Question

Where is the Karla Chaitya located?
A. Andhra Pradesh
B. Karnataka
C. Madhya Pradesh
D. Maharashtra

Answer 1

Hint The Chaitya at Karla is a cave temple. It is by far the largest cave temple. It is complex like the structure of ancient Buddhist Indian rock-cut caves. The shrines emerged over a period from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE.

Complete step by step solutionThe Karla Chaitya is located at Karli near Lonavala. It is located in the Pune district of Maharashtra. It is nearly 11 kilometers from Lonavala. It was built like caves on a hillside. Chisels and hammers were used by stone workers to carve the living rocks and reproduce structures that carpenters and woodworkers had made. They also made large prayer halls, stupas, and small rooms for monks all in the rock. They carved beautiful images of people and animals and some times of the Buddha. It is cut off of solid rock to a depth of 124 feet. It is nearly 40 meters long, 15 meters high and 15 meters broad. There are 37 octagonal pillars of this remarkable beauty inside it. Each of these columns rests in a water jar. Some pillars have capitals on their tops. The capital has figures of elephants kneeling on bell-shaped bases.

Hence, the correct answer is option D.

Note Many traders and rulers made grants for the construction of these caves. Karli is located in a region in Maharashtra that marks the division between North India and South India. Since Buddhists identified with commerce and manufacturing through their early association with traders, they tended to locate their monastic establishments in natural geographic formations close to major trade routes so that they could provide lodging houses for traveling traders. Today, the cave is a protected monument which is under the Archaeological Survey of India.