• The founder of the Sankhya school of philosophy was Maharishi Kapil. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• It is a strong proponent of Dualism. There are only two realities viz. Purusha and Prakriti.By Purusha they mean consciousness and by Prakriti, they mean substance or realm of matter. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• This school does not believe in the existence of God. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• It believes in the doctrine of Karma and transmigration of souls.

• Chhatri: central pillar supporting a triple umbrella form.
• Harmika: square railing on top of the mound.
• Anda: hemispherical mound symbolic of the mound of dirt used to cover Buddha’s remains.
• Vedika: the railings made around the stupa.

• The theme of Mara Vijaya has been painted in the caves of Ajanta. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• The panel shows the image of the Buddha in the centre, surrounded by Mara’s army.
• The event is part of enlightment and Mara represents desire. Hence, statement 2 and 3 are correct.
• The Buddha is shown with his right hand indicating towards the earth as a witness to his generosity.
• The image is shown contemplating how to disturb Siddhartha, the name of Buddha before enlightment.

• The paintings at Tiruparakunram, near Trichy, done in the 14th century represent the early phase of the Vijaynagara style.
• In Hampi (Karnataka), the Virupaksha temple has paintings on the ceiling of its mandapa narrating events from dynastic history
and episodes fro the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Features of Vijayanagara paintings:
– Lines are still but fluid.
– Faces are in profile.
– Figures and objects are shown two-dimensionally.
Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct and statement 3 is incorrect.
• These features were adopted by later artists such as those of the Nayaka period.

• Pithoro is a highly ritualistic painting done on the walls by several tribes such as the Rathwas and Bhilalas who live in the central Gujarat and Rajasthan. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• These paintings have significance in their lives and executing the Pithora paintings in their homes brings peace, prosperity and happiness. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• It might be crude but it is this crudity that adds to the beauty of this painting.
• Pithora paintings are more of a ritual than an art form. These rituals are performd either to thank God or for a wish or a boon to be granted.

• The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The temples were patronized by the Chandela kings. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• The temples at Khajuraho are all made of sandstone. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The largest temple at Khajuraho is the Kendriya Mahadeva temple.
• The Khajuraho temples are known for their extensive erotic sculptures.

• The sculpture is symbolic of Shiva as the lord of dance and dramatic arts, with its style and proportions made according to Hindu texts on arts.
• It typically shows Shiva dancing in one of the Natya Shastra poses, holding Agni (fire) in his left back hand, the front hand in gajahasta (elephant hand) or dandahasta (stick hand) mudra, the front right hand with a wrapped snake that is in abhaya (fear not) mudra while pointing to a Sutra text, and the back hand holding a musical instrument, usually a damaru. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• His body, fingers, ankles, neck, face, head, ear lobes and dress are shown decorated with symbolic items, which vary with historic period and region.
• He is surrounded by a ring of flames, standing on a lotus pedestal, lifting his left leg (or in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing / trampling upon a demon shown as a dwarf (Apasmara or Muyalaka) who symbolizes ignorance. Hence, statement 2 is correct and statement 3 is incorrect.
• The dynamism of the energetic dance is depicted with the whirling hair which spread out in thin strands as a fan behind his head.

Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India:
1. Mahabodhi temple, Bodh Gaya (Bihar)
2. The mahaviharas of Nalanda, Vikramshila, Sompura,
Odantapura, and Jagaddala
3. Sirpur in Chhattisgarh
4. Lalitagiri, Vajragiri and Ratnagiri in Odisha
5. Naganipattam in Tamil Nadu
6. Udaigiri and Khandagiri caves in Odisha
7. Ghum monastery, West Bengal
8. Rumtek monastery, Sikkim
9. Spituk monastery, Shey monastery, etc. in Ladakh
10. Dhankar monastery, Key monastery, Tabo monastery, etc. in Himachal Pradesh

Deogarh in Uttar Pradesh and Chausa in Bihar are Jain sites in India.

Striking and unique features:
• Arches and Domes: used which is known as ‘arcuade’ style of architecture replaced the traditional Trabeat style of architecture.
• Minars: are used around the mosques and the mausoleums.
• Mortar: used as a cementing agent in their constructions.
• Natural Figurines: were used. Human and Animal figures are avoided.
• Spaciousness, massiveness and breadth of buildings and structures.
• Calligraphy: used as a means of decoration as well as arabesque method which involved the use of geometrical ornamentation. Further, the decorations followed a symmetrical pattern.
• Jaali work: a feature allowing light into the structures.
• Water: pools in the premises of the building used for cooling, decorative and religious purposes.
• Charbagh style of gardening: in which a square block is divided into 4 adjacent identical gardens.
• Foreshortening technique: in the buildings, such that the inscriptions appear to be closer than it really is.
• Pietra Dura and Mosaic designs: using cut and fitted highly polished gems and stones.

