Question

Look at the image given below and identify the queen who helped in the preservation of Sanchi Stupa:
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• A. Sultan Jehan Begum
• B. Shahjehan Begum
• C. Sikandar Begum
• D. Qudsia Begum

Hint:

The preservation of Sanchi Stupa is one of the most successful historical conservation stories in India. It stood intact because of the proactive fincial patroge and protective policies of the Begums of Bhopal.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Identifying the Image:
The given archival portrait is of Shahjehan Begum ($1838$ -- $1901 \text{ CE}$), who was the wab (Queen) of the princely state of Bhopal in central India. She is shown in her formal royal robes, wearing her prestigious British decorations (including the Star of India).

Step 2: Role of the Bhopal Queens in Sanchi's Preservation:
In the $19^{\text{th}}$ century, Europeans (the French and the British) wanted to carry away the beautifully sculpted eastern gateway of the Sanchi Stupa to display in museums in Paris and London. However, the rulers of Bhopal took a firm and intelligent stand:
• Sikandar Begum and her successor Shahjehan Begum refused to let the physical gateways leave and instead provided Europeans with high-quality plaster-of-Paris casts.
• Shahjehan Begum and her successor Sultan Jehan Begum funded the conservation of Sanchi Stupa. They provided substantial grants to build a museum and a guesthouse on-site, ebling the archaeologist John Marshall to live there, research, and write his monumental volumes.

Step 3: Solution for Visually Impaired Candidates (Altertive Question):
The altertive question asks: “The famous paintings of Ajanta caves are found in which of the following state of India?” The Ajanta Caves are a series of ancient rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments located in the Aurangabad district of the state of Maharashtra. Hence, the correct answer is option (D) Maharashtra.