The Nagara, the Dravida and the Vesara are the

Answer: (c) three main styles of Indian temple architecture

Nagara (north), Dravida (south) and Vesara (a mix, mainly in the Deccan) are the three orders of Indian temple architecture.

• ✗ (a) They are architectural terms, not racial groups.
• ✗ (b) They are not linguistic divisions.
• ✓ (c) Nagara (north), Dravida (south) and Vesara (hybrid, Deccan) are the three temple styles.
• ✗ (d) Gharanas are schools of Hindustani music; these three terms have nothing to do with them.

Remember · Nagara: north; Dravida: south; Vesara: hybrid Deccan.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 6 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2012: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error