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Q82 (IAS/2023) History & Culture › Art & Architecture › Rock-cut architecture Official Key

Consider the following pairs : Site Well known for 1. Besnagar : Shaivite cave shrine 2. Bhaja : Buddhist cave shrine 3. Sittanavasal : Jain cave shrine How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2 (Only two) because pairs 2 and 3 are correctly matched, while pair 1 is incorrect.

  • Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: Besnagar (Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh) is famous for the Heliodorus Pillar, a stone column erected in honor of Vasudeva. It is a Vaishnavite (not Shaivite) monument. While there are cave shrines nearby at Udayagiri, Besnagar itself is synonymous with the Bhagavata sect.
  • Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Bhaja Caves in Maharashtra are a group of 22 rock-cut caves dating back to the 2nd century BC. They represent Hinayana Buddhism and are renowned for their majestic chaitya (prayer hall) and viharas.
  • Pair 3 is correctly matched: Sittanavasal in Tamil Nadu is a prominent Jain center. It features the Arivar Koil, a rock-cut cave temple containing celebrated 9th-century murals and stone beds used by Jain ascetics.

Since only pairs 2 and 3 are accurate, "Only two" is the right choice.

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Q. Consider the following pairs : Site Well known for 1. Besnagar : Shaivite cave shrine 2. Bhaja : Buddhist cave shrine 3. Sittanavasal …
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 0/10
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This is a classic 'Identity Swap' trap. Besnagar is universally famous for the Heliodorus Pillar (Vaishnavite), not a Shaivite cave. The question tests if you can distinguish between a site's primary identity (Pillar vs. Cave) and its religious affiliation (Vaishnavite vs. Shaivite). Bhaja and Sittanavasal are standard textbook examples found in TN Board and Nitin Singhania.

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 Besnagar (Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh) an archaeological site well known for a Shaivite cave shrine?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Rock-cut and Structural Temples > p. 98
Strength: 4/5
“The rock-cut caves continue the old forms to a great extent but possess striking novelty by bringing about extensive changes in the ornamentation of the facade and in the designs of the pillars in the interior. The most notable groups of the rock-cut caves are found at Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra) and Bagh (Madhya Pradesh). The Udayagiri caves (Odisha) are also of this type. The structural temples have the following attributes: (1) flat-roofed square temples; (2) flat-roofed square temple with a vimana (second storey); (3) square temple with a curvilinear tower (shikara) above; (4) rectangular temple; and (5) circular temple.”
Why relevant

States that notable rock-cut cave groups occur in Madhya Pradesh (e.g., Bagh) and describes characteristics of rock-cut caves and temple types.

How to extend

A student could use this regional pattern (Madhya Pradesh has important rock-cut sites) plus a map to check whether Besnagar/Vidisha lies near such cave traditions and so might host a cave shrine.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 8: Harsha and Rise of Regional Kingdoms > Architecture > p. 114
Strength: 4/5
“The Rashtrakutas made splendid contributions to Indian art. The rock-cut shrines at Ellora and Elephanta, located in present-day Maharashtra belong to their period. The Ellora cave complex contains the features of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments and art work. Amoghavarsha I espoused Jainism and there are five Jain cave temples at Ellora ascribed to his period. The most striking structure at Ellora is the creation of the Monolithic Kailasanath Temple. The temple was hewn out of a single rock during the time of Krishna I in the 8th century. It is similar to the Lokesvara temple at Pattadakal, in Karnataka, built by Chalukya king Vikramaditya II to commemorate his victory over the Pallavas.”
Why relevant

Describes Rashtrakuta-era rock-cut shrines (Ellora, Elephanta) and mentions the monolithic Kailasanath Temple, an explicitly Shaivite creation hewn from rock.

How to extend

Use this example to reason that rock-cut work in central/west India includes Shaivite cave/monolithic shrines; then investigate whether Besnagar has similar chronological/artistic links.

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

Explains that some early temples were hollowed out of huge rocks (artificial caves), showing the established practice of cave temples in Indian temple history.

How to extend

Combine this general rule with local archaeological reports or a map of cave-temple distributions to assess plausibility of a Shaivite cave at Besnagar.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Early India: From the Beginnings to the Indus Civilisation > An Upper Palaeolithic Shrine > p. 5
Strength: 3/5
“An interesting find is of a possible shrine, indicated by a block of sandstone surrounded by a rubble circle, similar to the contemporary shrines. Found at Baghor in Uttar Pradesh, it is the earliest known evidence of a shrine in India. beads have been found at Jwalapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Patne in Maharashtra and Batadomba-Lena and Fa Hien Cave in Sri Lanka.”
Why relevant

Gives an example of an archaeological cave/shrine find (Baghor in Madhya Pradesh), indicating the region has prehistoric shrine evidence in rock/cave contexts.

How to extend

A student could note the precedent of shrine finds in Madhya Pradesh and then check site-specific literature for Besnagar/Vidisha to confirm presence or absence of a Shaivite cave shrine.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Early India: From the Beginnings to the Indus Civilisation > Distribution > p. 4
Strength: 2/5
“The Middle Palaeolithic sites are found in Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Yamuna and other river valleys. The people of this period used caves as well as the open air space for living. Meralbhavi in Karnataka, Kurnool caves in Andhra Pradesh, Godavarikhani in Telangana, Baghor I and Baghor III of Son Valley in Madhya Pradesh and Patne in Maharashtra are some of the Upper Palaeolithic sites of India. Sri Lanka has evidence of microliths and hominin fossils. Incised ostrich eggshell, and shell and stone Early India: From the Beginnings to the Indus Civilisation”
Why relevant

Lists Upper Palaeolithic and cave-using sites in Madhya Pradesh (Son Valley, Baghor), showing Madhya Pradesh’s archaeological richness including cave contexts.

How to extend

Use this pattern of multiple cave-related finds in the state to justify further targeted research (site reports, maps) on Besnagar rather than assuming absence or presence from general knowledge.

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