Which one of the following statements is correct? ​

The correct answer is A. The Ajanta caves are cut into a horseshoe-shaped basalt scarp in the gorge of the Waghora river, a tributary of the Tapi, in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. The caves are Buddhist, mostly Mahayana, and are famous for their murals and sculpture, which makes them a staple for Art and Culture.

• B is wrong: Sanchi Stupa stands on a hill in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, not in the Chambal gorge. The Chambal gorge is linked to ravines and the Chambal sanctuary.
• C is wrong: The Pandu-lena (Pandavleni) caves are near Nashik on the Trirashmi hills, on the Godavari side, not the Narmada gorge.
• D is wrong: The Amaravati Stupa is on the left bank of the Krishna river in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, not the Godavari.

The core concept is the location of rock-cut and monastic sites, which the Prelims often tests through river–site pairings. For Mains, connect these sites to the Buddhist and Satavahana heritage of the Deccan and to the role of trade routes in the patronage of monasteries.

Trap: Candidates often mix up Deccan rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Tapi, Narmada) and pick the option whose river sounds familiar. Map the river and the site together.