'Chandimangala' was composed in which one of the following languages during the 16th century CE?
- A.Sanskrit
- B.Tamil
- C.Bengali
- D.Oriya
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Bengali. The best-known Chandimangala, Chandimangal or Abhayamangal, was composed in Bengali by Mukundarama Chakravarti, honoured as Kavikankan, in the late 16th century.
Chandimangala belongs to the Mangal Kavya tradition of medieval Bengal, long narrative poems praising a local deity, here the goddess Chandi. Mukundarama's work is admired for its vivid picture of rural Bengali society: the hunter Kalaketu and his wife Phullara, the merchant Dhanapati, and the hardships of peasants under local officials of his day. It is often read as a social history of 16th-century Bengal. Other Mangal Kavyas include the Manasamangal, in praise of the snake goddess Manasa, and the Dharmamangal.
Option A is wrong because the work is not a Sanskrit composition. Option B is wrong because Tamil literature has no Mangal Kavya tradition. Option D is wrong because Oriya had its own works, such as Sarala Das's Mahabharata, but the Chandimangala is Bengali.
Exam tip: Chandimangal, Kavikankan Mukundarama, 16th-century Bengali Mangal Kavya in praise of Chandi.
Practice Questions
View allConsider the following properties included in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO :
1. Shantiniketan
2. Rani-ki-Vav
3. Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas
4. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya
How many of the above properties were included in 2023?
- A.Only one
- B.Only two
- C.Only three
- D.All four
Show answer
Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas were inscribed in 2023; the other two were listed years earlier. Both were added at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee at Riyadh in September 2023, taking India's total to 42 sites at the time.
Read the full explanation →With reference to cultural history of India, consider the following statements :
1. Most of the Tyagaraja Kritis are devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna.
2. Tyagaraja created several new ragas.
3. Annamacharya and Tyagaraja are contemporaries.
4. Annamacharya kirtanas are devotional songs in praise of Lord Venkateshwara.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
- A.1 and 3 only
- B.2 and 4 only
- C.1, 2 and 3
- D.2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Tyagaraja created several new ragas, and Annamacharya's kirtanas praise Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala. Tyagaraja (1767–1847) of Thiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu is one of the Trinity of Carnatic music, with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri.
Read the full explanation →At which one of the following places is the Vitthala temple located?
- A.Elephanta
- B.Chidambaram
- C.Hampi
- D.Nagarjunakonda
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The Vitthala temple stands in Hampi, the ruined capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in present-day Karnataka. The temple is dedicated to Vitthala, a form of Vishnu, and was built mainly in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with major additions under Krishnadevaraya.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is the correct description of Kandaria Mahadeo?
- A.A Shiva temple at Elephanta
- B.The title of a work by Bhatti
- C.The capital of Chandella kings
- D.A temple at Khajuraho
Show answer
Kandariya Mahadeva is the largest and finest temple of the Khajuraho group in Madhya Pradesh. The temple was built around 1025–1050 CE under the Chandela rulers, traditionally credited to Vidyadhara.
Read the full explanation →Chak hao, the aromatic black rice that carries a Geographical Indication, is grown in which state?
- A.Assam
- B.Manipur
- C.Nagaland
- D.Mizoram
Show answer
Chak hao is the scented black rice of Manipur, used for a dark kheer at feasts and registered as a Geographical Indication, as is the kachai lemon of the same state.
Read the full explanation →