Indian Heritage
- India is a diversified multicultural country enriched with different cuisines, languages, traditions and customs.
- India is rich in culture because people from different philosophies, values and beliefs live together in this country.
- India flourished socially and culturally under many emperors; the architecture of India is so rich that we have 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- The Indian heritage can be categorized into natural heritage, including various forests, landforms, and rivers and cultural heritage, including different architectural spots like the Taj Mahal, Red fort etc.
- Know more about Indian Heritage read Important Monuments of India.
Important Monuments of India
Question 1:
Where Is the Famous Virupaksha Temple Located?
Answer:
- The Virupaksha temple is one of the important monuments in Hampi.
- Hampi is located in Karnataka, the Vijayanagara Empire's capital.
- This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the famous pilgrimage site of Hampi.
- Lakkana Dandesha built the temple under the supervision of Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara empire.
Question 2:
Who Built Buland Darwaza? State Its Significance.
Answer:
- Buland Darwaza is the royal gate to the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri.
- The word 'Buland Darwaza' means 'Door of Victory'.
- This gate was made by the great Mughal emperor Akbar.
- Fatehpur Sikri was built to commemorate the victory of Akbar over Gujarat.
Question 3:
Where Is Elephanta Cave? Why Are They Famous?
Answer:
- The Elephanta caves are a cave complex situated on Elephanta island.
- This island is situated in the Arabian sea near Mumbai.
- Most of the caves are dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are some Buddhist caves with Stupas.
- The caves are famous for their rock-cut stone sculptures of Trimurti Shiva, Yogeshwara and Nataraja.
- The cave complex is named so because there were elephant statues in the caves, which the Portuguese colonial people destroyed.
Question 4:
Who Built 'Alai Darwaza'? Where Is It Located?
Answer:
- Alai Darwaza is located in the Qutb complex.
- It is the southern gate of the Quwaat-Ul-Islam Mosque, made of red sandstone.
- Alauddin Khilji built this gateway in 1311.
- The Alai Darwaza and other monuments around were designated as a World Heritage Site.
Question 5:
Which Famous Temple Complexes Were Built by the Chola Dynasty?
Answer:
- Three famous temple complexes built by the Chola dynasty are-
- All these temple complexes were built between the 11th and 12th centuries and are located in Tamil Nadu.
✔The Brihadishwara Temple complex of Thanjavur.
✔The Airavateshwara Temple complex of Darasuram.
✔The Brihadishwara Temple complex of Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
Question 6:
Who Designed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus?
Answer:
- Frederick William Stevens designed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly the Victoria Terminus.
- He was an English architect.
Question 7:
Who Built Tajmahal? Name the Chief Architects of the Taj Mahal.
Answer:
- Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built Tajmahal in the memory of his wife.
- Ustad Ahmad Lahori was the chief architect of Tajmahal.
- During the Taj mahal's construction, he combined Persian and Indo-Islamic architectural styles.
- He was assisted by Ustad Isa Shirazi, an architect from Persia.
Question 8:
What Is the Significance of the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya?
Answer:
- The Bodhi tree is a massive sacred fig tree located in the Mahabodhi Temple complex in Bodh Gaya, a heritage site.
- The religious and spiritual leader of Buddhists, Siddhartha Gautama, was enlightened under this tree.
Question 9:
Write About a Historical Astronomical Observatory.
Answer:
- The Jantar Mantar of Rajasthan is a famous historical astronomical observatory.
- It is located in Jaipur. The monument was built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, who also founded Jaipur city.
- This monument complex has 18 astronomical instruments and a stone-made sundial, the biggest sundial in the world.
India Land of Culture
Question 1:
What Is Malvani Cuisine?
Answer:
- Malvani cuisine is the regional cuisine of Southern Maharashtra, Goa and northern Karnataka.
- The Malvani dishes are prepared with coconut milk, desiccated coconut, dry spices and some unique ingredients like tamarind, kokum, and raw mango.
- A traditional Malvani thali should have vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes like Amboli, Bhakri, Kombdi wade, Bombay duck fry, prawn curry, pomfret fry etc.
Question 2:
What Is the Ol Chiki Script, and Who Invented It?
Answer:
- The Ol Chiki script is the official Santali script accepted by the Santali community.
- This was invented by Raghunath Murmu in 1925.
- The script consists of 30 letters and is written from left to right.
- The alphabets look like natural shapes and do not have specific upper and lower cases.
