15 Topics.
0 of 20 Concepts Done
What to Study: When did Buddhist building begin after the Buddha's death, and from when do monumental structures survive? Which two traditions was it rooted in? Understand what each of the three forms (stupa, chaitya, vihara) was built for.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2006
What to Study: What happened to the Buddha's remains after the Mahaparinirvana, and among how many clans were they shared? Understand why the mounds raised over them became the first architecture of the faith and the centres of pilgrimage.
What to Study: Why is Ashoka seen as the first major state patron of Buddhist architecture? Remember the number of stupas traditionally linked to him. Is it a measured figure or a tradition? Understand how the stupa grew in scale under him, and what it was built of.
What to Study: On what basis are stupas divided into four types? Learn what each type holds or marks, and which carries the highest sacred status. Be clear about how the commemorative stupa differs from the relic stupas.
What to Study: Remember the position and function of the anda, medhi, harmika, yashti, chatra (chatravali), vedika, torana and pradakshina patha. Be clear about how the harmika differs from the yashti. In which direction is pradakshina performed?
What to Study: Why is a stupa solid, and how is it worshipped if it has no inner chamber? Understand what the four toranas, the yashti, the anda and the tiers of the chatravali stand for. Is it correct to say a stupa has a garbhagriha? Also be able to tell a torana from a gopuram.
What to Study: Study the Mauryan and Shunga–Satavahana phases by period, material and character. What new features appeared in the second phase (railings, gateways, narrative carving)? Remember the representative sites of each, and how the Buddha was shown in this period.
What to Study: Learn the period, material, style and sites of the Kushan–Gandhara, Amaravati and Gupta phases. Understand the overall shift from symbols of the Buddha to his image, and where each phase shows it.
What to Study: What do aniconic and iconic mean, and roughly when did the change come? Remember the symbols used for the Buddha in the earlier phase and the sites that show each phase. What are the 32 lakshanas?
What to Study: How do the Gandhara and Mathura schools differ in stone, hair, robe, build and influence? Remember the material and style of the Amaravati school, and the region and dynasty linked with each of the three schools.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2026
What to Study: Which symbol stands for each event: birth, the Great Departure, Enlightenment, the First Sermon and the Mahaparinirvana? Remember the place tied to each event and what the empty throne and footprints indicate. Which relief at Bharhut shows Queen Maya's dream?
What to Study: Where are Sanchi and Bharhut, and under whom did each rise? Remember what is special about each: the Sanchi toranas and their Jataka scenes, Sanchi's heritage status, and the inscribed railing of Bharhut and where it is kept today.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2006UPSC 2023UPSC 2026
What to Study: Which state or country, dynasty and period does each site belong to? Remember the stone and the main feature of each: the sculpture of Amaravati and its Mahayana link, Nagarjunakonda's present condition, and the mixed influences at Taxila.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 1998UPSC 2024
What to Study: Which event of the Buddha's life belongs to Sarnath and which to Bodh Gaya? Remember the monuments at each: the Dhamekh Stupa and the Ashokan Lion Capital at Sarnath, and the Mahabodhi Temple, Vajrasana and Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya.
What to Study: What is a chaitya griha, and what is its apsidal plan? Learn the parts: nave and aisles, barrel-vaulted roof and chaitya window. Understand why the roof keeps ribs even in stone, and what the window and the aisles are for.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2013UPSC 2014UPSC 2016UPSC 2021UPSC 2023
What to Study: Remember the period and the distinctive feature of the chaitya halls at Bhaja, Karle, Ajanta and Ellora. Which Ajanta caves are chaitya caves, and which are early and which late? What is notable about Ajanta Cave 26 and Ellora Cave 10?
What to Study: What is the layout of a vihara? Understand what was added to it from about the 5th century CE, and what this change shows about the shift from Hinayana to Mahayana Buddhism.
What to Study: Which Ajanta caves are viharas, and what do their paintings show? Is the technique true fresco? Be clear about how it differs from fresco and what it is closer to.
What to Study: What kind of institution was Nalanda, and in which state is it? Remember who patronised it, the centuries in which it was active, and who is blamed for its destruction and when.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2013
What to Study: How do a chaitya and a vihara differ in function, plan, focal element and key features? Remember the examples of each.