Art & Culture Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Santiniketan, the university town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, was recently inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
A Centre-approved board identifying Santiniketan as UNESCO-approved world heritage site has finally been erected by Visva-Bharati in the location and mentions Rabindranath Tagore. Santiniketan – founded by Debendranath Tagore and home to Visva-Bharati, the university set up by his son Rabindranath – was accorded world heritage status by UNESCO, and shortly after that plaques had come up marking the site and they bore the names of only Chancellor Narendra Modi and the then Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty.

Notes:
Two ancient sculptures were discovered at Kolalian village in Mizoram’s Mamit district near Assam’s Barak Valley.
The art forms of the sculptures, claimed to be 1,500 years old, have a strong similarity with the structures found during the Gupta and Pala periods (between 750 and 1200 CE). They have found two sculptures including one ‘relief’ (carved into the hills) looking like a Buddha and another ‘free standing’ (statue made of stone in the hills) which looks like Parvati, a Hindu goddess.

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Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam, at TummalapalliKalakshetram, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
This three-day classical music extravaganza will host a variety of activities, including classical music performances by renowned musicians of the country and an exhibition and sale of regional cuisine, local handicrafts and handlooms. The event provides an enchanting glimpse into the Indian classical music heritage and featured a diverse array of performances by accomplished musicians.

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Styangkung village shrine of Islamic preacher Akhone Muhammad Shareef in Ladakh has been included in sustainable development programme by Kargil Development Authority for preservation as a heritage site. Shareef and his descendants contributed immensely to the culture and history of Purig region. Restoration of his shrine will boost village development.

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The Hattee community, which has been at the center of recent legal discussions regarding its inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list, is primarily found in Himachal Pradesh. This issue gained prominence following the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s decision to stay the inclusion of the Hattee community in the state’s ST list. The High Court intervened after the state government issued directions for this inclusion, which was contested by other communities through legal petitions. The Hattees are specifically from the Trans-Giri Area of Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh, and their potential inclusion in the ST list has been a subject of debate and legal scrutiny.

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Lanjia Saura paintings, also known as ekons or iditals, are a unique style of wall mural art from Odisha. The art form belongs to the Lanjia Saura community, a PVTG largely residing in the Rayagada district. These paintings are in the form of exterior murals painted on the mud walls of homes. White paintings figure over a crimson-maroon background. It is believed that the Lanjia Sauras paint their walls with Idital artworks to show gratitude to their deities and forefathers, and also for the well-being of their community. Reflecting the love and affection of the primitive tribes for nature, they feature subjects like tribal humans, trees, animals, birds, the Sun and the Moon.

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Legendary Indian classical dancer Kelucharan Mohapatra was born on 8 January, 1926. He is credited with the revival and popularising the Odissi dance form in the 20 th century. He did extensive research on the traditional ‘Gotipua’ and ‘Mahari’ dance forms, which led him to restructure Odissi.

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Gangasagar fair is celebrated every year on 14 or 15 January. This fair is held on the day of Makar Sankranti. In the year 2023, about 51 lakh devotees participated in this fair. This fair is held in South Pargana district of West Bengal. This fair is celebrated at Sagardweep, located some distance from the Bengal coast. Sagardweep is the place where the river Ganges meets the Bay of Bengal. In Gangasagar Mela, a dip is taken in the river on the banks of Ganga and then prayers are offered at the temple of Kapil Muni. Gangasagar Mela is the second largest Hindu fair after Kumbh Mela. By taking bath here one attains salvation and also gets the blessings of the ancestors.

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Pongal festival is closely tied to the Tamil calendar, commencing with the arrival of the Tamil month of Thai. Celebrated in mid-January, Pongal coincides with the auspicious transition to the Thai month, signifying the harvest season’s prosperity. It is a time when Tamilians express gratitude to nature for a bountiful harvest and celebrate with various rituals and festivities.

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Representatives from Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra will receive the traditional ceremonial bow, ‘Onavillu,’ from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, holds significance in epics and puranas. Balarama is mentioned to have visited, bathed in Padmatheertham, and made offerings. Onavillu, a bow-shaped instrument with puranic inscriptions, is crafted in Karamana, Thiruvanthapuram, and Kerala.