Culture

Question 1

Sangrai Dance

Answer 1

from Tripura.It is performed by the Mog tribal community on the occasion of Sangrai festival during the month of Chaitra (in April) of the Bengali calendar year. The day is
celebrated to welcome the new year

Question 2

Meghadootam

Answer 2

Kalidasa’s Meghadootam (a lyric poem which tells the story of a yaksha who has been exiled from his kingdom).

Question 3

Ashtapradhan of Shivaji consisted of

Answer 3

o Peshwa (chief minister),
o Amatya or majumdar (finance),
o Sachiv or shuru nawis(correspondence),
o Sumant or dabir(foreign minister)
o Senapati or san-i-naubat (recruitment, training and discipline of the army)
o Mantri or waqia nawis: (personal safety of the king)
o Nyayadhish (administration of justice)
o Dhanadhyaksha or the pundit rao (looking after charitable work)

Question 4

Battle of Koregaon

Answer 4

It was the last of the Anglo-Maratha battle that took place on 1 January 1818 in Bhima, Koregaon between the troops of Maratha Ruler Baji Rao Peshwa II and the British East India Company (EIC).In the battle the EIC represented by majority of Mahar soldiers successfully resisted Peshwa troops in which Peshwa lost 600 of his soldiers after which he withdrew and gave up plans to attack Pune.

Question 5

Medaram

Answer 5

Medaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya, the largest surviving forest belt in the Deccan.

Question 6

Medaram’s Jatara

Answer 6

Central government is likely to declare Medaram’s Sammakka-Sarakka/Saralamma Jatara a national festival
this year. It is held bi-annually in Medaram village, Telegana to honour the twin goddesses - Sammakka and her daughter Sarakka• It is held by forest dwelling Koya Tribe of the region and is the biggest tribal festival in Asia attracting non-adivasis as well

Question 7

Kumbh Mela (Festival of Sacred Pitcher)

Answer 7

Recently UNESCO has inscribed Kumbh Mela on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity. It is a Hindu festival which is observed during the Purnima (full moon) of month of Paush (December 22- January 20) after every 12 years on the banks of a holy river to take dip and perform various rituals.
• It is held every four years by rotation at:
o Haridwar (banks of Ganga),
o Allahabad (Confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati),
o Nashik (banks of Godavari) and
o Ujjain (banks of Shipra).
Kumbh Mela can be traced back in history through the writings of 7th century Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang
who came to India during the rule of Harshavardhan. The festival was also popularised among people by the
eighth century saint Shankaracharya.

Question 8

India’s entries in UNESCO’s Lists of

Intangible Cultural Heritage

Answer 8

• Yoga
• Traditional brass and copper craft of utensils among thatheras
• Sankirtana
• Buddhist chanting of Ladakh
• Chhau Dance
• Kalbelia
• Kutuyattam
• Sanskrit Theatre
• Tradition of Vedic Chanting
• Ramlila
• Novruz
• Ramman
• Mudiyettu

Question 9

UNESCO brings out two separate lists:

Answer 9

o Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – It is made up of those intangible heritage elements which bring out the diversity of culture.
o List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding – It is made up of the intangible heritage elements which require urgent measures. It also helps to mobilize international cooperation.
It also brings out a Register of Good Safeguarding Practices which contains programs, projects and activities that best reflect principle of the Convention.

Question 10

UNESCO Asia-Pacific awards for cultural heritage conservation programme

Answer 10

It is aimed at acknowledging the efforts taken to restore and conserve historical structures without affecting their heritage value.
 The awards are classified under four categories -Award of Excellence,
Awards of Distinction,
Awards of Merit and
Award for New Design in Heritage Context.
Sri Rangathaswamy Temple, Mumbai’s Christ Church, and Royal Bombay Opera House received Award of Merit this year (2017).

Question 11

Sri Rangathaswamy Temple in Srirangam in Tamil Nadu

Answer 11

It is considered as one of the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams).
 This temple lies on an islet formed by the twin rivers: Cauvery and Coleroon.
 It has seven prakaras or enclosures.
 It is a Vaishnava temple built in the Tamil or Dravidian style of architecture. The temple and 1000 pillared hall were constructed in the Vijayanagar period (1336–1565) on the site of an older temple.
The Gopuram of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is the biggest gopuram in Asia. It is also called as “Raja Gopuram”
 The temple bagged the UNESCO award for use of traditional methods in renovating temple structures and
re-establishment of rainwater harvesting and historic drainage system.

