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Q69 (IAS/2017) History & Culture › Art & Architecture › Indian painting traditions Official Key

The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is located to the left of the entrance to the antechamber of the main shrine of the cave at Ajanta.[3] This gentle figure is one of the masterpieces of Indian art.[4] The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani from Cave I is one of the masterpieces of Ajanta Painting executed in the late 6th century CE.[6] The Padmapani, meaning "Bearer of the Lotus," is among the most celebrated and frequently reproduced paintings from the Ajanta cave complex, showcasing the high artistic achievement of ancient Indian Buddhist art. The other options—Badami, Bagh, and Ellora—are all significant cave complexes in India with their own artistic heritage, but the famous Bodhisattva Padmapani painting is specifically associated with Ajanta Cave 1.

Sources
  1. [1] https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30224725.ece
  2. [2] https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30224725.ece
  3. [3] https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30224725.ece
  4. [4] https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30224725.ece
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Q. The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at [A] Ajanta [B] Badami [C] Bagh [D] E…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a 'Cover Page' question—literally the most iconic image in Indian Art History found in the Class XI Fine Arts NCERT. While the skeleton flagged it as web-based, for a serious aspirant, this is purely static. If you miss this, your core textbooks are unread.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is the painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani located at the Ajanta Caves?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"To the left of the entrance to the antechamber of the main shrine of the cave is a painting of the Bodhisattva Padmapani, the Bearer of the Lotus."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly names a painting of the Bodhisattva Padmapani at Ajanta.
  • Specifies its location: left of the entrance to the antechamber of the main shrine of the cave, tying the figure to Ajanta cave context.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Padmapani, the Bearer of the Lotus. This gentle figure is one of the masterpieces of Indian art. Cave 1, Ajanta."
Why this source?
  • Directly identifies 'The Padmapani' as a masterpiece located in Cave 1, Ajanta.
  • Reinforces that the figure is associated with the Ajanta cave paintings tradition.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings > Paintings from the past > p. 102
Strength: 4/5
“While stone sculpture survives the ravages of time and is therefore most easily available to the historian, other visual means of communication, including paintings, were also used in the past. Those that have survived best are on walls of caves, of which those from Ajanta (Maharashtra) are the most famous. The paintings at Ajanta depict stories from the Jatakas. These include depictions of courtly life, processions, men and women at work, and festivals. The artists used the technique of shading to give a three-dimensional quality. Some of the paintings are extremely naturalistic. Another motif is that of a woman surrounded by lotuses and elephants (Fig.”
Why relevant

States Ajanta (Maharashtra) is the most famous site for cave paintings and mentions a motif of a woman surrounded by lotuses and elephants in Ajanta paintings.

How to extend

A student could note that Padmapani is associated with a lotus motif and therefore check whether Ajanta paintings include lotus-associated Bodhisattva images (via image comparisons or site guides).

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Architecture and Sculpture > p. 129
Strength: 5/5
“Hariti with children are significant. Bodhisattva carved out independently is another important feature. The popular Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is depicted in painting and sculpture.”
Why relevant

Explicitly says the popular Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is depicted in painting and sculpture.

How to extend

Since Padmapani is a form/name of Avalokitesvara, a student could link this rule to seek Avalokitesvara images at Ajanta to test if Padmapani appears there.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Paintings > p. 128
Strength: 4/5
“Ajanta caves are the repository of rich mural paintings. Paintings of the early phase are mostly in caves nine and ten, which belong to the period of the Satavahanas. The authors of Ajanta paintings followed ingenious techniques. First, They plastered the ridged surface of the volcanic rock. This plaster was made of vegetable fibres, paddy husk, rock-grit, and sand. This surface was overlaid with a thin layer of lime, ready to receive the pigment. Recently it was noticed that a stretch of cloth was reinforced on the surface for the application of pigment. The colours were extracted out of natural objects and minerals.”
Why relevant

Describes Ajanta caves as a repository of rich mural paintings with technical detail, indicating major mural tradition at the site.

How to extend

Knowing Ajanta is a primary site for major murals, a student could prioritize Ajanta when looking for famous Bodhisattva paintings such as Padmapani (using photographic catalogs or museum references).

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > II. Elora - Ajanta and Mamallapuram > p. 127
Strength: 3/5
“Aurangabad district in Maharashtra is the centre of the groups of caves in Ellora and Ajanta. The Ellora group of caves are famous for sculptures while the Ajanta group of caves are famous for paintings. The dates of these temples range from c. 500 to c. 950 CE. But the activity of creating cave temples may have started two hundred years earlier. The first cave temple was created for the Ajivikas. Some of the temples are incomplete.”
Why relevant

Notes Ajanta group of caves are famous for paintings (as opposed to Elora for sculpture) and gives their broad dating and location.

How to extend

A student could combine this with knowledge that Padmapani is a painted Bodhisattva figure to focus inquiries on Ajanta’s painted caves and their catalogues or specific cave numbers.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Aianta > p. 132
Strength: 3/5
“There are thirty caves in Ajanta. In five caves there are mural paintings. Scenes. 132 | Cultural Development in South India”
Why relevant

States there are thirty caves in Ajanta and several contain mural paintings, implying specific caves to inspect for particular painted images.

How to extend

A student could use this to narrow the search to Ajanta’s painted caves (identify which caves carry figurative murals) when verifying whether Padmapani appears there.

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