Indian Culture Questions and Answers

Answer: B

Pairs 1 and 2 are correct, so the answer is 1 and 2 only.

The Koothambalam is the temple theatre where Koodiyattam and Chakyar Koothu are performed, and the Thidappally is the temple kitchen where offerings are cooked.

The Vathilmadam is the raised platform on either side of the temple gateway, inside the entrance structure, not the sanctum sanctorum. The sanctum is the Sreekovil. So pair 3 is wrong, along with every option that includes it.

Answer: A

The author was Stella Kramrisch.

The Austrian-born art historian Stella Kramrisch, who taught for many years in Calcutta, wrote The Arts and Crafts of Travancore (1948, with J.H. Cousins and R. Vasudeva Poduval), covering Travancore's temples, sculpture, murals, metalwork and crafts.

The other three are also non-Keralites who wrote on Kerala or south India, but on other subjects: Kathleen Gough on matrilineal kinship, Robin Jeffrey on the decline of Nair dominance and Kerala's politics, and Burton Stein on medieval south Indian state and society.

Answer: D

The statement that is not correct is It is a part of the collection called Bhakthi literature.

The Lilatilakam is a treatise in Sanskrit, written in the late fourteenth century, that sets out the grammar and poetics of Manipravalam, the literary blend of Malayalam and Sanskrit. Its author is not known, so it is an anonymous work.

It is a work of grammar and literary theory, not devotional poetry, so it does not belong to the body of Bhakti literature. The other three statements are correct.

Answer: D

The instrument is the Idakka.

Sopana sangeetham is the temple music sung on the steps (sopanam) leading to the sanctum of Kerala temples. The singer accompanies it on the idakka, the small hourglass drum whose pitch is changed by tightening its cords.

The chenda is the loud cylindrical drum of temple processions and Kathakali. The thudi is a small drum used in folk and ritual forms, and the veena is not the traditional accompaniment for sopanam.

Answer: B

The character belongs to Mudiyettu.

Mudiyettu is the ritual dance-drama of central Kerala's Bhagavati temples, inscribed by UNESCO in 2010. It enacts the battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika, and Koimbidar (Koyimpada Nair), the goddess's attendant, is one of its stock characters alongside Shiva, Narada, Darika and Danavendra.

Ninabali, Chimmanakkali and Pateni (Padayani) are other ritual or folk forms, and Koimbidar is not a character of theirs.

Answer: A

The text that is not ayurvedic is Mukundamaala.

The Mukundamala is a Sanskrit devotional hymn to Vishnu (Mukunda) attributed to the Kerala king Kulasekhara Alvar. It is religious poetry, not medicine.

The other three belong to Kerala's medical tradition. The Mathangaleela is the Sanskrit treatise on elephants, including their diseases and treatment. Alathur Manipravalam is an ayurvedic work in the Malayalam-Sanskrit mixed style, and the Yogamritam is an ayurvedic text of formulations.

Answer: C

Chengannur Aathi belongs to the Idanaadan Pattu.

Kerala's narrative ballads are grouped by region. The Idanadan Pattukal are the ballads of the middle land, central Travancore, and the heroine Chengannur Aathi is from Chengannur in that region.

The Vadakkan Pattukal (northern ballads) celebrate heroes such as Thacholi Othenan and Unniyarcha, and the Thekkan Pattukal (southern ballads) cover figures such as Iravikkutti Pillai. Thottam Pattu is the ritual song that invokes the deity in Theyyam, not a heroic narrative tradition.

Answer: B

The temple is at Irinjalakuda.

The Koodalmanikyam temple at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district is dedicated to Bharata, brother of Rama, and is held to be the only major temple in India where Bharata is the presiding deity. Hence it is known as the Bharateshwara temple.

Thirunelli in Wayanad is a Vishnu temple, Payyanur is known for its Subramanya temple, and Atingal is not associated with a Bharata temple.

Answer: A

The performance is the Kambala dance.

Among the Adiya community of Wayanad, the kambalam is the festive work of transplanting paddy, and the Kambala dance is performed to drum and song in the fields during it. It is tied directly to agricultural labour.

Gaddika is also an Adiya form, but it is a ritual performance for healing and warding off evil, not an agrarian one. The other two options are not the Adiya community's agrarian performance.

Answer: B

The Assertion is true but the Reason is false, so the answer is (A) is true but (R) is false.

The Assertion is true: despite differences of language, religion and region, Indians share a common heritage and a composite culture. Article 51A(f) makes valuing and preserving that rich heritage a fundamental duty.

The Reason is false: India's composite culture is composite precisely because it is not founded on any single language or tradition. It draws on Sanskritic, Dravidian, Persian, Islamic, tribal and many other streams, so calling Sanskrit its sole foundation is wrong.