Features of Indo-Gothic style:
• The constructions were extremely large and elaborate in their execution.
• The walls were thinner than in the Indo-Islamic constructions.
• The arches were pointed, unlike the curving arches of Indo-Islamic era. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
• One of the unique features of the Victorian style was the use of large windows.
• The churches had a crucified ground plan. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• It adhered to advanced structural engineering standards of Britain. Steel, iron and poured concrete started being used. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• One of the oldest surviving murals of Indian subcontinent, Ajanta caves were carved in 4th century A.D. out of volcanic rocks.
• The walls of the caves have both murals and fresco paintings. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• They use tempera style, i.e. use of pigments.
• The paintings portray human values and social fabric along with styles, costumes and ornaments of that period.
• The emotions are expressed through hand gestures. Even animals and birds are shown with emotions. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• The unique feature of the paintings is that each female figure has a unique hairstyle.Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• The Chalcolithic period saw the increase in the number of paintings using the green and yellow colour.
• Most of the paintings concentrate on depicting battle scenes. There are many paintings of men riding horses and elephants. Some of them even carry bow and arrow which might indicate preparedness for skirmishes. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• They have paintings to show skins of spotted deer left for drying that provides credence to the theory that the art of tanning skins was perfected by man for providing clothing shelter and clothing. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• Located in the Vijaynagar district of Karnataka, these mural paintings were executed on temple walls at Lepakshi.
• Done during the Vijaynagar period, they do not follow a religious theme, rather a secular one despite being a temple. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct.
• The paintings show a complete absence of primary colours, especially blue. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• A traditional painting of Odisha, the name Pattachitra comes from a Sanskrit word “patta”, which means canvas/cloth and “chitra” means picture. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• The paintings show a mix of classical and folk elements, with a bias towards the latter.
• No pencil or charcoal is used, rather brush is used to draw the outlines in red or yellow after which the colours are filled. Hence, statement 2 is ncorrect.
• Once the final lines are drawn, the painting is given a coating of lacquer to give it a glossy finish. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• The themes of these paintings are insppired from Jagannath and Vaishnava cult, sometimes from Shakti and Shiva cults. Hence, statement 4 is correct.
• Pattachitra on palm leaf is known as talapattachitra.

• Bhairav raga: denotes peace
• Hindol raga : evokes sweetness of a young couple
• Deepak raga : symbolises compassion
• Megh raga : denotes courage
• Shri raga : denotes gladness
• Malkauns : symbolises youthful love

• According to information provided by the Ministry of Culture in the Rajya Sabha in February 2014, the guidelines for declaring a language as ‘Classical’ are:
“(i) High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years;
(ii) A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers;
(iii) The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community;
(iv) The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.”
• Currently, six languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status:
– Tamil (declared in 2004)
– Sanskrit (2005)
– Kannada (2008)
– Telugu (2008)
– Malayalam (2013), and
– Odia (2014).

The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are:
– Right Understanding
– Right Thought
– Right Speech
– Right Action
– Right Livelihood
– Right Effort
– Right Mindfulness and
– Right Concentration.

• The Tripiṭaka is composed of three main categories of texts that collectively constitute the Buddhist canon: the Sutra Piṭaka, the Vinaya Piṭaka, and the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.
• Vinaya Pitaka: Rules and regulations of monastic life that range from dress code and dietary rules to prohibitions of certain personal conducts.
• Sutta Piaka: Sutras were the doctrinal teachings in aphoristic or narrative format. The Buddha delivered all of his sermons in Magadhan. These sermons were rehearsed orally during the meeting of the First Buddhist council just after the Parinibbana of the Buddha. The teachings continued to be transmitted orally until they were written down in the first century BCE.
• Abhidhamma Pitaka: Philosophical and psychological analysis and interpretation of Buddhist doctrine.

• Vaisheshika is one of the six schools of Indian philosophy (Vedic systems) from ancient India.
• Vaisheshika school is known for its insights in naturalism. It is a form of atomism in natural philosophy.
• It postulated that all objects in the physical universe are reducible to paramaṇu (atoms), and one’s experiences are derived from the interplay of substance (a function of atoms, their number and their spatial arrangements), quality, activity, commonness, particularity and inherence.
• Everything was composed of atoms, qualities emerged from aggregates of atoms, but the aggregation and nature of these atoms was predetermined by cosmic forces.
• Ajivika metaphysics included a theory of atoms which was later adapted in Vaisheṣhika school.
• According to Vaisheṣhika school, knowledge and liberation were achievable by a complete understanding of the world of experience.
• Vaisheṣhika darshana was founded by Kaṇada Kashyapa around the 6th to 2nd century BC.

Folk dances of India:
• Garba : Gujarat
• Kalbelia : Rajasthan
• Charba : Himachal Pradesh
• Dadra : Uttar Pradesh
• Raslila : Uttar Pradesh
• Ghoomar : Rajasthan
• Jawara : Madhya Pradesh