Consider the following pairs :
Site Well known for
1. Besnagar Shaivite <-------> cave shrine
2. Bhaja Buddhist <---------> cave shrine
3. Sittanavasal Jain <---------> cave shrine
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
A. Only one
B. Only two
C. All three
D. None
Ans. B
BHAJA CAVE
This is the oldest Deccan Rock-Cut Cave dated on 2nd century BC
It is located in Maharashtra (Pune).
The inscriptions and the cave temple are preserved as a National Monument
It is famous for its decorative frontages
It belongs to the Hinayana Buddhism sect
The most prominent excavation is its chaitya (or chaityagrha - Cave XII), a good example of the early development of this form from wooden architecture, with a vaulted horseshoe ceiling. [The chaitya is perhaps the earliest surviving chaitya]
Its vihara (Cave XVIII) has a pillared verandah in front and is adorned with unique reliefs.
These caves are notable for their indications of the awareness of wooden architecture
The carvings prove that Tabla – a percussion instrument – was used in India for at least 2300 years
SITTANAVASAL
A small village in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu was a major centre of Jain influence for 1,000 years just before the Christian era.
Sittanavasal is the name used synonymously for the hamlet and the hillock that houses the
Arivar Kovil (temple of Arihats - Jains who conquered their senses), 'Ezhadipattam' (a cavern with 17 polished rock beds), megalithic burial sites and the Navachunai tarn (small mountain lake) with a submerged shrine.
Sittanavasal is considered by historians to be one of the oldest inhabited areas in the district, and a major centre of Jain influence. ―This is the only place in Tamil Nadu where we can see Pandya paintings.
The artwork on the ceiling of the sanctum and the ardha mandapam of Arivar Kovil is an early example of post-Ajanta cave paintings of the fourth to sixth centuries, done using the fresco-secco technique (a process that dispenses with preparation of the wall with wet plaster).
BESNAGAR PILLAR INSCRIPTION
The Heliodorus pillar is a stone column that was erected around 113 BCE in central India in Besnagar (near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh).
The pillar was called the Garuda-standard by Heliodorus, referring to the deity Garuda.
The pillar is commonly named after Heliodorus, who was an ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas from Taxila, and was sent to the Indian ruler Bhagabhadra.
A dedication written in Brahmi script was inscribed on the pillar, venerating Vasudeva, the Deva deva the "God of Gods" and the Supreme Deity.
The pillar also glorifies the Indian ruler as "Bhagabhadra the savior".
The pillar is a stambha which symbolizes joining earth, space and heaven, and is thought to connote the "cosmic axis" and express the cosmic totality of the Deity