Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Maharashtra.

The Aga Khan Palace is located in the state of Maharashtra.

Key Points

• The Aga Khan Palace was built in 1892 by Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III in the district of Pune in Maharashtra.
• The Palace was an act of charity by the spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims, who wanted to help the poor in the neighboring areas of Pune, who were drastically hit by famine.
• Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III was the founder of the All India Muslims League.
• Aga Khan Palace served as the prison for Mahatma Gandhi in Pune from Aug 1942 to May 1944.
• Gandhi lived here along with his wife Kasturba, his secretary Mahadev Desai & Sarojini Naidu.
• In fact, both Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai died in the premises of this Palace turned prison.
• A corner of the Palace premises serves as the Samadhi dedicated to two of them.
• Some of the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi are placed next to the two samadhis.
• Samadhis are nothing but Tulasi plants growing on top of the places where Kasturba and Mahadev Desai were cremated.

Additional Information

Maharashtra

• Maharashtra is the second most populous state in India.
• Mumbai is the financial capital of India.
• The old name of Mumbai was Bombay.
• Maharashtra is the most industrialized and most urbanized state in India.
• Maharashtra is the leading producer of electricity.
• Pune is known as the Cultural capital of Maharashtra.
• Mumbai was the first venue of the first International Film Festival of India (1952).
• The first railway line in India - Bombay to Thane (1853)
• Bombay Stock Exchange(1875) is the oldest stock exchange in India and also the first stock exchange in Asia.
• Gateway of India is situated in Mumbai.
• The headquarter of Central Railway, Western Railway, and Konkan Railway is in Mumbai.
• The headquarters of RBI, LIC, NABARD is in Mumbai.
• The first meeting of the Indian National Congress was held in Bombay (1885).

Uttar Pradesh

• Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India.
• Uttar Pradesh is the 'Sugar Bowl of India'.
• Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of monuments in India.
• Uttar Pradesh has the maximum membership (80 seats) in the Lok Sabha.
• Uttar Pradesh shares its boundary with the most number of states in India (9 states - Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh including Delhi and Nepal).
• Asia's first DNA bank is in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
• Uttar Pradesh is the state through which most numbers of the National Highways pass.

Kerala

• Kerala is known as 'God's Own Country.'
• Kerala is the 'Spice Garden of India'.
• Kerala is the state having the highest literacy rate in India.
• Kerala is the first state in India to achieve 100% primary education.
• Kerala is the state having the highest sex ratio in India.
• Kerala is the first baby-friendly state in India.
• Kerala is the first total banking state in India.
• Kerala is the first state in India to set up Disaster Management Authority.

Madhya Pradesh

• Madhya Pradesh is known as the 'Heart of India' and 'Tiger State of India.'
• India's biggest diamond mine Panna is in Madhya Pradesh.
• Indore is the largest city in Madhya Pradesh.
• Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in India.
• Madhya Pradesh has the largest scheduled tribe population in India.
• Madhya Pradesh is the first state in India to conduct an election by Panchayath Raj Act 1992.
• Madhya Pradesh is known as the 'Soya State of India'.​

The correct answer is Kuchipudi: Odisha.

Key Points

• Kuchipudi
  • There are eight Indian classical dance forms. Kuchipudi is one among those which is performed in Andhra Pradesh.
  • The dance form derives its name from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
  • Kuchipudi derives its roots from the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra and is a dance-drama performance.
  • The dance drama performance has a long history in Andhra Pradesh and is known under the generic name Yakshagana.
  • The systematized and modern version of Kuchipudi was founded by Siddhendra Yogi in the 17th century.
  • The Kuchipudi style of Yakshagana was conceived by Yogi. He was guided by his guru Tirthanarayana Yogi.
  • It is largely devoted to the Hindu God - Krishna and it is most closely related to Bhagavata Mela.
  • Traditionally this dance form is performed only by male artists, later female artists were also allowed.
  • The dance drama has the following components:
    • Dharavu - a short preliminary dance performed by the artists after their roles are introduced.
    • Nritta - it is the pure dance performance presented after the Dharavi. It includes parts viz., darus, jatis, jatiswarams, tirmanas, and tillanas.
    • Nritya - it is the expressive part of the performance where the story is conveyed through rhythmic hand gestures. It includes padams, varnams, shabdams, and shlokas.
    • Natya - it is performed when the underlying text is a play.​

​

Additional Information

• Kirana gharana is one of the most prominent Indian classical khayal gharanas and is associated mostly with the perfect intonation of notes.
• The gharana's style was further evolved and was established as one of the important styles in modern Indian classical music in the late 19th / early 20th centuries by the musicians Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan.
• The name of this school of music comes from Kirana or Kairana, a town and tehsil of Shamli District in Uttar Pradesh.

The correct answer is Assam.

• Bihu is a set of three important festivals observed in the Indian state of Assam which are-
  • Rongali or Bohag Bihu observed in April
  • Kongali or Kati Bihu observed in October
  • Bhogali or Magh Bihu observed in January
• The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three, the Bhogali Bihu is a harvest festival and the Kongali Bihu is an animistic festival.
• It is celebrated with great joy and abundance by all Assamese people regardless of caste, creed, and religion. 

The correct option is Odisha.

Key Points

• Konark Festival
  • It is also known as the Konark Dance Festival 
  • It is held in the backdrop of the famous UNESCO site of Konark Sun Temple, Odisha in the month of December.
  • Many dance performers across the nation come here to participate.
  • Sand-art festival also happens at this time at Chandrabagha beach.

Additional Information

• Hampi festival or Vijay Festival (named after Vijaynagar empire) is held in the backdrop of Virupaksha temple, Hampi, Karnataka.
• Ellora festival is a dance festival held in the backdrop of Ajanta & Ellora caves in Maharashtra.
• Rajgir Festival is a dance festival held in Rajgir, Bihar.

Important Points

• These dance festivals help in maintaining the rich & diversified culture and also support tourism, local haats(markets).