UPSC Prelims 2018 Question:

With reference to the cultural history of India,

consider the following statements:

1. White marble was used in making Buland Darwaza and Khankah at Fatehpur Sikri.
2. Red sandstone and marble were used in making Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza at Lucknow.
   
   

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation:

• • Buland Darwaza or the loft gateway at Fatehpur Sikri was built by Akbar in 1601 to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. It is the highest gateway in the world and an astounding example of Mughal architecture. It is made of red and buff sandstone. So, statement 1 is not correct.
    
    

• Fatehpur Sikri, a city predominantly in red sand-stone, was built by the Mughal Emperor Jalal-ud-din Mohammad Akbar, in honour of the great Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chisti.
   

• Rumi Darwaza stands between Bara Imambara and Chhota Imambara in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Constructed in 1784 under the rule of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, it is a fine example of Awadhi or Lucknow School of Architecture. Majority of Mughal monuments were built using red sandstone, while Rumi Darwaza is made primarily of bricks coated with  lime. So, statement 2 is not correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (4) is the correct answer.

Subject: History | Architecture and Sculptures