Indian Art and Culture GK Questions

A [Kerala]

Notes:

Thiruvonam, the most auspicious day during the Onam festival, is celebrated throughout Kerala. Onam is a harvest festival that celebrates the return of King Mahabali/Maveli to his beloved state.

The festival is celebrated for ten days and each day holds a lot of significance. Onam also marks the beginning of the Malayalam year, called Kolla Varsham.

C [Iraq]

Notes:

In a new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, uncovering a wealth of information about the plant life cultivated during that era.

The brick analyzed in this study was found in the palace of the Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, located in the ancient city of Kalhu, in modern day Iraq.

B [West Bengal]

Notes:

Santiniketan, the cultural and educational hub in West Bengal founded by poet Rabindranath Tagore, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The announcement was made during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia. Established in 1901, Santiniketan was initially a residential school based on Indian traditions and the vision of global unity transcending religious and cultural boundaries. In 1921, it evolved into a world university known as ‘Visva Bharati’.

B [Goa]

Notes:

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the maiden edition of ‘Bharatiya Prakash Sthamb Utsav’ or Indian Lighthouse Festival at the historic Fort Aguada in Panjim, Goa.

This festival is part of a vision to transform 75 lighthouses across India into thriving tourist hubs.

A [Archaeological Survey of India]

Notes:

The 359th Report on the Functioning of Archaeological Survey of India has recommended ‘rationalising’ protected monuments, and rules governing them.

It has also prompted inquiries into the operational aspects of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the entity responsible for overseeing all Cultural Property Museums (CPMs) in India, including its management, security measures, preservation efforts, and the overall maintenance of historical sites.

B [Bengali]

Notes:

‘Toto Shabda Sangraha’ Dictionary is set to be released to save Toto, a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the tribal Toto people, from extinction.

A language spoken by barely 1,600 people living in parts of West Bengal bordering Bhutan, is written in the Bengali script. Though Dhaniram Toto developed a script as recently as in 2015, most people either write it in Bengali script or write in Bengali language.

D [Rajasthan]

Notes:

Rajasthan’s first heritage train named the ‘Valley Queen Heritage train’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This heritage train provides a nostalgic experience by replicating the design of a steam engine that’s been around for 150 years. The Valley Queen Heritage Train is the sixth of its kind in India.

B [Assam]

Notes:

KatiBihu is a festival celebrated in Assam. It marks the relocation of rice saplings and is known as Kongali Bihu.

There are another two Bihu festivals celebrated in Assam – Bhogali or Magh Bihu is observed in January and Rongali or Bohag Bihu is observed in the month of April.

A [Kerala]

Notes:

The ‘Arattu’ festival has a rich tradition of being celebrated at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

The uniqueness of the ‘Arattu’ festival is that the head of the royal family of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom still escorts the idols of deities during the procession in traditional attire. The Aarattu Festival is celebrated twice each year.

B [Maharashtra]

Notes:

Two ancient temple caves were discovered near Rajapur, Ratnagiri, in the state of Maharashtra. The caves are believed to have been created in the 5th or 6th century CE.

They are older than the Elephanta caves. Ratnagiri is also home to the Ratnagiri Caves, a Buddhist center. The Buddhist monuments were constructed from the 5th century CE onwards, with the last work in the 13th century.