Question 12

UNESCO Creative Cities list

Answer 12

It was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and
among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic
factor for sustainable urban development.
 The 7 creative fields, on basis of which the cities are awarded the status, are Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Music and Media Arts.
Chennai has been recently included in UNESCO Creative Cities list for its rich musical tradition. It is the 3rd Indian city after Jaipur (craft) & Varanasi (music).

Question 13

Chola Navy

Answer 13

Sangam literature has numerous references of voyages
and expeditions of the Chola navy.
 Chola Navy was considered one of the strongest navies and played a big role in the expansion of the Chola rule to Sri-Lanka and Malay Peninsula
 They possessed a very rich and sound knowledge of ship building.
 Some of the important ports cities of Cholas were Poompuhar/ Kaveripattinam (capital), Arikamedu, Kancheepuram, Nagapattinam etc
 A large number of women played leading roles in Chola navy and actively took part in battles.

Question 14

Fact about Chola Kingdom

Answer 14

 Administration: was marked by well-established local self-government in villages
 Status of women: The practice of ‘sati’ was prevalent among the royal families. The devadasi system emerged during their period.
 Development of Tamil literature reached its peak during the Chola period.
 Examples of the Dravidian style of art and architecture: Brihadeshwara Temple (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Nagaeshwvara, Airavateshwara temples
 Bronze statues of Nataraja or dancing Siva is the master piece of the Chola period.

Question 15

Stone sculptures of Mammalapuram

Answer 15

Exquisite rock-sculpting techniques exhibited in Mahabalipuram/Mahabalipuram date back to early 7th
century during the period of Pallavas.
It includes cave architecture, rock architecture, structural temples, open sculptures, relief sculptures and painting/portrait sculptures.
It is characterised by a wide forehead, sharp nose, long eyes, hanging ears and oval-shaped face, usually with double chins.
Male and female sculptures are slender and curvaceous to look at and symbolise perfection in terms of beauty.
Mamallapuram sculptors still use hammer-and-chisel technique for carving and follow the time-consuming process enunciated in various Shilpa Shastras.
Mamallapuram was named after the famous title of Narasimhavarma Pallava in the mid-seventh century.

Question 16

Etikoppaka toys (Etikoppaka Bommalu)

Answer 16

These toys are made in Etikoppaka region of Andhra Pradesh and are made with lacquer color.
 The toys are unique in shape and for the material used.
 They are made from the soft wood of Ankudi Karra (Wrightia tinctoria) tree
 The toys are painted with natural dyes, which is prepared from seed, lacquer, bark, roots and leaves. The dyes are non-toxic
 The art of making such toys is known as Turned Wood Lacquer Craft.
 According to the artisans, the art is more than 400 years old and it has been traditionally handed over to
them by their ancestors through generations.

Question 17

Paika Bidroha

Answer 17

Recently the Minister of Human Resource Development announced that Paika Rebellion will be renamed as
“First War of Independence”.
 The Paika rebellion took place in 1817 in Khurda, Odisha.
 Paikas were the peasant militias of the Gajapati rulers of Odisha who rendered military service to the king
during times of war while taking up cultivation during times of peace.
 The armies of the East India Company overran Odisha in 1803 after establishing their sway over Bengal
Province and Madras Province. The Raja of Khurda lost his primacy and the power and prestige of the Paikas
went on a decline.
 But in 1817 Paikas rebelled against the British under the leadership of Baxi Jagandhu Bidyadhara, hereditary
chief of militia army to throw off the British yoke.
 It ended with the surrender of Jagandbandhu in 1825.

Question 18

World Monument Fund (WMF)

Answer 18

It is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1965 by individuals concerned about the accelerating destruction of important artistic treasures throughout the world.
Through its programme World Monuments Watch it aims to identify imperiled cultural heritage sites and direct financial and technical support for their preservation.

