UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers the essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-1 to check your progress. Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for February 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.comDiscuss the contributions of Ashoka, Kushana, and Gupta rulers in the growth of Sarnath as a major Buddhist centre.QUESTION 2Discuss the role of C. Rajagopalachari in advancing temple entry and social reforms in Madras Presidency, and evaluate its impact on caste relations in colonial India.QUESTION 1: Discuss the contributions of Ashoka, Kushana, and Gupta rulers in the growth of Sarnath as a major Buddhist centre.Relevance: Sarnath (near Varanasi) reflects the evolution of Buddhism through successive royal patronage — from Ashoka’s stupas and the Lion Capital to Kushana support and the classical artistic zenith under the Guptas. It is important for understanding Buddhist art & architecture, key themes in GS-1 culture and history.Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.Introduction:Story continues below this ad— Sarnath, roughly 10 km to the northeast of Varanasi, is where the Buddha is said to have delivered his first sermon in c. 528 BCE, and the place at which the Buddhist sangha (community) is said to have formed.— While ancient Buddhist texts refer to this location as Mrigadava or Rishipatana, and do not provide an exact or even approximate location for it, oral tradition and the actions of Emperor Ashoka (c. 268-232 BCE) have been key to making this association.Body:You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:Contributions of Ashoka, Kushana, and Gupta rulers in the growth of SarnathStory continues below this ad— Ashoka famously constructed a lion pillar at Sarnath that today acts as the emblem of the Republic of India. “…the very act of erecting the lion pillar probably was intended to mark the place as the location of the Buddha’s first sermon,” historian Frederick Asher wrote in his book Sarnath: A Critical History of the Place Where Buddhism Began (2020).— Recent excavations have unearthed evidence of pre-Ashokan activity and habitation at the site, but Ashoka remains singularly associated with Sarnath as its original patron. He oversaw the establishment of several monastic structures at the site, including the Dhamek Stupa, which is said to mark the exact location from where the Buddha delivered his first sermon. It is during his reign that Sarnath became a Buddhist pilgrimage site.— Sarnath was also visited by Kushana (1st-4th century CE) and Gupta (3rd-6th century CE) kings, who renovated and rebuilt Ashokan-era buildings. A prosperous monastery existed at the site until around the 12th century CE.— One of the most famous Gupta sculptures is the Buddha statue in Sarnath, often known as the Sarnath Buddha or the Dhamekha Stupa Buddha. This sculpture, made of red sandstone, exemplifies the tranquil and thoughtful expression typical of Gupta art.Story continues below this ad— The Gupta-era sculptures and inscriptions discovered at Sarnath and other Buddhist sites testify to the Gupta kings’ patronage and support for Buddhism.Conclusion:— Sarnath was among the earliest sites explored by amateur British archaeologists and indologists, possibly due to its proximity to Varanasi, which had a strong Company presence.— During these excavations, Cunningham discovered and removed many statues from the site, as well as the sandstone box reported by Duncan from the Dharmarajika Stupa (formerly known as the ‘Jagat Singh Stupa’). By 1836, Cunningham had conclusively identified Sarnath as the location of the Buddha’s first sermon.(Source: Tracing history of Sarnath: from Buddha’s first sermon to emblem of Indian republic)Points to PonderStory continues below this adIn what ways did Kushana patronage contribute to the expansion of monastic and artistic traditions at Sarnath?What does the development of Sarnath reveal about the relationship between state power and religion in ancient India?Related Previous Year QuestionsEarly Buddhist Stupa-art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives successfully expounds Buddhist ideals. Elucidate. (2016)Pala period is the most significant phase in the history of Buddhism in India. Enumerate. (2020)Story continues below this adQUESTION 2: Discuss the role of C. Rajagopalachari in advancing temple entry and social reforms in Madras Presidency, and evaluate its impact on caste relations in colonial India.Relevance: C. Rajagopalachari’s support for temple entry legislation in the Madras Presidency marked a significant step toward dismantling caste-based exclusion in colonial India. His reforms highlight the intersection of nationalism and social justice movements. The topic is relevant for GS-1 as it connects social reform, caste dynamics, and the broader struggle for equality. (Image: Rashtrapati Bhavan)Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.Introduction:— C Rajagopalachari, popularly known as Rajaji or CR, was born into a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tamil Nadu. His years in Madras marked his earliest brush with political ideas.Story continues below this ad— CR travelled to Calcutta for the December 1906 session of the Indian National Congress and later attended its Surat session in December 1907.Body:You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:Role of C. Rajagopalachari in advancing temple entry and social reforms in Madras Presidency— In January 1919, CR decided to move to Madras, finding Salem too limiting for his expanding public role. It was there that he would meet Gandhi two months later during the latter’s visit.Story continues below this ad— C Rajagopalachari was among Mahatma Gandhi’s closest associates. One of the earliest movements he supported was the Rowlatt Satyagraha in 1919. The following year, the Non-Cooperation Movement gathered momentum in Tamil Nadu under his leadership. CR gave up his lucrative legal practice and committed himself fully to the programme — boycotting elections, educational institutions, government posts, and official titles.— In April 1930, he led the Salt Satyagraha in the South, marching from Trichy to Vedaranyam on the Tanjore seaboard.— C Rajagopalachari laid before Gandhi a proposal for a Congress–League agreement that came to be known as the Rajaji formula. The plan required the All-India Muslim League to cooperate with the Indian National Congress in forming a provisional national government, provided Congress agreed to abide by a plebiscite on the question of Pakistan. The formula set down that the plebiscite be held after the transfer of power from Britain, in contiguous Muslim-majority districts in the North-West and East of India.— He introduced a scheme for Hindi in classes 6, 7, and 8 wherein attendance was compulsory. Students were not to be detained for failing in Hindi, though. Yet, the scheme evoked intense protests in the presidency. In later years, particularly during the 1965 anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu, he strongly opposed the imposition of Hindi as the sole official language.— CR was also a leading advocate of temple entry for marginalised castes. In August 1938, when M. C. Rajah, one of the South’s foremost Dalit leaders, introduced a Bill to remove social disabilities imposed on the community, CR, as Premier of Madras, gave it his full backing. The legislation made discrimination in employment, access to wells, public conveniences, schools, and colleges a punishable offence.Conclusion:— CR also promised Rajah support for a measure allowing worshippers, by majority vote, to open temples to the Dalits. Later, however, he limited its application to the Malabar district.— CR had served as Home Minister under Jawaharlal Nehru (1950–51). By the mid-1950s, however, he grew concerned that Congress’s dominance could undermine democracy, believing that the party increasingly pursued statist and centralising policies.(Source: Proponent of temple entry, critic of Hindi policy: Story of C. Rajagopalachari, with new statue in Rashtrapati Bhavan)Points to PonderHow did temple entry legislation challenge traditional caste hierarchies in colonial South India?Did temple entry reforms lead to substantive social transformation, or were they largely symbolic in nature?Related Previous Year QuestionsSince the decade of the 1920s, the national movement acquired various ideological strands and thereby expanded its social base. Discuss. (2020)What were the major political, economic and social developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India? (2014)Previous Mains Answer PracticeUPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 142)UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 143)UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 142)UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 141)UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 142)UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 141)Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.