Buildings, Paintings and Books

Q1. Fill in the blanks.

                         i.        Aryabhata was a great astronomer.

                       ii.        Stories about gods and goddesses are found in the Puranas.

                      iii.        Valmiki is recognised as the author of the Sanskrit Ramayana.

                      iv.        Silappadikaram and Manimekalai are two Tamil epics.

                        v.        Both the Puranas and the Mahabharata are supposed to have been compiled by Vyasa.

                      vi.        Stories from the Jatakas were often shown on the railings of stupas and in paintings in places such as Ajanta.

Q2. True/False

                        i.        The Mahabharata is about a war fought between the Kauravas and Pandavas, who were cousins. True

                       ii.        Bhagavad Gita was included in the Ramayana. False

                      iii.        Kannagi, the wife of Kovalan, mentioned in the Silappadikara, destroyed the city of Madurai. True

                      iv.        Devotees walked around the stupa, in an anticlockwise direction, as a mark of devotion. False

Q3. What does the word stupa mean?

Ans. The word stupa means a mound.

Q4. Who wrote Ramayana?

Ans. Valmiki wrote Ramayana.

Q5. Who composed Silapadikaram?

Ans. It was composed by a poet named Ilango.

Q6. What was the capital of Kosala?

Ans. Ayodhya was the capital of Kosala.

Q7. What are the two great sanskrit epics of India?

Ans. The two Sanskrit epics are Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Q8. Name two Tamil epics.

Ans. The two Tamil epics are Silappadikaram and Manimekalai.

Q9. What do you understand by Mandapa?

Ans. Mandapa is place in temples where people could assemble.

Q10. Who use to decide to build the stupas and temples?

Ans. Kings or queens decided to build these as it was an expensive affair.

Q11. What do you understand by the term Garbhagriha?

Ans. Garbhagriha is a place where the image of the deity is installed.

Q12. What is Pradakshina patha?

Ans. Pradakshina patha is a circular path around the stupa.

Q13. In which language were Puranas written?

Ans. The Puranas were written in simple Sanskrit verse.

Q14. Who wrote Meghaduta?

Ans. Kalidasa wrote Meghaduta.

Q15. Where and by whom paper was invented?

Ans. Paper was invented in China about 1900 years ago, by a man named Cai Lun.

Q16. What colors were used in Ajanta cave paintings?

Ans. The colours used in Ajanta cave paintings were made of plants and minerals.

Q17. Whose name is inscribed on the iron pillar at Mehrauli, Delhi?

Ans. There is an inscription on the pillar mentioning a ruler named Chandra, who probably belonged to the Gupta dynasty.

Q18. What is Bhitargaon Temple known for?

Ans. It is an early temple at Bhitargaon, Uttar Pradesh. This was built about 1500 years ago, and was made of baked brick and stone.

Q19. What is Shikhara?

Ans. A tower-like structure built on top of the garbhagriha, to mark this out as a sacred place is known as the shikhara.

Q20. What are the various kinds of stupas?

Ans. There are several kinds of stupas, round and tall, big and small, these have certain common features.