Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is the festival of harvesting.

• Makar Sankranthi is an important festival celebrated in most parts of India under different names. It is a festival of harvesting.

Key Points

• Makar Sankranti:
  • It is celebrated in January every year and marks the end of the Winter season and the beginning of a new harvest season.
  • The festival is dedicated to Lord Sun.
  • On this day, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn or Makar which marks the end of winter months and the beginning of longer days.
• In different parts of the country, Makar Sankranti is celebrated by different names:
  • Lohri: Celebrated in Haryana and Punjab one day before Makar Sankranti.
  • Khichdi: Celebrated in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
  • Pongal: Tamil Nadu
  • Kite Festival: Gujarat.
• Holi is called the festival of colours
• Diwali is called the festival of lights.

• Lohri, the bonfire harvest festival of Punjab celebrated in the month of Magh, is symbolic of new beginnings.
• The festival is celebrated every year on January 13 with much enthusiasm and zeal.
• It is primarily the harvest festival of the Punjabis.
• This festival denotes the harvesting of the Rabi crops and hence all the farmers get together in order to thank god for giving them such a wonderful harvest.
• The rituals related to Lohri symbolize the attachment of the people with Mother Nature.

The correct answer is Shehnai.

Key Points

• Ustad Bismillah Khan used to play the shehna
• He was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001, becoming the third classical musician after M. S. Subbalakshmi and Ravi Shankar to be awarded Bharat Ratna.
• On his 102nd birthday, Google honoured Bismillah Khan with a Google doodle.
• The Department of Posts issued a five-rupee commemorative stamp on Bismillah Khan on 21st August 2008, on the occasion of his second death anniversary.
• He had the rare honour of being invited by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to play shehnai on the ramparts of the Red Fort on the eve of 15th August 1947.
• He also heralded the first Republic Day celebrations on 26th January 1950.
• Since then the charming strain of his shehnai marked the beginning of Republic Day celebrations every year.

The correct answer is a-1, b-3, c-2.

Key Points

• ​Basically, there are 3 kinds of temple architecture:
  1. Vesara Style
  2. Nagara Style
  3. Dravida Style
• Nagara Style:
  • ​The Nagara style is associated with the land between the Himalayas and Vindhyas and developed regionally in the Northern parts of India.
  • The structure comprises two buildings, the main taller shrine and an adjoining mandapa which is short.
  • The foremost difference between these two buildings is the shape of the shikhara.
  • In the main shrine, a bell-shaped structure is added.
  • Originally in Nagara style, there were no pillars.
  • Example: Dashavatara Vishnu Temple, Deogarh, UP, Khajuraho Temples (MP), Konark Sun Temple.
  • 
• ​Dravida Style:
  • Dravida style advanced in the South, throughout the Chola Empire, between 9th–12th Century AD.
  • It is seen in the region between the Krishna and Kaveri rivers.
  • In Dravida, style temple is situated within an ambulatory hall.
  • There are multiple stories called Vimana, built above the Garbhagriha.
  • Mandapa is a pillared hall.
  • Gopuram is the high gate in this courtyard.
  • Example: Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram, Brihadiswara Temple, Tanjore.
  • 
• Vesara Style: 
  • ​Vesara style is at times related to the region between the Krishna River and Vindhyas that emerged during the early medieval period.
  • Many temples in Central India and Deccan have used the Vesara style with regional modifications.
  • It is a fusion style of both Nagara and Dravida styles of temple architecture.
  • In this style structures are finely finished, figures are much decorated and well-polished.
  • Example: The Hoysalas temples at Belur.
  • 

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.