Nagara Style

The three main styles of Indian temple architecture are - Nagara or the Northern style - Dravida or the Southern style - Vesara or Mixed style. These styles represent the diversity and cultural richness of India's temple architecture.

Panchayatan (from Sanskrit: pañcha = five + āyatana = dwelling or shrine) refers to a style of temple architecture in which the main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines at the four corners of the temple platform. This layout symbolizes the worship of five deities (Panchadevata), typically: - Shiva - Vishnu - Shakti (Devi) - Surya (Sun) - Ganesha or Skanda It was popularized during the Gupta period and became a hallmark of Nagara-style temple architecture in North India.

**Statement 1 is correct:** (Circular temple, Kachchhapaghata Dynasty) The Chausath Yogini Temple near Morena is a circular temple complex built during the reign of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty, estimated to be around the 11th century CE. **Statement 2 is incorrect:** (Not the only circular temple) While the Chausath Yogini Temple is a well-known example, it's not the only circular temple in India. There are other circular temples across the country, such as the Shiva temple at Bhringari in Andhra Pradesh. **Statement 3 is incorrect:** (Vaishnava cult) The temple is not primarily associated with the Vaishnava cult, which worships Vishnu. The specific dedication of the temple is debated, with some theories suggesting a connection to Shaktism or Tantric practices. **Statement 4 is correct:** (Inspiration for Parliament building) There's a popular belief that the circular design of the Chausath Yogini Temple might have inspired the architects of the Indian Parliament building in New Delhi. However, there's no definitive historical evidence to confirm this connection. Therefore, the correct statements are 1 and 4.

**Statement 1 is correct.** One of the 12 holy Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva is in Jyotirlinga here in Somnath. **Statement 2 is correct.** Al Biruni writes that the temple was built of stone and constructed about 100 years before Mahmud’s attack (which would date it to the 10th century) and that it was set in a fortress surrounded by the sea on 3 sides. **Statement 3 is incorrect.** The Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of the present-day Somnath Temple in 1951 was performed by India's first President, **Dr. Rajendra Prasad**, at the invitation of K.M. Munshi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He remarked that it symbolized a victory of reconstruction over destruction.