Question 19

Adopt a heritage Scheme/ Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan Project

Answer 19

Recently seven companies were chosen for conservation of fourteen monuments under ‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme’. It is a scheme of Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Under this Private Sector Companies, Public Sector Companies and Corporate individuals are invited to adopt the heritage sites.
 They would be called “Monument Mitras” and activities taken up by would be counted as a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative.

Question 20

International dialogue on Civilisation

Answer 20

Recently, fourth International dialogue on Civilisation was conducted in New Delhi.
Dialogue of Civilisation was initiated by National Geographic society in 2013 to
o encourage scholarly and public discourse about five ancient, literate civilisations of the world and
o study the impact of past on the present and future..
Civilisations to be studied were:
Egypt
o Mesopotamian Civilisation
o South Asian Civilisation
o Chinese Civilisation
o Mesoamerican Civilisation

Question 21

Mesopotamian Civilisation

Answer 21

 Formed on the banks of Tigris and Euphrates in present-day Iran and Kuwait.
 Began during the Neolithic Period of around 12000BCE
 Important Mesopotamian civilisation included Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian, and Babylonian civilizations.
According to evidence Civilisation used technology, had established the religion, literature, legal codes,
philosophy and had external trade relations.

Question 22

South Asian Civilisation

Answer 22

 Developed on the banks of river Indus and its tributaries.
 Began to flourish during the Chalcolithic period.
 Most important South Asian civilisation was Harappan Civilisation.
 According to findings the civilisation had
o Elaborate city planning
o A well-established economy based on trade
o Advanced agriculture, pottery making, seal making etc.
o They worshipped Pasupati and mother goddess
o Believed in life after death and had elaborate burial procedure

Question 23

Chinese Civilisation

Answer 23

 Developed on the banks of Yellow river in 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE and Yangtze River before 5000 BCE.
(Neolithic Era)
 They worshipped nature.

Question 24

Mesoamerican Civilisation

Answer 24

 Flourished in parts of Mexico and Central America in about 21000BCE.

Question 25

Maha Pushkaram

Answer 25

 Pushkaram is the Indian festival of worshipping rivers. It is celebrated along the banks of 12 rivers in India.
 The celebration happens annually, once in 12 years along each river. Each river is associated with one zodiac sign. The river for each year’s festival is based on which zodiac the planet Jupiter is in.
 The 12 rivers at which Pushkaram is celebrated are: Ganga, Narmada, Saraswati, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna,
Kaveri, Bhima, Tapti, Tungabhadra, Sindhu (Indus) and Pranhita.
 The celestial transit of Planet Jupiter from Kanni Rasi to Thula Rasi in the Hindu almanac is said to be the
Maha Pushkaram period. The celestial event is said to occur once in 144 years.

Question 26

only language to be written in 5 scripts

Answer 26

Konkani

Question 27

Quit India Movement

Answer 27

 In July 1942 Congress Working Committee at Wardha passed a resolution to end British Rule in India. It also declared that free India will be against the aggression of Nazism, Fascism and Imperialism.
 Reasons behind the launch of Quit India Movement:
o Failure of Cripps Mission due to lack of British will to address Indian demands.
o Public discontent due to increased wartime disparities such as price rise, shortage of food items etc.
o Reversals faced by British in South-East Asia enhanced popular willingness to overthrow British rule from India.
o Britishers’ discriminatory behavior against Indian refugees in south-east Asia
 On August 8, 1942, Quit India Movement was launched from Gowalia Tank, Bombay. However, all the leader including Mahatma Gandhi, J.L. Nehru, Patel, Azad etc. were arrested.
 The movement saw massive public upsurge and attack on symbols of authority especially in Eastern UP,
Bihar and Bengal.
 During the movement
o Underground activities provided line of command.
o Parallel government was carried on in Balia, Tamluk and Satara.
o Participation of youth, women, workers, peasants etc. was seen.

Question 28

Kalaripayatu

Answer 28

It is a martial art form which originated in Kerala, originally from northern and central parts of Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu.

Question 29

Silambam

Answer 29

It is a weapon based martial art practised in Tamil Nadu. Bamboo staff is used as weapon

Question 30

Archery

Answer 30

• It is a sport from Jharkhand in which a bow and arrow are used. Traditionally Archery was practised for hunting and recreational purpose.

