SSC
The Airavatesvara Temple (Iravatanesvara) at Darasuram is situated in:
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Answer: Option B — Tamil Nadu
Detailed Solution
The Airavatesvara Temple is located at Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.
About the Airavatesvara Temple:
- It was built by the Chola king Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE (around 1146-1173).
- It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, worshipped as "Airavatesvara".
Its name comes from "Airavata", the white elephant of Lord Indra. According to legend, Airavata worshipped Shiva here to be freed from a curse.
It is smaller than the great Chola temples at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram, but it is famous for its very fine and detailed carvings.
Its front hall ("Rajagambhira mandapa") is designed as a chariot drawn by horses, with stone wheels.
Its steps produce musical notes when tapped ("singing steps").
It has small sculptured panels illustrating stories of the 63 Nayanars (Shaivite saints), dance poses and scenes from the Puranas.
Its sculptures include images of the Chola king and queen, and many miniature carvings.
UNESCO World Heritage:
It is part of the "Great Living Chola Temples" UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2004 as an extension of the Thanjavur temple (1987).
The three temples of this site:
- Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur (Raja Raja Chola I).
- Brihadeeswara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram (Rajendra Chola I).
- Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram (Rajaraja Chola II).
- They are called "living" temples because worship continues in them.
About Kumbakonam:
- It is called the "Temple Town" and lies between the Kaveri and Arasalar rivers.
- It hosts the "Mahamaham" festival every 12 years at the Mahamaham tank; the last was held in 2016.
- It is famous for "Kumbakonam degree coffee" and bronze casting (Swamimalai bronzes, with a GI tag).
Other Chola contributions:
- Chola bronze sculptures, especially the "Nataraja" (Shiva as the Lord of Dance).
- Local self-government in villages, recorded in the Uttaramerur inscriptions (Parantaka I).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Karnataka has Hoysala and Chalukya temples.
- ✗Kerala has temples in the Kerala style, such as Padmanabhaswamy.
- ✗Andhra Pradesh has temples such as Srisailam and Simhachalam.
Quick tip
Remember: Airavatesvara Temple = Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu (Rajaraja Chola II, 12th century; chariot-shaped hall; singing steps; part of the "Great Living Chola Temples", UNESCO 2004).
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.