UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC declines plea against ‘VIP darshan’ in temple

Q1. Which one of the following bodies is the statutory authority that manages the day-to-day administration of the Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple at Ujjain, whose VIP-darshan practice was recently challenged before the Supreme Court?

  • A. Archaeological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture
  • B. Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee under the Madhya Pradesh Government
  • C. Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of India
  • D. Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board

Q2. Among the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva, the Mahakaleshwar shrine at Ujjain — at the centre of the recent Supreme Court VIP-darshan plea — is uniquely distinguished by which one of the following features?

  • A. It is the only Jyotirlinga whose lingam is south-facing (Dakshinamukhi)
  • B. It is the only Jyotirlinga located on the banks of the Ganga
  • C. It is the only Jyotirlinga whose principal deity is a Swayambhu Shakti Peetha
  • D. It is the only Jyotirlinga managed directly by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India

Q3. The Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee, which administers the Ujjain shrine whose VIP-darshan practice the Supreme Court recently declined to interfere with, is constituted under which one of the following enactments?

  • A. The Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1988
  • B. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991
  • C. The Madhya Pradesh Shri Mahakaleshwar Mandir Adhiniyam, 1982
  • D. The Charitable Endowments Act, 1890

Q4. With reference to the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva — of which the Mahakaleshwar temple, recently in news over a Supreme Court ruling on 'VIP darshan', is one — consider the following pairings of Jyotirlinga and State: 1. Somnath — Gujarat 2. Mallikarjuna — Karnataka 3. Mahakaleshwar — Madhya Pradesh 4. Kedarnath — Himachal Pradesh Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. Somnath — Gujarat
  2. Mallikarjuna — Karnataka
  3. Mahakaleshwar — Madhya Pradesh
  4. Kedarnath — Himachal Pradesh
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q5. In the context of the Supreme Court's recent order on VIP access at the Mahakaleshwar temple, the term 'garbhagriha', central to the dispute, refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The pillared assembly hall in front of the shrine where devotees congregate
  • B. The ornamental gateway tower marking the entrance to the temple complex
  • C. The innermost sanctum chamber housing the principal deity of the temple
  • D. The circumambulatory passage around the main shrine used for pradakshina
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