NTA UGC NET/JRF Exam JUNE-2025 ARCHAEOLOGY

In this context, the question likely refers to a lesser-known site named "Tiger Cave" or local rock-cut caves or heritage sites in Odisha that may colloquially or officially carry that namepossibly part of the Udayagiri-Khandagiri caves or other Buddhist/Jain rock-cut architecture where tiger motifs or naming conventions are used. Even though the famous Tiger Caves are located in Tamil Nadu, specifically near Mamallapuram
(Mahabalipuram).

The book "The Saraswati Flows On: The Continuity of Indian Culture" was authored by B.B. Lal, one of India's most prominent archaeologists. The book discusses archaeological, geological, and cultural evidence supporting the idea that the Saraswati River played a major role in the early Indian civilization and that cultural continuity persisted from the Harappan to later
historical periods.

The Mayamata, an important South Indian treatise on architecture and town planning belonging to the Vaikhanasa and Saiva traditions, contains 36 chapters. The text elaborates on temple construction, iconography, rituals, and measurements, forming a vital part of traditional Hindu architectural knowledge.

The architectural treatise that shows close similarities with the Kamikagama text is the Mayamata. Both texts belong to the Saiva canonical literature and deal extensively with principles of temple architecture, sculpture, and
ritual, reflecting the shared South Indian Agamic and architectural traditions.

The Audumbara tribal republic issued coins in the name of their presiding deity Mahadeva. These coins, discovered mainly from the Kangra region
in Himachal Pradesh, bear legends in Brahmi script and depict symbols associated with Shiva, affirming their Shaivite religious affiliation.

The Junagarh Inscription of Rudradaman is written in ornate Sanskrit. Dating to around 150 CE, it is one of the earliest known long inscriptions in classical Sanskrit. Composed in an elegant and literary style, the inscription
records the repair of the Sudarshana Lake and praises Rudradaman's lineage and achievements. Its refined language marks the growing prestige
of Sanskrit in royal inscriptions.

The first inscriptional mention of Bharata-Varsha (Bharadavasa) occurs in the Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela. This Prakrit inscription, engraved in the Udayagiri Hills (Odisha), mentions Kharavela's conquests across Bharatavasa, indicating the concept of a culturally unified subcontinent. It provides one of the earliest epigraphic references to India as a distinct
geographical and cultural entity.

The Early Chalukya temple at Aihole that is an example of an apsidal plan is the Durga Temple. The temple combines both Buddhist chaitya and Hindu architectural traditions, featuring an apsidal (semi-circular) rear end and an elevated ambulatory passage. It is one of the finest examples of early Chalukyan experimentation in temple design.

The structure constructed in the southern part within the defense wall of the Sirkap mound (Taxila) is the Rajprasad. The term Rajprasad, meaning "Royal Palace," was assigned by archaeologist Sir John Marshall to a large
complex he excavated in the southern sector (Block K) of the fortified city. This massive structure, with its spacious courtyards, thick walls, and multiple chambers, was identified as the royal palace and administrative center of
ancient Sirkap. Based on the archaeological literature and site
descriptions, the Kunal/Kunala Stupa is located on a hill just south of Sirkap (outside and overlooking the city), while the Rajprasad is a built feature inside the fortified town. That means the statement "Kunal Stupa is inside the southern part within Sirkap's defence wall" does not match most published site descriptions.

The term 'Lipi', meaning "script" or "writing,' was first used in Ashtadhyayi by Panini. Panini, in the 5th century BCE, employed the word Lipі to refer to writing systems, indicating that literacy and written records were already established in his time. This is the earliest known reference to the concept of script in Indian literature.