Question Discussion & Solution

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 Ustad Bismillah Khan

Important Points

• Ustad Bismillah Khan was born on 21 March 1916 in Dumraon village, Bihar.
• He settled in Varanasi with his father Prophet Bakhsh Khan at a very young age.
• Bismillah Khan was awarded the "Bharat Ratna" in 2001 by the Government of India.
• Ustad Bismillah Khan played the clarinet from the Red Fort when the country became independent in 1947.
• He died on 21 August 2006 at the age of 90.
• Anant Lal was a famous shehnai player from the Banaras Gharana.
• Pandit Ram Sahay was the shehnai player of the Banaras Gharana and was a royal musician in the court of Nawab Asafuddaula of Lucknow.
• Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan was a famous shehnai player. He was awarded the 'Bangbhushan Award' by the Government of Bengal.

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.​

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Additional Information

• Ellora caves with inaccessible hills dated back to 6001000 AD.
• The caves of Ellora Elephanta were built by the Rashtrakuta rulers, they have been built by cutting the walls of high basalt steep rock walls.
• There are about 34 caves which are located 30 km away from the district in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state,
• These are declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
• There is also a holy place dedicated to the three religions Hindu, Buddhist and Jain.
• These caves have unique artistic images, public and technical excellence spread all over the world.

The incorrect pair is Mimamsa - Shankaracharya.

Key Points

• The Mimamsa Sutra or the Purva Mimamsa Sutras, written by Rishi Jaimini is one of the most important ancient Hindu philosophical texts.
• It forms the basis of Mimamsa, the earliest of the six orthodox schools (Darshanas) of Indian philosophy.

Additional Information

• Sage Kapila is traditionally known as a founder of the Samkhya school.
• The Sanskrit philosopher Kanada Kashyapa (2nd–3rd century) expounded its theories and is credited with founding the Vaisheshika Philosophy.
• Gautama Muni is the founder of Nyaya Philosophy.