Daily Current Affairs Quiz: December 29, 2025

Answer: C [Kailash temple]
Explanation:

Mahabalipuram is a UNESCO World Heritage Site developed mainly under the Pallava dynasty. It is famous for rock-cut and early structural temple architecture.

Option A is correct: Descent of the Ganga / Arjuna’s Penance is a giant open-air rock relief carved on a granite boulder at Mahabalipuram, depicting mythological and natural scenes.

Option B is correct: The Ratha temples (Pancha Rathas) are monolithic rock-cut shrines carved from single granite blocks, representing an experimental phase of Pallava temple architecture.

Option C is incorrect: The Kailash Temple is not located at Mahabalipuram. It is a monolithic rock-cut temple at Ellora Caves, constructed under the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I.

Option D is correct: The Shore Temple is a structural stone temple built near the seashore during Narasimhavarman II’s reign and is one of the earliest examples of Dravidian structural temples.

Answer: B [2 only]
Explanation:

Dhrupad is one of the oldest and most classical forms of Hindustani vocal music, which flourished under royal patronage, especially during the Mughal period.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Abul Fazl was a court historian and scholar in the court of Akbar. He authored Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari but was not associated with Dhrupad music.

Statement 2 is correct: Swami Haridas was a prominent Dhrupad musician and spiritual teacher. He is closely linked to the musical tradition patronised during Akbar’s time, and his disciples (like Tansen) played a key role in establishing Dhrupad at the Mughal court.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Amir Khusrau lived during the Delhi Sultanate period and is associated with the development of Qawwali and early Hindustani music forms, not Dhrupad, nor Akbar’s court.

Answer: D [Painting]
Explanation:

1. In Indian cultural traditions, the Kulhadar group is associated with folk painting traditions.
2. The Kulhadars are a traditional community of painters, especially known in Rajasthan, who were involved in decorative and narrative painting traditions.
3. Their work was often linked to folk themes, religious stories, and ritual art, and in many cases also extended to painting surfaces used in folk performances.
4. They were not performers themselves; hence they are not directly associated with dance, music, or puppetry as performing arts.

Answer: B [2 only]
Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Stupa-like burial mounds and relic structures existed in India before the Mauryan period, even prior to the emergence of Buddhism. Therefore, it is not accurate to say that stupa architecture started during the Mauryan period. What actually happened under Ashoka was the systematic development, standardisation, and large-scale patronage of Buddhist stupa architecture, not its origin.

Statement 2 is correct: The original brick stupa at Sanchi Stupa, built during the Mauryan period, was enlarged and encased in stone during the Shunga period. Architectural elements such as the vedika (stone railing) and toranas (ornamental gateways) were added later.

Answer: A [1 only]
Explanation:

Advaita Vedanta, propounded by Adi Shankaracharya, is a non-dualistic school of Indian philosophy.

Statement 1 is correct: Advaita holds that Brahman is the only ultimate reality (ekam eva advitiyam). The individual soul (Atman) and Brahman are essentially the same.

Statement 2 is incorrect: In Advaita philosophy, Brahman is nirguna (without attributes or qualities), beyond form, name, and description.