CHAPTER 15—SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA BEFORE 1200
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What could account for the similarity in design of the stamp seals of the Indus Valley Civilization and
contemporaneous sites in Mesopotamia?
a.
exchange of artists
b.
Mesopotamians moved to the Indus Valley
c.
Indus Valley peoples invaded and conquered Mesopotamia
d.
active trade between the peoples
2. The Indus Valley civilization arose in ____.
a.
Iran
b.
Pakistan
c.
Afghanistan
d.
Iraq
3. To date, what has not been discovered in the Indus Valley?
a.
palace or temple architecture
b.
public bathing facilities
c.
private housing
d.
market place
4. The small seal discovered at Mohenjo-daro reveals an interesting iconography. Which of the following
depictions from that seal supports the Indian practice of meditation?
a.
figure is Shiva as Lord of the Beasts
b.
figure is in a suggested yogic posture
c.
figure is Shiva as Lord of the Creation
d.
figure is Buddha in his First Incarnation
5. The Aryans, a mobile herding people, came to India from ____.
a.
China
b.
Iran
c.
Anatolia
d.
Central Asia
6. Which of the following was among the innovative ideas of the Upanishads?
a.
belief in the birth of the Buddha
b.
belief in Shiva as Lord of the Dance
c.
belief in an endless round of rebirths
d.
belief in the trinity of Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi
7. The Aryan religion centered on sacrifice and ritual enactment. Which of the following would be part of
the ritual practice?
a.
fire
b.
water
c.
image of Indra
d.
multiple images of the gods
8. Gandhara, a region largely in Pakistan today and close to the Afghanistan border, was home to the
Kushan Dynasty and had a rich hellenized culture. Which of the following would explain that
association?
a.
legacy of Alexander the Great
b.
invasion of Seleucus Nicator
c.
trade with Imperial Rome
d.
trade with the Pergamenes
9. The pillars of Ashoka go deep into the ground, connecting the earth to the sky. It can be said that they
form which of the following?
a.
the path to enlightenment
b.
the cosmic mountain
c.
the Wheel of the Law
d.
the axis of the universe
10. Kanishka struck coins with images of Buddha, various Hindu deities, Greco-Roman deities, and
portraits of himself. Which of the following was the model for these coins?
a.
Hellenistic coins
b.
Indus Valley coins
c.
Roman coins
d.
Chinese coins
11. Which of the following was the unifying characteristic of the regional dynasties of South Asia in the
third through first centuries BCE?
a.
patronage of Shiva
b.
patronage of Vishnu
c.
patronage of Buddhism
d.
patronage of Devi
12. A yakshi is the personification for which of the following?
a.
Fertility and vegetation
b.
War and conquest
c.
Famine
d.
Meditation
13. The Aryans composed a compilation of religious learning that included hymns for the priests to sing or
chant. In which of the following languages were the Vedas written?
a.
Sanskrit
b.
Tamil
c.
Hindi
d.
Urdu
14. Which of the following is a Buddhist monastery?
a.
Khajuraho
b.
Deogarh
c.
Mamallapuram
d.
Sanchi
15. The pillar of Ashoka with its lion capital shows a strong influence coming from which of the following
groups?
a.
Achaemenids
b.
Sumerians
c.
Greeks
d.
Romans
16. One explanation for the sexually explicit images at Khajuraho relates them to which of the following?
a.
fertility and the propagation of life
b.
Greco-Roman influences
c.
Buddhist practices
d.
Khmer influences
17. For more than four centuries successive Khmer kings worked on the grand complex of temples and
palaces at this site, and each king built a temple mountain dedicated to his personal god.
a.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
b.
Vishvanatha Temple, Khajuraho
c.
Great Stupa, Sanchi
d.
Borobudur, Java
18. The caves of Ajanta are famed for which of the following?
a.
later Indian painting tradition
b.
early Indian painting tradition
c.
sexually explicit sculpture
d.
history of the reign of Ashoka
19. A chaitya hall would most likely be found in which of the following?
a.
a sculptured Buddhist cave temple
b.
a Muslim palace
c.
a Hindu rock-cut temple
d.
a Cambodian Mahameru
20. The profusion of sexually amorous couples in Indian art indicates which of the following.
a.
wanton behavior and lack of discipline
b.
an effort to dispel negative associations with sexuality
c.
return to the “old ways”
d.
spiritual favor and prosperity
21. Theravada Buddhism continues in which of the following countries?
a.
Sri Lanka
b.
China
c.
Java
d.
Pakistan
22. The Bayon, a temple in Cambodia with its gigantic faces, is thought to represent which of the
following?
a.
Suryavarman II
b.
Lokeshvara, Lord of the World
c.
Shiva, Lord of the Dance
d.
Ashoka
23. The Vishnu Temple at Deogarh has guardians and mithuna protecting the doorway. Why is this done?
a.
this sculptural device was always used
b.
to protect the temple from evil
c.
it is a transition point between the dangerous outside and the sacred interior
d.
it conforms to Buddhist tradition
SLIDE IDENTIFICATION
Select the response that identifies or corresponds best to the image on the screen.
24. (Figure 15-7)
a.
Ajanta
b.
Sarnath
c.
Sanchi
d.
Mamallapuram
25. (Figure 15-27)
a.
Shiva
b.
Vishnu
c.
Bodhisattva
d.
Shakyamuni
26. (Figure 15-29)
a.
Khajuraho
b.
Angkor Wat
c.
Mamallapuram
d.
