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
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Uttarakhand, and within it the Kumaon hills. 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. Particular designs, called chowkis, go with particular occasions: the Saraswati chowki for study, others for the thread ceremony, marriage and childbirth, while the small clay Dikara figures decorated with aipan belong to the Harela festival.
Option A is wrong because Himachal Pradesh has its own threshold patterns but not aipan. Option C is wrong because Sikkim follows Buddhist decorative traditions instead. Option D is wrong because Jharkhand is known for Sohrai and Khovar wall painting, which is a wall rather than floor art.
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 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.
Read the full explanation →Aripan is the traditional floor art of which state?
- A.Bihar
- B.Chhattisgarh
- C.Goa
- D.Manipur
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Aripan, also written aripana, is drawn with a paste of ground rice on the floor of the courtyard, the place of worship and the marriage pavilion.
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