Prelims 2017 · Q69
EasyThe 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 ·