100 MCQs on Ancient Indian Architecture with answers for Competitive Exams

100 MCQs on Ancient Indian Architecture with answers for Competitive Exams

In this article, we have compiled 100 MCQs on Ancient Indian Architecture with answers, which are useful for UPSC, SSC, Railways, Banking, State PCS, and other competitive exams. These questions will strengthen your preparation and boost your confidence.

1. Which dynasty gave India its famous temples of Khajuraho?
(A) Paramara
(B) Mauryas
(C) Chandelas
(D) Holkars

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2. The temples of Khajuraho are related with_______
(A) Buddhist religion
(B) Hindu religion
(C) Hindu and Jain
(D) Jain religion

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3. The associates of Khajuraho Temple Architecture were__________
(A) Chandela
(B) Gurjara – Pratihara
(C) Chahamana
(D) Paramara

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4. Which of the following ruler originally built the famous “Iron Pillar” near Qutub Minar in Delhi?
(A) Ashoka
(B) Chandragupta I
(C) Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)
(D) Harshavardhana

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5. The Temple of Kandariya Mahadev at Khajuraho was built by_________
(A) Paramara
(B) Chedi
(C) Rashtrakuta
(D) Chandela

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6. Matangesvara Temple at Khajuraho is dedicated to____________
(A) Vishnu
(B) Shiva
(C) Surya
(D) Parvati

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7. Which of the following temples is not located at Khajuraho?
(A) Kandariya Mahadev
(B) Chausath Yogini
(C) Dashavatara
(D) Chitragupta

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8. Which of the following is not a world heritage site?
(A) Khajuraho temples
(B) Bhimbetka rock shelters
(C) Sanchi stupa
(D) Mandu fort

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9. The pinnacle of which of the following is built in Dravida style?
(A) Bhitargaon Temple
(B) Teli Temple of Gwalior
(C) Kandaria Mahadev Temple
(D) Oriya Temple

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10. Which centre consists more than 100 Buddha caves?
(A) Ajanta
(B) Karley
(C) Kanheri
(D) Rajgrih

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11. Which is the oldest surviving mosque in India?
(A) Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra, Ajmer
(B) Jama Masjid, Delhi
(C) Cheraman Juma Mosque, Kerala
(D) Qutb Minar Mosque

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12. In which of the following rock cut caves eleven headed Bodhisattava image is depicted?
(A) Ajanta
(B) Ellora
(C) Kanheri
(D) Karle

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13. Jain temple of Abu is made of_________
(A) Sand stone
(B) Lime stone
(C) Granite
(D) Marble

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14. Palitana temple is located near_________
(A) Bhavnagar
(B) Mount Abu
(C) Nasik
(D) Ujjain

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15. The Elephanta caves were mainly sculptured for which of the following devotees?
(A) Buddhist
(B) Jain
(C) Shaiva
(D) Vaishnava

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16. Famous cave temples of Elephanta are ascribed to_________
(A) Chalukyas
(B) Cholas
(C) Pallavas
(D) Rashtrakutas

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17. Which of the following caves is famous for ‘Trimurti’?
(A) Ajanta
(B) Bhaja
(C) Elephanta
(D) Ellora

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18. There are only two known examples of cave paintings of the Gupta period in ancient India. One of these is paintings of Ajanta caves. Where is the other surviving example of Gupta paintings?
(A) Bagh caves
(B) Elora caves
(C) Lomas Rishi caves
(D) Nasik caves

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19. The caves and rock-cut temples at Ellora represent only__________
(A) Buddhists
(B) Buddhists and Jains
(C) Hindus and Jains
(D) Hindus, Buddhists and Jains

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20. Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock-cut caves coexist at___________
(A) Ajanta
(B) Elephanta
(C) Ellora
(D) Karle

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21. Which of the following temples is an example of rock-cut architecture?
(A) Shore Temple, Mamallapuram
(B) Rajarajeshwara Temple, Thanjavur
(C) Kailasa Temple, Ellora
(D) Jagannatha Temple, Puri

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22. The rock-cut caves in Western India are located in_________
(A) Nasik, Ellora and Ajanta
(B) Junar, Kalyan and Pitalkhora
(C) Ajanta, Bhaja and Kondane
(D) Bhaja, Pitalkhora and Kondane

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23. Which of the following places is famous for Buddhist Cave Temples?
(A) Elephanta
(B) Nalanda
(C) Ajanta
(D) Khajuraho

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24. Ellora caves were built by_________
(A) Pallavas
(B) Cholas
(C) Rastrakutas
(D) Palas

