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 Sonepur:

Key Points

• Sonepur city of Bihar is world-famous for the largest "Pashu Mela".
• It is held on the eve of Kartik Purnima every year on the confluence of river Gandak.
• It generally lasts for 15 days to 1 month.
• It is also known as the Harihar kshetra Mela.
• Trading of Elephants has been prohibited since 2004 owing to strict enforcement of Wildlife Protection Act,1972.

The correct answer is Gupta.

Key Points

• Gupta Dynasty:
  • ​The Gupta empire was founded by Sri Gupta. 
  • The Gupta Empire rose in Magadha around the 4th century AD and covered the greater part of Northern India.
  • The Gupta Period is popularly known as the ‘Golden Age of India’.

Additional Information

• Nanda Dynasty:
  • Nanda Dynasty ruled during 344 BC-323 BC.
  • Nanda dynasty was founded by Mahapadma Nanda.
  • Mandivardhana the last ruler of the Shishunaga dynasty was overthrown by Mahapadma Nanda and started the Nanda dynasty.
  • It is considered to be the first non-Kshatriya dynasty and ruled for 100 years. 
  • Dhanananda was The last king of the Nanda Dynasty.
• Maurya Dynasty:
  • ​Brihadratha was the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty.
  • Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan dynasty. He defeated the Nanda king Dhanananda with the help of Chanakya/Kautilya.
  • Ashoka was the son of Bindusara and one of the greatest rulers of the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka fought the battle of Kalinga.
• Sunga Dynasty:​
  • ​Devabhuti was the last ruler of the Sunga dynasty.
  • He was assassinated by his minister Vasudeva.
  • Pushyamitra sunga was the founder of the Sunga dynasty.
  • Pushyamitra Sunga assassinated the last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha and established the Sunga dynasty.
  • Agnimitra Sunga was the son and successor of Pushyamitra Sunga.
  • Agnimitra Sunga was the main protagonist in the play Malvikagnimitram written by Kalidasa.

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 Dholavira.

Key Points

• In July 2021, the Indus valley site Dholavira was inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List.
  • Now Gujarat has three world heritage sites, Champaner near Pavagadh, Rani ki Vav in Patan and the historic city of Ahmedabad.
  • Dholavira is now the 40^th treasure in India to be recognized as a World Heritage site.
  • According to a press release by the Ministry of Culture, India submitted the nomination for Dholavira to the World Heritage Centre in January 2020. The site was on the UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014.
  • UNESCO has already given India a new world heritage site in the form of the Rudreswara/ Ramappa Temple in Telangana in the ongoing 44th session of the World Heritage Committee.
  • Ramappa Temple dates back to the 13^th century.
  • This session of the World Heritage Committee is being chaired from Fuzhou in China.

Additional Information

• Gujarat Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani.
• Gujarat Governor: Acharya Devvrat.