Question Discussion & Solution

The paintings of Ajanta belong to the Bodh religion.

Important Points

• It is located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
• It is an ancient rock-cut cave built in the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD.
• There is a total of 29 caves in Ajanta related to Buddhist which were decorated with sculptures and paintings.
• Some of the caves were used as residential caves while four of them used a prayer hall.
• Caves from 19 to 26 are elaborately decorated with the images of Buddha and Boddhisattva.
• The caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks themed around Buddhism- the life of Buddha.

Thus, we can conclude that the paintings of Ajanta belong to Buddhism.

Additional Information

• The caves were done using fresco painting.
• The images have limited color bordered with red paint.
• The figures are broad and are placed orderly and are projected outward.
• The events are placed according to place and location.

The correct answer is Gwalior Gharana.

Key Points

• Gwalior Gharana is the oldest Khayal Gharana in Indian classical music.
• It originated with the beginning of the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542–1605).
• Famous singers: Miyan Tansen, Anant Manohar Joshi, B. R. Deodhar, Narayanrao Vyas etc.
  • Except for Tansen, all the above are awardees of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards.
  • Hence, option 1 is correct.
• The simplicity i.e the selection of well-known ragas is its unique feature.

Additional Information

• Maihar Gharana is one of the oldest schools of Hindustani classical music.
  • It was established by Allaudin Khan in the princely state of Maihar. 
• Indore Gharana is one of the vocal gharanas of Indian classical music.
  • It was founded by Amir Khan. 

The correct answer is Rampurva, Bihar.

Key Points

The Bull capital of Ashoka:

• It is from Rampurva, Bihar.
• It belongs to the third century B.C.
• It is a mixture of Persian and Indian elements.
• The lotus capital is entirely formalistic.
• The motifs on the abacus are beautiful decorative elements like the rosette, palmette, and the acanthus ornaments, none of them is Indian.
• The crowning element of the bull capital, that is the bull proper, is a masterpiece of Indian craftsmanship, showing a humped bull, well modelled, with its soft flesh beautifully represented, with its strong legs, sensitive nostrils, and the ears cocked as if it were listening.

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The correct answer is Tamil Nadu.

• There are 12 Jyotirlinga shrines in India.

Important Points

• The southernmost Jyotirlinga temple is located in Tamil Nadu.
• Ramanathaswamy Temple is the southernmost Jyotirlinga temple in India.
• Ramanathaswamy Temple is the Jyotirlinga temple located in Tamil Nadu.
  • It is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva.
  • It was constructed during the period of the Pandya and Jaffna kings.
• Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is the northernmost Jyotirlinga temple in India. ​

Additional Information

• The 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India are:
  • Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gir, Gujarat
  • Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
  • Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
  • Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khanda, Madhya Pradesh
  • Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar, Jharkhand
  • Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  • Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
  • Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Dwarka, Gujarat
  • Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
  • Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Nasik, Maharashtra
  • Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
  • Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

The correct answer is Gorakhnath temple.

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched 'recycled incense sticks' at an ashram of Gorakhnath Temple, in Gorakhpur.
• This initiative is taken to promote environment-friendly products in the market.
• The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, a research institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has provided technical support in making these incense sticks.

Additional Information

Some other important temples and their districts: