With reference to the art and archaeological history of India, which one among the following was…

Answer: (b) Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli

The Dhauli elephant is Mauryan (Ashokan, third century BCE). The Udayagiri Varaha is Gupta (fifth century CE), Mahabalipuram is Pallava (seventh century) and Lingaraja is eleventh century.

• ✓ (b) Dhauli elephant is Mauryan, third century BCE.
• ✗ (d) Varaha at Udayagiri is Gupta era.
• ✗ (c) Mahabalipuram monuments are Pallava.
• ✗ (a) Lingaraja is c. eleventh century.

Remember · Order: Dhauli (Mauryan) < Udayagiri Varaha (Gupta) < Mahabalipuram (Pallava) < Lingaraja.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2015: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error