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.

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 Gujarat.

Key Points

• Garba:
  • It is a popular folk dance of Gujarat.
  • It is performed throughout nine nights of Navaratri.
  • It is performed by the womenfolk of Gujarat. 
  • Garba danced around the symbol to honour the fact that all humans have the Divine energy of Devi within them.

Additional Information

• Some other common folk Dances are - 

The correct answer is Rampurva, Bihar.

Key Points

The Bull capital of Ashoka:

• It is from Rampurva, Bihar.
• It belongs to the third century B.C.
• It is a mixture of Persian and Indian elements.
• The lotus capital is entirely formalistic.
• The motifs on the abacus are beautiful decorative elements like the rosette, palmette, and the acanthus ornaments, none of them is Indian.
• The crowning element of the bull capital, that is the bull proper, is a masterpiece of Indian craftsmanship, showing a humped bull, well modelled, with its soft flesh beautifully represented, with its strong legs, sensitive nostrils, and the ears cocked as if it were listening.

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The correct answer is Gol Gumbaz.

• The Gol (Round) Gumbaz (Dome) is the mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah II of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur.
• Gol Gumbaz is the second-largest dome ever built, next in size only to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Key Points

• Gol Gumbaz:
  • Gol Gumbaz is the most famous monument in Vijayapura. It is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah (ruled 1627–1657).
  • A particular attraction in this monument is the central chamber, where every sound is echoed seven times.
  • Another attraction at the Gol Gumbaz is the Whispering Gallery, where even minute sounds can be heard clearly 37 meters away.
  • Its vast dome is said to be the Second Largest dome, unsupported by pillars, in the world, after St. Peter’s in the Vatican City of Rome.

Important Points

• Neela Gumbad:
  • The Nila Gumbad is one of the earliest Mughal era structures and was built in 1530.
  • Nila Gumbad was built on an island in the Yamuna, and later, just abutting to it, when Humayun’s Tomb was built in the year 1569-70, Nila Gumbad and other adjoining structures were incorporated in the complex.
• Chota Imambara:
  • Chota Imambara is one such historical and religious place of Lucknow. Chota Imambara is also known as Hussainabad Imambara.
  • It was built by Muhammad Ali Shah third Nawab of Awadh.
  • The tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah and other members of his family are inside the Imambara.
  • The building is also known as the Palace of Lights because of its decorations and chandeliers during special festivals, like Muharram.
• Chini Ka Rauza:
  • It is the mausoleum of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's prime minister, Afzal Khan Aalmi, who was also known as Maula Shukrullah,
  • The mausoleum was built in 1635 in Etmadpur (Agra) and is just a kilometre away from the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah.
  • Chini-ka-Rauza is believed to be the first structure in India to have been embellished extensively using glazed porcelain tiles and is regarded by many as a significant landmark in Indo-Persian architecture.