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 Jamui.

• Bihar CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated Bihar’s first state bird festival ‘Kalrav’ on 16 January 2021.
• It was held at the Nagi bird sanctuary in Jamui district, about 200 km south-east from Patna.
• Spread in an area of 2.1 square kilometres, Nagi bird sanctuary is home to over 133 bird species.
• The festival was organized with an aim to create awareness among people about migratory birds.
• Bihar:
  • Lok Sabha seats - 40.
  • Rajya Sabha seats - 16.
  • State Animal - Gaur.
  • State Bird - House sparrow.

The correct answer is Gujarat.

Key Points

• 'Rani ki Vav' is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites is located in the state of Gujarat.
  • "Rani ki Vav" is a stepwell situated in the town of Patan in the Gujarat state of India. It is located on the banks of the Saraswati river.
  • "Rani ki vav" is considered the finest and one of the largest examples of stepwell architecture in Gujarat.
  • "Rani ki vav" has been declared a Monument of National Importance and protected by the Archaeological Sites Act (ASI). It was added to the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites on 22 June 2014.
  • "Rani ki vav" was named India's "Cleanest Iconic Place" at the 2016 Indian Sanitation Conference.

Additional Information

• "Rani-ki-Vav" was initially built as a memorial to a king in the 11th century AD. Its construction is attributed to Udayamati, daughter of Khengara of Saurashtra, queen, and spouse of the 11th-century Chaulukya king Bhima I.
  • It has spiritual significance and represents the sanctity of water. The sculptures in stepwell depict numerous Hindu deities including Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, goddesses (Devi), Ganesha, Kubera, Lakulisha, Bhairava, Surya, Indra, and Hayagriva.

Key Points

Ajanta Caves-

• The Ajanta Caves are a series of 29 Buddhist cave temples in Ajanta, India, some of which date from the 2nd century BC. Encompassing both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the Ajanta caves preserve some of the best masterpieces of Buddhist art in India.
• Out of 29, 25 caves were used as Viharas or residential caves while 4 were used as Chaitya or prayer hills.
• It is said that Buddhist monks lived, studied and prayed in Ajanta caves for a long time.
• The Ajanta Caves were carved in the 2nd century BC out of a horseshoe-shaped cliff along the Waghora River.
• The caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

Ellora caves- 

• The Ellora caves, locally known as 'Verul Leni' is located on the Aurangabad - Chalisgaon road at a distance of 30 km north - northwest of Aurangabad, in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
• Ellora is one of the largest rock-cut monastery - temple caves complexes in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The cave temples and monasteries at Ellora, excavated out of the vertical face of an escarpment, are 26 km north of Aurangabad.
• Sculptors, inspired by Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, created elaborate rock carvings. Extending in a linear arrangement, the 34 caves contain Buddhist Chaityas or halls of worship, Viharas or monasteries and Hindu and Jain temples.
• Spanning a period of about 600 years between the 5th and 11th century A.D., the earliest excavation here is of the Dhumar Lena (Cave 29).
• The Kailasha temple features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world.
• During the regime of the Rashtrakuta were the famous Ellora caves of Maharashtra built.

Extra facts:

• Madhya Pradesh- Bagh Caves
• Maharashtra - Ajanta Caves, Bhaja Caves, Elephanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Kanheri Caves
• Karnataka- Badami Caves
• Bihar - Barabar Caves
• Madhya Pradesh- Udaygiri Caves
• Andhra Pradesh - Borra Caves
• Tamilnadu - Varah Caves

The Correct Answer is 2 only.

Important Points

•  Kathputli: The traditional marionettes of Rajasthan are known as Kathputli. Carved from a single piece of wood, these puppets are like large dolls that are colourfully dressed. Their costumes and headgears are designed in the medieval Rajasthani style of dress, which is prevalent even today. The Kathputli is accompanied by a highly dramatised version of the regional music. Oval faces, large eyes, arched eyebrows and large lips are some of the distinct facial features of these string puppets. These puppets wear long trailing skirts and do not have legs. Puppeteers manipulate them with two to five strings which are normally tied to their fingers and not to a prop or support.
  • Hence pair 1 is not correctly matched.
• Kundhei: The string puppets of Orissa are known as Kundhei. Made of light wood, the Orissa puppets have no legs but wear long flowing skirts. The puppeteers often hold a wooden prop, triangular in shape, to which strings are attached for manipulation. The costumes of Kundhei resemble those worn by actors of the Jatra traditional theatre. The music is drawn from the popular tunes of the region and is sometimes influenced by the music of Odissi dance.
  • Hence pair 2 is correctly matched.
• Pavakoothu: In Kerala, the traditional glove puppet play is called Pavakoothu. It came into existence during the 18th century due to the influence of Kathakali. In Pavakoothu, the height of a puppet varies from one foot to two feet. The head and the arms are carved of wood and joined together with a thick cloth, cut and stitched into a small bag. The manipulator puts his hand into the bag and moves the hands and head of the puppet. The musical instruments used during the performance are Chenda, Chengiloa, Ilathalam and Shankhathe conch. The theme for Glove puppet plays in Kerala is based on the episodes from either the Ramayana or the Mahabharata.
  • Hence pair 3 is not correctly matched.