UPSC Essentials | Daily Quiz : History and Culture (Week 131) — Test your knowledge for UPSC CSE 2026

Which of the following temples is referred to in the above lines?

(a) Brihadisvara

(b) Rudreshwara

(c) Hoysalesvara

(d) None of the above

Explanation

— The Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, popularly known as Ramappa Temple, is located in the village of Palampet, approximately 200km north-east of Hyderabad, in the State of Telangana. Rudreshwara is the main Shiva temple in a larger walled temple complex, which includes smaller temples and Mandapa structures constructed under the chieftains Rudradeva and Recharla Rudra.

— The Rudreshwara (Ramappa) temple stands out as a unique testimony to the highest level of creative, artistic and engineering achievements involving various experimentations in expressive art forms of the Kakatiya period (1123-1323 CE).

— The temple is built of sandstone with decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite with a distinctive and pyramidal Vimana made of lightweight porous bricks, also known as “floating bricks”.

— It was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2021.

Therefore, b is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: whc.unesco.org)

QUESTION 2

With reference to Bibi Ka Maqbara, consider the following statements:

1. It was built in the memory of Aurangzeb’s first wife Dilras Banu Begum.

2. It is modelled on the Taj Mahal, but made more economically.

3. It is located in Agra. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

Probably the finest Muslim tomb in the Deccan built in the Mughal style, Bibi Ka Maqbara is hailed as a testament of Aurangzeb’s devotion to his wife, popularly known as Rabia Daurani. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

— Called the Taj of the Deccan, there is some contention regarding who built this beautiful white marble monument in southern India. Built in memory of Aurangzeb’s first wife, Dilras Banu Begum, the official ASI board in front of the monument credits the construction to their son Azam Khan. However, some like writer Rafat Qureshi have found that since the construction of the maqbara was initiated in 1653 as confirmed by the accounts of the foreign traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier, and completed in 1660, it would be highly unlikely for a four-year-old Azam to commission the tomb for his mother. But Mohammed Azam was the governor of Deccan in 1680, when he undertook intensive renovation work of the maqbara, which could have led to this assumption.

—  It is modelled on the Taj Mahal, but made more economically. Rich elements like mosaic, inlay, glass mosaic, inlaid marble screens and pietra dura were ignored in favour of simpler and highly ornamental decorative devices such as stucco painting, stucco plaster with relief ornamentation, stucco lustro and dado, besides glazed tiles and latticework.

—  Probably the finest Muslim tomb in the Deccan built in the Mughal style, Bibi Ka Maqbara is hailed as a testament of Aurangzeb’s devotion to his wife, popularly known as Rabia Daurani. The name is reminiscent of the Muslim woman saint Rabia. Even now women who visit the shrine and leave bangles tied at the shrine, later bring offerings of sweets when their wishes are fulfilled. It is said that after her death in 1657, cooked food was distributed to the poor on a large scale and the very vessels used, (made of brass and gilded over) with the inscriptions on them, are still preserved, with silk hangings, velvet curtains, carpets and various other objects used in the tomb and the early mosque situated on the western side.

Therefore, a is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: The Taj Mahal is neither India’s only nor first monument of love, here are five others by Shruti Chakraborty, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 3

Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and Mohammad Sayyid, both architects, are associated with which medieval monuments?

(a) Purana Qila

(b) Humayun’s Tomb

(c) Taj Mahal

(d) Amer Fort

Explanation

— Around 15 minutes from Delhi’s busy Nizamuddin Railway Station stands the majestic 16th century Humayun’s Tomb. One of the Capital’s most popular tourist destinations, the almost 500-year-old mausoleum is said to have provided the design template for the iconic 17th century Taj Mahal. In fact, it’s role in inspiring several major architectural innovations earned it a UNESCO World Heritage tag in 1993.

— The tomb was apparently constructed on the orders of Humayun’s wife, Hamida Begum or Hajji Begum in his memory. Historians, however, claim that the main controller and patron of this grand project was his son Akbar. An architectural monument of this scale was deemed necessary not only to honour Akbar’s father, but also to signify the political and cultural might of the Mughal dynasty at that time.