Borobudur
27. (Figure 15-8A)
a.
chaitya
b.
torana
c.
mandala
d.
mandapa
28. (Figure 15-9)
a.
chaitya hall
b.
torana
c.
mudra
d.
yakshi
29. (Figure 15-14)
a.
Ramayana
b.
Bodhisattva
c.
Disappointed Mistress
d.
Shiva Mahadeva
30. (Figure 15-34)
a.
Bayon, Angkor Thom
b.
Stupa, Borobudur
c.
Vishvanatha Temple, Khajuraho
d.
rock-cut temple
31. (Figure 15-3)
a.
Mohenjo-daro
b.
Sanchi
c.
Harappa
d.
Deogarh
32. (Figure 15-13)
a.
First Sermon
b.
Wheel of the Law
c.
Birth of Buddha
d.
Moment of Enlightenment
33. (Figure 15-18)
a.
Vishnu
b.
Ganesha
c.
Shiva as Mahadeva
d.
Buddha
34. (Figure 15-19)
a.
Temple of Shiva
b.
Temple of Devi
c.
Temple of Vishnu
d.
Temple of Durga
35. (Figure 15-28)
a.
Buddha
b.
Vishnu
c.
Shiva
d.
Harihara
36. (Figure 15-29)
a.
Sri Lanka
b.
Java
c.
Cambodia
d.
Angkor Wat
37. (Figure 15-33)
a.
King Suryavarman II
b.
Prince Siddhartha
c.
Ashoka
d.
Buddha
38. (Figure 15-3)
a.
Angkor Wat
b.
Sarnath
c.
Mohenjo-daro
d.
Sanchi
39. (Figure 15-27)
a.
Avatar of Vishnu
b.
Shiva Nataraja
c.
Buddha
d.
Harihara
40. (Figure 15-31)
a.
Vishnu Lying on the Cosmic Ocean
b.
Ashoka
c.
Siddhartha
d.
Jayavarman II
41. (Figure 15-6A)
a.
Mauryan royal motif
b.
Yakshi
c.
Buddha
d.
Durga
42. (Figure 15-22)
a.
Durga Praying to the Buffalo Demon
b.
Descent of the Ganges River
c.
Bodhisattva Maitreya
d.
Durga Slaying the Buffalo Demon
43. (Figure 15-6B)
a.
granite
b.
gray schist
c.
polished sandstone
d.
marble
44. (Figure 15-11A)
a.
Yakshi
b.
Standing Buddha
c.
Bodhisattva
d.
Lakshana
45. (Figure 15-22A)
a.
Descent of the Ganges
b.
Durga Slaying the Buffalo Demon
c.
Yakshi
d.
Penance of Arga
SHORT ANSWER
1. How does the Hindu temple relate to the belief system?
2. What is the meaning of the Shiva Nataraja?
3. Name the three most important Hindu deities and their attributes.
4. How do the toranos of Sanchi reflect Buddhism?
5. How do the reliefs of the chaitya hall, Karle, reflect Buddhist and Hindu beliefs?
6. What is a stupa, and how does it reflect Buddhism?
7. Describe the monumental stupa type.
8. How does Vishvanatha Temple symbolize the birthplace of Shiva?
9. What are the Ajanta caves and why are they important?
10. Who was Jayavarman II?
11. Describe Theravada Buddhism and how it is significant to figural art.
12. How does Angkor Wat reflect the glory of the king?
13. How is Borobudur unique in its Buddhist appearance?
14. Who was Ashoka and why is he significant?
ESSAY
1. Contrast the esthetic effect of a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple. Use examples to support your
essay.
2. Discuss the representation of the human figure in Hindu architecture. Use examples to support your
essay.
3. Discuss the iconography of Buddhism as represented in the Great Stupa of Sanchi and Borobudur.
Consider the political implications found in each monument. Use examples to support your essay.
4. Compare the relationship between the ruler and the gods in ancient Cambodia with Ashoka and
Buddhism in India. How was it manifested in art? Use examples to support your essay.
5. In what way were Buddhist thought related to Hindu ideas, how do they relate to the meaning of
human existence, and how were those concepts manifested in the visual arts? Use examples to support
your essay.
6. In what way did Indian sculpture influence Southeast Asia? How did this influence impact Southeast
Asian sculpture? Use examples to support your essay.
7. Compare and contrast the representation of Buddha in the Gandhara and Mathura traditions. Use
examples to support your essay.
8. Evaluate the representations of Shiva as Mahadeva and Shiva as Nataraja. How did these
representations change to conform to the aspects of the god?
9. Discuss the political overtones of Angkor Wat. How does the iconography satisfy the religious intent
and yet serve as a political vehicle for the king. Use examples to support your essay.
10. Compare the representations of the Buddha from Gandhara, Mathura, Gal Vihara and Borobudur. How
does each of these works reflect their respective creating cultures? Use examples to support your
essay.
OTHER
SLIDE QUESTIONS
1. Who is Devi?
2. How is this a forerunner of later freestanding temples?
3. How does each work define the visual vocabulary of its respective period?
4. What was the function of each image?
5. How do these images reflect the essence of Shiva?
6. What was the purpose of each structure? What do they have in common stylistically, politically, and
religiously?
7. Compare the images; how do they mirror the subject matter of kingly leadership?
8. How do these images reflect the particular religious beliefs they illustrate?
9. How do these two images represent the divine nature of the god?
10. How do these two images reflect Indian motifs for religious architecture?
11. What tradition do these figures represent?