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RAS question

The Konark Sun Temple was built by:

Correct answer: (C) Narasimhadeva I (Eastern Ganga dynasty).

The Konark Sun Temple in Odisha was built in the 13th century CE under Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.

  1. (A)

    Ashoka (Mauryan dynasty)

  2. (B)

    Rajaraja I (Chola dynasty)

  3. (C)

    Narasimhadeva I (Eastern Ganga dynasty)

  4. (D)

    Krishna I (Rashtrakuta dynasty)

Explanation

Konark Sun Temple is associated with King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, not with the Mauryas, Cholas, or Rashtrakutas. UNESCO describes the Sun Temple at Konarak as a 13th-century monument and states that it is a physical testimony to the Hindu kingdom of Orissa under the reign of Narasimha Deva I. The clue in the question is the temple’s Odisha-Kalinga setting and its distinctive conception: a monumental chariot of Surya with 24 carved wheels. Those details place it in the Eastern Ganga context. Its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site further makes this a standard RAS-style pairing question: monument, region, dynasty, and patron.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Ashoka belongs to the Mauryan period, much earlier than the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple.
  • (B) Rajaraja I is linked with the Chola dynasty and the Brihadeeswarar Temple, not the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha.
  • (D) Krishna I of the Rashtrakuta dynasty is associated with the Kailasa Temple at Ellora, not Konark.

Concept

This tests the medieval Indian art-and-architecture habit of matching temples with their patron dynasties. RAS repeats such questions because monuments like Konark connect political history, regional kingdoms, and UNESCO-recognised heritage.

Source

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