UPSC Prelims 2017 · Question 25 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2017 question on Sun Temples
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2017
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectArt and Culture
- TopicTemple Architecture
- DifficultyHard
- TypeStatement
Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples?
1. Arasavalli
2. Amarakantak
3. Omkareshwar
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Show answer
Answer: A. 1 only
Verdict
The answer is 1 only. Arasavalli has a famous Sun temple; Amarakantak and Omkareshwar do not.
Analysis
Statement 1 is CORRECT. The Suryanarayana Swamy temple at Arasavalli in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh is a well known Sun temple with an ancient tradition. Statement 2 is INCORRECT. Amarakantak in Madhya Pradesh is revered as the source of the Narmada and is a Shaiva and pilgrimage centre, not a solar site. Statement 3 is INCORRECT. Omkareshwar, on an island in the Narmada, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and is therefore a Shaiva shrine.
Source
Press reporting on the Arasavalli temple.
How to crack it
This is an unconventional question, but two of the three sites are identifiable through better known associations, and identifying what a site is famous for is enough to reject it as a Sun temple. Amarakantak means the Narmada source and Omkareshwar means a Jyotirlinga, so both are Shaiva. India has very few celebrated Sun temples, essentially Konark, Modhera, Martand and Arasavalli, and learning that short list once makes every question in this area answerable by elimination.