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Q11 (IAS/2021) History & Culture › Art & Architecture › Temple architecture styles Official Key

With reference to Chausath Yogini Temple situated near Morena, consider the following statements : 1. It is a circular temple built during the reign of Kachchhapaghata Dynasty. 2. It is the only circular temple built in India. 3. It was meant to promote the Vaishnava cult in the region. 4. Its design has given rise to a popular belief that it was the inspiration behind the Indian Parliament building. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 3 (1 and 4). Below is the comprehensive explanation:

  • Statement 1 is correct: The Chausath Yogini Temple at Mitawali (Morena) was built in the 11th century by King Devapala of the Kachchhapaghata Dynasty. It is renowned for its distinct circular plan.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect: It is not the only circular temple in India. Other examples include the Chausath Yogini temples at Hirapur and Ranipur Jharial (Odisha), as well as the circular Shiva temple at Masrur.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: As the name "Yogini" suggests, the temple was dedicated to the Shakti/Tantric cult, specifically the 64 yoginis, rather than the Vaishnava cult. The central shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
  • Statement 4 is correct: Its unique hypaethral (open-to-sky) circular design with an external colonnade has led to the popular belief that it served as the architectural inspiration for the old Indian Parliament House (Sansad Bhavan) designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to Chausath Yogini Temple situated near Morena, consider the following statements : 1. It is a circular temple built duri…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a classic 'Current Affairs disguised as Art & Culture' question. The trigger was the 2020-21 Central Vista Project debates, where viral images compared the old Parliament to this temple. While standard books miss the specific dynasty, the 'Parliament inspiration' angle was all over the news.

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
Was the Chausath Yogini Temple near Morena built as a circular temple during the reign of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Yoginis, has long been admired for its unique circular architecture... Constructed in the 9th century during the reign of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty, the Chausath Yogini Temple is one of the few surviving shrines dedicated to the 64 Yoginis."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states the temple's unique circular architecture.
  • Directly says it was constructed during the reign of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"This circular marvel, a unique architectural specimen of the Pratihara style, ... resonates with the echoes of tantric traditions and the patronage of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty."
Why this source?
  • Describes the temple as a 'circular marvel'.
  • Links that circular design to the patronage of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Ancient Yogini Temple: Mystical Circular Sanctuary of Divine Energies... Constructed during the Kachchhapaghata dynasty between 1055 and 1075 CE, this remarkable temple stands as a testament"
Why this source?
  • Labels the site a 'Mystical Circular Sanctuary', indicating its circular form.
  • States it was constructed during the Kachchhapaghata dynasty (gives specific dates 1055–1075 CE).

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Aihole (Ayyavole) > p. 120
Strength: 5/5
“Built in 634, Aihole, the headquarters of the famous medieval Ayyavole merchants' guild was an important commercial centre. About seventy temples are located in Aihole. The earliest stone-built temple is Lad Khan temple. Its unique trait is a stucco pillar with a big capital distinct from northern style. A temple dedicated to the goddess Durga was built on the model of Buddha Chaitya. It stands on a raised platform in the form of semi-circle. Another temple, dedicated to Cultural Development in South India 120”
Why relevant

Gives a clear example where a temple (a Durga temple at Aihole) was built on the model of a Buddhist chaitya and stands on a raised platform in the form of a semi-circle, showing circular/curvilinear temple plans existed.

How to extend

A student could use this example plus a regional map/dates to ask whether the circular form appears in central India and whether Kachchhapaghata-era sites show similar plans.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings > 10.3 Building temples > p. 105
Strength: 4/5
“Around the time that the stupas at sites such as Sanchi were acquiring their present form, the first temples to house images of gods and goddesses were also being built. The early temple was a small square room, called the garbhagriha, with a single doorway for the worshipper to enter and offer worship to the image. Gradually, a tall structure, known as the”
Why relevant

States the general early-temple pattern: the early temple was a small square garbhagriha, indicating that non-square plans were exceptions rather than the rule.

How to extend

A student could use this rule to treat a circular plan as an architectural exception and therefore seek specific inscriptions or archaeological reports tying that exception to the Kachchhapaghatas.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings > Fig. 4.24 An image of Durga, Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), c. sixth century CE > p. 106
Strength: 3/5
“Fig. 4.25 A temple in Deogarh (Uttar Pradesh), c. fifth century CE Ü Identify the remains of the shikhara and the entrance to the garbhagriha. shikhara, was built over the central shrine. Temple walls were often decorated with sculpture. Later temples became far more elaborate – with assembly halls, huge walls and gateways, and arrangements for supplying water (see also Chapter 7). One of the unique features of early temples was that some of these were hollowed out of huge rocks, as artificial caves. The tradition of building artificial caves was an old one. Some of the earliest (Fig. 4.27) Fig.”
Why relevant

Describes features of early and later temple forms (shikhara over central shrine, carved walls, cave/chaitya traditions), suggesting continuity from rock-cut/chaitya forms to later plans.

How to extend

A student might connect chaitya-derived curved plans to a circular Chausath Yogini design and then check whether such chaitya-derived forms occur in Morena/Kachchhapaghata contexts.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 10: Advent of Arabs and Turks > Rajput Kingdoms > p. 139
Strength: 3/5
“By the beginning of the tenth century two powerful Rajput Kingdoms, Gurjar Prathihara and Rashtrakutas, had lost their power. Tomaras (Delhi), Chauhans (Rajasthan), Solankis (Gujarat), Paramaras (Malwa), Gahadavalas (Kanauj) and Chandelas (Bundelkhand) had become important ruling dynasties of Northern India. Vighraharaja and Prithviraj, two prominent Chauhan rulers, Bhoja of Paramara dynasty, Ghadavala king Jayachandra, Yasovarman, Kirti Varman of Chandelas were all strong in their own regions. The world-famous Khajuraho temple complex, consisting of many temples including the Lakshmana temple, Vishwanatha temple and Kandariya Mahadeva temple, was built by the Chandelas of Bundelkhand who ruled from Khajuraho. The Rajputs had a long tradition of martial spirit, courage and bravery.”
Why relevant

Notes that regional dynasties (e.g., Chandelas) built major temple complexes, implying that identifying the patron dynasty for a temple requires matching regional dynastic activity and temple typology.

How to extend

A student could compare the geographic and chronological range of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty with known dynastic temple-building patterns to judge the plausibility of their patronage of the Morena temple.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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