Question 31

Kabaddi

Answer 31

– This is a team sport in which two teams compete to remain outnumbered till the end. This game is widely played in Telangana, Andhara Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Question 32

Malkhamb

Answer 32

This traditional sport is a combination of acrobatics and aerial yoga. It is performed on a wooden pole and the player demonstrates wrestling grip throughout the performance.

Question 33

Mukna

Answer 33

It is a form of folk wrestling from Manipur.

Question 34

Thangta

Answer 34

It is a martial art form from Manipur and traditionally known as Huyel Langlon.

Question 35

Khomlainai

Answer 35

It is a martial art performed by the Bodo community in Assam.

Question 36

Gatka

Answer 36

It is a traditional combat training in which wooden sticks are used to simulate swords.

Question 37

Buddha statue in Ghatasala

Answer 37

A proposal to build a 70 ft. Buddha statue in Ghatasala in Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh has been passed by the government.
 The new facility will be themed on the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha.
 Buddha will be lying on the right flank, his head resting on a cushion or on his right elbow, supporting his head with his hand.
Ghantasala was a renowned Buddhist centre. Excavations in the late 19 and early 20th century led to the discovery of Maha Chaitya or Stupa.

Question 38

Mahaparinirvana

Answer 38

The word “Mahaparinirvana” refers to the ultimate state of Nirvana (everlasting, highest peace and happiness) entered by an Awakened Being (Buddha) or “arhat” at the moment of physical death; but it can also refer to that same state reached during such a being’s physical lifetime too.

Question 39

Falun Gong

Answer 39

Falun Gong, the ancient Chinese holistic system that is banned in China, will be celebrated in India on July 15 with a parade and Human Word Formation in the capital.
 Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) arose out of the so-called “qigong boom” of the late ‘80s. Qigong is an umbrella term for a number of practices involving meditation, slow-moving exercises and regulated breathing.
 It differed from most qigong groups in that it combined exercises with moral and spiritual teachings.

Question 40

AMASR Act

Answer 40

Monuments designated as “ancient monuments of national importance” are protected under the AMASR Act.
 The Archaeological Survey of India is the custodian of these monuments.

Question 41

Which Indian city has been declared as world heritage city by UNESCO

Answer 41

The 606-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad was declared World Heritage City by UNESCO during the 42nd session of World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in Krakow, Poland.
 Modern Ahmedabad was founded by Ahmad Shah in 1411 AD on the ancient sites of Ashaval and Karanavati.
 The city boasts of a composite culture and a rich mix of Hindu and Jain temples, Islamic and European architecture.

Question 42

Samachar Darpan

Answer 42

first newspaper in Bengali language. It was published by Serampore Mission press on May 23, 1818.

Question 43

Sambad Kaumadi

Answer 43

In 1821, a remarkable Bengali journal Sambad Kaumadi was published under the patronage of Rammohan
Roy.

Question 44

Sambad Pravakar

Answer 44

first Bengali daily newspaper published in 1839, patronized by Iswar Chandra Gupta.

Question 45

National Mission on Cultural Mapping

Answer 45

 Mission is a part of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’
initiative.
 The mission aims at converting the vast and widespread cultural canvas of India into an objective cultural map, designing a mechanism to fulfil the aspirations of the whole artist community of the nation and preserving the rich cultural heritage of this country in the form of a cultural repository of artists and art forms.
 This Mission encompasses data mapping, demography building formalising the processes and bringing all the cultural activities under one web based umbrella for better results.
The Mission also seeks to open a direct channel of communication of artists with the Government and peer to peer communication among artists for talent honing and handholding of each other.

Question 46

Sabarmati Ashram

Answer 46

Build by Jivanlal Deshai in 1915, Gandhi ji shifted the ashram on bank of Sabramati in 1917.
 Idea of Ashmarm emanate from Tolstoy Farm (Phoenix Farm) of South Africa.
 The Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Harijan Ashram) was home to Mohandas Gandhi from 1917 until 1930 and served as one of the main centres of the Indian freedom struggle.
 When Gandhi started his padayatra (foot march) in 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi for the Salt Satyagraha, he had decided not to return to Sabarmati till independence for India was attained.
 In April 1936, Gandhiji established his residence in the village Shegaon which he renamed as Sevagram, which means ‘village of service’.

