With reference to Chausath Yogini Temple situated near Morena, consider the following statements: 1. It is a circular temple built during the reign of Kachchhapaghata Dynasty. 2. It is the only circular temple built in India. 3. It was meant to promote the Vaishnava cult in the region. 4. Its design has given rise to a popular belief that it was the inspiration behind the Indian Parliament building. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer: C. Statements 1 and 4 are correct. The CHAUSATH YOGINI TEMPLE near Mitaoli village in MORENA district of MADHYA PRADESH is a remarkable 11th century shrine. Statement 1 is CORRECT. The temple has a CIRCULAR PLAN and was BUILT IN 1323 VS (around 1055-1075 CE) DURING THE REIGN OF THE KACHCHHAPAGHATA DYNASTY (a feudatory of the Pratiharas, later autonomous). The temple is also known as the EKATTARSO MAHADEVA TEMPLE; an inscription attributes it to King Devapala. Statement 2 is WRONG. It is NOT the ONLY circular temple in India. Several CHAUSATH YOGINI TEMPLES across India are circular or hypaethral with circular peripheral cells: - Hirapur (Odisha, 9th century) - Ranipur-Jharial (Odisha) - Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh, oldest) - Bhedaghat (Jabalpur, MP) So the Mitaoli temple is one of several circular Yogini temples. Statement 3 is WRONG. The temple is a SHAIVA-TANTRIC SHRINE dedicated to the YOGINI CULT (associated with Tantric Shakti worship and 64 Yogini goddesses surrounding Shiva). It was NOT meant to promote the Vaishnava cult — it is firmly in the Shaiva-Shakta tradition. Statement 4 is CORRECT. The CIRCULAR DESIGN of the Mitaoli Yogini temple has given rise to a popular belief that it INSPIRED THE DESIGN OF THE INDIAN PARLIAMENT (Sansad Bhavan, designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker). While not formally documented in the architects' notes, the visual resemblance is widely noted and frequently cited in cultural circles. ASI has highlighted this comparison. Source: ASI monument records / NCERT Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art.