UPSC CSE Pre 2014

Classical Indian Sculpture

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Consider the following pairs : **Famous work of Sculpture** **Site** 1. A grand image of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana - Ajanta 2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar of Vishnu - Mount Abu 3. 'Arjuna's Penance'/ 'Descent of Ganga' - Mamallapuram Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Solution & Analysis

Answer: C

Concept Indian classical sculpture is often integrated into architectural contexts, such as cave walls or massive rock reliefs, depicting profound religious narratives.

Explanation Buddha's Mahaparinirvana is a famous colossal sculpture in Ajanta Cave 26. Arjuna's Penance (or Descent of the Ganga) is a massive open-air bas-relief at Mamallapuram. The Varaha Avatar of Vishnu rescuing Goddess Earth is also a prominent rock-cut relief at Mamallapuram (Varaha Cave), not Mount Abu.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Pair 1 is correct (Ajanta Cave 26). Pair 3 is correct (Mamallapuram).
Logic 2: Pair 2 is incorrect because the specific rock-cut Varaha mentioned is at Mamallapuram, while Mount Abu is famous for Dilwara marble temples.

Active Recall

Question

What is the alternative name for the 'Arjuna's Penance' relief?

Answer

Descent of the Ganga.

Core Insight

Large-scale narrative reliefs in India served as public 'visual scriptures' for devotees and pilgrims.