The characteristic features of Nalanda art, distinguished by its consistently high quality workmanship, are that the precisely executed sculptures have an ordered appearance with little effect of crowding. Hence statements 1 is incorrect.
• Sculptures are also usually not flat in relief but are depicted in three-dimensional forms. The back slabs of the sculptures are detailed and the ornamentations delicate. Hence statements 2 is correct.

Answer – C

• Bodhgaya is a pilgrimage site since Siddhartha achieved enlightenment here and became Gautama Buddha.
• While the bodhi tree is of immense importance, the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya is an important reminder of the brickwork of that time.
• The first shrine here, located at the base of the Bodhi tree, is said to have been constructed by King Ashoka; the vedika around it is said to be post-Mauryan, of about 100 BCE; many of the sculptures in the niches in the temple are dated to the eighth century Pala Period, while the actual Mahabodhi temple itself as it stands now is largely a Colonial Period reconstruction of the old seventh century design. Hence both statements 1 and 2 are correct.
• The design of the Mahabodhi temple is unusual. It is, strictly speaking, neither dravida or nagara. It is narrow like a nagara temple, but it rises without curving, like a dravida Hence statement 3 is also correct.

Answer – B

• From the fifth to fourteenth centuries, Buddhist and Jain developments were equally vibrant as Hindu’s, and often went hand in-glove with Hindu ones.
• Sites such as Ellora have Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments; however, Badami, Khajuraho and Kannauj have the remains of any two of the religions right next to each other.
• Hence statements 2 and 3 are correct, while 1 is wrong

Answer – C

• Prehistoric paintings have been found in many parts of the world. We do not really know if Lower Palaeolithic people ever produced any art objects. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• But by the Upper Palaeolithic times we see a proliferation of artistic activities. Around the world the walls of many caves of this time are full of finely carved and painted pictures of animals which the cave-dwellers hunted. The subjects of their drawings were human figures, human activities, geometric designs and symbols.
• In India the earliest paintings have been reported from the Upper Palaeolithic times. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Answer – C

• Remnants of rock paintings have been found on the walls of the caves situated in several districts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Bihar.
• Some paintings have been reported from the Kumaon hills in Uttarakhand also. The rock shelters on banks of the River Suyal at Lakhudiyar, about twenty kilometres on the Almora– Barechina road, bear these prehistoric paintings. Lakhudiyar literally means one lakh caves. Hence statements 1 and 3 are correct.

Answer – A

• Some paintings have been reported from the Kumaon hills in Uttarakhand also. The rock shelters on banks of the River Suyal at Lakhudiyar, about twenty kilometres on the Almora– Barechina road, bear these prehistoric paintings. Lakhudiyar literally means one lakh caves. Hence option A is correct.

Answer – C

• The paintings of the Upper Palaeolithic phase are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as bisons, elephants, tigers, rhinos and boars besides stick-like human figures. Hence both statements 1 and 2 are correct.
• A few are wash paintings but mostly they are filled with geometric patterns.
• The green paintings are of dancers and the red ones of hunters.

Answer – D

• The largest number of paintings belong to Period II that covers the Mesolithic paintings.
• During this period the themes multiply but the paintings are smaller in size. Hunting scenes predominate. Hence statement 1and 2 are correct.
• The hunting scenes depict people hunting in groups, armed with barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows and bows. In some paintings these primitive men are shown with traps and snares probably to catch animals.
• The hunters are shown wearing simple clothes and ornaments. Sometimes, men have been adorned with elaborate head-dresses, and sometimes painted with masks also. Hence statement 3 is right.

Solution: c

The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognizes eight – Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam.

Ministry of Culture has recognised 09 classical dance forms including Chhau.

Solution: b

Sankirtana is one of the few important Indian heritages inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Statement 1 and 2:  Sankirtana performers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur.

Since drums are also used, statement 4 is incorrect.

Sankirtana encompasses an array of arts performed to mark religious occasions and various stages in the life of the Vaishnava people of the Manipur.

Reference: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sankirtana-ritual-singing-drumming-and-dancing-of-manipur-00843

Solution: b

The NāṭyaŚāstra is a Sanskrit text on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni. The Nāṭya Śāstra is notable as an ancient encyclopedic treatise on the arts, one which has influenced dance, music and literary traditions in India. The Natyashastra is the oldest surviving ancient Indian work on performance arts.

Solution: d

Yamini Krishnamurthy was the famous proponent of Kuchipudi dance. The other options are correctly matched.

Solution: b

A total of 13 Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements from India have been inscribed till date on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Chhau dance was inscribed in the list in 2010.

The other intangible cultural heritage elements are:

• Tradition of Vedic chanting
• Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana
• Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre
• Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India
• Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala
• Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan
• Buddhist chanting of Ladakh
• Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur
• Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab
• Yoga
• Nowruz – Iranian New Year celebration
• Kumbh Mela