UPSC Prelims 2023 Q82: Besnagar, Bhaja, Sittanavasal — Explained
Consider the following pairs:
(Site : Well known for)
1. Besnagar : Shaivite cave shrine
2. Bhaja : Buddhist cave shrine
3. Sittanavasal : Jain cave shrine
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- Only one
- Only two
- All three
- None
Answer: (b) Only two
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — Besnagar, near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, is known for the Heliodorus pillar, also called the Garuda pillar, from the 2nd century BCE. Heliodorus was a Greek envoy of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas, sent to the court of King Bhagabhadra. His inscription in Brahmi dedicates a Garuda-topped column to Vasudeva, calls Vasudeva the 'god of gods', and calls Heliodorus a Bhagavata. That makes Besnagar a Vaishnava (Bhagavata) site with a free-standing pillar, not a Shaivite cave shrine.
- 2: correct — The Bhaja caves are a group of early Buddhist rock-cut caves near Lonavala in Pune district, Maharashtra, dated to about the 2nd century BCE. They include a large apsidal chaitya hall with a stupa at the far end, plus several viharas (monk cells). The horseshoe-arched front and the rock-carved 'rafters' copy older wooden buildings.
- 3: correct — Sittanavasal, also called Arivar Koil ('temple of the Arhats'), is a Jain rock-cut cave temple in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu, protected by the ASI. The hill also has Jain ascetic stone beds with Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions. The cave is famous for its 7th–9th century murals painted on dry plaster (fresco-secco), including a lotus pond on the ceiling, linked to Pandya patronage.
How to eliminate
You have to know the facts to solve this one. No absolute words or option tricks help. One thing does: Besnagar is not a cave site at all. If you remember it for the Heliodorus (Garuda) pillar, a dedication to Vasudeva-Krishna, pair 1 falls straight away, because the site type and the sect are both wrong. Bhaja is a standard textbook example of an early Western Deccan Buddhist chaitya, so pair 2 is safe for most candidates. Sittanavasal shows up in every Art & Culture list of Jain murals in Tamil Nadu. Facts to remember: Besnagar = Garuda pillar, Vaishnava; Bhaja = Buddhist chaitya, 2nd century BCE; Sittanavasal = Jain cave with paintings, Pudukkottai.
Know more
Early Indian cave shrines and sites by religion
India's rock-cut tradition starts in the 3rd century BCE with the Barabar caves in Bihar. Mauryan rulers donated them to the Ajivikas. After that, Buddhists dominate the Western Deccan from the 2nd century BCE. Jains carve caves in Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Brahmanical (Shaiva and Vaishnava) cave temples come later, mostly after the 5th century CE.
| Site | State | Faith | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barabar | Bihar | Ajivika | Mauryan polished caves (Lomas Rishi) |
| Bhaja, Karle, Bedsa | Maharashtra | Buddhist | Early chaityas copying wooden forms |
| Ajanta | Maharashtra | Buddhist | Murals; chaityas and viharas |
| Udayagiri–Khandagiri | Odisha | Jain | Kharavela's Hathigumpha inscription |
| Sittanavasal | Tamil Nadu | Jain | Murals painted on dry plaster; Tamil-Brahmi beds |
| Udayagiri (Vidisha) | Madhya Pradesh | Vaishnava/Shaiva | Gupta-era Varaha panel |
| Elephanta | Maharashtra | Shaiva | Sadashiva (Trimurti) |
| Ellora | Maharashtra | Buddhist, Hindu, Jain | Kailasa temple (Rashtrakuta) |
Chaitya vs vihara: a chaitya is a prayer hall with a stupa at the far end. A vihara is a residence, with cells around a central hall.
Watch for traps: UPSC often pairs a site with the wrong type of monument as well as the wrong religion. Besnagar has a pillar, not a cave. It sits close to Sanchi and Udayagiri, so candidates mix them up. Udayagiri near Vidisha has Gupta-era Hindu caves. Udayagiri in Odisha has Jain caves. Same name, two different sites.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Heliodorus pillar: Pair 1 turns on what Besnagar is actually famous for, and this monument is the answer.
- Vasudeva-Krishna: Tells you which deity Besnagar's best-known monument honours, so you can check the sect named in pair 1.
- Bhaja caves: Pair 2 tests which religious tradition the Bhaja caves near Lonavala belong to.
- Sittanavasal: Pair 3 tests which faith the Sittanavasal rock-cut cave in Pudukkottai is linked to.
- Chaitya and vihara: Helps you recognise the prayer hall and monastery plans that identify early cave shrines like Bhaja.
- Rock-cut architecture: All three pairs test whether a site is a rock-cut 'cave shrine' and whose shrine it is.