Chowk purana , the courtyard and threshold pattern, is traditional in which region?
- A.Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab
- B.Tamil Nadu and Kerala
- C.Odisha and West Bengal
- D.Nagaland and Mizoram
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. Chowk purana, also written chowkpurna, means the filling in of the chowk, the square of the courtyard. Women plaster the ground, then draw squares, lotuses, creepers and grain motifs in white flour or chalk powder for weddings, the arrival of a child, karva chauth, Diwali and the worship of the household deity. In the villages of western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana the pattern is often continued up the lower wall.
Option B is wrong because the southern names are kolam and pookalam. Option C is wrong because the eastern names are jhoti and alpana. Option D is wrong because the north eastern states do not share this courtyard tradition. Candidates often confuse chowk purana with the aripan of Mithila, which is also drawn in white; the difference is that aripan uses a wet paste of ground rice while the chowk is filled in with dry flour or chalk powder.
Read the full article: Floor Art of India: Rangoli, Kolam, Alpana and Mandana
Practice Questions
View allThe floor art known as kolam belongs chiefly to which state?
- A.Kerala
- B.Tamil Nadu
- C.Karnataka
- D.Odisha
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The kolam is the Tamil threshold drawing, made each morning in white rice flour on ground that has been swept and sprinkled.
Read the full explanation →Mandana, drawn in white chalk over a red ochre ground, is the traditional floor and wall art of:
- A.Maharashtra
- B.Assam
- C.Rajasthan
- D.Punjab
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Mandana reverses the usual method: the floor or the lower wall is first washed with geru, the red ochre of the region, and the design is then laid over it in white chalk or lime, so the figure is light on a red field.
Read the full explanation →Alpana, painted with a paste of ground rice, is associated with which state?
- A.West Bengal
- B.Gujarat
- C.Telangana
- D.Himachal Pradesh
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Alpana, or alpona, is applied wet: rice is soaked, ground into a white paste and painted on the floor with a cloth wick or with the fingers, which lets the artist draw flowing creepers, paddy sheaves, lotuses, owls and footprints.
Read the full explanation →The aipan art of white rice paste on a red geru ground belongs to which state?
- A.Himachal Pradesh
- B.Uttarakhand
- C.Sikkim
- D.Jharkhand
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In aipan the surface is first washed with geru, the local red ochre, and the pattern is then drawn on it with a white paste of ground rice using the fingers.
Read the full explanation →The pookalam, a carpet of flower petals laid on the ground, is made during which festival?
- A.Pongal
- B.Bihu
- C.Onam
- D.Ugadi
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A pookalam is laid in concentric rings of petals, leaves and whole flowers, and a fresh one is made on each of the ten days of the festival, growing larger as the days pass, with competitions for the best design in schools, offices and neighbourhoods.
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