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General Studies 2024 GS Paper I 15 marks 250 words Compulsory Comment

GS Paper I — Q11

"Though the great Cholas are no more yet their name is still remembered with great pride because of their highest achievements in…

"Though the great Cholas are no more yet their name is still remembered with great pride because of their highest achievements in the domain of art and architecture." Comment. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

"हालांकि महान चोल शासक अभी मौजूद नहीं हैं लेकिन उनकी कला व वास्तुकला के क्षेत्र में उत्कृष्ट उपलब्धियों के कारण अभी भी उन्हें बहुत गर्व से याद किया जाता है।" टिप्पणी कीजिए। (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q11 of the 2024 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2024 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

The Cholas (9th–13th c. CE), whose empire stretched from the Kaveri to the Ganges and across the Bay of Bengal, left a cultural imprint that outlasted their political power. The statement is largely valid: their art and architecture remain a source of Tamil and Indian pride, though their legacy should be seen as a culmination rather than an isolated invention.

In architecture, the Cholas perfected and monumentalised the Dravidian structural stone tradition that had begun earlier under the Pallavas and Chalukyas, building on the earlier transition from rock-cut to structural temples. Their temples display mature vimana, gopuram and mandapa planning, with towering vimanas, pillared halls, sculpted walls and axial processional space. Brihadeeswarar at Thanjavur (1010 CE) and Gangaikonda Cholapuram, both UNESCO World Heritage monuments, exemplify this zenith through massive granite construction, sculptural narrative and royal commemoration.

Chola bronzes are equally celebrated. The Nataraja, cast by the lost-wax (cire perdue) method, captures Shiva’s Ananda Tandava with rhythmic balance and spiritual intensity; tribhanga appears in standing deity icons, showing the period’s refined aesthetic grammar.

Art was also statecraft. Temple complexes functioned as economic and administrative centres, while the tiger emblem, and lion/rajasimha imagery in temple sculpture, linked sacred space to royal authority. This idiom influenced later Vijayanagara and Nayaka styles and survives in contemporary Tamil temple rituals, festivals and enduring collective memory. Thus, the Cholas are remembered not merely as rulers but as shapers of a visual and ritual vocabulary that continues to define Tamil culture and India’s national identity.

What "Comment" is asking you to do

Take a position on the statement and support it. Comment usually attaches to a quoted line in the short slots, so the reasoning must be compressed — an opening view, a few load-bearing reasons, and the limit of the claim.

Structure that answers it

Unpack what the statement asserts → your stance → two or three supporting reasons → the qualification that limits it

Where marks are lost

Neutral summary; a comment without a stance has not answered. Equally costly is accepting the quoted line wholesale and never testing where it fails.

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How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS1 History/Culture. comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Analyzes the 'why' of Chola art with specific examples and a clear judgment.

Key points expected

  • Identify specific architectural feats (e.g., Brihadeeswarar Temple, Gopurams).
  • Explain the 'why': link art to political consolidation and trade.
  • Mention specific artistic mediums (bronze, stone, sculpture).
  • Provide a balanced judgment on their cultural legacy.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Contextualize Chola legacy and provide a judgment on their artistic/architectural supremacy. 15 marks · 250 words

    comment— context → arguments both sides → judgment → close

    Must cover

    • Identify specific architectural feats (e.g., Brihadeeswarar Temple, Gopurams).
    • Explain the 'why': link art to political consolidation and trade.
    • Mention specific artistic mediums (bronze, stone, sculpture).
    • Provide a balanced judgment on their cultural legacy.

    Loses marks

    • Narrating a chronological history of the dynasty.
    • Focusing only on military conquests.
    • Using emotive language without factual evidence.

    Earns more

    • Reference to Rajaraja I or Rajendra I.
    • Mention of the Nataraja bronze or Chola coins.
    • Comparison with contemporary dynasties (Pallavas/Pandyas).
    • Reference to the 'Chola style' of sculpture.

    Extra mark

    • 30-second sketch of a Chola temple structure.
    • Specific date of Brihadeeswarar Temple construction (1010 CE).

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