Art & Culture Current Affairs MCQs

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The North and South Blocks in New Delhi will house the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum. This project is part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project. The museum will showcase India’s thousands-year-old civilizational and cultural heritage. An agreement was signed on 19th December 2024 between the National Museum and France Museums Development for technical cooperation. The project timeline and budget depend on the feasibility study and further formalities. The museum aims to celebrate India’s heritage, connect the past with the present, and inspire the future. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared this information in Lok Sabha.

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Goa is celebrating the Shigmo Festival from March 15 to March 29. This two-week cultural event marks the arrival of spring in the Konkan region with colorful parades, folk dances, and cultural performances. Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte highlighted its cultural importance as part of Goa’s heritage alongside Carnival. The festival, also called Shigmotsav, is a Hindu celebration coinciding with Phalgun, the month of spring. It is celebrated across 18 constituencies in Goa, honoring both cultural and spiritual traditions.

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Bithoor Mahotsav was held in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, from 21st to 23rd March 2025. It is an annual festival celebrated at Bithoor, a place with historical and mythological significance. The festival highlights the Revolution of 1857 through imagery, theatre, music, drama, and cultural performances. The 2025 edition focused on the shared culture and historical heritage of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

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Cheiraoba is considered to be one of the most important festivals of Manipur and it marks the beginning of the lunar new year for the people of Meitei community of Manipur and across the globe. The festival is also called as Sajibu Nongma Pānba which means “First day of Sajibu Month”.

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A three-day India-Nepal Literature Festival was organized in Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. It was conducted by Geeta Shodh Sansthan, affiliated with Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, and Krantidhara Sahitya Academy, Meerut. More than 180 litterateurs, writers, journalists, and educationists from India and Nepal participated. The festival aimed to promote and enhance the literary and cultural heritage of both countries. It encouraged the exchange of literature and culture. Cooperation between Indian and Nepali litterateurs was strengthened. Traditional and contemporary literature gained new direction and recognition.

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Around 300 Pakistani citizens of Indian origin from Sindh visited the Dwarkadhish Temple in Devbhumi Dwarka, Gujarat, and offered prayers. The Dwarkadhish Temple, also called Jagat Mandir, is dedicated to Lord Krishna, known as Dwarkadhish or ‘King of Dwarka’. It is part of the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit, along with Badrinath, Rameshwaram, and Puri. Archaeological evidence suggests the original temple dates back to 200 BCE and was built by Vajranabha, Krishna’s great-grandson, over Krishna’s residence. The current temple was expanded in the 16th century with five stories and 72 limestone and sand pillars. It reflects 16th-century Chalukya architecture with carved mythical legends. It follows Pushtimarg tradition, based on teachings of 15th-century saint Vallabhacharya.

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During his recent visit to Thailand, the Indian Prime Minister gifted a Dokra Brass Peacock Boat to the Thailand’s Prime Minister as a symbol of cultural friendship. The sculpture is shaped like a peacock boat and decorated with detailed patterns and colorful lacquer inlays, showcasing traditional craftsmanship. Dokra or Dhokra art is an ancient Indian metal casting technique that uses the lost wax method and dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The art is named after the Dhokra Damar tribes and is also practiced by the Gadwas, Gonds, and Dhurwas tribes in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand. Each piece is unique as the mold used is destroyed after one casting.

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Union Home Minister spoke at Bastar Pandum festival in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, to celebrate tribal culture and progress. Bastar Pandum is a three-day festival that revives and showcases the tribal traditions, customs, arts, and food of the Bastar region, Chhattisgarh. Events included competitions in tribal dance, folk songs, dramas, musical instruments, traditional costumes, jewelry, crafts, and cuisine. The festival aims to bring tribal culture to national and international attention. The minister also highlighted government efforts to end Naxalism and promote complete development in tribal areas, ensuring peace, culture, and growth go hand-in-hand.

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Ancient relics around 2,000 years old from the Megalithic Period were discovered in Manimoola village, Bandadukka, Kerala. A Megalith is a large stone used in building prehistoric monuments, either by itself or with other stones. These structures were made for burial purposes, called sepulchral, and for commemorative rituals, called non-sepulchral. Most Megaliths in India belong to the Iron Age, which lasted from 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. Some megalithic sites in India are even older and go back to 2000 BCE, showing a long history of early human settlements.

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A fire broke out at Daulatabad Fort in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra, prompting the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to assess the damage and plan disaster management. It is located in Maharashtra. Specifically, it is situated near the city of Aurangabad, also known as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Daulatabad Fort was originally called Devgiri, meaning “Hill of Gods”, and was renamed by Muhammad bin Tughlaq in the 14th century when he shifted his capital there. It served as the capital for many dynasties like the Yadavas, Tughlaqs, Bahmanis, Nizam Shahis, Mughals, Marathas, and the Nizams of Hyderabad. It is a UNESCO-nominated heritage site known for its rich history, architecture, and ecology. The fort has three-layered defense walls called Ambarkot, Mahakot, and Kalakot, with moats, bastions, and iron-spiked gates.