Indian Culture MCQs

Notes:
Raut Nacha is a ceremonial dance performed mainly by the tribal community of Chhattisgarh. It is performed during the “dev udhni ekadashi”, after the Diwali festival. It is mainly performed by Yaduvanshis. The dance form carries with itself sacred mythological and religious traditions.

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Tawang monastery is the largest of its kind in the country and is one of the largest monasteries in Asia. It is said to be one of the biggest Buddhist monasteries in the world outside of Lhasa, Tibet. It is also known by another Tibetan name, ‘Galden Namgey Lhatse’, which means ‘celestial paradise in a clear night’.

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Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma, popularly known as Satyam, was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She is considered as an expert of Kuchpudi dance.

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The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi is a Hindu temple that is the only Swaminarayan temple in Pakistan. Karachi is the capital of Sindh province of Pakistan.

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Bijak is the compilations of the compositions of Kabir. Kabir Das was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings influenced Hinduism’s Bhakti movement and his verses are found in Sikhism’s scripture Guru Granth Sahib.

Notes:
Nagara, Dravida, and Vesara are indeed the three main styles of Indian temple architecture. 1. Nagara: Predominantly found in northern India, characterized by curvilinear shikhara (tower) and intricate carvings. 2. Dravida: Common in southern India, featuring pyramid-shaped towers (vimanas) and extensive use of stone. 3. Vesara: A hybrid style combining elements of both Nagara and Dravida, seen in regions like Karnataka. These styles reflect the diverse cultural and religious influences across India, with temples serving as important architectural and spiritual landmarks.

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Guru Gobind Singh dev ji (1666-1708 AD) was the last and 10th guru of Sikhs, was born in Patna. He was the son of Guru Tegh Bahadur (the 9th Sikh Guru) and Mata Gujri. At the end of his life, he passed the Guruship of the Sikhs to the Eleventh and Eternal Sikh Guru, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

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The 5th guru of Sikhs, Guru Arjun Dev ji was the first Sikh Guru Martyr, who was executed by Mughal emperor Jahangir on charges of helping his rebel son, Prince Khurram with money and prayer. He built the Swarna Mandir (or Golden temple) in Amritsar and compiled Adigranth, the holy scripture of Sikhism.

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Jagannatha Pandit wrote a poem (of 52 Sanskrit Shlokas) in praise of Ganga known as Ganga Lahari. He was a poet, scholar and musician in the courts of the Mughal emperors Jehangir and Shah Jahan. Excerpts of his works are Rasa Gangadharam (Alankara Sastram), Five Vilasams, etc.

Notes:
Kuchipudi is a classical dance form, exclusive to the South-East Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It originated in a village of Krishna district in modern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It derives its name from this village. It is a dance-drama performance art, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. Like all major classical dances of India, it was also developed as a religious art linked to travelling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs. The Kuchipudi style was conceived by Siddhendra Yogi, a talented Vaishnava poet of 17th century. It begins with an invocation to Lord Ganesha followed by Nritta (non-narrative and abstract dancing); shabdam (narrative dancing) and natya. The dance is accompanied by song which is typically Carnatic music. The singer is accompanied by musical instruments like Mridangam, violin, flute and tambura. Like other classical dances, Kuchipudi also comprises pure dance, mime and histrionics but it is the use of speech that distinguishes Kuchipudi’s presentation as dance drama.