Prelims · Art & culture · 18 questions

Architecture & sculpture

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Prelims 2017 · Q69

Easy

The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Ajanta

The famous Padmapani painting is in Cave No. 1 at Ajanta. NCERT names the Padmapani and Vajrapani paintings of Cave No. 1 among Ajanta's best-known works.

✓ (a) NCERT lists ‘the famous Padmapani and Vajrapani in Cave No. 1’ among Ajanta's important paintings and notes that Cave No. 1 has the best-preserved examples.
✗ (d) Ellora also has Padmapani, but as a carved image, one of the pair guarding the large Buddha figures in its shrines. The renowned painting is at Ajanta.

Remember · Padmapani and Vajrapani, the Bodhisattva paintings of Ajanta Cave No. 1, are among India's best-known ancient murals.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

NCERT Class 11 · An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 4 “The other important paintings are the famous Padmapani and Vajrapani in Cave No. 1.”
NCERT Class 11 · An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 4 “The shrine Buddha images are big in size; they are generally guarded by the images of Padmapani and Vajrapani.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2017 · Q75

Medium

Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples?

1.Arasavalli
2.Amarakantak
3.Omkareshwar

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 only

Only Arasavalli, near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, is famous for a Sun temple. Amarkantak is known as the source of the Narmada, and Omkareshwar is a Shiva shrine with a Jyotirlinga.

✓ 1. Arasavalli has the Suryanarayana Swamy temple, one of the few ancient Sun God temples in India. Its Ratha Saptami festival honours the Sun.
✗ 2. Amarkantak is a plateau in Madhya Pradesh where the Narmada and the Son rise. It is a pilgrimage centre, not a Sun-temple site.
✗ 3. Omkareshwar, on an island in the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, is a Shaiva site with one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

Remember · Arasavalli (Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh) has a famous Sun temple. Amarkantak is the source of the Narmada; Omkareshwar is a Jyotirlinga shrine of Shiva.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Srikakulam District, Government of Andhra Pradesh: Arasavilli ↗ “The famous Sun God Temple situated in Arasavalli Village which is at a distance of about 1 K.M. east of SRIKAKULAM Town in Andhra Pradesh”
Khandwa District, Government of Madhya Pradesh: Omkareshwar Mandhata ↗ “One of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Omkar-Mamaleswar and sidhdhawar kut of Jain are located in this place.”
NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 3 “The Narmada originates on the western flank of the Amarkantak plateau at a height of about 1,057 m.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The same topic in Mains

Indian art, literature & architectureGS 1 syllabus

Read it in NCERT

Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 4cited in 2 explanations
Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Chapter 3cited in 1 explanation