Art & Culture Mixed Quiz: Set 2

The correct answer is B, Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam grew in the temples of Tamil Nadu, where it was performed by devadasis under the older name sadir or dasiattam, and it was brought to the concert stage in the twentieth century by E. Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale, who founded Kalakshetra at Madras in 1936.

Option A, Kerala, is the home of two other classical forms, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam, and is the commonest distractor here because all three are southern. Option C, Karnataka, has the rich Yakshagana tradition, but Yakshagana is a folk theatre form and is not in the Akademi list of eight classical dances. Option D, Andhra Pradesh, is the home of Kuchipudi, which is also a southern classical form and is often confused with Bharatanatyam; the surest way to separate them is that Kuchipudi is a dance-drama in which performers speak, while Bharatanatyam is a silent solo.

The correct answer is A, Baiju Bawra. 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. Raja Man Singh Tomar ruled Gwalior from 1486 to 1516 and is credited with shaping dhrupad, the oldest surviving style of Hindustani classical music. Baiju was a master of dhrupad, and legend makes him a rival of Tansen, a story retold in the 1952 film "Baiju Bawra". Gwalior's link with music continues today through the Tansen Samaroh held there every year. Option B is wrong because Tansen sang at the court of Raja Ramchandra of Rewa and then became one of the nine jewels of Akbar's court. Option C is wrong because Lal Kalawant was a disciple of Tansen who served at the Mughal court. Option D is wrong because Rang Khan Kalawant is not recorded at the courts of Man Singh Tomar or Bahadur Shah. Exam tip: Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior made dhrupad famous; Baiju sang there, and Tansen later shone at Akbar's court.

The correct answer is C, Jhumar. The Jhumar dance of Haryana takes its name from the jhumar, an ornament that married women wear on the forehead. It is danced mainly by young married women, often in a circle, with clapping and folk songs to the beat of the dholak and the thali, a brass plate used as a rhythm instrument. It is especially popular in the Bagar region of western Haryana. Because it is a lively women's dance like the Gidda of Punjab, Jhumar is also known as the Haryanvi Gidda, a name that has itself been asked in HSSC papers. Option A is wrong because Ghoomar takes its name from the swirling movement of the dancers, not from an ornament; it is famous in Rajasthan and is also danced in southern Haryana. Option B is wrong because Loor is a dance of girls, performed in the month of Phagun to welcome spring. Option D is wrong because the Gugga dance is performed by men in honour of Gugga Pir, especially around Gugga Navami. Exam tip: Jhumar means a forehead ornament and is called the Haryanvi Gidda; Loor is the girls' spring dance of Phagun.

The correct answer is A, Sarangi. 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. Ustad Sultan Khan, born in Sikar district, was a sarangi master and singer known around the world for his work with other musicians, and he received the Padma Bhushan. The sarangi is a bowed string instrument carved from a single block of wood, with three main gut strings played with a bow and many sympathetic strings that ring along; its sound is said to come closest to the human voice. Option B is wrong because the kamaycha is a bowed folk instrument of the Manganiyar musicians of Jaisalmer and Barmer, not the instrument of these two classical masters. Option C is wrong because the tabla is a pair of drums, not a string instrument. Option D is wrong because the sitar is a plucked instrument, made world-famous by Pandit Ravi Shankar. Exam tip: Rajasthan's sarangi masters are Ram Narayan (Udaipur) and Sultan Khan (Sikar).

The correct answer is D, Sarangi. Pandit Ram Narayan was the musician who lifted the sarangi from an accompanying instrument to a solo concert instrument in Hindustani music. Born at Udaipur in Rajasthan in 1927, he played for All India Radio, accompanied singers for years, and from the mid-1950s began giving solo recitals in India and abroad. He was honoured with the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and, in 2005, the Padma Vibhushan. The sarangi is a short-necked bowed instrument carved from a single block of wood, with three main gut strings and about thirty-five sympathetic strings, and its tone is said to come closest to the human voice. Option A is wrong because the ghatam, a clay pot, is a Carnatic percussion instrument played by Vikku Vinayakram. Option B is wrong because the tabla is linked with Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain. Option C is wrong because the bansuri, the bamboo flute, belongs to Pannalal Ghosh and Hariprasad Chaurasia. Exam tip: sarangi — Ram Narayan; sarod — Amjad Ali Khan; santoor — Shivkumar Sharma.

