With reference to the art and archaeological history of India, which one among the following was made earliest?
Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneswar
Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli
Rock-cut Monuments at Mahabalipuram
Varaha Image at Udayagiri
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2015
A) Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneswar: Construction primarily in the 11th century CE (Kalinga dynasty).
B) Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli: Associated with Ashoka’s rock edicts from the 3rd century BCE (Maurya Empire). The elephant is carved from a boulder above the edicts.
C) Rock-cut Monuments at Mahabalipuram: Created mainly during the Pallava dynasty, from the 7th to 8th centuries CE.
D) Varaha Image at Udayagiri: The famous relief of Varaha rescuing the Earth (Bhu Devi) at Udayagiri Caves is from Cave 5, dating to the early 5th century CE (Gupta period, likely during the reign of Chandragupta II).
Comparing the dates (3rd century BCE, 5th century CE, 7th-8th centuries CE, 11th century CE), the Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli is the earliest among the given options.
– Chronological ordering of the listed sites.
– Dhauli Elephant dates back to the Maurya period under Ashoka.