Indian Art & Culture: Dance, Music & Heritage: questions and answers
Study every question with its correct answer and explanation.
1. Kathakali, known for its elaborate face make-up and costumes, is a classical dance form of which state?
- A. Tamil Nadu
- B. Kerala
- C. Karnataka
- D. Odisha
Answer: Kerala
Kathakali is a dance-drama from Kerala in which performers tell stories from the epics through expressive gestures and eye movements. The poet Vallathol Narayana Menon founded the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1930 to revive it; Mohiniyattam is another classical dance of Kerala.
2. Sattriya, recognised as a classical dance by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000, originated in which state?
- A. Manipur
- B. West Bengal
- C. Tripura
- D. Assam
Answer: Assam
Sattriya was introduced in Assam by the Vaishnava saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardev in the 15th–16th centuries and was preserved for centuries in the 'sattras' (Vaishnava monasteries). Manipuri, another classical dance of the north-east, is closely associated with the Ras Lila.
3. The classical dance Kuchipudi takes its name from a village in which present-day state?
- A. Andhra Pradesh
- B. Tamil Nadu
- C. Karnataka
- D. Maharashtra
Answer: Andhra Pradesh
Kuchipudi is named after a village in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, and tradition credits Siddhendra Yogi with shaping the form. A well-known Kuchipudi item, the Tarangam, is performed with the dancer balancing on the rim of a brass plate.
4. The Hindustani vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi belonged to which gharana?
- A. Gwalior
- B. Agra
- C. Kirana
- D. Jaipur-Atrauli
Answer: Kirana
Bhimsen Joshi, a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, was a leading voice of the Kirana gharana, which is associated with Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and named after the town of Kairana in Uttar Pradesh. The Gwalior gharana is generally regarded as the oldest khayal gharana.
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5. Which of these composers is NOT one of the 'Trinity' of Carnatic music?
- A. Tyagaraja
- B. Muthuswami Dikshitar
- C. Syama Sastri
- D. Purandara Dasa
Answer: Purandara Dasa
The Trinity of Carnatic music — Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri — were 18th–19th century composers, all born in Tiruvarur in present-day Tamil Nadu. Purandara Dasa, who lived in the 15th–16th centuries, is revered as the 'Pitamaha' (grandfather) of Carnatic music.
6. The Hornbill Festival, often called the 'Festival of Festivals', is held every December in which state?
- A. Nagaland
- B. Meghalaya
- C. Arunachal Pradesh
- D. Sikkim
Answer: Nagaland
The Hornbill Festival, first held in 2000, showcases the cultures of Nagaland's tribes at the Naga Heritage Village of Kisama near Kohima. It is named after the hornbill, a bird that features widely in Naga folklore.
7. In 2021, UNESCO added which festival of Kolkata to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity?
- A. Rath Yatra
- B. Kali Puja
- C. Durga Puja
- D. Lakshmi Puja
Answer: Durga Puja
Durga Puja in Kolkata was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in December 2021, recognising its art, community participation and public celebration. Earlier, in 2017, the Kumbh Mela was also inscribed on the same list.
8. The Kailasa temple, carved from top to bottom out of a single rock, is part of which cave complex?
- A. Ajanta
- B. Ellora
- C. Elephanta
- D. Badami
Answer: Ellora
The Kailasa temple (Cave 16) at Ellora in Maharashtra was carved in the 8th century under the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I. Ellora has Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves side by side and, like nearby Ajanta, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
9. The Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, designed as a giant chariot of the Sun god, was built by King Narasimhadeva I of which dynasty?
- A. Chola
- B. Pallava
- C. Chandela
- D. Eastern Ganga
Answer: Eastern Ganga
Built in the 13th century by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I, the temple is shaped like a chariot with 24 carved stone wheels drawn by seven horses. European sailors called it the 'Black Pagoda', and it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
10. Madhubani, or Mithila, painting is a folk art tradition of which state?
- A. Bihar
- B. Odisha
- C. Rajasthan
- D. Gujarat
Answer: Bihar
Madhubani painting comes from the Mithila region of Bihar, where it was traditionally painted by women on walls and floors using natural colours, and it holds a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Pattachitra, painted on cloth, is a well-known folk art of Odisha.