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25. Which of the following temples is considered as a wonder of rock-cut architecture?
(A) Brihadisvara Temple, Tanjavur
(B) Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneshwar
(C) Kailasa Temple, Ellora
(D) Kandaria Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho

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26. Which dynasty constructed the Ellora Kailasa Temple?
(A) Rashtrakuta
(B) Satvahana
(C) Maurya
(D) Pallava

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27. The Lakshmana Temple at Khajuraho is dedicated to which deity?
(A) Vishnu
(B) Shiva
(C) Durga
(D) Surya

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28. The Kailasa temple of Ellora was built by___________
(A) Rastrakutas
(B) Chalukyas of Vatapi
(C) Ganga Rulers
(D) None of the above

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29. Which dynasty of rulers is associated with the construction of famous Kailasa Temple of Ellora?
(A) Chalukyas
(B) Cholas
(C) Pallavas
(D) Rashtrakutas

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30. Which Rashtrakuta ruler built the famous Shiva temple of Ellora?
(A) Dantidurga
(B) Krishna-I
(C) Krishna-II
(D) Govind-III

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31. Kailash temple of Ellora was constituted by___________
(A) Govind-III
(B) Krishna-I
(C) Krishna-II
(D) Krishna-III
(E) None of these

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32. Which religion had Rashtrakuta protection?
(A) Buddha
(B) Jain
(C) Shaiva
(D) Shakta

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33. Caves of Ajanta and Ellora are located in___________
(A) Nasik
(B) Mumbai
(C) Aurangabad
(D) Pune

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34. The caves of Ajanta and Ellora are in__________
(A) Andhra Pradesh
(B) Madhya Pradesh
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Rajasthan

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35. In which one of the following places, the cave temples built by the Rashtrakutas in the Ellora mountains are located?
(A) Aurangabad (Maharashtra)
(B) Nasik (Maharashtra)
(C) Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)
(D) Golconda (Andhra Pradesh)

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36. The art of Ajanta was mainly patronised by the___________
(A) Chalukyas
(B) Pallavas
(C) Vakatakas
(D) Gangas

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37. Ajanta caves are linked with____________
(A) Ramayana
(B) Mahabharat
(C) Jataka stories
(D) Panchatantra stories

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38. The Great Bath, an important architectural structure, is found at which Indus Valley site?
(A) Harappa
(B) Mohenjo-Daro
(C) Kalibangan
(D) Lothal

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39. The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at________
(A) Ajanta
(B) Badami
(C) Bagh
(D) Ellora

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40. Who built the Konark Sun Temple?
(A) Narasimhadeva Varman
(B) Rajendra Chola
(C) Ashoka
(D) Krishnadev Rai

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41. Which among these is known as ‘Black Pagoda’?
(A) Shore Temple
(B) Khajuraho Temple
(C) Konark Sun Temple
(D) Deogarh Temple

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42. Where is ‘Black Pagoda’?
(A) Madurai
(B) Konark
(C) Khajuraho
(D) None of these

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43. Which one of the following is Sun Temple?
(A) Lingaraj Temple
(B) Rajarani Temple
(C) Konark Temple
(D) Jagannath Temple

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44. The Sun Temple of Modhera lies in which state?
(A) Bihar
(B) Gujarat
(C) Odisha
(D) Bengal

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45. Which one of the following Sun Temples is located in Patan, Gujarat?
(A) Modhera
(B) Dakshinark
(C) Konark
(D) Martand

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46. The Sun Temple at Martand is located in which state/UT?
(A) Odisha
(B) Gujarat
(C) Jammu & Kashmir
(D) Madhya Pradesh

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47. Lingaraj Temple is located at__________
(A) Bhubaneswar
(B) Bijapur
(C) Kolkata
(D) Varanasi

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48. Which among the following is the largest and the tallest surviving temple in Orissa?
(A) Brahmesvara Temple
(B) Jagannath Temple
(C) Lingaraj Temple
(D) Rajarani Temple

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49. Jagannath Temple is located in state of____________
(A) Bengal
(B) Orissa
(C) Kerala
(D) Uttar Pradesh

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50. The temple of Bhubaneswar and Puri were built in___________
(A) Nagara style
(B) Dravidian style
(C) Besara style
(D) None of the above

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51. Angkor-Wat Vishnu Temple is located in____________
(A) Java
(B) Sumatra
(C) Cambodia
(D) Champa

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52. Which Pallava ruler built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram?
(A) Narasimhavarman I
(B) Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha)
(C) Mahendravarman I
(D) Nandivarman II

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53. In which country is the ‘Angkor-Wat Temple’ complex located?
(A) Indonesia
(B) Myanmar
(C) Sri Lanka
(D) Kampuchea

