SSC
The Chalukya-style Ravana Phadi cave temple is located in:
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Answer: Option B — Karnataka
Detailed Solution
The Ravana Phadi cave is a rock-cut cave temple at Aihole, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka.
About the Ravana Phadi cave:
- It was carved in the 6th century CE, during the rule of the early Chalukyas of Badami (Vatapi).
- It is one of the oldest rock-cut temples at Aihole.
- It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has a Shiva linga in its sanctum.
It is famous for its large, finely carved sculptures, including:
- A ten-armed dancing Shiva (Nataraja), accompanied by the Saptamatrikas (seven mother goddesses), Parvati and Ganesha.
- Ardhanarishvara (Shiva as half man, half woman).
- Gangadhara (Shiva receiving the river Ganga in his hair).
- Varaha (the boar incarnation of Vishnu) and Durga (Mahishasuramardini).
- The cave has a hall with pillars and side shrines.
About Aihole:
- It is known as the "cradle of Indian temple architecture" because the Chalukyas experimented here with many temple styles, from cave temples to structural temples in early Nagara and Dravida styles.
- It has more than 100 temples from the 5th to 12th centuries.
- The Durga Temple at Aihole is famous for its apsidal (semi-circular) plan, resembling a Buddhist chaitya hall.
- The Aihole inscription of the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II, composed by the court poet Ravikirti in 634 CE, describes Pulakeshin's victory over Harshavardhana.
Other Chalukya sites in the same region:
- Badami: four rock-cut cave temples (6th century), three Hindu and one Jain; Badami was the Chalukya capital.
- Pattadakal: a group of temples showing both northern and southern styles; a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987).
- Together, Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal form the "Chalukyan heritage triangle" in the Malaprabha river valley.
Other famous rock-cut caves:
- Ellora (Maharashtra): includes the Kailasa Temple.
- Elephanta (Maharashtra): Shiva caves.
- Undavalli (Andhra Pradesh) and Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Maharashtra has the Ellora and Elephanta caves.
- ✗Andhra Pradesh has the Undavalli caves.
- ✗Tamil Nadu has the Pallava cave temples of Mahabalipuram.
Quick tip
Remember: Ravana Phadi cave = Aihole, Karnataka (6th century, early Chalukyas; ten-armed Nataraja); Aihole = "cradle of Indian temple architecture"; Aihole inscription = Ravikirti (634 CE).
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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.