Indian Architecture Previous Year Questions www.laex.in Page No. 1 https://elearn.laex.in Indian Art & Culture UPSC Previous Year Questions INDIAN ART & CULTURE UPSC PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS www.laex.in https://elearn.laex.in Indian Art & Culture UPSC Previous Year Questions INDIAN ART & CULTURE UPSC PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS INDEX No. of Page No. S.No. Topic Qns From To 01. Indian Architecture, Sculpture and Pottery 27 1 14 02. Indian Paintings 2 14 16 03. Indian Music 2 16 16 04. Indian Dance Forms 5 18 21 05. Languages in India 2 21 22 06. Religions in India 7 22 28 07. Indian Literature 5 29 30 08. Schools of Philosophy 2 30 32 09. Calendars in India 1 33 33 10. Martial Arts in India 1 33 33 www.laexias.com https://elearn.laex.in Indian Art & Culture UPSC Previous Year Questions 1. Indian Architecture, Select the correct answer using the code given below. Sculpture and Pottery a) 1 and 2 only 1. Consider the following pairs : b) 3 only Famous place Region c) 1 and 3 only 1. Bodhgaya Baghelkhand d) 1, 2 and 3 2. Khajuraho Bundelkhand 4. With reference to the art and 3. Shirdi Vidarbha archaeological history of India, which one 4. Nasik (Nashik) Malwa among the following was made earliest? 5. Tirupati Rayalaseema a) Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneswar b) Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli Which of the pairs given above are correctly c) Rock-cut Monuments at Mahabalipuram matched? Codes d) Varaha Image at Udayagiri a) 1, 2 and 4 5. Consider the following pairs: b) 2, 3, 4 and 5 Place of Pilgrimage Location c) 2 and 5 only 1. Srisailam Nallamala Hills d) 1, 3, 4 and 5 2. Omkareshwar Satmala Hills 2. What is/are common to the two historical 3. Pushkar Mahadeo Hills places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram? Which of the above pairs is/are correctly 1. Both were built in the same period. matched? 2. Both belong to the same religious Codes denomination. a) 1 only 3. Both have rock-cut monuments. b) 2 and 3 only Select the correct answer using the code c) 1 and 3 only given below. d) 1, 2 and 3 a) 1 and 2 only b) 3 only 6. With reference to Buddhist history, c) 1 and 3 only tradition and culture in India, which of d) None of the statements given above is correct the following pairs is/are correctly 3. The arrival of Babur into India led to the matched? 1. introduction of gunpowder in the Famous Shrine Location subcontinent 1. Tabo monastery and temple Spiti 2. introduction of the arch and dome in the complex valley region’s architecture Zanskar 2. LhotsavaLakhang temple, Nako 3. establishment of Timurid dynasty in the valley region 3. Alchi temple complex Ladakh www.laexias.co 1 https://elearn.laex.in Indian Art & Culture UPSC Previous Year Questions Codes d) The room in which the nobles belonging to a) Only (i) differentreligions gathered to discuss b) (ii) & (iii) religious affairs. c) (i) & (iii) d) All of these 10. With reference to history of Indian rock- 7. With reference to the cultural history of cut architecture, consider the following India, the term Panchayatan refers to? statements: a) An assembly of village elders 1) The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving b) A religious sect rock-cut caves in India. c) A style of temple construction 2) The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally d) An administrative functionary made for Ajivikas by the emperor 8. With reference to the Indian history of art Chandragupta Maurya. and culture, which ofthe following pairs 3) At Ellora, caves were made for different is/are correctly matched? faiths. Famous Work of Site Sculpture Which of the statement(s) given above is/are I. A grand image of Buddha’s Ajanta correct? Mahapariniravana with a) Only (i) numerous celestialmusicians b) (ii) & (iii) above and the sorrowful c) Only (iii) figuresof his followers below d) All of these II. A huge of Varaha avatar Mt. Abu (Boar incarnation) of Vishnu 11. Which of the following characterise(s) the as he rescuesgoddess earth people of Indus civilization? from the deep and 1. They possessed great palaces and temples. chaoticwaters, sculpted on 2. They worshipped both male and female rock deities. III. Arjuna’s penance/Descent Mamalla 3. They employed horse-drawn chariot for of Gangasculpted on the puram surface of huge boulders warfares. Codes Codes a) (i) & (ii) a) (i) & (ii) b) Only (iii) b) Only (ii) c) (i) & (iii) c) All of these d) All of these d) None of these 9. Ibadat Khana of Fatehpur Sikri was 12. Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called a) The mosque for the use of royal family Chaityas while the others are called b) Akbar’s private chamber for prayer Viharas. What is the difference between c) The hall in which Akbar held discussions thetwo? with scholars of various religions a) Vihar is a place of worship while Chaitya is the dwelling place of the monks. www.laexias.co 2 https://elearn.laex.in Indian Art & Culture UPSC Previous Year Questions b) Chaitya is a place of worship while Vihara is 16.Where is the famous Virupaksha temple the dwelling place of monks. located? c) Chaitya is a stupa at the far end of the cave a) Bhadrachalam while Vihar is the hall axial to it. b) Chidambaram d) There is no material difference between the c) Hampi two. d) Shrikalahasti 13.The Nagara, the Dravida and the Vesara 17.Where is the famous Vijaya-Vittala temple are the: a) Three main racial groups of the Indian sub- having its 56 carvedpillars emitting continent musical notes located? b) Three main linguistic divisions into which a) Belur the languages of India can be classified b) Bhadrachalam c) Three main styles of Indian temple architecture c) Hampi d) Three main musical gharanas prevalent in d) Srirangam India 18.The Allahabad pillar inscription is 14. Regarding the Indus Valley civilisation, associated with which one ofthe following? consider the following statements: a) Mahapadmananda 1. It was predominantly a secular civilisation b) Chandragupta Maurya and the religious element, though present, c) Ashoka did not dominate the scene. d) Samudragupta 2. During this period cotton was used for manufacturingtextiles in India. 19.The initial design and construction of which massive temple took place during Which of the statements given above is/are the reign of Suryavarman II? correct? a) Sri Mariamman temple a) Only (i) b) Angkor Vat temple b) Only (ii) c) Batu Caves temple c) Both (i) & (ii) d) Kamakhya temple d) Neither (i) & (ii) 20.Which of the following pairs is correctly 15. There are only 2 known examples of cave matched? painting of the Guptaperiod in ancient a) Vikramshila University – Uttar Pradesh India. One of these is paintings of Ajanta b) HemkundGurudwara – Himachal Pradesh caves. c) Udayagiri Caves – Maharashtra Where is the other surviving example? d) Amaravati Buddhist Stupa – Andhra Pradesh a) Bagh caves b) Ellora caves 21.Which one the following pairs is not c) Lomash rishi caves correctly matched? d) Nasik caves www.laexias.co 3 https://elearn.laex.in Indian Art & Culture UPSC Previous Year Questions c) Mysore and Bangalore Monastery State d) Sringeri and Dharwar (a) Dhankar monastery Himachal Pradesh (b) Rumtek monastery Sikkim 25. In which of the following cities is the Lingaraja temple located? (c) Tabo monastery Himachal Pradesh a) Bhubaneswar (d) Kye monastery Arunachal Pradesh b) Bijapur 22. Match List I with List II and select the c) Kolkata correct answer using the codes given d) Shravana-Belgola below: 26. Which of the following animals was not List I List II (archaeological finding) represented in seals and terracotta art of (ancientsite) Harappan sculpture? A. Lothal 1. Plough field a) Cow B. Kalibangan 2. Dockyard b) Elephant C. Dholavira 3. Terracotta replica of a plough c) Rhinoceros 4. An inscription comprising 10 d) Tiger D. Banawali large sized signs of the 27. Which of the following pairs is correctly arappan script matched? Codes a) Harappancivilisation – Painted grey ware a) A – 1; B – 2; C – 3; D – 4 b) The Kushanas – Gandhara school of art b) A – 2; B – 1; C – 4; D – 3 c) The Mughals – Ajanta paintings c) A – 1; B – 2; C – 4; D – 3 d) The Marathas – Pahari school of painting d) A – 2; B – 1; C – 3; D – 4 23.Which of the following statements is not 1. Key and Explanation correct? 1. KEY: C a) The statute of Gomateswara at Shravana- Explanation : Belagola represents the last tirthankar of the Bodhgaya- Indo Gangetic Plain Jains. Shirdi- Marathwada b) India’s largest Buddhist monastery is in Nasik- Marathwada Arunachal Pradesh. Educational Objective : Famous Cultural c) Khajuraho temples were built under places and their location Chandela kings. 2. KEY: B d) Hoysaleswara temple is dedicated to Shiva. Explanation : Ajanta- 24. Hoysala monuments are found in The Ajanta Caves are 30 (appro a) Hampi and Hospet ximately) rock-cut Buddhist cave monu b) Halebid and Belur www.laexias.co 4 https://elearn.laex.in Indian Art & Culture UPSC Previous Year Questions ments which date from the 2nd detail. By the late 14th century, the century BCE to about 480 CE Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagara in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state Empire were maintaining rockets and hand- of India. cannon squadrons in their respective The caves include paintings and rock-cut militaries. sculptures described as among the finest Indo-Islamic architecture begins with the surviving examples of ancient Indian art, Ghurid occupation of India at the close of particularly expressive paintings that the 12 century A.D.