The correct answer is B, A-ii, B-iii, C-i, D-iv. 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. Ustad Ali Raza, a painter who came from Delhi, worked at Bikaner in the 17th century under Maharaja Karan Singh, which is why Bikaner painting shows a strong Mughal touch. Sahibdin was the leading painter of Mewar under Maharana Jagat Singh I; his Ragamala of 1628 and his Ramayana paintings shaped the Udaipur style. Shivdas is counted among the painters of the Marwar, or Jodhpur, school. Option A is wrong because it gives Shivdas to Bikaner and Ali Raza to Marwar. Option C is wrong because it gives Shivdas to Mewar and Sahibdin to Marwar. Option D is wrong because it links Sahibdin with Bikaner and Ali Raza with Mewar. Exam tip: Bani Thani–Nihalchand–Kishangarh; Ragamala–Sahibdin–Mewar; Ali Raza–Bikaner; Shivdas–Marwar.

The correct answer is B, Black Pagoda. European sailors called the Konark Sun temple the Black Pagoda because its dark stone tower stood out on the Odisha coast and served them as a landmark, in contrast to the whitewashed Jagannath temple at Puri, which they called the White Pagoda. The temple was built in the thirteenth century by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in the Kalinga style. It is shaped as the chariot of Surya, the sun god, with twelve pairs of carved wheels and seven horses drawing it, and the wheels work as sundials. UNESCO placed it on the World Heritage list in 1984. A is wrong because the White Pagoda was the sailors' name for the Puri temple. C and D are wrong because no such names were used for Konark; they are only distractors. Exam tip: Konark = Black Pagoda, Narasimhadeva I, Kalinga style, UNESCO site since 1984.

The correct answer is A, Brihadisvara Temple. 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. It is the finest example of Dravidian temple architecture: a granite vimana about 66 metres high, a single-stone capstone said to weigh around 80 tonnes, and a huge monolithic Nandi facing the shrine of Shiva. Along with Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram, it forms the UNESCO World Heritage listing called the Great Living Chola Temples. B is wrong because the Naganathaswamy Temple is at Thirunageswaram near Kumbakonam and is famous as the Ketu shrine among the Navagraha temples. C is wrong because the Thirumananjeri Temple is a wedding-blessing shrine near Kumbakonam, not Rajaraja's temple. D is wrong because the Murugan temples such as Palani and Swamimalai are not Chola royal temples in Thanjavur. Exam tip: Rajaraja I built Thanjavur's Brihadisvara; his son Rajendra I built Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

The correct answer is C, Karnataka. Kambala is a traditional buffalo race of coastal Karnataka, held mainly in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, the Tulu Nadu region. Pairs of buffaloes, yoked together and driven by a farmer, race along two parallel tracks filled with slushy water in paddy fields. The season runs roughly from November to March, after the harvest, and the race began as a thanksgiving to local deities for a good crop. After a legal debate similar to the one over Jallikattu, Karnataka amended its animal cruelty law in 2017 so that Kambala could continue. A is wrong because Kerala is famous for its snake-boat races such as the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. B is wrong because Punjab is known for the Kila Raipur rural sports festival with bullock-cart races. D is wrong because Odisha is known for the Rath Yatra of Puri. Exam tip: Kambala = Karnataka (buffalo race), Jallikattu = Tamil Nadu (bull taming), Vallam Kali = Kerala (boat race), Kila Raipur = Punjab (rural Olympics).

The correct answer is D, Delhi. 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. Qutb-ud-din Aibak began it in 1192-93, right after the Turkish conquest, making it the first mosque built in Delhi and the earliest surviving example of Indo-Islamic architecture in India. Its pillars were taken from twenty-seven demolished Hindu and Jain temples, which is why they still carry bells, chains and floral carvings, and Iltutmish and Alauddin Khalji later enlarged it. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A, Panipat, has the Kabuli Bagh mosque built by Babur after the first battle of Panipat in 1526. B, Lahore, has the Badshahi mosque of Aurangzeb. C, Ajmer, has Aibak's other mosque, the Adhai Din ka Jhonpra, which is the usual trap in this question. Exam tip: Aibak built Quwwat-ul-Islam in Delhi and Adhai Din ka Jhonpra in Ajmer.