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54. Where is Borobudur Stupa situated?
(A) Cambodia
(B) Java
(C) Sumatra
(D) Borneo

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55. The initial design and construction of which massive temple took place during the reign of Suryavarman-II?
(A) Sri Mariamman Temple
(B) Angkor Wat Temple
(C) Batu Caves Temple
(D) Kamakhya Temple

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56. ‘Gopuram’ the temples of Dravidian style stands for__________
(A) Sanctuary
(B) Paintings on the walls
(C) Pinnacle
(D) Ornamental and multi-storied structures upon the gateways

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57. Rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram were built by___________
(A) Pallavas
(B) Cholas
(C) Chalukyas
(D) Rashtrakutas

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58. The Rath temples at Mahabalipuram were built by_________
(A) Cholas
(B) Pallavas
(C) Chedis
(D) Chalukyas

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59. The Seven Ratha Temple of Mahabalipuram was built by________
(A) Mahendra Varman
(B) Narasimha Varman
(C) Parmeshwar Varman
(D) Nandi Varman

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60. Who constructed the Ratha Temples at Mahabalipuram?
(A) Narasingh Varman-I
(B) Samudragupta
(C) Harsha
(D) Pulakesin-II

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61. Who among the following was responsible for the creation of Ratha monuments at Mamallapuram?
(A) Cholas
(B) Pallavas
(C) Pandyas
(D) Chalukyas

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62. Which of the following Rath temples is the smallest?
(A) Draupadi Rath
(B) Bhima Rath
(C) Arjun Rath
(D) Dharmaraj Rath

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63. Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
(A) Ellora Caves – Shakas
(B) Meenakshi Temple – Pallavas
(C) Khajuraho Temple – Chandelas
(D) Mahabalipuram Temple – Rashtrakutas

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64. Between which of the following was the ancient town of Takshashila located?
(A) Indus and Jhelum
(B) Jhelum and Chenab
(C) Chenab and Ravi
(D) Ravi and Beas

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65. Sonagiri, the highest among 108 Jain temples, lies in the proximity of_________
(A) Datia
(B) Jhansi
(C) Orchha
(D) Lalitpur

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66. The historical Digambar Jain Temple of Sonagiri is in_______
(A) Uttar Pradesh
(B) Rajasthan
(C) Madhya Pradesh
(D) Orissa

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67. Dilwara Jain Temple is situated at________
(A) Palitana
(B) Mount Abu
(C) Sonagiri
(D) Girnarji

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68. The Buddhist site of Sarnath is famous for which Ashokan edict/monument?
(A) Lion Capital Pillar
(B) Rock Edict XIII
(C) Elephant Capital
(D) Bull Capital

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69. Dilwara Jain Temple is in_________
(A) Aravali mountain in Mount Abu
(B) On the bank of Indus
(C) Khajuraho
(D) Nilgiri Hills

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70. Where is the Dilwara Jain Temple located?
(A) Assam
(B) Uttar Pradesh
(C) Rajasthan
(D) Madhya Pradesh

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71. The ancient monuments of Elephanta are mostly_____

1. Buddhist

2. Jain

3. Shaivite

4. Vaishnavite

Code
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) 1 and 3

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72. Ellora cave temples are related to_______

1. Hinduism

2. Buddhism

3. Jainism

Code
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) 1 and 2
(D) 1, 2 and 3

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73. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the code given below.

List-I (Gupta Temple)
(a) Brick-built Temple
(b) Dasavatara Temple
(c) Shiva Temple
(d) Vishnu Temple

List-II (Location)

1. Eran

2. Deogarh

3. Bhitargaon

4. Bhumara

Code (a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 4 2 1 3
(B) 3 2 4 1
(C) 2 1 3 4
(D) 1 3 2 4

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74. With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements.

1. The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.

2. The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally made for Ajivikas by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

3. At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only 1
(B) 2 and 3
(C) Only 3
(D) All of these

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75. Consider the following historical places

1. Ajanta Caves

2. Lepakshi Temple

3. Sanchi Stupa

Which of the above places is/are also known for mural paintings?
(A) Only 1
(B) 1 and 2
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) None of these

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76. What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram?

1. Both were built in the same period.

2. Both belong to the same religious denomination.

3. Both have rock-cut monuments.

(A) Only 1 and 2
(B) Only 3
(C) Only 1 and 3
(D) None of the statements given above is correct

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77. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below.

List-I
(a) Hampi
(b) Nagarjunakonda
(c) Shishupalgarh
(d) Arikamedu

List-II

1. Puducherry

2. Karnataka

3. Andhra Pradesh

4. Odisha

Code (a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 2 3 4 1
(B) 3 2 4 1
(C) 1 3 2 4
(D) 4 2 3 1

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78. Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples?

