Architectural Styles and Movements

'Its sanctuary comprised the cella, containing the idol or symbol of the deity and the spire over it'. What exactly author is referring to?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

From the seventeenth century onward India witnessed the development of its classical architecture in stone. Uptill now the extant architectural remains had overwhelmingly been in the form of monoliths, caves, and buildings cut out of living rock. This mode of architecture continued to create its great monuments at Ellora and Elephanta. But the emphasis was now on stone-block construction.
In the fifth century, Bhitargaon in Northern India had represented a philosophy: a brick temple with a tower, but with a true arch over the doorway. It proved, however, to represent a mere passing phase. The arch, vault and dome, as well as mortar cement, remained strangers to Indian masons till the thirteenth century. As a result, when they built on a large scale, they were obliged either to have towering roofs, the walls tapering to meet at top, or to instal thick pillars, in order to bear the weight of heavy beams. Recourse had then to be taken to using larger and larger solid stone blocks. The inevitable effect of the resulting massiveness was sought to be relieved by a profusion of sculpture with which these structures were increasingly endowed.
The Brahmanical temple constitutes the principal product of this tradition of monumental architecture. Its sanctuary comprised the cella, containing the idol or symbol of the deity and the spire over it. A pillared hall was attached to the sanctuary, with sometimes an intermediate chamber, transepts and porch. Jain temples followed a similar plan.
Two styles, the so-called ‘Indo-Aryan’ (Northern) and ‘Dravidian’ (Southern) have been discerned within this broad tradition of temple architecture. The ‘Aryan’ shikarasare simple ribbed spires, the ‘Dravidian’, terraced towers; the ‘Aryan’ roofs tend to be flat or pyramidal, the ‘Dravidian’, more commonly globular. Both these styles are present in early Chalukya architecture of the Deccan. At Ellora, in Maharashtra, was created the greatest building in India ever cut out of living rock. Cutting down vertically a rectangular space of rock, over 90 m. by 53 m. in area, the shikara being so carved as to be about 30.5 m. high, the rock-cutters scrupulously followed the design of a stone-structured building, with ‘Dravidian’ features.

According to the passage, a pillared hall attached to the sanctuary with an intermediate chamber, transepts and porch formed essential parts of

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

From the seventeenth century onward India witnessed the development of its classical architecture in stone. Uptill now the extant architectural remains had overwhelmingly been in the form of monoliths, caves, and buildings cut out of living rock. This mode of architecture continued to create its great monuments at Ellora and Elephanta. But the emphasis was now on stone-block construction.
In the fifth century, Bhitargaon in Northern India had represented a philosophy: a brick temple with a tower, but with a true arch over the doorway. It proved, however, to represent a mere passing phase. The arch, vault and dome, as well as mortar cement, remained strangers to Indian masons till the thirteenth century. As a result, when they built on a large scale, they were obliged either to have towering roofs, the walls tapering to meet at top, or to instal thick pillars, in order to bear the weight of heavy beams. Recourse had then to be taken to using larger and larger solid stone blocks. The inevitable effect of the resulting massiveness was sought to be relieved by a profusion of sculpture with which these structures were increasingly endowed.
The Brahmanical temple constitutes the principal product of this tradition of monumental architecture. Its sanctuary comprised the cella, containing the idol or symbol of the deity and the spire over it. A pillared hall was attached to the sanctuary, with sometimes an intermediate chamber, transepts and porch. Jain temples followed a similar plan.
Two styles, the so-called ‘Indo-Aryan’ (Northern) and ‘Dravidian’ (Southern) have been discerned within this broad tradition of temple architecture. The ‘Aryan’ shikarasare simple ribbed spires, the ‘Dravidian’, terraced towers; the ‘Aryan’ roofs tend to be flat or pyramidal, the ‘Dravidian’, more commonly globular. Both these styles are present in early Chalukya architecture of the Deccan. At Ellora, in Maharashtra, was created the greatest building in India ever cut out of living rock. Cutting down vertically a rectangular space of rock, over 90 m. by 53 m. in area, the shikara being so carved as to be about 30.5 m. high, the rock-cutters scrupulously followed the design of a stone-structured building, with ‘Dravidian’ features.