The correct answer is C, Odisha. Pattachitra is the old cloth-scroll painting of Odisha, and the name itself explains it: patta means cloth and chitra means picture. The painters, called chitrakars, treat a cloth with chalk and tamarind paste, then draw gods and legends on it with natural colours and a fine brush, keeping a decorated border around the scene. Most works show Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra of Puri, Krishna's life or scenes from the epics. The village of Raghurajpur near Puri is famous for this craft and has a GI tag for Odisha Pattachitra. A is wrong because Andhra Pradesh is known for Kalamkari, drawn and dyed with a pen. B is wrong because Rajasthan is known for Phad paintings and the miniature schools of Kishangarh, Mewar and Bundi. D is wrong because Bihar is known for Madhubani or Mithila painting. Exam tip: Pattachitra is Odisha, Madhubani is Bihar, Kalamkari is Andhra Pradesh, Warli is Maharashtra.

The correct answer is A, Buddhism. The Great Stupa at Sanchi, in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, is one of the oldest Buddhist monuments in India. It was first built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE as a brick mound over relics of the Buddha, and was later enlarged with a stone casing. Four richly carved gateways, or toranas, were added around the 1st century BCE; they show Jataka tales and scenes from the Buddha's life, in which the Buddha himself appears only through symbols such as the Bodhi tree, a wheel or footprints. The Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989. B is wrong because the stupa is not a Hindu shrine; famous Hindu temple sites include Khajuraho and Konark. C is wrong because famous Jain sites include Dilwara and Shravanabelagola. D is wrong because famous Islamic monuments include the Qutub Minar and the Jama Masjid. Exam tip: Sanchi stupa = Ashoka = Buddhism = Madhya Pradesh = UNESCO 1989.

The correct answer is C, Man Singh. The Gujari Mahal at the foot of Gwalior Fort was built by Raja Man Singh Tomar, who ruled Gwalior from 1486 to 1516, for his favourite queen Mrignayani. She was a Gujar by birth, and that is how the palace got its name. Today the palace houses the State Archaeological Museum, famous for the graceful Shalbhanjika sculpture from Gyaraspur. Man Singh also built the Man Mandir palace inside the fort and was a great patron of Dhrupad music, so his court is linked with the growth of the Gwalior tradition of singing. Do not confuse him with Raja Man Singh of Amber, the Mughal general of Akbar’s time. Option A is wrong because Akbar’s buildings include Fatehpur Sikri and the Agra Fort, not this palace. Option B is wrong because Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort of Delhi. Option D is wrong because the builder is known and is listed in option C. Exam tip: Gujari Mahal, Gwalior, built by Man Singh Tomar for Queen Mrignayani.

The correct answer is B, Bharia. 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. The valley floor lies more than a thousand feet below the surrounding Satpura plateau, so for a long time the Bharias lived almost cut off from the outside world, depending on the forest for food and herbal medicine. The Bharias of Patalkot are one of the three Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Madhya Pradesh, along with the Baiga and the Sahariya. Option A is wrong because the Bhil, the largest tribe of the state, live mainly in western districts such as Jhabua, Alirajpur and Dhar. Option C is wrong because the Khairwar are a separate tribe and not the main community of Patalkot. Option D is wrong because the Oraon belong mainly to the Chhotanagpur region of Jharkhand. Exam tip: Patalkot, Chhindwara, Bharia tribe, one of the three PVTGs of Madhya Pradesh with the Baiga and Sahariya.

The correct answer is B, Kathakali. The name means story-play, and the form stages episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Its characters are identified by make-up types, chiefly pacha for noble heroes, kathi for proud anti-heroes such as Ravana, thadi for fierce figures, kari for demonesses and minukku for gentle women and sages.

Option A, Mohiniyattam, is the other Kerala form but is its exact opposite in mood: a solo, feminine and lasya dance in a plain white kasavu sari with a gold border, with no mask-like make-up at all. Option C, Kuchipudi, is a dance-drama too, but it belongs to Andhra Pradesh and its performers speak as well as dance. Option D, Odissi, is from Odisha and is built on the chowk and tribhanga postures. Remember the pair: Kerala gives Kathakali and Mohiniyattam, one loud and one quiet.

