Test: UPSC Prelims (Past Year Questions) Art And Culture 2015-20 - UPSC MCQ

During the excavations (2000 to 2002) at Kanganahalli, the most important finding of the excavation include a stone sculptured slab bearing the name Raya Ashoka. This was the first inscribed portrait of Ashoka (surrounded by female attendants and queens) that was unearthed from the ruined Buddhist stupa.

S2: The architectural style of the Rumi Darwaza is completely in sync with the Nawabi architecture of Lucknow, and its significantly different from the Mughals. The material used for the drawaza is bricks and its then coated with lime, while the Mughals often used red sand stone. This is why the detailing on the Darwaza is more intricate, which would be impossible to achieve in stone.

Statement 2: Tyagaraja took music training from SontiVenkataramayya. But that didn’t stop him from taking musical inspirations from various earlier poets. He was an ardent devotee of lord Rama. In his praise and honour he wrote numerous musical operas, and about twenty four thousand songs, a claim that has been speculated among music historians. Hence, S2 is correct.

Statement 3: Tyagaraja was born on 14th May 1767 in the village of Thiruvayaru in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu whereas TaḷḷapākaAnnamācārya (or Annamayya) (22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503) was a 15th-century Hindu saint. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

Statement 4: TaḷḷapākaAnnamācārya (or Annamayya) (22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503) was a 15th-century Hindu saint and is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called sankirtanas in praise of the god Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. Hence, S4 is correct.

Statement 3: Wari Warkari or Varkari (Pandharpur Wari) is a Maharashtrian festival celebrated by Marathas.