Read the passage and answer the question :
Art historians had to acquire familiarity with hagiographies of the Buddha in order to understand Buddhist sculpture. According to hagiographies, the Buddha attained enlightenment while meditating under a tree. Many early sculptors did not show the Buddha in human form - instead, they showed his presence through symbols. The empty seat was meant to indicate the meditation of the Buddha, and the Stupa was meant to represent the Mahaparinibbana.
Identify the Commissioner of Guntur who collected several sculpture panels from Amaravati and took them to Madras:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Walter Elliot
In 1854, Walter Elliot, the commissioner of Guntur, visited Amaravati, collected several sculpture panels and took them away to Madras; they came to be called the Elliot marbles.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| – | – | – | 05-06 S2 09-06 S1* | 21-08 S2* |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2026-27): “8. ‘Discovering’ Stupas The Fate of Amaravati and Sanchi … In 1854, Walter Elliot, the commissioner of Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), visited Amaravati and collected several sculpture panels and took them away to Madras. (These came to be called the Elliot marbles after him.) He also discovered the remains of the western gateway and came to the conclusion that the structure at Amaravati was one of the largest and most magnificent Buddhist stupas ever built.…” |