Consider the following statements:
I. The Kailasanatha temple of Kanchi is the earliest Pallava temple hewn from solid rock.
II. The Vaikuntha Perumal temple at Kanchi is a rare Pallava temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
NDA General Studies · History · 21 questions · 2017 to 2026
NDA Art and culture previous year questions with solutions
Art and culture is about one General Studies question in eighty, steady across sittings: a temple, a text and its author, a dance or a Sufi term, each a single fact. The literature items have hardened since 2023. Every question UPSC has set on it since 2017, solved. Grouped by the method each needs, newest first; open a question for its answer and worked solution.
22.1 Architecture and sculpture: stupas, rock-cut caves and the temple styles (5)22.2 Painting and calligraphy: Ajanta to the Mughal atelier (3)22.3 Performing arts: classical dances, gharanas and the intangible heritage list (2)22.4 Literature and the sciences: Sanskrit, Prakrit, Persian and the regional languages, with their authors (7)22.5 Religious movements: Sufi silsilas and the Bhakti saints (2)22.6 Cultural institutions and heritage: the national bodies and the UNESCO sites (2)
22.1 Architecture and sculpture: stupas, rock-cut caves and the temple styles
1. NDA 2026 (II)
Answer and solution
Answer: (b) II only
Method. Pallava temple architecture
Statement I is false: the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchi is a structural temple of sandstone (Rajasimha), not hewn from rock; rock-cut Pallava work is Mahendravarman-style caves and the Mamallapuram monoliths. Statement II is true: Vaikuntha Perumal (Nandivarman II) is a Pallava Vishnu temple among largely Shaiva foundations. Source: NCERT Class 11 'An Introduction to Indian Art', standard result.
2. NDA 2026 (I)
If you like to visit famous Jain pilgrimage sites, which of the following towns you will have to travel to?
I. Moodabidri
II. Madurai
III. Sonagiri
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
I. Moodabidri
II. Madurai
III. Sonagiri
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer and solution
Answer: (b) I and III only
Method. Jain pilgrimage sites
Moodabidri (Jain Kashi, Karnataka) and Sonagiri (Madhya Pradesh) are well-known Jain pilgrimage centres. Madurai has ancient Jain caves and a Jain past but is not counted among the famous Jain pilgrimage towns, so b. Source: standard reference, standard result.
Madurai's Jain remains (Samanar Malai, the Anaimalai and Tirupparankundram caves) are archaeological sites, not a pilgrimage town; the famous Jain pilgrimage centres here are Moodabidri and Sonagiri.
3. NDA 2022 (I)
Early Buddhist sculptors did not show Buddha in human form. Through which of the following symbols was Buddha's presence shown by the early sculptors?
Answer and solution
Answer: (d) Empty Seat, Wheel, Tree and Stupa
Method. Aniconic symbols of the Buddha
Early Buddhist art showed the Buddha's presence by the empty seat, the wheel (dharmachakra), the bodhi tree and the stupa. All four are used, so d. Source: NCERT Class 11 'An Introduction to Indian Art', standard result.
4. NDA 2021 (I)
At which one of the following places was a Shiva temple not constructed under the patronage of the Chola rulers?
Answer and solution
Answer: (d) Naneghat
Method. Chola temple sites
Chidambaram, Thanjavur (Brihadisvara) and Gangaikonda Cholapuram are Chola Shiva temple sites. Naneghat is a Western Ghats pass with a Satavahana inscription cave, not a Chola temple site. Source: standard reference.
5. NDA 2017 (II)
Consider the following statements about the Nagara style of temple architecture:
1. This style of temples are commonly found in the areas between Himalayas and Vindhyas.
2. The most striking feature of this style is its pyramidal shikhara.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1. This style of temples are commonly found in the areas between Himalayas and Vindhyas.
2. The most striking feature of this style is its pyramidal shikhara.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer and solution
Answer: (a) 1 only
Method. Nagara temple style
Statement 1 is true: Nagara is the northern style, found between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas. Statement 2 is false: the Nagara shikhara is curvilinear (beehive-like); a pyramidal tower is the Dravida vimana. Source: NCERT Class 11 'An Introduction to Indian Art', standard result.
22.2 Painting and calligraphy: Ajanta to the Mughal atelier
6. NDA 2024 (I)
Consider the following statements about Ajanta paintings:
1. The surface of the rock was coated with clay mixed with rice husk and gum and a coat of lime was applied over this.
2. The outline drawing was done first on the lime coating and colours were added subsequently.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1. The surface of the rock was coated with clay mixed with rice husk and gum and a coat of lime was applied over this.
2. The outline drawing was done first on the lime coating and colours were added subsequently.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer and solution
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Method. Ajanta painting technique
Both statements describe the standard account: the rock was coated with a plaster of clay mixed with rice husk (and organic binder), covered with a thin lime coat; the outline was drawn first on the lime surface and colours were added afterwards. Source: NCERT Class 11 'An Introduction to Indian Art', standard result.
7. NDA 2018 (II)
Statement I:
Mughal Painting reached its climax during the reign of Jahangir.
Statement II:
Aurangzeb's Court was adorned by some of the best known artists of the Mughal School of Painting.
Mughal Painting reached its climax during the reign of Jahangir.
Statement II:
Aurangzeb's Court was adorned by some of the best known artists of the Mughal School of Painting.
Answer and solution
Answer: (c) Statement I is true but Statement II is false
Method. Mughal painting patronage
Statement I is true: Mughal painting peaked under Jahangir (naturalism, portraiture, animal and flower studies). Statement II is false: Aurangzeb disapproved of painting and withdrew patronage, so the artists dispersed. Source: standard Mughal art history.
8. NDA 2017 (I)
Name the calligrapher in Akbar's court who was honoured with the title "Zarrin Kalam" or Golden Pen
Answer and solution
Answer: (c) Muhammad Husayn
Method. Mughal court calligraphers
Standard result: Muhammad Husayn al-Kashmiri was Akbar's master of nasta'liq and received the title Zarrin Qalam (Golden Pen). Abul Fazl was the chronicler, Tansen the musician; Muhammad Kasim is not the title-holder. Source: standard Mughal-culture reference (NCERT Class 12 Themes Part II ch 9).
22.3 Performing arts: classical dances, gharanas and the intangible heritage list
9. NDA 2025 (I)
Which dance form of India has been inscribed into UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity?
Answer and solution
Answer: (b) Garba
Method. UNESCO Intangible Heritage list
Garba of Gujarat was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List in December 2023. Kathakali, Bhangra and Odissi are not on it. Source: UNESCO list, true at the sitting.
10. NDA 2022 (I)
Legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj died recently. He was the doyen of which one of the following Gharanas of Kathak?
Answer and solution
Answer: (c) Lucknow
Method. Kathak gharanas
Pandit Birju Maharaj (d. January 2022) belonged to the Kalka-Bindadin family of the Lucknow gharana. Source: standard Kathak reference, standard result.
22.4 Literature and the sciences: Sanskrit, Prakrit, Persian and the regional languages, with their authors
11. NDA 2026 (I)
Consider the following pairs:
Books — Authors
I. Dayabhaga — Jimutavahana
II. Prithviraj Raso — Chandbardai
III. Lilavati — Bhaskaracharya
IV. Mitakshara — Vijnaneshvara
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
Books — Authors
I. Dayabhaga — Jimutavahana
II. Prithviraj Raso — Chandbardai
III. Lilavati — Bhaskaracharya
IV. Mitakshara — Vijnaneshvara
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
Answer and solution
Answer: (d) All the four
Method. Books and authors
Dayabhaga by Jimutavahana, Prithviraj Raso by Chandbardai, Lilavati by Bhaskaracharya, and Mitakshara by Vijnaneshvara are all correct attributions. Each of the four pairs is correct. Source: standard attribution.
12. NDA 2025 (II)
The Ramacharita, an example of dvyasrya-kavya, telling two stories simultaneously, was written by
Answer and solution
Answer: (c) Sandhyakara
Method. Sanskrit dvyasraya-kavya
The Ramacharita by Sandhyakara Nandi tells the story of the Ramayana and of King Ramapala of Bengal simultaneously. Subandhu wrote Vasavadatta, Bhatti the Ravanavadha (Bhattikavya), Kamban the Tamil Ramavataram. Source: standard attribution.
