Official Answer Key & Detailed Solution
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Correct Answer: Option (C) — 1 and 4
Concept & Option Breakdown
Standard Reference VerifiedStatement 1 is correct: The Chausath Yogini Temple at Mitawli (near Morena, Madhya Pradesh) is a circular hypaethral temple constructed in the 14th century (c. 1323 CE) during the reign of King Devapala of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty.
Statement 2 is incorrect: It is not the only circular temple in India; other circular temples include the Chausath Yogini Temple at Ranipur-Jharial (Odisha), Hirapur (Odisha), and Jabalpur (Bhedaghat, MP).
Statement 3 is incorrect: It was dedicated to the 64 Yoginis (Tantric Shakti/Shaiva cult), with a central shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, not the Vaishnava cult.
Statement 4 is correct: Its circular colonnaded structure strongly resembles and is popularly believed to have inspired Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker's design for the old Indian Parliament House (Samvidhan Sadan).
Extreme words like 'only circular temple built in India' are nearly always incorrect in UPSC Prelims.
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