UPSC Prelims 2014 · Question 25 of 100
UPSC Prelims 2014 question on Mahaparinirvana Arjunas Penance
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2014
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectArt and Culture
- TopicIndian Architecture
- DifficultyHard
- TypeMatch
With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs:
Famous work of sculpture : Site
1. A grand image of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below : Ajanta
2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth from the deep and chaotic waters, sculpted on rock : Mount Abu
3. 'Arjuna's Penance'/'Descent of Ganga' sculpted on the surface of huge boulders : Mamallapuram
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Show answer
Answer: C. 1 and 3 only
Verdict
The answer is 1 and 3 only. The Mahaparinirvana image is at Ajanta and Arjuna's Penance is at Mamallapuram, but the great Varaha panel is not at Mount Abu.
Analysis
Pair 1 is CORRECT. Cave 26 at Ajanta holds the large reclining Mahaparinirvana Buddha with celestial figures above and mourning followers below. Pair 3 is CORRECT. Arjuna's Penance, also read as the Descent of the Ganga, is carved on the huge boulders at Mamallapuram. Pair 2 is INCORRECT. The famous rock cut Varaha rescuing the earth goddess is at the Udayagiri caves near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh. Mount Abu is known instead for the Dilwara Jain temples in marble.
Source
A. L. Basham, The Wonder That Was India, chapter 8 on the arts, pages 373 and 374, with Archaeological Survey of India material on Ajanta for the first pair.
How to crack it
When you cannot verify all three pairs, verify the one site whose signature monument you do know. Mount Abu means Dilwara marble temples, a completely different material and religion from a rock cut Varaha panel. Recognising that a site's known character does not fit the described work is often faster than recalling the correct site.