The temple at Deogarh near Jhansi and the sculptures in the temple at Garhwa near Allahabad are important remains of
Gupta art
Both belong to Gupta art — option 2.
The Dashavatara temple at Deogarh. Standing in the Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh near Jhansi, and dating from about the sixth century, it is one of the earliest surviving stone temples in north India and the finest example of the Gupta temple style. It has a square sanctum on a raised platform, a shikhara — among the earliest known — and richly carved doorways and panels, of which Sheshashayi Vishnu, Vishnu reclining on the serpent Ananta, is the most celebrated. Garhwa, near Prayagraj, has sculptures and inscribed pillars of the same period.
| Feature of Gupta art | Detail |
|---|---|
| Temple form | The beginning of the structural stone temple in India — square sanctum, flat or low roof, and at Deogarh an early shikhara |
| Other examples | Temple 17 at Sanchi; the Bhitargaon brick temple; the Parvati temple at Nachna-Kuthara |
| Sculpture | The Sarnath Buddha in preaching posture; the Sultanganj bronze Buddha, from Bihar; the Mathura standing Buddha |
| Painting | The finest of the Ajanta murals, in caves 16, 17 and 19 |
| Metallurgy | The iron pillar at Mehrauli, still nearly free of rust after sixteen centuries |
Why the Gupta period is called classical. Restraint and balance replaced the crowded exuberance of earlier work; the figure is idealised rather than portrayed; drapery is treated as clinging and almost transparent, so the body shows through; and the halo behind the head becomes richly ornamented. The Sarnath Buddha is the type example.
Why the other options fail. Rashtrakuta art belongs to the eighth and ninth centuries and to the Deccan — the rock-cut Kailasa temple at Ellora is its monument, and it is separated from Deogarh by two centuries and a thousand kilometres. Mauryan art, three to four centuries earlier, is a court art of polished sandstone pillars, capitals and the rock-cut Barabar caves; it built no temples of this kind at all.
Hence, the answer is Gupta art.
Similar Questions
Consider the following about the King “Praversena” :
a. He was the real founder of Vakataka dynasty.
b. His empire extended from Bundelkhand in north to Hyderabad in South.
c. He succeeded his father king Vindhyshakti.
d. He is mentioned in Puranas.
Which of the following statements are correct ?
Important Questions from Gupta Age
Which legal text of the Gupta period gives us a fair idea of the polity and administration of the Guptas ?
From the decline of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India?
1. The Guptas of Magadha
2. The Paramaras Malwa
3. The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar
4. The Maukharis of Kanauj
5. The Yaduvas of Devagiri
6. The Maitrakas of Valabhi
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Which of the following rulers from the Gupta dynasty first assumed the title 'Maharajadhiraja'?
Identify the person from the following description :
a. Founder of a great empire.
b. Cultured, scholar and a poet.
c. The famous poet Harisena was his court poet and Buddhist scholar Vasubandhu was in his court.
d. Vincent Smith praises him as the 'Indian Napoleon'.
The campaigns of which of the following Gupta ruler are described in the ‘Prayagprasasti’ ?
