Art and Culture Questions

The correct answer is Ellora Caves.

Key Points

• Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.
• It is located nearly 100 km away from Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra.
• The temples and monasteries extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff.
• The structures were excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills.
• Ellora Caves are one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world.
• Ellora caves are a group of 100 caves at the site of which 34 caves are open to the public.
  • 17 caves out of these 34 are themed around Hinduism, 12 caves depict the themes of Buddhist, and 5 caves are of Jain faith.
• The set of caves in Ellora were developed during the period between the 5th century and 11th century A.D.
• The most remarkable of the Ellora cave temples is Kailasa Temple (Kailasanatha; cave 16).
• It features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world.
• It is named for the mountain in the Kailasa Range of the Himalayas where the Hindu god Shiva resides.

The correct answer is Assam.

Key Points

• Bihu songs are the most famous among music lovers in Assam and are based on themes like Assamese new year, farmers' daily life, love and more.
• Bihu music is played with instruments like dhol, mohor singor Pepe, cymbal, a bamboo instrument called gogona and a clapper made from bamboo known as toka.
• Bihu music is reflective of the Oriental influence on Assam's folk music.
• It is an absolute delight to sit and listen to heart-touching Bihu songs during the Bihu festival when the entire state is in a celebratory mood.
• The talented musicians of the state have been following this traditional form of music for generations and listening to them sing in joy is an unmatched experience for every tourist

Additional Information

• Bihu is one of the major festivals of Assam.
• There are three forms of Bihu.
• Bohag Bihu or Rangoli Bihu in April.
• Magh or Bhogali Bihu in January.
• Kati or Kongali Bihu in October/November.

The correct answer is (BAPS) Shree Swaminarayan Temple.

Key Points

• The (BAPS) Shree Swaminarayan Temple is the first Hindu temple to be built in Abu Dhabi.
• The announcement for the construction of the first Hindu temple was announced by the UAE government in 2015 during PM Modi's two-day visit.
• The foundation stone of the BAPS temple was laid by PM Modi 2018 in Abu Dhabi.
• The temple is built on 35acres of land on Abu Muraikhah.
• For the construction of the temple, fly ash is used as reinforcement of the concrete and no iron or steel reinforcement is used.

The correct answer is Humayun.

• Miniature painting in India was started by Humayun.

Key Points

• Miniature paintings were brought to India by the Mughals.
• Mughals were assisted by Persians.
• These paintings depicted the events and lifestyles of the Mughals.
• Humayun appointed Persian artist Mir sayid Ali and Khawaja Abdus Samad to his court.
• A typical miniature painting has a phrase or poetry written in the Urdu script on the upper or cover end.

Additional Information

• The earliest Miniature paintings in India can be traced back to the 7^th century AD when they flourished under the patronage of the Palas of Bengal.
• Buddhist texts and scriptures were illustrated on 3-inch-wide palm leaf manuscripts, with images of Buddhist deities. Pala art was defined by subdued colors and sinuous lines, evocative of the murals in Ajanta.
• It was Jainism that inspired the miniature artistic movement of the Western Indian style of miniature painting. This form prevailed in the regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Malwa, from the 12^th-16^th century AD.
• Jain manuscripts were illustrated using exaggerated physical traits, vigorous lines, and bold colors.
• Miniature Art in India truly thrived under the Mughals (16th-18th century AD), defining a rich period in the history of Indian art.
• The Mughal style of painting was an amalgamation of religion, culture, and tradition. Persian styles melded with local Indian art to create a highly detailed, rich art form.

The correct answer is Tamil Nadu.

In News

• Karuppur Kalamkari Paintings and Kallakurichi Wood Carvings from Tamil Nadu get the GI tags. Hence, option 2 is correct.

Key Points

• Kallakuruchi wood carvings are done using pens, palm stems, date trees, brushes made of bamboo sticks and coconut tree stems.
• This certificate was issued by the Geographical Indications Registry on the basis of an application filed by Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (Poompuhar).
• These carvings are done for designs and ornaments. These are indigenous to the Madurai region.

The correct answer is Sikkim.

In News - 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the passing away of Padma Shri awardee Ren Sonam Tshering Lepcha.

