Q10. Which court poet and author composed the Persian masnavi Nal-Daman based on an Indian love story?
[Practice – UPPSC/UPPCS]
- (A) Faizi
- (B) Tulsidas
- (C) Abul Fazl
- (D) Mir Taqi Mir
Answer: (A) Faizi
Explanation: Faizi, Akbar’s poet laureate, composed Nal-Daman, a Persian adaptation of the Nala-Damayanti story. The work exemplifies interaction between Sanskrit narrative traditions and Persian court literature. It also illustrates the cosmopolitan literary environment encouraged under Akbar.
Q9. Which architectural feature visually connects garden channels and palace pavilions in Mughal landscape design?
[Practice – RAS/RPSC]
- (A) Running water and fountains
- (B) Dry defensive ditches only
- (C) Industrial chimneys
- (D) Underground railway passages
Answer: (A) Running water and fountains
Explanation: Water was both practical and symbolic in Mughal gardens. Channels, tanks, cascades and fountains cooled spaces, reflected architecture and evoked paradise. Designers adapted gradients and hydraulic systems to guide water through gardens and royal residential complexes.
Q8. Which emperor built the Taj Mahal at Agra?
[SSC MTS, 12 Sep 2023 (Shift 3)]
- (A) Humayun
- (B) Jahangir
- (C) Akbar
- (D) Shah Jahan
Answer: (D) Shah Jahan
Explanation: Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The mausoleum became a masterpiece of imperial architecture through its carefully planned garden, white marble structure and highly refined decorative arts.
Q7. Which mosque is an example of architectural patronage under Aurangzeb?
[SSC MTS, 06 Jul 2022 (Shift 3)]
- (A) Moti Masjid, Delhi Red Fort
- (B) Taj Mahal, Agra
- (C) Jama Masjid, Delhi
- (D) Qutb Minar
Answer: (A) Moti Masjid, Delhi Red Fort
Explanation: Aurangzeb built the Moti Masjid, or Pearl Mosque, within Delhi’s Red Fort for personal worship. Its compact white marble design differs from Shah Jahan’s monumental public mosques. The building demonstrates that mosque construction continued under Aurangzeb.
Q6. The art of Mughal court painting attained particular refinement under which emperor?
[UP Police SI, 16 Nov 2021 (Shift 2)]
- (A) Jahangir
- (B) Harsha
- (C) Babur
- (D) Humayun
Answer: (A) Jahangir
Explanation: Jahangir is renowned for discriminating patronage of painting, especially individual portraits and precise natural studies. Under him the imperial atelier developed remarkable technical delicacy. Works by Ustad Mansur and Abul Hasan illustrate the era’s artistic achievements.
Q5. At which Mughal-era site is the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti located?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 31 Jul 2021 (Shift 1)]
- (A) Fatehpur Sikri
- (B) Golconda
- (C) Junagadh
- (D) Delhi Red Fort
Answer: (A) Fatehpur Sikri
Explanation: Sheikh Salim Chishti’s tomb lies in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar revered the saint and associated the foundation of his city with him. The shrine’s intricate screens remain an important feature of the complex.
Q4. Which monument-location pair is correctly matched?
[SSC MTS, 16 Aug 2019 (Shift 3)]
- (A) Taj Mahal–Meerut
- (B) Red Fort–Jaipur
- (C) Golconda Fort–Hyderabad
- (D) Alai Darwaza–Thanjavur
Answer: (C) Golconda Fort–Hyderabad
Explanation: Golconda Fort is at Hyderabad. The Taj Mahal is in Agra, while Shah Jahan’s Red Fort stands in Delhi. Alai Darwaza is also in Delhi, but belongs to the Khalji period rather than the Mughal era.
Q3. Which emperor laid the foundations of the Mughal school of painting through Persian artists?
[SSC CHSL, 11 Mar 2018 (Shift 2)]
- (A) Babur
- (B) Humayun
- (C) Akbar
- (D) Jahangir
Answer: (B) Humayun
Explanation: Humayun invited Persian masters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad into his service following his exile. Their workshop practices helped launch Mughal court painting. Akbar subsequently expanded the atelier and gave the emerging school its distinctive imperial scale.
Q2. Who was the architect associated with Humayun’s Tomb?
[SSC CGL, 22 Aug 2017 (Shift 2)]
- (A) Ustad Ahmad Lahori
- (B) George Wittet
- (C) Mirak Mirza Ghiyas
- (D) Yaqut of Dabul
Answer: (C) Mirak Mirza Ghiyas
Explanation: Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect, is associated with the design of Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, together with other skilled builders. Its four-part garden and monumental dome mark a major stage in the development of Mughal funerary architecture.
Q1. Which miniature painting school is especially celebrated as the “poetry of colours”?
[UP TGT Arts, 2011]
- (A) Mughal
- (B) Rajasthani generally
- (C) Kangra
- (D) Japanese
Answer: (C) Kangra
Explanation: Kangra painting, a major Pahari style, is often praised for lyrical colour, delicate landscapes and Krishna-centred themes. While Mughal painting influenced aspects of its technique, Kangra developed a distinct romantic and devotional aesthetic in the Himalayan foothills.