What, according to the passage, remained strangers to the Indian masons till the thirteenth century?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

From the seventeenth century onward India witnessed the development of its classical architecture in stone. Uptill now the extant architectural remains had overwhelmingly been in the form of monoliths, caves, and buildings cut out of living rock. This mode of architecture continued to create its great monuments at Ellora and Elephanta. But the emphasis was now on stone-block construction.
In the fifth century, Bhitargaon in Northern India had represented a philosophy: a brick temple with a tower, but with a true arch over the doorway. It proved, however, to represent a mere passing phase. The arch, vault and dome, as well as mortar cement, remained strangers to Indian masons till the thirteenth century. As a result, when they built on a large scale, they were obliged either to have towering roofs, the walls tapering to meet at top, or to instal thick pillars, in order to bear the weight of heavy beams. Recourse had then to be taken to using larger and larger solid stone blocks. The inevitable effect of the resulting massiveness was sought to be relieved by a profusion of sculpture with which these structures were increasingly endowed.
The Brahmanical temple constitutes the principal product of this tradition of monumental architecture. Its sanctuary comprised the cella, containing the idol or symbol of the deity and the spire over it. A pillared hall was attached to the sanctuary, with sometimes an intermediate chamber, transepts and porch. Jain temples followed a similar plan.
Two styles, the so-called ‘Indo-Aryan’ (Northern) and ‘Dravidian’ (Southern) have been discerned within this broad tradition of temple architecture. The ‘Aryan’ shikarasare simple ribbed spires, the ‘Dravidian’, terraced towers; the ‘Aryan’ roofs tend to be flat or pyramidal, the ‘Dravidian’, more commonly globular. Both these styles are present in early Chalukya architecture of the Deccan. At Ellora, in Maharashtra, was created the greatest building in India ever cut out of living rock. Cutting down vertically a rectangular space of rock, over 90 m. by 53 m. in area, the shikara being so carved as to be about 30.5 m. high, the rock-cutters scrupulously followed the design of a stone-structured building, with ‘Dravidian’ features.

When did the emphasis shift from architectures made out of living rocks to stone-block construction?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

From the seventeenth century onward India witnessed the development of its classical architecture in stone. Uptill now the extant architectural remains had overwhelmingly been in the form of monoliths, caves, and buildings cut out of living rock. This mode of architecture continued to create its great monuments at Ellora and Elephanta. But the emphasis was now on stone-block construction.
In the fifth century, Bhitargaon in Northern India had represented a philosophy: a brick temple with a tower, but with a true arch over the doorway. It proved, however, to represent a mere passing phase. The arch, vault and dome, as well as mortar cement, remained strangers to Indian masons till the thirteenth century. As a result, when they built on a large scale, they were obliged either to have towering roofs, the walls tapering to meet at top, or to instal thick pillars, in order to bear the weight of heavy beams. Recourse had then to be taken to using larger and larger solid stone blocks. The inevitable effect of the resulting massiveness was sought to be relieved by a profusion of sculpture with which these structures were increasingly endowed.
The Brahmanical temple constitutes the principal product of this tradition of monumental architecture. Its sanctuary comprised the cella, containing the idol or symbol of the deity and the spire over it. A pillared hall was attached to the sanctuary, with sometimes an intermediate chamber, transepts and porch. Jain temples followed a similar plan.
Two styles, the so-called ‘Indo-Aryan’ (Northern) and ‘Dravidian’ (Southern) have been discerned within this broad tradition of temple architecture. The ‘Aryan’ shikarasare simple ribbed spires, the ‘Dravidian’, terraced towers; the ‘Aryan’ roofs tend to be flat or pyramidal, the ‘Dravidian’, more commonly globular. Both these styles are present in early Chalukya architecture of the Deccan. At Ellora, in Maharashtra, was created the greatest building in India ever cut out of living rock. Cutting down vertically a rectangular space of rock, over 90 m. by 53 m. in area, the shikara being so carved as to be about 30.5 m. high, the rock-cutters scrupulously followed the design of a stone-structured building, with ‘Dravidian’ features.

Fill blank (vi).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

Architecture is a unique _____(i)_____ of art and science that has _____(ii)_____ out of man’s primary need for shelter. It is concerned with the design and _____(iii)_____ of buildings in their sociological and environmental context. The field is quite _____(iv)_____. It provides the _____(v)_____ of designing and building pleasing and _____(vi)_____ refined structures to serve various needs. _____(vii)_____ the fairly large number of practicing architects, the countrywide _____(viii)_____ in building activity offers scope for more. And though the initial earnings in the field are relatively _____(ix)_____ what you make thereafter will depend entirely on your _____(x)_____.