The correct answer is C, Kharosthi. 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. That is why two of Ashoka's major rock edicts, at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra, are in Kharosthi, while almost all his other edicts are in Brahmi. It spread along the Silk Road into Central Asia and then died out. Option A is wrong because Brahmi runs left to right and is the parent of Devanagari and most other Indian scripts. Option B is wrong because Sharada, the old script of Kashmir, grew out of Brahmi and is also written left to right. Option D is wrong because Nandinagari, a southern form of Nagari used for Sanskrit manuscripts, runs left to right as well. Exam tip: Kharosthi is the odd one out, right to left and found in the north-west; Brahmi is left to right and found almost everywhere else.

The correct answer is C, Jasnathi Siddha. The fire dance of Rajasthan is performed by men of the Jasnathi Siddha sect, who dance barefoot on a bed of glowing embers to the beat of drums, calling out 'fatai, fatai'. It is performed mostly at night during their religious gatherings, and its main centre is Katariyasar in Bikaner district, the seat of the sect's founder. The sect was founded by Jasnath ji in the late 15th century, and his followers live by a set of 36 rules. The dancers leap through and even lift the embers, yet the performance is treated as an act of faith, not a show. Option A is wrong because the Bishnoi sect, founded by Jambhoji, is known for protecting trees and blackbuck, not for a fire dance. Option B is wrong because the Ramsnehi sect is a devotional sect of Rama worship with centres such as Shahpura, and it has no fire dance. Option D is wrong because the Dadupanth, founded by Dadu Dayal and centred at Naraina, is also not linked with this dance. Exam tip: Agni nritya – Jasnathi Siddhas – Katariyasar (Bikaner).

The correct answer is A, Nagaland. The Hornbill Festival is held every year from 1 to 10 December at Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. It is called the "Festival of Festivals" because all the major Naga tribes come together in one place to show their dances, songs, crafts, food and traditional games. The Nagaland government started it in 2000 to promote tourism and protect Naga heritage. It is named after the hornbill bird, which appears in many Naga folk tales and in their traditional headgear. The festival opens on 1 December, Nagaland's Statehood Day, as the state was formed on that day in 1963. B is wrong because Sikkim is known for Losar and Saga Dawa. C is wrong because Andhra Pradesh is known for Sankranti. D is wrong because Jammu and Kashmir is known for events such as the Tulip Festival in Srinagar. Exam tip: Hornbill = Nagaland (1 to 10 December, Kisama), Sangai = Manipur, Wangala = Meghalaya, Losar = Sikkim and Ladakh.

The correct answer is B, All-India War Memorial. India Gate was built as the All-India War Memorial to honour soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in the First World War and in the Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the chief architect of New Delhi. The Duke of Connaught laid its foundation stone in 1921, and it was completed in 1931. The names of thousands of soldiers are carved on its walls. In 1972, after the 1971 war, the Amar Jawan Jyoti was added beneath the arch. Option A is wrong because the Afghan war is only one of the wars it remembers, and that was never its name. Option C is wrong because 'Archway of Delhi' is just a description, not an official name. Option D is wrong because the memorial honours the Indian soldiers of the British Indian Army, not only British soldiers. Exam tip: India Gate = All-India War Memorial, designed by Lutyens, built 1921–1931.

The correct answer is B, Bharata Muni. The Natya Shastra is the Sanskrit treatise that lays down the grammar every classical form follows, dividing performance into nritta, nritya and natya, naming the four kinds of abhinaya, and describing the rasas. It is called the fifth Veda because it is said to take speech from the Rigveda, song from the Samaveda, gesture from the Yajurveda and emotion from the Atharvaveda.

Option A, Nandikeshvara, wrote the Abhinaya Darpana, the later manual that catalogues the hand gestures or mudras, so it is the second text and not the first. Option C, Abhinavagupta, was the Kashmiri scholar who wrote the celebrated commentary on the Natya Shastra, the Abhinavabharati, not the treatise itself. Option D, Jayadeva, composed the Gita Govinda, the lyric poem on Radha and Krishna that supplies Odissi with its favourite themes.