Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Fatehpur Sikri.

• Akbar commissioned the construction of a white marble tomb for Shaikh Salim Chishti next to the majestic Friday mosque at Fatehpur Sikri.
• The Mosque is also known as Jama Masjid.
• The gateway to this tomb is known as Buland Darwaza (The door of victory).
• It was built in 1602 A.D. to commemorate Akbar's victory over Gujarat.
• Buland Darwaza is the highest gateway in the world and is an example of Mughal architecture.

Additional Information

• The city Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar.
• It served this role from 1571 to 1585.
• Akbar abandoned it due to a campaign in Punjab and was later completely abandoned in 1610. 
• Fatehpur Sikri is currently a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh.

Concept:

• There are two major kinds of dance forms in India :
  • Classical Dance
  • Folk Dance
• Classical dance is a kind of dance that brings several techniques and specific movements.
• There are 8 types of classical dances in India according to scholars.
• Indian classical dancing started in 200 BCE in India.
• Folk dance is a dance form developed by people that reflect the life of the people of a particular area.

Explanation:

• Bharatanatyam is a classical dance which was originated in the modern-day region of Tamil Nadu.
• Bharatanatyam is based on the Hindu religious theme.
• It was originally performed by females in the temples.
• "Abhinaya Darpan" by Nandi Keshwara and "Natya Shastra" by Bharat Muni are considered the original source of Bharatanatyam.

​Thus, Bharatanatyam is not a dance from Karnataka.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Neither I nor II.

Key Points

• Chhau dance is a traditional dance form performed by men from Eastern India that enacts episodes from epics including Ramayana and Mahabharata.
  • The main objective of this dance form is to celebrate martial arts.
  • Chhau dance can be classified into three divisions based on the place it is performed; Mayurbhanj Chau of Odisha, Seraikella Chau of Jharkhand, and Purulia Chau of Bengal.
• Kathak is a North Indian dance that originated in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
  • ​The name Kathak comes from the word "Katha" which means a story.
  • Shambhu Maharaj and Lacchu Maharaj are famous Kathak dancers.

Additional Information

• Eight dance forms have been acknowledged by Sangeet Natak Akademi as classical dance forms of India.
• The classical dance form originated from the Natya Shastra.
• Classical dance has a deep-rooted relationship with the Natya Shastra where the specific features of each of the Classical dance forms have been mentioned.
• There are 8 classical dance forms in India as per the source and scholar

Important Points

• The Cultural Ministry of India has included Chhau into the list of classical dances that make a total of 9 classical dance forms.

The correct answer is Odisha.

Key Points

• Udayagiri and Khandagiri are Located in Bhuvneshvar, Odisha.
• Built by King Kharavela of the Meghavahana dynasty, widely regarded as the most powerful king in the annals of the history of Odisha. 
• These ancient rocks cut caves were first discovered by a young British Officer Andrew Sterling in the 19th century AD.
• Eighteen caves are located in the Udaygiri hill and fifteen in the Khandagiri hill.
• The major Udaygiri caves are:-
  • Hathigumpha.
  • The Rani Gumpha.
  • The Ganesh Gumpha.
  • The VyagharaGumpha.

Important Points

• Important Caves
  • Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Maharashtra.
  • Badami, Karnataka.
  • Tabo, Himachal Pradesh.
  • Krem Liat Prah, Meghalaya.
  • The Mystery Of Patal Bhuvaneshwar Cave Temple Uttarakhand.

The correct answer is Kanada.

Key Points

• The Sanskrit philosopher Kanada Kashyapa (2nd–3rd century) expounded its theories and is credited with founding the school. 
• Vaisheshika, one of the six systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy, significant for its naturalism.
• The Vaisheshika school attempts to identify, inventory, and classify the entities and their relations that present themselves to human perceptions.

Important Points

• The Purva-Mimamsa of Jaimini (400 BCE), the greatest philosopher of the Mimamsa school, posits various deities to account for the significance of Vedic rituals but ignores, without denying, the question of the existence of God. 
• Patanjali also called Gonardiya, or Gonikaputra, (flourished 2nd century BCE or 5th century CE), Authors of two great Hindu classics-
  • The first, Yoga-sutras, a categorization of Yogic thought arranged in four volumes with the titles Psychic Power, “Practice of Yoga,” “Samadhi” (state of profound contemplation of the Absolute), and “Kaivalya” (separateness).
  • the second, the Mahabhashya (“Great Commentary”).
• Gautama was one of the famous seven rishis termed Saptarshi. He was the progenitor of the Gautama gotra. He was the son of Rahugana.