13. NDA 2024 (I)
Which one of the following texts is a commentary written by Chakrapanidatta (11 Century CE from Bengal) on the Sushrut Samhita?
Answer and solution
Answer: (b) Bhanumati
Method. Ayurvedic commentaries
Chakrapanidatta's commentary on the Sushruta Samhita is the Bhanumati (his Ayurveda Dipika is on Charaka). Chakrapanidatta's commentary on the Sushruta Samhita is the Bhanumati (his Ayurveda Dipika is on the Charaka Samhita). Sabdachandrika is his lexicon; the Lohasarvasva, on iron preparations, is by Suresvara, another 11th-century Bengal physician, and the Nitiratnakara is a 14th-century Mithila work on polity. '11 Century' prints so in the booklet, meaning the 11th century CE. Source: standard attribution. '11 Century' read as 11th century CE; it does not affect the answer.
14. NDA 2023 (II)
Chandimangala, a sixteenth century text, was composed by
Answer and solution
Answer: (d) Mukundaram Chakrabarti
Method. Medieval Bengali literature
Chandimangala, a 16th-century Bengali mangalkavya, was composed by Mukundaram Chakrabarti (Kavikankan). Hema Saraswati and Madhav Kandali are Assamese writers; Tukaram is a Marathi saint-poet. Source: standard attribution.
15. NDA 2023 (I)
Who among the following was the author of the famous Sanskrit work 'Mrichchhakatika'?
Answer and solution
Answer: (d) Shudraka
Method. Sanskrit drama authors
Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart) is by Shudraka. Kalidasa wrote Shakuntala, Bhasa wrote Svapnavasavadatta. Source: standard attribution.
16. NDA 2022 (II)
The book, Kalila wa Dimna is an Arabic translation of the
Answer and solution
Answer: (b) Panchatantra
Method. Kalila wa Dimna
Kalila wa Dimna is the Arabic version (by Ibn al-Muqaffa, via Pahlavi) of the Sanskrit Panchatantra. Source: standard result.
17. NDA 2022 (II)
Who among the following is the author of the Hastyayurveda?
Answer and solution
Answer: (a) Palakapya
Method. Ancient Indian scientific texts
The Hastyayurveda, on the treatment of elephants, is attributed to Palakapya. Vagbhata, Sushruta and Charaka are authors of human medicine texts. Source: standard attribution.
22.5 Religious movements: Sufi silsilas and the Bhakti saints
18. NDA 2021 (I)
Which one of the following is the correct meaning of ziyarat?
Answer and solution
Answer: (a) Pilgrimage to the tombs of sufi saints
Method. Meaning of ziyarat
Ziyarat is pilgrimage to the tomb (dargah) of a Sufi saint. The death anniversary is the urs (option c). Source: NCERT Class 12 Themes Part II ch 6, glossary of Sufi terms, standard result.
19. NDA 2017 (II)
Which one of the following was not a Chishti Sufi saint?
Answer and solution
Answer: (d) Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya
Method. Sufi silsilas
Moinuddin Chishti, Baba Farid and Nizamuddin Auliya are Chishti saints. Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya of Multan belonged to the Suhrawardi silsila. Source: NCERT Class 12 Themes Part II ch 6 (Sufi silsilas), standard result.
22.6 Cultural institutions and heritage: the national bodies and the UNESCO sites
20. NDA 2023 (II)
Where is Central Institute of Buddhist Studies situated?
Answer and solution
Answer: (a) Leh
Method. Cultural institutions: location
The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies is at Choglamsar, Leh (Ladakh), under the Ministry of Culture. Source: Ministry of Culture list, standard result.
21. NDA 2019 (II)
The headquarters of National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) is located at
Answer and solution
Answer: (b) Lucknow
Method. Cultural institutions: location
The NRLC, under the Ministry of Culture, has its headquarters at Lucknow (regional centre at Mysuru). Source: Ministry of Culture list, standard result.