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 Mahaparinivana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below Ajanta 2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth from the deep and chaotic waters, sculpted on the rock. Mount Abu 3. “Arjuna's Penance”/ “Descent of Ganga” sculpted on the surface of huge boulders Mamallapuram Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

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 Mahaparinivana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below Ajanta 2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth from the deep and chaotic waters, sculpted on the rock. Mount Abu 3. “Arjuna's Penance”/ “Descent of Ganga” sculpted on the surface of huge boulders Mamallapuram Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? Correct Answer 1 and 3 only

The correct answer is 1 and 3 only.

Key Points

Mahaparinirvana:

• The Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha in Cave 17, with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below, is one of the grandest expressive scenes with the grieving figure of Ananda near his feet is exceptional. 
• Ajanta Caves is a series of Rock-cut caves in the Sahyadri ranges on Waghora river Aurangabad in Maharashtra. 
• It consists of 29 Buddhist Caves of which 25 are viharas remaining 4 are Chaityas or prayer hall.
• They were developed between 200 BC to 658AD. 
• They were built under the patronage of Vakataka Kings. 
• They are abundant with Fresco paintings, outlining in red colour, absence of blue colour, all themed around Buddhism. 
• It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

Udaygiri caves:

• Udaygiri caves are 20 Rock-cut caves near Vidisha Madhya Pradesh. 
• They were built near the fifth century and are the oldest surviving Hindu temples in India. 
• The sculpture of Vishnu in his incarnation as the male boar rescuing the mother earth presenting bhudevi to the boar’s tusk as depicted in Hindu mythology is present here.
• They were built under the patronage of Gupta rulers. 

“Arjuna's Penance”/ “Descent of Ganda”

• The Monolithic sculpture was built under the reign of Pallava King Mahendra Varma located at Sri Sathya Perumal Temple. 
• It was built around 600-640 AD. 
• It is carved out of two huge boulders 27 meters long and 43 feet high and is the size of a huge blue whale. 
• Arjun, practising austerities to please Lord Shiva for obtaining a mighty weapon before the war of Kurukshetra is depicted in these structures. 
• The rock-cut sculpture has been fashioned to portray the penance done by King Bhagiratha, an ancestor of Lord Rama, to bring down the River Ganges from the heavens to the earth. 
• Lord Vishnu, sages, celestial nymphs, Nagas, holy deities, Gandharvas, Yakshas, auspicious animals, and other divine entities are carved out in rock sculpture.