The Bijapur page Nujum al-Ulum: The Throne of Prosperity shows a throne of seven stages. What supports each of these stages?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Different inhabitants, from elephants to primitive tribes
Option (1) Arabesques in the Islamic Persian tradition — Incorrect. The arabesques are on the top of the throne. They belong to the Islamic Persian colouring of the page; they do not support the stages.
Option (2) Different inhabitants, from elephants to primitive tribes — Correct. Each of the seven stages is supported by different inhabitants, from elephants and tigers to palm trees, peacocks and primitive tribes.
Option (3) Stylised plants like Gujarati manuscript margins — Incorrect. The stylised plants stand on either side of the throne. They recall margin decoration in Gujarati manuscripts.
Option (4) Deccani foliage against a deep blue sky — Incorrect. The Deccani foliage against the deep blue sky surmounts the throne. It is at the top, not under the stages.
Note: This topic was not named in the CUET 2026 syllabus, but it was part of the NCERT chapter. In 2025 and 2026, NTA also asked questions on topics in NCERT that the CUET syllabus did not name. So our mocks have questions from every part of the NCERT chapter, to give you enough practice. Read the whole chapter, not only the sub-topics named in the syllabus.
NCERT (2026-27): “Bijapur School of Painting …The Throne of Prosperity is a symbolic diagram of an auspicious throne of seven stages, each supported by different inhabitants — from elephants and tigers to palm trees, through storeys of peacocks and primitive tribes. …The colouring of this page is in Islamic Persian tradition, especially, the arabesques on the top of the throne. We see it is surmounted by a Deccani foliage against amazingly deep blue sky. The stylised plants on either side of the throne have visual reference to margin decoration in Gujarati manuscript of say early sixteenth century.…”
Nujum al-Ulum: The Throne of Prosperity, Bijapur, 1570, The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland |
