SSC
The brick temple of Bhitargaon, one of the oldest surviving brick temples of India, is situated in:
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Answer: Option B — Uttar Pradesh
Detailed Solution
The Bhitargaon temple is located in the village of Bhitargaon, in the Kanpur Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. It was built in the 5th century CE, during the Gupta period, and is considered the oldest surviving brick temple with a tall shikhara (spire) in India.
The temple is built entirely of burnt bricks, without the use of stone, except for some parts, and stands on a raised platform. It faces east and has a square sanctum (garbhagriha) with a tall pyramidal tower above it, an early example of the Nagara style of temple architecture. The outer walls are decorated with beautiful terracotta panels showing Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha and Durga, scenes from mythology, as well as animals, floral designs and human figures. The temple is believed to have been dedicated to Lord Vishnu, though no idol remains in the sanctum.
The Bhitargaon temple was first studied by Alexander Cunningham in the 19th century. It is a protected monument of the Archaeological Survey of India. Its upper part was damaged by lightning in the 19th century, and it has been restored.
The Gupta period (about 4th-6th centuries CE) is often called the "Golden Age" of ancient India. It marks the beginning of structural temple architecture in India. Other important Gupta temples include:
The Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh (Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh), one of the earliest stone temples with a shikhara, dedicated to Vishnu.
Temple 17 at Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), a simple flat-roofed temple.
The Parvati Temple at Nachna-Kuthara and the Vishnu Temple at Tigawa (Madhya Pradesh).
The Lakshmana Temple at Sirpur in Chhattisgarh, built of bricks in the 7th century, is another famous early brick temple, but it is later than Bhitargaon.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Madhya Pradesh has Gupta-period stone temples, such as at Sanchi and Tigawa.
- ✗Bihar has the Mahabodhi Temple, a brick structure, at Bodh Gaya.
- ✗Chhattisgarh has the 7th-century brick Lakshmana Temple at Sirpur.
Quick tip
Remember: Bhitargaon (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh) = Gupta brick temple with terracotta panels (5th century); Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh = early Gupta stone temple; Lakshmana Temple, Sirpur = brick (Chhattisgarh).
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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.