Indian Culture MCQs

Notes:
The Rajatarangini ( “The River of Kings”) is a metrical historical chronicle of north-western Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir, written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri Brahman Kalhana in 12th century CE.

Notes:
The North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC), one of the seven zonal centres established by the Indian government, is situated in Dimapur in Nagaland. These cultural centres were designed to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of India. NEZCC includes Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

Notes:
The Kushana School of Art, also known as the mature school, has a unique amalgamation of Indian and Greek artistry. The school flourished during the Kushana Empire and was greatly influenced by the cultural confluence with the Romans. While the Gandhara and Mathura schools predominantly shaped the Kushana Art, the amalgamation formed a mature phase in the evolution of Indian art, hence earning the moniker.

Notes:
The new category of classical language was created in 2004 and Tamil was declared first classical language of India. Classical languages in India refer to those languages that have been given the status of classical languages by the government of India. This status is given to languages that have a long literary history and have made a significant contribution to the cultural heritage of India. The classical languages of India are Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. These languages have a rich history and have been instrumental in the development of many aspects of Indian culture, including literature, art, and music.

Notes:
Bishnupur is located in West Bengal. It’s known for its Hindu temples made from local terracotta, such as the pyramid-shaped Rasmancha, established around 1600.

Notes:
The mosque is also called Jhulta Minar or Shaking Minarets.

Notes:
Konark Sun Temple, Orissa was called as “The Black Pagoda” by the Europeans. The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty about 1250 CE.

Notes:
The Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, awards literary prizes in 24 languages recognized by the Academy. These languages are: Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and Bishnupriya Manipuri.

Notes:
Namdev is considered to be a part of the varkari tradition (Vaishnava devotional tradition) was born in Maharashtra in 1270 AD, belong to chipi (cloth painter) caste. He composed hymns on Marathi and some of his verses were included in the Guru Granth Sahib (or Adi Granth). He was a precursor of Kabir and Guru Nanak. His abhangas (or devotional lyrics) were known as Namdevachi.

Notes:

1. Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It is associated with Rashtrakuta.
2. The Cave Temples of Mahabalipuram are part of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, less well-known than the ratha temples. It is associated with Chola.
3. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu temples and Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh. It is associated with Chandelas.