UPSC Express

Which among the following cave paintings belong to the Gupta period?
1. Ajanta cave paintings
2. Bagh cave paintings
3. Lomas Rishi cave paintings
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A.
1 and 2
B.
1 and 3
C.
2 and 3
D.
1, 2 and 3
Explanation :
The Gupta Empire existed between 320 to 550 AD. There are only two known examples of cave paintings of the Gupta period in ancient India. One of these is paintings of Ajanta Caves and other Bagh caves. The world famous paintings at Ajanta also fall into two broad phases. The earliest is noticed in the form of fragmentary specimens in cave nos. 9 & 10, which are datable to second century B.C. The headgear and other ornaments of the images in these paintings resemble the bas-relief sculpture of Sanchi and Bharhut. The second phase of paintings started around 5th – 6th centuries A.D. and continued for the next two centuries.
There are seven Buddhist rock cut caves situated on the bank of Baghiniriver. These consist of Viharas stupa in chaitya hall and residential cells. There are several sculptures of Buddha and Boddhisattvas and was one covered lavishly with painting of which there are some traces now. A painting of the bodhisattva Padmapani, of these caves is reputed as a prototype of the well- known Padmapani figure at Ajanta. The rock cut caves were quarried between 5th -6th century AD.
Bagh Caves: The Bagh Caves are a group of nine rock-cut monuments, situated among the southern slopes of the Vindhyas in Bagh town of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. These are examples of Indian rock-cut architecture. The Bagh caves, like those at Ajanta, were excavated by master craftsmen on perpendicular sandstone rock face of a hill on the far bank of a seasonal stream, the Baghani. Buddhist in inspiration, of the nine caves, only five have survived.
Lomash caves: The Lomas Rishi Cave, is a sacred architectural feature located in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills of Jehanabad district in the Indian state of Bihar. This rock-cut cave was carved out as a sanctuary. It was built during the Ashokan period of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BC, for Ajivikas.