Set 8 | Important Indian Art, Architecture and Sculpture Objectives

Correct Answer is A.

• An artistic movement of great importance flourished under the time of the Pallava rulers of Kanchi.
• They are credited with having built the seven monolithic pagodas, the rathas, in Mahabalipuram.
• There is a Myth that God Indra became jealous of this earthly city, and sank it during a big storm, leaving only the shore temple above water.

Correct Answer is D.

• Chola Art not only influenced the art of Ceylone, but it travelled as far as Java and Sumatra.
• Cholas succeeded the Pallavas and ruled over South India from 9^th to 13^th centuries CE.
• They created the great temples at Tanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Darasurama.
• Brihadesvara temple at Tanjavur is one of the majestic art of the Chola dynasty.
• Motifs like animal figures, foliage sculpture, perforated windows are also seen.

Correct Answer is C.

• Chandellas ruled from 950 to 1100 CE. Responsible for the construction of the towering temples in central India, Kandariya mahadev temple at Khajuraho is one of them.
• These temple were sculpted with human representations of endless variety.

Correct Answer is A.

• The Metropolitan Museum’s Shiva Nataraja was made sometime in the 11^th century during the Chola empire.
• The oldest free-standing stone sculptures of Nataraja were built by Chola Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi.
• Nataraja gained special significance and became a symbol of royalty in Tamil Nadu.
• In this, Shiva embodies those perfect physical qualities as he is frozen in the moment of his dance within the cosmic circle of fire that is simultaneous and continuous creation and destruction of the universe.
• The ring of fire that surrounds the figure is the encapsulated cosmos of mass, time, and space, whose endless cycle of annihilation and regeneration moves in tune to the beat of Shiva’s drum and the rhythm of his steps.

Correct Answer is B.

• Virupaksha temple is located in City of Hampi, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• Hampi is a temple town on the embankment of river Tungabhadra in South India and it is a world heritage site, UNESCO.
• It represents the deity of Vijaynagara rulers and is the most sacred living monument of Hampi.
• Virupaksha is also known as Pampapati.
• It predates the founding of Vijaynagara empire. Shrine of Virupaksha dates back to 7^th century CE but with the time, rulers like Devaraya II(1422-46 CE) and Krishnadevraya(1509-1528 CE), temple reached its present proportion.
• It has a large Sabha Mantapa which is also known as ‘Ranga Mantapa’.
• Tall elegant entrance towers at north, south and east are known for the stucco sculptures.

Correct Answer is C.

• The study of coins is known as numismatics.
• Coins helps us to know the history of the country in many ways.
• They give us the names of the kings of different times.
• Coins have been the primary source of our information over the time.
• Discovery of a large number of Roman Coins in India confirms the fact that there was a trade between India and the Roman empire.
• Symbols of Gupta coinage refers to their zeal for Hinduism.

Correct Answer is B.

• Punch-marked coins are a type of the early coinage of India dating between about the 6^th and 2^nd centuries BCE.
• The first coins in India were minted around the 6^th century BCE by the Mahajanapadas of the Indo-Gangetic Plan and certainly before the invasion of the Alexander the Great in the 4^th BCE.
• Coins of this period were known as Puranas, Karshapanas or pana.
• Several of these kind of coins had symbole like Saurashra had a humped bull and the Dakshin Panchala had a Swastika.
• These coins were of irregular shape.

Correct Answer is A.

• After the Greek Invasion of India, the practice of writing King’s name on the coin was started.
• A large number of coins were issued by the Indo-Bacterian rulers who had region of Punjab and North-Western Frontier.
• The existence of the Malavas, Yaudheyas and the Mitra rulers of Panchala is known only through coins.

Correct Answer is D.

• By the 12^th century CE, the Turkish Sultans of Delhi had replaced the royal designs of Indian kings with Islamic calligraphy.
• The currency made in gold, silver and copper, was referred as tanka and lowered value coins were known as jittals.
• Delhi Sultanate also attempted to standardise the monetary system by issuing coins of different values.

Correct Answer is B.

• Indo-Greeks Ruler Antochios II was the first one to introduce gold coins in India around 270 BCE.
• Apart from it, Gupta coins also serve as a rich source of ancient Indian history coinage. The coins after the Gupta period do not give us much historical information.
• Gupta empire introduced the gold coins at large extent depicting performing rituals of that time.
• Samudragupta’s coins are particularly remarkable as he had coinage made of gold only.
• There were 7 kinds of coins had been seen in the Gupta period, out of all of them, archer type is the most common and characteristic type of Gupta dynasty coins.