Art & Culture Mixed Quiz: Set 1

Kathakali, which means 'story play', is the classical dance-drama of Kerala, performed traditionally by men, in which stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata are told through hand gestures (mudras), eye movements and facial expressions.

Perini Shiva Thandavam is a vigorous warrior dance of Telangana, performed by men in praise of Lord Shiva. It flourished under the Kakatiya kings of Warangal, whose soldiers danced it before going to battle.

Baiju, also called Baiju Nayak, was the leading singer at the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar in Gwalior and later served Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat.

Pandit Ram Narayan, born in Udaipur in 1927, lifted the sarangi from an instrument that only accompanied singers to a solo concert instrument, and he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.

Nihalchand was the master painter of Kishangarh in the 18th century under Raja Sawant Singh, the poet-king known as Nagaridas; his 'Bani Thani', with its long nose, arched eyebrows and lotus-shaped eyes, is often called the Mona Lisa of India.

The Brihadisvara (Brihadeeswarar) Temple at Thanjavur was built by Rajaraja Chola I and completed around 1010 CE, which is why it is also called Rajarajeswaram or the Big Temple.

The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, "Might of Islam", stands in the Qutub complex at Mehrauli in Delhi, next to the Qutub Minar and the Iron Pillar.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi, in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, is one of the oldest Buddhist monuments in India.

Raja Parba is Odisha's three-day festival of womanhood held in mid-June, when the sun enters Mithuna (Gemini). The three days are Pahili Raja, Raja Sankranti or Mithuna Sankranti, and Basi Raja, and a ritual bath of Mother Earth, Vasumati Snana, closes it on the fourth morning.

Patalkot is a deep, horseshoe-shaped valley in the Tamia area of Chhindwara district, and most of its villages are home to the Bharia tribe.

Kharosthi was written from right to left, like the Aramaic script from which it grew. It was the script of Gandhara in the north-west, now in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and was used roughly from the third century BCE to the third century CE, mostly for Prakrit.

Pochampalli, also written Pochampally, is a weaving town in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana, not far from Hyderabad. It is famous for ikat sarees, in which the threads are tied and dyed before weaving, so the pattern appears as the cloth is woven.

Jainism holds that souls (jiva) live not only in humans, animals and plants but also in earth, water, fire and air.

Bhaja is a Buddhist cave site and Sittanavasal a Jain one, but Besnagar has no Shaivite cave shrine.

Bharatanatyam grew out of Sadir Attam, also called Dasiattam, the temple dance performed by devadasis in Tamil Nadu. In the early 19th century the Tanjore Quartet, four brothers at the Thanjavur court, arranged its items into the order still followed in a recital.

Bihu is the chief festival and folk dance of Assam. The dance is performed by young men and women in groups to the beat of the dhol and the pepa, a pipe made of buffalo horn, with quick steps and graceful hand movements.

The Manipur Sangai Festival is held every year from 21 to 30 November to showcase the state's culture and tourism.

Early Mathura Buddhas show the right hand raised with the palm facing out, the gesture that says "fear not". The Mathura School flourished under the Kushanas in the first centuries CE, at the same time as the Gandhara school of the north-west.

The dance takes its name from its birthplace, the village of Kuchipudi, earlier called Kuchelapuram, in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

Ghoomar is a folk dance of Rajasthan performed by women in long, flared skirts called ghaghras, who spin gracefully in circles.