Panchayatan in Indian cultural history — UPSC Prelims PYQ 2014

With reference to the cultural history of India, the term ‘Panchayatan’ refers to

an assembly of village elders
a religious sect
a style of temple construction
an administrative functionary

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

In the Panchayatan style of temple making, there were four subsidiary shrines along with the temple of the principal deity.
The main temple was square with an elongated mandap in front of it, giving it a rectangular shape.
The subsidiary shrines were placed opposite to each other on either side of the mandap, giving the ground plan a crucified shape.
Example: Dashavatar temple at Deogarh (U.P.), Durga temple at Aihole (Karnataka), etc.

Diagram showing floor plan of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple with labeled sections including Ardha mandapa, Mandapa, Maha mandapa, Antarala, Garba griha, Pradakshina, Transepts, Jagati, and Subsidiary shrines. Key features include a red arrow indicating clockwise movement around Garba griha and numbered labels corresponding to temple parts for spatial understanding.