1. Arasavalli

2. Amarakantak

3. Omkareshwar

(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2 and 3
(C) Only 1 and 3
(D) 1, 2 and 3

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79. The Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur was built by which ruler?
(A) Rajaraja Chola I
(B) Rajendra Chola I
(C) Kulottunga Chola I
(D) Vikrama Chola

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80. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists.

List-I (Place)
(a) Elephanta
(b) Shravanabelagola
(c) Khajuraho
(d) Sanchi

List-II (Monument)

1. Stupa

2. Temple

3. Cave

4. Statue

Code (a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 2 4 3 1
(B) 3 4 2 1
(C) 2 4 3 1
(D) 3 2 4 1

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81. Match the following.

List-I
(a) Sun Temple
(b) Lingaraja Temple
(c) Hawa Mahal
(d) Statue of Gomateshwara

List-II

1. Karnataka

2. Konark

3. Jaipur

4. Bhubaneswar

Code (a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 2 4 3 1
(B) 2 4 1 3
(C) 4 2 1 3
(D) 3 1 2 4

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82. With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs

Famous work of sculpture : Site

1. A grand image of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana with celestial musicians above and sorrowful followers below : Ajanta

2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Vishnu, sculpted on rock : Mount Abu

3. ‘Arjuna’s Penance’/Descent of Ganga sculpted on boulders : Mamallapuram

(A) Only 1 and 2
(B) Only 3
(C) Only 1 and 3
(D) 1, 2 and 3

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83. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below.

List-I
(a) Gandhar Art
(b) Junagarh rock inscription
(c) Milinapanho
(d) Taxila inscriptions

List-II

1. Menander

2. Patika

3. Kushanas

4. Rudradaman I

Code (a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 1 3 4 2
(B) 2 4 3 1
(C) 3 4 1 2
(D) 2 1 3 4

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84. Which deity is worshipped in the Mundeshwari Temple?
(A) Vishnu
(B) Durga
(C) Shiva
(D) Sun

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85. The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur is the mausoleum of which Sultan?
(A) Alauddin Bahman Shah
(B) Adil Shah II
(C) Mohammed Adil Shah
(D) Ibrahim Adil Shah I

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87. Which religious sect were mainly associated with the Barabar caves ?
(A) Buddhists
(B) Ajivikas
(C) Jains
(D) Shaivas

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88. Who commissioned the famous Sanchi Stupa?

(A) Chandragupta Maurya
(B) Bindusara
(C) Ashoka
(D) Harshavardhana

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89. The erotic sculptures of Konark Sun Temple mainly represent _______
(A) Shaiva asceticism
(B) Tantric practices
(C) Court life
(D) War scenes

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90. Who destroyed the world famous Nalanda University?

(A) Bakhtiyar Khilji
(B) Ghazni
(C) Nadir Shah
(D) Timur

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91. Udayagiri Caves are located in________
(A) Bihar
(B) Madhya Pradesh
(C) Odisha
(D) Maharashtra

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92. In which city is Meenakshi Temple situated?
(A) Kanchipuram
(B) Thanjavur
(C) Madurai
(D) Chidambaram

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93. In which region of India is the Vesara style predominantly found?
(A) Northern India
(B) Southern India
(C) Deccan
(D) Bengal

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94. Which dynasty built Amaravati Stupa?
(A) Mauryas
(B) Satavahanas
(C) Guptas
(D) Kushanas

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95. The famous Jagat Shiromani Temple is located at______
(A) Khajuraho
(B) Chittorgarh
(C) Amber (Jaipur)
(D) Jodhpur

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96. Which God is the Lakshmana Temple Khajuraho dedicated to?

(A) Vishnu
(B) Shiva
(C) Durga
(D) Surya

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97. The Kailasa Temple at Ellora is monolithic. This means it was carved out of____
(A) Several stone blocks
(B) A single rock
(C) Granite slabs
(D) Limestone

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98. The Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh is dedicated to_______
(A) Vishnu
(B) Shiva
(C) Surya
(D) Durga

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100. Which dynasty made the Badami Caves?

(A) Rashtrakutas
(B) Pallavas
(C) Chalukyas of Vatapi
(D) Kadambas

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100. When were the Ajanta Caves declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
(A) 1975
(B) 1983
(C) 1991
(D) 2001

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101. Which dynasty made the Virupaksha Temple?

(A) Hoysalas
(B) Cholas
(C) Vijayanagara
(D) Pallavas

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