Previous Year Question
What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram?
Both were built in the same period.
Both belong to the same religious denomination.
Both have rock-cut monuments.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is incorrect. The two sites were not built during the same period. Rock-cut activity at Ajanta occurred in two major phases. The first phase belongs approximately to the second–first centuries BCE under the Satavahanas, while the second phase belongs to the fifth–sixth centuries CE under the Vakatakas. In contrast, the principal monuments at Mahabalipuram were created mainly by the Pallava rulers in the seventh and eighth centuries CE. Therefore, their construction periods were not the same.
Statement 2 is incorrect. Ajanta is associated with Buddhism. Its chaityas, viharas, sculptures and paintings express Buddhist religious traditions. The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, on the other hand, is primarily associated with Hindu religious traditions. Its rathas, mandapas, cave temples and rock reliefs contain representations connected with various Hindu deities, including Shiva and Vishnu. Therefore, the two sites do not belong to the same religious denomination.
Statement 3 is correct. The Ajanta caves are Buddhist structures excavated into a vertical rock face. Mahabalipuram also contains rock-cut cave temples, monolithic rathas and extensive rock reliefs. Thus, the presence of rock-cut monuments is a feature common to both places.