The kamayacha, a bowed string instrument, is traditionally played by which community of Rajasthan?
- A.Langa
- B.Manganiyar
- C.Kalbelia
- D.Kamad
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Manganiyar. The kamayacha is the signature instrument of the Manganiyar musicians of Jaisalmer and Barmer: a large bowl of mango wood covered with goat skin, with gut and steel strings played with a horsehair bow, giving the deep drone that accompanies Manganiyar singing. A, Langa musicians, the other great professional community of western Rajasthan, play the sindhi sarangi and the surnai, and the Barmer Langas the surinda, which is why this option is the strongest distractor. C, Kalbelia performers, once snake charmers, use the poongi and the been for their songs and dances. D, Kamad singers of Ramdevji perform the Terah Taali with manjiras tied to the body. Remember the pair kamayacha with Manganiyar and sindhi sarangi with Langa, because examiners nearly always offer these two names together.
Read the full article: Folk Music and Instruments of Rajasthan: Facts and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allThe ravanhatta is the instrument of the Bhopas who narrate the epic of which folk deity?
- A.Pabuji
- B.Devnarayan
- C.Gogaji
- D.Ramdevji
Show answer
A Bhopa of Pabuji unrolls the painted scroll called the phad and sings the epic of Pabuji through the night, accompanying himself on the ravanhatta, a bowed instrument of a half coconut or gourd with a bamboo neck, a skin face and a row of jingling bells.
Read the full explanation →Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Desh belongs to which style of Rajasthani singing?
- A.Panihari
- B.Maand
- C.Kurja
- D.Jachcha
Show answer
Maand is the most refined style of Rajasthani singing, close enough to classical music to be treated as a raga in its own right, and Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Desh, made famous by Allah Jilai Bai of Bikaner, is its best known composition and effectively the state's signature song.
Read the full explanation →Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in which year?
- A.2003
- B.2008
- C.2010
- D.2016
Show answer
The Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
Read the full explanation →The algoza, a folk instrument of Rajasthan, is a
- A.Pair of flutes played together
- B.Bowed string instrument
- C.Drum with a plucked string
- D.Pair of wooden clappers
Show answer
The algoza is a double flute: the player holds two pipes at once, blowing a drone on one while playing the melody on the other, and a shepherd or a Langa musician can keep this up for long stretches using circular breathing.
Read the full explanation →The bhapang, a plucked drum, belongs chiefly to which region of Rajasthan?
- A.Alwar and the Mewat tract
- B.Jaisalmer and Barmer
- C.Bikaner and Churu
- D.Udaipur and Dungarpur
Show answer
The bhapang is a small drum of a hollowed gourd with a skin head, through which a gut string runs; the player plucks the string and tightens or loosens it to slide the pitch, producing the talking tone of the Mewati folk songs.
Read the full explanation →