RAS question
The Jaipur city was designed by the architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya based on principles from which ancient text?
Correct answer: (B) Shilpa Shastra (and Vastu Shastra).
Jaipur was designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya on the principles of Shilpa Shastra, with the plan also linked to Vastu Shastra.
Explanation
Jaipur is associated with planned urban design because its layout was not an accidental growth around an older settlement. The city was founded in 1727 and designed by the Bengali architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya on principles drawn from Shilpa Shastra and Vastu Shastra. Nagar Nigam Jaipur credits much of Jaipur to Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, describes him as the chief architect from Bengal, and says the city was laid out according to Shilpa Shastra, an ancient architectural manual. This explains why option B fits the question. The grid pattern, wide streets, organised sectors and uniform building heights were outcomes of that planned approach.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Arthashastra is linked with statecraft, whereas the Jaipur design question asks for an architectural and planning text.
- (C) Manusmriti is a text on social laws, not the architectural principles used for Jaipur's city plan.
- (D) Natyashastra concerns the performing arts, so it does not match a question about Jaipur's urban design principles.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan urban history and the cultural vocabulary of traditional architecture. It recurs in RAS because Jaipur's planned layout connects a major Rajasthan city with named rulers, architects and classical planning texts.