Temple Architecture MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: A - 1 only

Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh has the famous Suryanarayana Swamy (Sun) temple, said to date to the 7th century, so 1 is correct. Amarakantak in Madhya Pradesh is known as the source of the Narmada and for Shiva and other temples, not a Sun temple, so 2 is wrong. Omkareshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Shiva, not the Sun god, so 3 is wrong. Hence only Arasavalli qualifies.

Correct answer: C - 1 and 3 only

The Tabo monastery lies in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh, so pair 1 is correct, and the Alchi temple complex is in Ladakh, so pair 3 is correct. The Lhotsava Lhakhang temple at Nako is in the Kinnaur region, not the Zanskar Valley, so pair 2 is wrongly located. The answer is 1 and 3 only.

Correct answer: C - a style of temple construction

In Indian temple architecture, 'Panchayatana' refers to a style in which a main shrine stands on a raised platform surrounded by four subsidiary shrines at the corners, making five shrines in all. It is not an assembly of village elders (a), a religious sect (b) or an administrative functionary (d). Hence it is a style of temple construction.

Correct answer: C - 1 and 4

The Chausath Yogini Temple near Morena is a circular temple attributed to the Kachchhapaghata dynasty, so statement 1 is correct, and its circular plan has fed the popular belief that it inspired the design of the Indian Parliament building, so statement 4 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong because it is not the only circular temple in India, as there are other yogini temples such as the one at Hirapur. Statement 3 is wrong because the temple is associated with the yogini or tantric Shakta tradition, not the Vaishnava cult. Hence 1 and 4 are correct.

Correct answer: D - Vijayanagara

Kalyana mandapas, ornate pillared halls built to celebrate the ceremonial marriage of the deity and his consort, are a signature element of Vijayanagara temple architecture, seen in temples such as the Vitthala temple at Hampi and the Varadaraja temple at Kanchipuram. The Chalukyas are known for the experimental temples of Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal. The Chandelas built the Khajuraho group with its sculptural exuberance, and the Rashtrakutas are celebrated for the rock-cut Kailasa temple at Ellora. None of these three dynasties is associated with kalyana mandapas as a defining feature, so Vijayanagara is correct.

Correct answer: C - 3 only

Only statement 3 is correct: Ellora uniquely houses Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves side by side. Statement 1 is wrong because the Barabar caves (Mauryan period) are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves, predating the 6th-century Badami caves. Statement 2 is wrong because the Barabar caves were excavated for the Ajivikas during the reign of Ashoka (and his grandson Dasharatha), not Chandragupta Maurya. Hence option (c).

Correct answer: C - three main styles of Indian temple architecture

The Nagara, Dravida and Vesara are the three main styles of Indian temple architecture, so (c) is correct. Nagara is the northern style with curvilinear shikharas, Dravida is the southern style with pyramidal vimanas and gopurams, and Vesara is the hybrid style of the Deccan combining features of both. Option (a) is wrong as these are not racial groups; option (b) is wrong because India's main linguistic divisions are families like Indo-Aryan and Dravidian; option (d) is wrong because gharanas (such as Gwalior or Kirana) belong to Hindustani music and have entirely different names.

Correct answer: B - Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli

The rock-cut elephant at Dhauli near Bhubaneswar is Mauryan work of the third century BCE, carved above the rock bearing Ashoka's edicts, making it the earliest of the four. The Varaha image in the Udayagiri caves near Vidisha is Gupta sculpture of the early fifth century CE, carved under Chandragupta II. The rock-cut monuments at Mahabalipuram, including the rathas and mandapas, are Pallava creations of the seventh century CE under Narasimhavarman I and his successors. The Lingaraja temple at Bhubaneswar is the latest, an eleventh-century CE Kalinga-style temple. The chronological order is therefore Dhauli, Udayagiri, Mahabalipuram, Lingaraja.