Question 47

Yakshagana

Answer 47

 It is a folk dance of Karnataka.
 It is a fusion of dance and drama.
 Stories are depicted from the epics of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Purana are performed on stage.
 A narrator narrates the story along with musicians playing traditional instruments while actors enact the story.

Question 48

Thakurani Jatra festival

Answer 48

 Thakurani Jatra festival is a biennial festival celebrated in the city of Behrampur (the silk city), Odisha.
 Also known as Ghata Yatra, it is the chief festival of Southern Odisha.
 The festival marks the worship of Maa Buddhi Thakurani who is considered the protector of Behrampur.
 Originally the Deras, a weaver community, worshiped the goddess.

Question 49

Saint Tyagraja

Answer 49

 Saint Tyagraja is one of the principal composers of the Carnatic trinity along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri.
 He is referred to as Thyagabrahmam.
 Tyagaraja was born on 14th May 1767 in the village of Thiruvayaru in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.
 With the influence of Ramayana, he became an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. He composed about 24000 songs in his life devoted to Lord Ram.
 Tyagaraja Aradhana, a music festival conducted in honour of Tyagraja is organized in Thiruvaiyaru between the months of January and February every year.

Question 50

Basavanna

Answer 50

He is considered to be the founder of Lingayatism or Lingayat Sect or Veerashaivism.
 He was responsible for sweeping social changes in Karnataka during 12th century.
 He stood for the upliftment of the downtrodden and fought the evils that had crept into the Brahmanic Vedic tradition.
 He scripted his practical experiences in a novel form of literature called – Vachana (poetry). The main aim of Vachana (poetry) movement propagated welfare for all.
 He heralded the establishment of ‘Kalyana Rajya’ (Welfare state)
 He gave two important and innovative concepts called “Sthavara ’’and “Jangama’’, the meaning of which is “Static’’ and ‘’Dynamic’’ which are the main foundation stones of the revolutionary ideology of Basavanna.

Question 51

“Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India” in 2014.

Answer 51

Under this Scheme, the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore works on protection, preservation and documentation of all the mother tongues/languages of India spoken by less than 10,000 speakers keeping in mind the degree of endangerment and reduction in the domains of usage.

 Under the programme, grammatical descriptions, monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, language primers, anthologies of folklore, encyclopedias of all languages or dialects especially those spoken by less than 10,000 people are being prepared.

Question 52

World Cities Cultural Forum

Answer 52

 WCCF is the biggest forum of global network which provides a platform for 33 cities to share their culture, data-driven research and intelligence while exploring the vital role and impact of culture in future prosperity.

Recently, Mumbai became the first Indian city to be a member of World Cities Cultural Forum (WCCF).

 Mumbai is a cultural centre which promotes culture through its entertainment and fashion industry, museums, temples etc.
 It would allow Mumbai to share ideas, technology, challenges and access cultures and art of other cities and broaden its perspective.

Question 53

Mahamastakabhisheka

Answer 53

 It is the head anointing ceremony of the Bahubali which is observed once every 12 years in the Digambar
Jain tradition.
 The Gomateshwar statute is dedicated to Bahubali, the son of Rishabhanath, the first in the line of the 24 Jain tirthankaras.
 The statue has been depicted in kayotsarga posture. Kayotsarga means to give up one’s physical comfort and body movements, thus staying steady, either in a standing or other posture, and concentrating upon the true nature of the soul.
 The statue is said to be built by Chavundaraya who was the commander-in-chief as well as the Prime Minister of the Ganga King Rachamalla during the later period of 10th century A.D.

Question 54

Shravanbelgola

Answer 54

 A group of Jain monks under the leadership of Bhadrabahu migrated from Ujjain to Shravanbelgola in response to a serious famine during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya.
 The group of monks that migrated came to be known as Digambaras (sky clad or naked) and the group of monks who stayed in the north under Sthulabhadra came to be known as Shvetambara (White-robed)
 Later Chandragupta Maurya handed over his kingdom to his son Bindusara and chose to spend his last days at Sravanbelagola.