Indian Art, Culture, Literature and Heritage

Indian Architecture, Temples and Rock-Cut Caves

61 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 61 questions

  1. Which Hindu temple at Ellora (Cave 16), attributed to the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I, was sculpted from a single rock, with carvers excavating downward from the top?
  2. What is the spire of a temple called in North India and in South India?
  3. Which Chola emperor built the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur between 1003 and 1010 CE?
  4. What is the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu or Jain temple, literally the 'womb chamber', called?
  5. Which 13th-century Odisha temple, built by Narasingha Deva I with 24 wheels and seven horses, is known as the Black Pagoda?
  6. Which stepwell in Patan, Gujarat, attributed to Queen Udayamati in memory of the Chaulukya king Bhima I, is divided into seven stair levels and designed as an inverted temple?
  7. Which group of temples in Madhya Pradesh, mostly built by the Chandela dynasty between 885 CE and 1000 CE, is famous for Nagara-style architectural symbolism and a few erotic sculptures?
  8. Which temple style originated in the region between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers in what is now north Karnataka?
  9. Which group of temples at Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura in Karnataka was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023?
  10. Which monument complex at Mahabalipuram, also called the Pandava Rathas, has five monoliths carved from pink granite?
  11. Which Mahabalipuram relief of the Pallava period, an ensemble of over a hundred figures of gods, people, half-humans and animals, depicts the Descent of the Ganges?
  12. Which group of 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, dating from the second century BCE to about 480 CE, has paintings that predominantly narrate Jataka tales?
  13. On the Great Stupa at Sanchi, the dome was flattened near the top and crowned by three superimposed parasols within what?
  14. Which Madhya Pradesh stupa has four ornate toranas added from the 1st century BCE, credited to the Satavahanas?
  15. Which caves in Bihar, used by ascetics of the Ajivika sect, are described as the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India?
  16. Which colossal three-faced Shiva sculpture, with faces of Tatpurusha, Aghora, Vamadeva and Sadyojata, is the most celebrated carving in Cave 1 at Elephanta?
  17. Which capital of the Vijayanagara Empire on the Tungabhadra has a stone chariot and pillars that each produce musical sounds when struck?
  18. What is the ornate temple entrance tower of South India, often the tallest structure in the complex and taller than the vimana over the main shrine, called?
  19. Which group of Svetambara Jain temples near Mount Abu in Rajasthan, five temples in white marble, includes Vimal Vasahi (mostly built in 1026 by Vimal Shah) and Luna Vasahi (built in 1230 by Vastupal…
  20. Which Delhi monument, about 72.5 m high, is the tallest brick minaret in the world?
  21. Which 11th-century Sun Temple in Gujarat, on the bank of the Pushpavati river and built in the reign of Bhima I, has 52 carved pillars?
  22. What is the segmented stone disk, named after the Indian gooseberry, that sits on top of the shikhara of a Hindu temple?
  23. Which mausoleum in Bijapur has a dome described as one of the greatest domes the world has seen?
  24. Which town in Bagalkot district, Karnataka, spread along the Malaprabha river valley, with over 120 stone and cave temples and the Meguti inscription dated 634 CE, is described as a cradle of experime…
  25. Which late 7th to early 8th century temple at Aihole, Karnataka, has a rare apsidal plan among early Chalukya architecture, with a peristyle delimiting an ambulatory around the temple?
  26. Which gateway at Fatehpur Sikri, about 54 m high from the ground, commemorates Akbar's conquest of Gujarat?
  27. Which monument in Hyderabad, built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, is widely accepted to commemorate the eradication of plague?
  28. Which architectural firsts in India are credited to the Alai Darwaza, built by Sultan Alauddin Khalji in 1311?
  29. Which UNESCO temple in Ariyalur district has a vimana 55 m (180 ft) high?
  30. Which cave of the Udayagiri Caves near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, holds the relief of Vishnu as the boar Varaha rescuing the goddess Earth?
  31. In the Kalinga-style Lingaraja Temple of Bhubaneswar, what type of tower stands over the sanctum (vimana)?
  32. Which Madurai temple has 14 gopurams and a Thousand-Pillared Hall and was renovated and expanded by the Madurai Nayaks?
  33. What is the name for the ornamental stone latticework screens for which the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in Ahmedabad is known?
  34. Which ancient mahavihara, established around 427 CE by Kumaragupta I of the Gupta Empire, had a nine-storey library called Ratnodadhi?
  35. What kind of temple is the 8th-century Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, built in the reign of Narasimhavarman II?
  36. Which 13th-century temple in Palampet, Telangana, named after its sculptor and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 25 July 2021, was built on a sandbox foundation with lightweight floating bricks…
  37. What term describes semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions, the larger ones of which may serve as cenotaphs, as at Gaitore in Jaipur?
  38. Which tower at Chittor Fort was completed by Rana Kumbha in 1448 to commemorate his victory over the Malwa Sultanate army?
  39. Which Karnataka site, whose name means 'stone of coronation', has Virupaksha and Papanatha temples blending northern and southern styles?
  40. Which Delhi tomb, commissioned by Empress Bega Begum and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent?
  41. Which Maharashtra rock-cut site has a Great Chaitya about 45 m long and up to 14 m high?
  42. What unique foundation method was used to help protect the 13th-century Kakatiya Ramappa Temple in Telangana from earthquakes?
  43. Which 11th-century Shiva temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, credited to the Somavamsi king Jajati Keshari, is in the Kalinga style with a rekha deula tower about 55 m tall?
  44. What are the 953 windows of the Hawa Mahal known as?
  45. Which palace facade in Jaipur, built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, has 953 small windows called jharokhas?
  46. Which Khajuraho temple, 31 metres high with a shikara of 84 miniature spires, is the largest and most ornate of the medieval temples there?
  47. Which Kanchipuram temple, built by Pallava king Narasimhavarman II around 700 CE, is called one of the oldest surviving monuments in the city?
  48. In classical Buddhist architecture, what is the functional difference between a Chaitya and a Vihara?
  49. Which 8th-century Sun Temple in the Anantnag district of Kashmir, built on top of a plateau and attributed to Lalitaditya Muktapida, has a courtyard surrounded by 84 smaller shrines?
  50. In Kalinga architecture, what is the outer hall for dance and offerings, as opposed to the rekha deula housing the sanctum?
  51. Which 12th-century Shiva temple at Halebidu, a twin temple (dvikuta) begun around 1121 CE, was completed in 1160 CE?
  52. What is the traditional Hindu system of architecture, based on ancient texts such as the Mayamata and the Manasara, called?
  53. Which Jain temple in Pali district, Rajasthan, built under Rana Kumbha, has 1,444 pillars of which no two are the same?
  54. What architectural term describes the discharge outlet, often shaped like a gargoyle, attached to the wall of a temple sanctum to drain the water, milk and ghee poured over the idols?
  55. Which ancient site in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters with paintings of animals, dance and hunt…
  56. How are the Sanchi toranas described in the Sanchi Stupa article?
  57. Which 11th-century temple in Bhubaneswar, built of yellow and red sandstone, has no images inside its sanctum?
  58. Which style of temple, typified by the semi-cylindrical roof of the 8th-century Vaital Deula in Bhubaneswar, bears an affinity to the Dravidian gopuram?
  59. Which temple at Aihole is named after a person called Lad Khan who turned it into his residence for a short period?
  60. What is the defining layout of a 'panchayatana' Hindu temple complex, such as the Vishvanatha Temple at Khajuraho?
  61. In Kalinga temple architecture, what is the term for the main sanctuary tower that houses the sanctum?

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