UPSC Prelims 2014 Question:

With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs:

Sl. No.	Famous work of sculpture		Site
1.	A grand image of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below	:	Ajanta
2.	A huge image of Varaha Avatar boar incarnation of Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth from the deep and chaotic waters, sculpted on a rock	:	Mount Abu
3.	Arjuna's Penance"/ "Descent of Ganga" sculpted on the surface of huge boulders	:	Mamallapuram

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? 

Explanation:

• Ajanta Caves are rock-cut caves consisting of 29 Buddhist caves. 25 caves are viharas, while 4 are Chaityas. They are in the Sahyadri ranges in Maharashtra. A grand image of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below is depicted in Cave 17. So, pair 1 is correctly matched.
  
  
• The image of Varaha Avatar of Vishnu is depicted in Udaygiri caves near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh. The sculpture of Varaha or Boar incarnation of the Vishnu is notable. The caves have one of the earliest Hindu sculptures. It also has caves dedicated to Shiva, Narasimha (half-lion, half-man), Narayana (resting Vishnu), and Skanda. So, pair 2 is not correctly matched.
  
  
• The sculpture of Arjuna’s penance was built under the reign of Pallava kings in Mamallapuram. Here, Arjun practices austerity to please Lord Shiva. It narrates the story of the descent of the River Ganga on Earth from heaven by the efforts of Bhagiratha. In close proximity lies a big rock boulder, known as Krishna’s Butter Ball. So, pair 3 is correctly matched.C
  
  

Therefore, option (3) is the correct answer.

Subject: History | Architecture and Sculptures