Classical Indian Sculpture
Mahaparinirvana and Arjuna's Penance Sculptures | UPSC
Buddha's Mahaparinirvana is at Ajanta and Arjuna's Penance is at Mamallapuram. The Varaha image is at Mamallapuram, not Mount Abu.
Primary Reference: NCERT Class XI - An Introduction to Indian Art
Archived:
Updated:
Exam Year
2014
Evidence Source
Link ↗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' - MamallapuramWhich of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
[UPSC CSE Pre 2014]
Detailed Solution & Historical Context
Concept
Indian classical sculpture is often integrated into architectural contexts, such as cave walls or massive rock reliefs, depicting profound religious narratives.
Authentic Source Evidence
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.
Analytical Breakdown
Conceptual Deep Dive & Logic
"What is the alternative name for the 'Arjuna's Penance' relief?"
Descent of the Ganga.
Examiner's Mindset & Pro-Tip
"Large-scale narrative reliefs in India served as public 'visual scriptures' for devotees and pilgrims."
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