Question

Identify the medium of the famous sculpture 'Lion Capital' -

• A. Lime Stone
• B. Sand Stone
• C. Pink Marble
• D. Granite

Hint:

Ashokan pillars are famous for two things: being monolithic (single-stone) and being made of highly polished Chunar Sandstone.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Identify the characteristic material of Mauryan art. A defining feature of Ashokan pillars and their capitals is the material they were carved from. They were monoliths, carved from a single block of stone.
Step 2: Specify the type of stone. The stone used was a fine-grained sandstone, quarried from Chunar near Varanasi. This particular sandstone was chosen for its ability to take a very high, mirror-like polish, known as the "Mauryan polish," which is a distinctive characteristic of these sculptures.