With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs: |Famous work of sculpture|Site| |– |–| |1. A grand image of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below|Ajanta| |2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth from the deep and chaotic waters, sculpted on rock|Mount Abu| |3. “Arjuna’s Penance” /”Descent of Ganga” sculpted on the surface of huge boulders|Mamallapuram| Which of the pairs given above is/ are correctly matched?
Explanation
Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Ajanta Caves, located in Maharashtra, are famous for their Buddhist rock-cut sculptures and paintings, including the grand image of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana in Cave 26.
Pair 2 is not correctly matched: The huge image of Varaha Avatar of Vishnu is sculpted on the rock at Udayagiri Caves, near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, not at Mount Abu.
Pair 3 is correctly matched: Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is famous for its rock-cut sculptures, including the iconic "Arjuna's Penance" or "Descent of Ganga" carved on two massive boulders.