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The famous rock relief 'Arjuna's Penance' is located at:
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Answer: Option D — Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
Detailed Solution
"Arjuna's Penance", also known as the "Descent of the Ganges", is a giant open-air rock relief at Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu.
About Arjuna's Penance:
- It was carved in the 7th century CE during the rule of the Pallava dynasty, mainly under King Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla), after whom the town "Mamallapuram" is named.
- It is carved on the face of two huge granite boulders, about 27 metres long and 9 metres high, separated by a natural cleft.
- It is one of the largest open-air bas-reliefs in the world.
- It has more than 100 figures of gods, humans, animals, birds and mythical beings, such as nagas (serpent beings).
Scholars interpret it in two ways:
"Arjuna's Penance": the Pandava hero Arjuna, standing on one leg, performs penance to obtain the divine weapon Pashupatastra from Lord Shiva (the story told in Bharavi's "Kiratarjuniya").
"Descent of the Ganges": the sage Bhagiratha performs penance to bring the river Ganga down from heaven to earth. The natural cleft between the boulders represents the river, and water may once have flowed down it.
It includes a famous carving of a pair of life-size elephants with their young, and a humorous carving of a cat imitating an ascetic, surrounded by mice.
Other monuments of Mahabalipuram:
- The Shore Temple: a structural temple built by King Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha) in the early 8th century, overlooking the Bay of Bengal.
- The Pancha Rathas (Five Rathas): five monolithic temples named after the Pandavas and Draupadi.
- Cave temples (mandapas), such as the Varaha and Mahishasuramardini mandapas.
- "Krishna's Butter Ball": a huge boulder balanced on a slope.
- The "Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram" was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
- In 2019, Mahabalipuram hosted an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- In 2022, it hosted the 44th Chess Olympiad.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Ellora has the Kailasa Temple.
- ✗Hampi has the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire.
- ✗Khajuraho has temples of the Chandela dynasty.
Quick tip
Remember: Arjuna's Penance/Descent of the Ganges = Mahabalipuram (Pallava, Narasimhavarman I "Mamalla", 7th century; Shore Temple; Pancha Rathas; UNESCO 1984; Chess Olympiad 2022).
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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.