The Malmas Mela of Bihar, held in an extra month that returns about once in three years, takes place at which site?
- A.Bodh Gaya
- B.Rajgir
- C.Sonepur
- D.Sitamarhi
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Rajgir. Rajgir, the old capital of Magadha in Nalanda district, holds the Malmas Mela in the intercalary month called Malmas or Adhimas, which returns about once in three years. Pilgrims bathe in the hot springs of the Brahmakund area, and the fair fills the valley for the whole month. Rajgir also hosts a separate state cultural festival, the Rajgir Mahotsav.
Option A, Bodh Gaya, is the place of the enlightenment of the Buddha and holds Buddha Purnima and other Buddhist observances, not the Malmas fair. Option C, Sonepur, holds the Harihar Kshetra cattle fair from Kartik Purnima every year. Option D, Sitamarhi, is linked with the birth of Sita and has its own local fairs. The point tested here is the rare three year cycle, which belongs only to Rajgir.
Read the full article: Chhath, Sonepur Mela and Festivals of Bihar: Key Facts
Practice Questions
View allThe Chhath festival of Bihar is dedicated chiefly to which deity?
- A.Vishnu
- B.Surya
- C.Shiva
- D.Indra
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Chhath is kept for the Sun God, Surya, along with Chhathi Maiya, and the whole ritual is built around the sun: the vratis stand in water and offer arghya, that is water and prasad, first to the setting sun on the evening of shashthi and then to the rising sun…
Read the full explanation →The main worship of Chhath falls on which day of the month of Kartik?
- A.Chaturthi of the bright half
- B.Panchami of the bright half
- C.Shashthi of the bright half
- D.Purnima
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The festival takes its very name from shashthi, the sixth day of the bright half of Kartik, on which the evening offering to the setting sun is made.
Read the full explanation →Which is the chief prasad of Chhath, made of wheat flour and jaggery?
- A.Thekua
- B.Tilkut
- C.Anarsa
- D.Khaja
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Thekua is a hard sweet made from wheat flour and jaggery, fried in ghee or oil and pressed in a wooden mould, and it is the offering most closely identified with Chhath.
Read the full explanation →The Sonepur fair is held at the confluence of which two rivers?
- A.Ganga and Son
- B.Ganga and Gandak
- C.Ganga and Kosi
- D.Ganga and Punpun
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Sonepur in Saran district lies opposite Patna at the point where the Gandak, coming down from Nepal, joins the Ganga, and the fair is held on that bank from Kartik Purnima.
Read the full explanation →The Sonepur fair, described as the largest cattle fair in Asia, begins on which day?
- A.Makar Sankranti
- B.Kartik Purnima
- C.Vaishakh Purnima
- D.Sharad Purnima
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The Harihar Kshetra fair at Sonepur opens on the full moon of Kartik and runs for about a month, with cattle, horses, birds and handicrafts on sale, a theatre ground, and traders from several states.
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