Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Garadi.

Key Points

• Garadi is a dance performed in Puducherry.
• And it is the most famous dance of Puducherry.
• This dance has a mythological origin.
• When Rama defeated Ravana, the vanars danced to celebrate his victory.
• It is performed during all festivals of the region.
• It lasts for five to eight hours.​

Additional Information

• Garba is a form of dance which originated in the state of Gujarat in India.
• Gambhira Dance, a folk dance in West Bengal (India), performed by the devotees of Goddess Shakti, in the dance hall of Chandi Mandir.
• Alkap is a form of Bengali folk performance popular in the districts of Murshidabad, Malda and Birbhum in West Bengal and Chapai Nawabganj.

The correct answer is Gorakhnath temple.

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched 'recycled incense sticks' at an ashram of Gorakhnath Temple, in Gorakhpur.
• This initiative is taken to promote environment-friendly products in the market.
• The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, a research institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has provided technical support in making these incense sticks.

Additional Information

Some other important temples and their districts:

The correct answer is Raja Ravi Verma - Introduced oil painting in India.

Key Points

• Raja Ravi Varma is considered one of the greatest painters in the history of Modern Indian Art.
• He was the one who provides the vital link between traditional Indian art and contemporary art.
• He introduced oil painting in India. Hence, pair 3 is correct.
• He is particularly noted for his paintings depicting episodes from the story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala, and Nala and Damayanti, from the Mahabharata.

Additional Information

• Rabindranath Tagore started painting from 1893 onwards and emerged as a creative exponent of graphic art in 1928. Hence, pair 1 is incorrect.
  • Paintings and drawings of Rabindranath Tagore are generally of small sizes.
  • He used dominant black ink lines.
  • Bharat Mata depicted a young woman, portrayed with four arms in the manner of Hindu, deities, holding objects symbolic of India’s national aspirations is one of his best-known creations.
• Abanindranath Tagore was a gifted landscape and portrait painter.
  • Swadeshi values were reflected in the paintings of Abanindranath Tagore. Hence, pair 2 is incorrect.
  • His first expression of paintings was the Radhakrishna series.
  • Arabian Nights series of 1930 is among one of most renowned works Abanindranath Tagore. 
  • Indian Society of Oriental Art was founded in Calcutta in 1907 by Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore.
• Jatin Das is an Indian painter, sculptor, and muralist from Orissa.
  • He is counted amongst the most contemporary artists of India.
  • His paintings are mainly involved in the expression of the man - women relationship and to some extent birds and animals. Hence, pair 4 is incorrect.

The correct answer is Lokayata system.

Key Points

• Charvaka philosophical system 
  • It is also called Lokayata Philosophy-the philosophy of masses.
  • It was developed around c. 600 BCE.
  • It rejected all supernatural claims, all religious authority and scripture.
  • It says that the ultimate good in life is a pleasure.
  •  It emphasised perception/evidence (pramana) and observation (anubhava) of the real, material world.

 Additional Information

• Astika system is defined as one that accepts the authority of the Vedas, the superiority of the Brahmans, and a society made up of the four traditional classes (varna).
• Mimamsa system provides rules for interpreting the early Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas and offers a philosophical rationale for observing Vedic rituals.
• Vaisesika system - According to the Vaisesika system all objects of valid knowledge come under seven categories- Substance (Dravya), Quality (Guṇa), Action (Karma), Generality (Sāmānya), Particularly (Vaiśeṣa), Inherence (Samavāya), Non-existence (abhāva).

The correct answer is ​Mahabodhi Temple.

Key Points

• The Mahabodhi Temple was built by the Mauryan emperor Great Ashoka in around 260 BCE.
• Mahabodhi Temple - Gaya, is the holiest site for all Buddhists all over the world.
  • It is the world heritage site, where Lord Buddha is said to attain his enlightenment.
  • Literally, the meaning of Mahabodhi is the Great Awakening Temple.

Important Points

• Buddhism is one of the top five religions in the world, in terms of the number of followers. 
• One of the first people we can thank for this was the ancient emperor Asoka.
• Asoka was a third-century BCE ruler of the Maurya Empire, one of the first states to unify nearly the entire Indian subcontinent.
• He was also the first Indian emperor to convert to Buddhism and put massive efforts into spreading the religion across India. 
• There are four major temples associated with the various stages of Buddha's life.
• The Mahabodhi Temple marks one of the most significant.
• it was in this place that the Mahatma Buddha sat under a  and meditated, ultimately achieving enlightenment and becoming the Buddha.
• Emperor Ashoka constructed the Vajrasana or the Diamond Throne, representing the seat of enlightenment.
• He also built a stupa in reverence of Gautama Buddha, which was there till the second century AD.
• During the reign of the Gupta kings in the seventh century AD, the Mahavira Mahabodhi temple was completed.
• The Pala kings of Bengal built the gold-painted statue of Buddha, which is made of Black stone.
• Here Gautama Buddha is seen seated in the Earth-touching posture or the Bhumisparsa Mudra.