SSC
The Uparkot Buddhist caves are located in:
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Answer: Option B — Junagadh, Gujarat
Detailed Solution
The Uparkot Caves are ancient Buddhist rock-cut caves located inside the Uparkot Fort in Junagadh, Gujarat.
About the Uparkot Caves:
- They were carved out of rock between about the 2nd and 4th centuries CE, probably during the rule of the Western Kshatrapas (Shakas).
- They are not true caves but rooms cut into the rock, used as a monastery (vihara) by Buddhist monks.
- They are on two levels, connected by a staircase, and have carved pillars with decorated capitals and bases, a water cistern and a prayer hall.
- The carvings show a mix of Indian, Greek (Hellenistic) and Persian influences.
About Uparkot Fort:
- It is an ancient fort on a plateau in the middle of Junagadh city, believed to have been first built in about 319 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya.
- It has been rebuilt and expanded many times.
- It contains the "Adi Kadi Vav" (a stepwell cut into the rock) and the "Navghan Kuvo" (a well with a circular staircase), as well as cannons and a mosque.
About Junagadh's historical importance:
- At the foot of the Girnar hill, there is a large rock with inscriptions of three great rulers:
- Emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE): 14 Major Rock Edicts.
Rudradaman I (about 150 CE), the Shaka ruler: the Junagadh (Girnar) inscription, the earliest long inscription in Sanskrit. It records the repair of the Sudarshana lake, which was first built under Chandragupta Maurya by his governor Pushyagupta.
Skandagupta (5th century CE), the Gupta emperor: also records repairs to the Sudarshana lake.
Other Buddhist caves of Junagadh: the Khapra Kodiya caves and the Baba Pyara caves.
Girnar hill is an important pilgrimage site for Jains and Hindus, with many temples.
Junagadh was a princely state whose Nawab tried to join Pakistan in 1947, but after a plebiscite in February 1948, it joined India.
The Gir National Park, the only natural home of the Asiatic lion, is near Junagadh.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Nashik has the Pandavleni caves.
- ✗Bhopal is near the Bhimbetka rock shelters and Sanchi.
- ✗Guntur has the Undavalli caves and Amaravati.
Quick tip
Remember: Uparkot caves = Junagadh, Gujarat (Buddhist, 2nd-4th century CE, inside Uparkot Fort); Girnar rock = Ashoka, Rudradaman (first long Sanskrit inscription) and Skandagupta; Sudarshana lake.
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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.