What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram? 1. Both were built in the same period. 2. Both belong to the same religi

1. A. 1 and 2 only
2. B. 3 only
3. C. 1 and 3 only
4. D. None of the statements given above is correct

Answer: B

Explanation

The Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, a World Heritage Site, are 30 rock-cut cave Buddhist temples carved into the sheer vertical side of a gorge near a waterfall-fed pool located in the hills of the Sahyadri mountains. Guntapalle is a rock-cut cave site near Eluru. The other important site where rock-cut stupas have been excavated is Anakapalle near Vishakhapatanam. The Pallavas were one of the ancient South Indian dynasties that were active in the Andhra region from the second century CE onwards and moved south to settle in Tamil Nadu. Their early buildings, it is generally assumed, were rockcut, while the later ones were structural. The tradition of rock-cut cave continued in the Deccan and they are found not only in Maharashtra but also in Karnataka, mainly at Badami and Aihole, executed under the patronage of the Chalukyas; in Andhra Pradesh in the area of Vijayawada; and in Tamil Nadu, mainly at Mahabalipuram, under the patronage of the Pallavas.