Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumCultural Heritage, Art, Architecture, Bhakti and Sufi Movements

Consider the following statements regarding early medieval rock-cut architectural traditions in the Deccan:

1. The Kailashanatha temple at Ellora (Cave 16) was excavated monolithically from top to bottom out of a single basalt rock face under the patronage of the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I.
2. The Ravana Phadi cave at Aihole is one of the earliest rock-cut shrines carved under the Western Chalukyas of Badami, featuring notable relief sculptures of Shiva as Nataraja.
3. The Ravana Phadi cave architecture is constructed using dressed ashlar masonry with lime mortar to form a soaring curvilinear Nagara shikhara.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 onlyAnswer
  2. B
    2 and 3 only
  3. C
    1 only
  4. D
    1, 2 and 3

Answer

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is incorrect because Ravana Phadi is a monolithic rock-cut cave temple, not a structural masonry building with lime mortar.
The statement asserting that Kailashanatha at Ellora was carved top-to-bottom under Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I is historically precise. Likewise, the statement noting Ravana Phadi at Aihole as an early Western Chalukyan rock-cut shrine with Nataraja sculptures is accurate. Conversely, describing Ravana Phadi as a structural masonry building with a curvilinear shikhara misidentifies a rock-cut cave as structural architecture.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Statement 1
Statement 1 is correct. The Kailashanatha temple (Cave 16, Ellora) is a famous monolithic rock-cut structure carved downward from the living rock under Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (8th century CE).
Verifying patronage and construction methodology for Ellora Cave 16.
2
Analyze Statement 2
Statement 2 is correct. Ravana Phadi at Aihole is an early 6th-century rock-cut cave commissioned during the Early Western Chalukya period, containing distinct sculptures of ten-armed Nataraja and Saptamatrikas.
Verifying site attributes and artistic features of Ravana Phadi.
3
Analyze Statement 3
Statement 3 is incorrect. Ravana Phadi is an excavated rock-cut cave, not a structural temple constructed with ashlar masonry, mortar, or a superstructure shikhara.
Distinguishing between rock-cut excavation and structural masonry techniques.

Key Concept

Deccan Rock-Cut Architecture (Rashtrakutas and Early Western Chalukyas)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Cultural Heritage, Art, Architecture, Bhakti and Sufi Movements

More questions from this topic