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UPSC Prelims 2026 GS Paper 1, question 4

Topic: Art and culture

Q4

Which of the following temples has/have a Nagara-style shikhara ?

  1. Malegitti Shivalaya, Badami

  2. Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole

  3. Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh

  4. Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal

Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. (a) 1 and 2
  2. (b) 2 and 3Correct answer
  3. (c) 3 only
  4. (d) 3 and 4

Solution.

Answer: (b) 2 and 3

  1. Item 1 is incorrect: the Malegitti Shivalaya at Badami (7th century CE) is built in the early southern (Dravida) style with a stepped pyramidal vimana.
  2. Items 2 and 3 are correct: the Huchimalligudi Temple at Aihole features an early curvilinear Rekha-Nagara shikhara, and the Gupta-period Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh is a classic early panchayatana Nagara temple.
  3. Item 4 is incorrect: the Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal is a flagship Dravida-style temple built by Queen Lokamahadevi, unlike the Papanatha and Galaganatha temples at Pattadakal which have Nagara shikharas.

Trap: Pattadakal has both Nagara and Dravida temples, but the Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna temples are Dravida in style.