Study Reference:
According to the official portal of the Kangra district administration, the Masroor Rock-Cut Temple complex is an 8th-century Nagara-style temple group located in the Beas river region of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, made by carving a single rock.
According to the portal, the complex's construction remained incomplete and it was possibly damaged by earthquakes. Its study-documentation is associated with the works of Shuttleworth (1913) and Hargreaves (ASI, 1915) in the early twentieth century.
Period: 8th century; rock-cut Nagara-style complex
Site: Kangra (Himachal); Beas river region
Speciality: monolithic carving; shikharas and a sacred water tank
The monolithic claim is based on the official portal
Architectural Identity:
According to the official account, the complex is of the Nagara style and is monolithic - that is, carved from a single mass of rock. The portal mentions the shikharas, the sacred water tank and the mandala layout on a square grid.
From the exam angle: the combination of "Nagara style" + "rock-cut" is Masroor's distinct identity; the portal describes it as a form of north Indian Nagara architecture.
Concept from the Exam Angle:
According to the portal, the temples face the Dhauladhar mountain range in the north-east. The complex is associated with the Shaiva, Vaishnava, Devi and Saura traditions.
Keep the register clear: the dating "8th century" and the construction method "monolithic" are both claims of the official portal; attribution to any specific dynasty is not treated as source-supported here.
Prelims: Practice Questions
Question 1. The Masroor Rock-Cut Temple complex is located in which state/district?
(a) Himachal Pradesh, Kangra
(b) Uttarakhand, Almora
(c) Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu
(d) Punjab, Hoshiarpur
See answer and reason
Answer: (a). Kangra portal: the Masroor Temple is in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
Question 2. Consider the pairs given below about the Masroor Temple:
Pair 1: Period - 8th century
Pair 2: Style - Nagara
Pair 3: Method - monolithic carving
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
See answer and reason
Answer: (c). Kangra portal: all three pairs are correct.
Question 3. Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The Masroor complex is a Nagara-style temple group made by carving a single rock.
Statement-II: The construction of the Masroor complex was fully completed.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is not correct
(b) Statement-I is not correct, but Statement-II is correct
(c) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct
(d) Neither Statement-I nor Statement-II is correct
See answer and reason
Answer: (a). Statement-I is correct; Statement-II is wrong - the complex remained incomplete.
Source:
Kangra district portal: official account of the Masroor Temple
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