Important Points

• Ren Sonam Tshering Lepcha, who was born in Kalimpong in 1928, started his career as a soldier.
• He traveled to various parts of Sikkim and complied a wide range of Indian folk and traditional Lepcha songs and played folk music on All India Radio in 1960.
• He was highly revered in Sikkim, where he spent much of his time for his role in the revival of Lepcha culture, which is an indigenous one in Sikkim.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution in the field of folk music.

Additional Information

• Lepchas are Mongoloid tribe.
• Their language is an admixture of Nepalese and Sikkims languages, which is very familiar with the Indo-Chinese language.
• They themselves call "Rong".
• Lepchas live on rearing a large number of cattle and milch cows besides cultivation of Agricultural and Horticultural crops. 

Source - 

http://newsonair.com/News?title=PM-Modi-condoles-passing-away-of-Ren-Sonam-Tshering-Lepcha&id=396104

The correct answer is Baiga.

Key Points

• Baiga
  • It is a sub-tribe of Gond.
  • The Baigas are semi-nomadic Dravidian tribes and are linked to Indo-Australian aboriginal groups. Hence, Option 1 is correct.
  • The largest number of Baigas is found in Southern districts i.e. Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh.
  • Some important sub-castes of Baiga are Bijhwar, Narotia, Bharotiya, Nahar, Rai Bhaina, Kadh Bhania, etc.
  • It is believed that the ancestors of the Baigas spoke an Austroasiatic language.
  • Now they are speaking in the ‘Baigani’ language which is a variety of Chhattisgarhi influenced by Gondi and Western Hindi used by the Baigas.
  • The Baigas are true inhabitants of forests, retaining customs, traditions, handed by their ancestors.
  • They are fierce protectors and worshippers of the forests and Mother nature.
  • Five panches of Baiga Panchayat are Mukdam, Deewan, Samrath, Kotawar, and Dawari.
  • The Baigas eat coarse grain, Kodo and Kutki, drink pej (made from grounding macca or from the water left from boiling rice).
  • Tattooing all over the body is an integral part of their lifestyles.

 Additional Information

• The women who work as tattooing artists belong to the Ojha, Badni, and dewar tribes of Madhya Pradesh.
• A weekly market is an important event in the lives of the Baiga people.
• Widow remarriage and bride price are prevalent in this tribe.
• Baiga lives in a joint family and endogamy is prohibited among them.
• Their main dance forms are Karma, Saila, Phaag, etc.
• They have great faith in Magic and the Baiga regard themselves as the most powerful Magician. They worship sal trees.
• Their sacred beliefs prohibit them from plowing the land as this is perceived as traumatizing Mother Earth.
• Baiga depends on agriculture. They adopt the slash and burn form of shifting agriculture known as ‘Webar’ as ‘Pondu’.
• They are courageous woodsmen and hunters and it is below the dignity of a Baiga to become a laborer.

The correct answer is Ladakh.

Key Points

• Hemish festival is celebrated in Ladakh.
• Hemish Festival:
  • It is celebrated every year on the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. 
  • The Dance Festival is world-famous representing the reincarnation of Buddha.
  • The most attractive part of the festival is the mystic mask dance.
  • The mask dances of Ladakh are referred to as Chams dance.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Dravida Style.

• The architecture style of temple developed by Cholas is called Dravidian or Dravida architecture style.
• The majority of the existing structures are located in the Southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

The correct answer is Raja Raj Chola I.

Key Points

• Raja Raj Chola I got the Brihadeshwara temple built at Thanjavur.
  • This South Indian style is most fully realized both in scale and detail in the Brihadeshwara temple built between 1003 and 1010 by the Chola king Rajaraja I.
  • Built by Tamil king Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola Temples", along with the Chola dynasty era Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple.

Additional Information 

• Rajaraja I often described as Rajaraja the Great, was a Chola emperor and in his time the most powerful king in the south who was primarily responsible for restoring Chola's power and establishing his control over South India and the Indian Ocean.
• Brihadishvara Temple locally known as Thanjai Periya Kovil, and also called Rajarajeswaram, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located on the South Bank of the Cauvery river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.