Humayun’s tomb

— In 1562, Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, an architect of Iranian descent, undertook the project but died during its construction. The remaining work was then completed by his son Mohammad Sayyid. While the architectural style is predominantly Mughal, there are aspects of Indian design, especially Rajasthani influences that are visible in the chhatris, balconies, brackets, etc.

Therefore, b is the correct answer.

(For more, refer — Know Your Monument: Humayun’s Tomb, the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’ by Isha Chaturvedi, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 4

Consider the following statements:

1. The Ellora Caves complex representing three religions : Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

2. Rameshvara, Ravan ki Khai and Dashavatara are found in the Ajanta Caves.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

Front of one of the excavations at Ellora Caves, Aurangabad District of Maharashtra, India, 1823, sketch made 1848, by Robert James Elliott, pencil drawing, State Library of New South Wales. (Wikimedia Commons)

— Not known to many, Ellora was an important centre of Tantric Buddhism, especially in the western Deccan region. Nowhere else in India would you be able to find the monuments of three major religions of ancient India—Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism—in one place.

— The Rameshvara (Cave 2) is considered to be the finest caves at Ellora from the first phase. From Rameshvara to Ravan ki Khai (Cave 14), one sees an obvious similarity in the ground plan. However, the architectural alterations, like the circumambulatory path around the garbhagriha (the sanctum sanctorum of temples), shows the evolving architectural and aesthetic sensibility of this phase. It was these interactions between different visual languages of guilds of different dynasties that allowed the surfacing of a composite style in the later phase of Ellora.

— An important temple in the complex is the Kailashnatha monolith, which is not only one of the largest temples in Ellora but is arguably the largest monolith temple in the world. Situated outside Dashavatara (Cave 15), the monolith is said to have been built in the 8th century.

Therefore, a is the correct answer.

(For more, refer — Know Your Monument: Ellora Caves by  Shruti Chakraborty, The Indian Express.)

QUESTION 5

Consider the following statements :

1. Rabindranath Tagore described the temple as one where “the language of stone surpasses the language of humans”.

2. The temple is known as ‘Black Pagoda.’

3. The temple is known as Arka Kshetra and was conceived and built by King Narasimhadeva I.

Which of the statements given above is/are true with reference to the Sun Temple at Konark? 

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

A panorama of the Sun Temple, Konark (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

— One of the grandest examples of creative genius, the Sun Temple of Konark in Odisha stands out among India’s 29 cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites. What makes this monument unique is how its intricately carved structure and form, imagined and created entirely in the semblance of a celestial chariot carrying Surya, also succeeds in adhering to the stylistic precepts of Kalingan architecture. Rabindranath Tagore described the temple as one where “the language of stone surpasses the language of humans”.

— Also known as Arka Kshetra, the Sun Temple was conceived and built by King NarasimhadevaI, of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, and is perhaps the greatest achievement of his reign as well as of the third-period style of Kalingan temple architecture. UNESCO describes the Sun Temple as “the culmination of Kalingan temple architecture, with all its defining elements in complete and perfect form”.

—  Three types of stone, chlorite, laterite and the greenish Khondalite, were used in the temple, fully finished, polished and fitted together using iron cramps and dowels, so that the joinery was almost invisible. The entire structure was held together by two magnets. Because of the colour of the stones, it became known as the Black Pagoda among the seafarers of the period.

Therefore, d is the correct answer.

(For more, refer: Know Your Monument — The Sun Temple at Konark by Swathi Gopalakrishnan, The Indian Express.)

Previous Quizes:

1. UPSC Essentials | Daily subject quiz: History and Culture MCQs on Women’s Cricket, Zionism, UNESCO Cities, and more (Week 129 and Week 130) CLICK HERE

2. Diwali Special Quiz: ‘Roshni-e-Zeest’, ‘Dipapratipadutsava’, and more in UPSC Static Quiz on History and Culture (Week 128) CLICK HERE

3. UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise static quiz: History and Culture MCQs on MONDIACULT, Sarnath and more (Week 127) CLICK HERE

For more MCQs on other subjects and current affairs for UPSC Prelims CLICK HERE.

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