Day-565 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | HISTORY

Answer: D
Explanation:
The copper/bronze image of Mohenjodaro dancing girl was found in the remains of a small house by the Indian archaeologist D. R. Sahni in 1926-1927. It is one of the finest artefacts from the Indus Valley Civilization (2500 BCE). At present, this naturalistic free-standing sculpture of a woman is on display at the IVC gallery of the National Museum, New Delhi. She has very long legs and arms compared to her torso; her head is tilted slightly backward and her left leg is bent at the knee. The key features of this four inches statuette are as follows:
• The image, full of expression and bodily vigour, is wearing a cowry shell necklace.
• Her long curly hairs are plaited, coiled and neatly tied into a bun. She has large eyes & a flat nose.
• Her left arm is covered with 24-25 bangles, and in the right arm bent at the elbow she is wearing 4 bangles, two at the wrist, and two above the elbow.
• Her right hand rests on her hip, and the left hand appears to be clasped in a traditional Indian dance gesture resting on her left thigh.

Answer: A
Explanation:
Vesara, a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture, has a South Indian plan and shapes that features North Indian details. This fusion style originated in Karnataka and evolved under the patronage of the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, and Vijayanagar rulers. There is a lot of variation in the designs and styles of vesara temples as no set guidelines are followed in their plan and superstructure. The important features of Vesara style of temple architecture are as follows:
• Generally, the temples have Nagara style Shikar and Dravida style Mandapas.
• Shikar, the temple’s top, and Mandapa, the temple’s main shrine are connected by the Antarala.
• Elaborate carvings are found on the pillars, doorframes, and ceilings of the Deccan temples.
• The Vesara style is a wonderful example of using the knowledge of art, architecture, mathematics, religion, philosophy, and engineering.
Some examples of the Vesara style are Virupaksha temple at Hampi, and the Chennakesava temple at Belur. The Hoysala temples at Belur, Halebidu and Somanathpura are not only the leading examples of the Vesara style. They are now also included in list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Answer: D
Explanation: All the four pairs are correctly matched. The given texts are famous works of music written by the mentioned authors.
1. Sangeetratnakara is a 13th century text of music authored by Sarangadev in Sanskrit. It is considered a definitive source by both the traditions of Indian classic music i.e. Hindustani and Carnatic music.
2. Raagtarangini written by Lochana Kavi in Maithili set several songs to contemporary ragas and raginis.
3. Ahobala Pandit’s Sangeeta Parijata is a 17th century work that introduces the elements of South Indian music in the North. And, it is regarded by some as the earliest text of the Hindustani music.
4. Ragatattvabodha is a rare book on music written in the 17th century.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Ibn Battuta recorded his observations about the lands he visited in his travelogue Rehla. He was appointed as the Qazi of Delhi by Mohammed bin Tughluq (1325-51) whom he found quite eccentric in his behavior. He also served as the Sultan’s envoy to the Chinese emperor in 1342.
He described the Indian cities and towns as highly populous and wealthy. He was quite impressed with the life and colours of Delhi and Daulatabad. According to him, the Indian cities were full of opportunities for the ambitious, resourceful and skilful people. And the markets were the hubs of socio-cultural activities and economic transactions.
He also observed that the Indian soils were very fertile allowing farmers to grow two crops i.e. Rabi and Kharif, annually. He identified rice, sugarcane, wheat, oilseeds, sesame, cotton and barley as the important crops.

Answer: C
Explanation:
Lokayata literally means the philosophy of the people or the masses. It is one of the earliest schools which have been mentioned in the Vedas and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. It is the ancient philosophy of Indian materialism supposed to be founded by Brihaspati. Charvaka is the most powerful proponent of this philosophy who recognizes only four out of the five elements.
Charvakas or Lokayatas does not recognise ether as it is not known through perception. For them, the whole universe is made of four elements, and knowledge is the product of these four elements which leaves no trace after death. There is no other world, hence death is the end of humans and pleasure is the ultimate object of life. It rejects ritualism and recognises no existence other than this material world. Since God, soul and heaven cannot be perceived, they are not recognised by this philosophy.
Badarayana well-known as Vyasa Muni composed the Brahma Sutras, the source of the orthodox Hindu philosophy called the uttar-mimamsa or Vedanta.
Charaka was an ancient physician and scholar. He is recognized as the father of Ayurveda. He described various diseases and their treatments in his book Charak-samhita.