Prelims 1995 · archive
MediumBronze icons of Nataraja cast during the Chola period invariably show the deity with:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Four hands
Chola Nataraja bronzes, cast by the lost-wax (cire perdue) method, show Shiva dancing on the dwarf Apasmara with four arms in the usual form.
- ✗ (a) Eight hands is not the standard form of the Chola Nataraja bronze.
- ✗ (b) Six hands is not the standard form either; the common type has four arms.
Remember · Chola Nataraja bronzes: lost-wax casting, four arms, dance on Apasmara within a ring of flames.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 7 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- Britannica, Nataraja ↗ · reference work “In the most common type of image, Shiva is shown with four arms and flying locks dancing on the figure of a dwarf”
- NCERT Class 11 · An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 7 “sculptors had mastered the bronze medium and the casting process as much as they had mastered terracotta sculpture and carving in stone.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1995, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1995: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·