RAS question
The temples at Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal belong to which dynasty?
Correct answer: (A) Chalukyas of Badami (6th-8th century).
The temples at Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal belong to the Early Chalukyas of Badami, whose temple and cave architecture flourished in the 6th-8th century CE.
Explanation
The attribution is to the Early Chalukyas of Badami because the UNESCO World Heritage Centre treats Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal as one architectural sequence under the Early Chalukyas. UNESCO World Heritage Centre describes these monuments as experimentation in Hindu cave and temple architecture, with Aihole and Badami developing basic prototypes and Pattadakal showing their more mature form. Aihole is remembered as a major early centre of temple experimentation, Badami for its cave temples, and Pattadakal for a complex where northern Nagara and southern Dravida tendencies appear together. For RAS, the key linkage is dynasty plus site cluster: Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal point to the Badami Chalukyas, not to later or neighbouring South Indian dynasties.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Cholas do not fit the Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal temple sequence, which is tied to the Early Chalukyas of Badami rather than to Chola temple patronage.
- (C) The Rashtrakutas do not fit this site cluster because the formative temple and cave architecture of Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal belongs to the Early Chalukyas.
- (D) The Pallavas are the wrong attribution here because Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal form a Badami Chalukya architectural group, with Pattadakal marking the mature phase of that Chalukya experimentation.
Concept
This tests the Ancient and Medieval History theme of matching dynasties with temple-architecture centres. It recurs in RAS because Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal are a compact, high-yield cluster for identifying Early Chalukya architecture.