With reference to the cultural history of India, the term ‘Panchayatan’ refers to
an assembly of village elders
a religious sect
a style of temple construction
an administrative functionary
Answer is Wrong!
Answer is Right!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2014
A) an assembly of village elders: An assembly of village elders is typically referred to as a Gram Panchayat or similar terms depending on the historical period and region, not Panchayatan.
B) a religious sect: While ‘pancha’ means five, and some religious traditions might involve groups of five or specific sets of deities, ‘Panchayatan’ in the context of cultural history specifically denotes an architectural style.
C) a style of temple construction: The Panchayatan style of temple architecture is a layout where the main shrine is built on a raised platform, and four subsidiary shrines are located at the four corners, making it a group of five (pancha) shrines dedicated typically to a principal deity in the center and four other deities. This forms a complete ‘mandala’ pattern. This is the correct meaning of Panchayatan in this context.
D) an administrative functionary: An administrative functionary would not be referred to by this term.
– It features a main shrine surrounded by four subsidiary shrines.