Indian Culture MCQs

Notes:
The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any Indian language listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India. It is named after an Indian goddess of learning and is considered to be among the highest literary awards in India.
The Saraswati Samman was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation. Candidates are selected from literary works published in the previous ten years by a panel that included scholars and former award winner

Notes:
Guru Nanak said that a man was to be honoured for his devotion to God and not for his social position. He said– “God knows man’s virtues and inquires not his caste; in the next world there is no caste.”

Notes:
Dappu Dance belongs to Andhra Pradesh.The Dappu is made of goatskin, a tambourine-like drum is beaten with sticks creating a rhythm that is softened only by the ankle bells that the 16 to 20 dancers wear.

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The state of Gujarat, specifically in the city of Palitana, holds a remarkable distinction of having 838 Jain temples located on a single mountain. Jainism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has a strong community still in India. These temples are a major pilgrimage site for Jains and are a testament to the architectural prowess of ancient artisans.

Notes:
The Gita Govinda, a 12th-century work that expresses the divine love of the Hindu deity Krishna and his consort Radha, was composed by the renowned poet Jayadeva. Jayadeva was a prominent poet of Bengal, revered as one of the five gems in the court of Lakshman Sen, the ruler of the Sena dynasty. His lyrical compositions significantly influenced the Bhakti movement, promoting devotion to deity through song.

Notes:
Meera Bai was a Rajput Princess of Merta and daughter-in-law of Rana Sanga of Mewar. She was a great worshipper of Krishna and her collection of devotional songs or poems viz. Mere to Girdhar Gopal doosro na koi, etc. are known as Padavali.

Notes:
In post Gupta period, a great treatise only after Natya Shastra was composed in Sanskrit as Brihaddeshi by Matanga Muni. Brihaddeshi is the first text that speaks about raga and distinguishes the music genres into Marga Sangeet (Classical Music) and Desi Sangeet (Folk Music). Brihaddeshi was also the important work on Indian music before the Islam came and influenced the Indian music. Brihaddeshi was based upon the Natya Shastra itself and has clarified many things which were unclear in the Bharata’s text.

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Rekha Deula, Pidha Deula and Khakhara Deula are three distinct types of temples associated to Kalinga architecture.

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Ramappa Temple is also known as the Ramalingeswara temple. The temple is named after the sculptor Ramappa, who built it and is perhaps the only temple in India to be named after a craftsman who built it rather than the king who commissioned it or its presiding deity. The temple is located in a valley at Palampet village,near Warangal, Telangana. An inscription in the temple dates it to the year 1213 AD, during the period of the Kakatiya Dynasty rule.

Notes:
The Haji Ali Dargah can only be reached during low tide as it is situated about 500 yards into the sea. The mosque is built over the tomb of Saint Haji Ali. According to legend, he died on a pilgrimage to Mecca and his casket reached Bombay. It contained a note that said it should be buried wherever it landed.