Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Kalinga Mahotsav, Odisha.

• Kalinga Mahotsav, Odisha is the festival of Martial Dance is celebrated to mark the major victory of peace over war.

Key Points

• Kalinga Mahotsav
  • The festival is celebrated in the month of January and February.
  • It brings together the folk, classical and martial art forms on one stage. Hence, the art form is called Martial Dance.
  • The Kalinga festival was started by a famous Bhubaneswar based Italian Odissi dancer Ileana Citaristi.
  • After the bloodiest war of Kalinga, King Ashoka frantically looked for peace and hence this cultural festival in Odisha is held each year to depict the significance of peace over war.

Additional Information

• Durga Puja:
  • The festival; is celebrated with huge pomp and enthusiasm in Kolkata.
  • It is celebrated between the months of September and October, to mark the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasur.
  • In other parts of India, Durga Pooja is celebrated as Navratri.
  • Dussehra marks the culmination of Durga Pooja.
• Chandan Yatra:
  • The festival is celebrated in Puri, Odisha.
  • It is dedicated to Lord Jagannath.
  • The festival is also known as Sandalwood paste festival.
  • It is celebrated in April-May on Akshaya Tritiya.

The correct answer is Bhavai – Gujarat.

Key Points

• Bhavai is a folk dance popular in Rajasthan.
• The male or female performer balance a number of earthen pots or brass pitchers as they dance nimbly swimming with the soles of their feet first on top of the glass and on the edge of the sword or on the rims of the brass plate during the performance.
• Bhavai is also one of the most colourful performances of the state as the women wear bright coloured Ghaghra cholis and dupattas.
• The men from these communities offer the music to this dance, using string and percussion instruments.

Confusion Points

• Bhavai dance is often misinterpreted from ‘Bhavai’ which is a folk theatre form of Gujarat. 

Additional Information

The correct answer is Dance.

Key Points

• Ottan Thullal is a Kerala dance-drama performance art form developed by Kunchan Nambiar as a substitute for Chakyar koothu.
• Kunchan Nambiar used it to express his dissatisfaction with society's socio-political framework and prejudices at the time.
• It went on to become the most widely displayed folk art in Kerala temples.
• Ottanthullal is distinguished by the performer himself singing and playing the narrative, which is a difficult undertaking.
• The accompanying instruments for Ottanthullal are Mridangam and Idakka.

The correct answer is Decorating the walls with floral designs made of semi-precious stones.

Key Points

• Pietre dura is Italian plural meaning hardstones or hard rocks.
• Pietra dura is also known as Parchin Kari or Parchin Kari.
• The term was used for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones to create images.
• It is considered decorative art.
• The Pietre dure art got its most popularizing time during Shahjahan's reign.
• Shahjahan used poietre dure tehcnique of arhitechture in Taj Mahal.

The correct answer is (A)-(4), (B)-(3), (C)-(1), (D)-(2).

Key Points

• Onam:
  • It is a harvest festival of Kerala.
  • It is celebrated to commemorate the arrival of King Mahabali.
  • The festival lasts for ten days.
  • It is also a harvest festival and falls on the 22nd Nakshatra Thiruvonam in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam, which in the Gregorian calendar overlaps with August–September.
• Hornbill:
  • ​Hornbill festival is the premier festival of Nagaland held every year in the first week of December.
  • The festival is named after the hornbill, the globally respected bird and which is displayed in folklore in most of the state’s tribes.
  • This festival usually takes place in Kohima.
  • The Festival's highlights include the Traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition and sale of Arts and crafts, flower shows, cultural medley etc.
• Losar:
  • ​Losar is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism.
  • The holiday is celebrated on various dates depending on location (Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India) tradition.
  • It marks the Tibetan New year that resonated with the large Tibetan and Buddhist communities that inhabit the region.
  • In India, it is celebrated in places like Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
• Ugadi:
  • ​Ugadi also referred to as Yugadi is a major festival that is celebrated in the southern states of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
  • As per the Hindu calendar, it is celebrated as the beginning of a new year.
  • Famous festivals of Karnataka are Kanakadasa Jayanti and Karaga.