Test: General Awareness (Art & Culture) - Software Development MCQ

The correct answer is ​Mahabodhi Temple.

Key Points

• The Mahabodhi Temple was built by the Mauryan emperor Great Ashoka in around 260 BCE.
• Mahabodhi Temple - Gaya, is the holiest site for all Buddhists all over the world.
  • It is the world heritage site, where Lord Buddha is said to attain his enlightenment.
  • Literally, the meaning of Mahabodhi is the Great Awakening Temple.

Important Points

• Buddhism is one of the top five religions in the world, in terms of the number of followers. 
• One of the first people we can thank for this was the ancient emperor Asoka.
• Asoka was a third-century BCE ruler of the Maurya Empire, one of the first states to unify nearly the entire Indian subcontinent.
• He was also the first Indian emperor to convert to Buddhism and put massive efforts into spreading the religion across India. 
• There are four major temples associated with the various stages of Buddha's life.
• The Mahabodhi Temple marks one of the most significant.
• it was in this place that the Mahatma Buddha sat under a  and meditated, ultimately achieving enlightenment and becoming the Buddha.
• Emperor Ashoka constructed the Vajrasana or the Diamond Throne, representing the seat of enlightenment.
• He also built a stupa in reverence of Gautama Buddha, which was there till the second century AD.
• During the reign of the Gupta kings in the seventh century AD, the Mahavira Mahabodhi temple was completed.
• The Pala kings of Bengal built the gold-painted statue of Buddha, which is made of Black stone.
• Here Gautama Buddha is seen seated in the Earth-touching posture or the Bhumisparsa Mudra.

The correct answer is Tamil Nadu.

Key Points

•  Bharatnatyam:
  • ​Bharatnatyam Dance is considered to be over 2000 years old.
  • Several texts beginning with Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra (200 B.C.E to 200 C.E.) provide information on this dance form.
  • Bharatnatyam Dance is known to be Ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles in a single performance.

Additional Information

•  8 Classical Dances of India:

The correct answer is Bihar.

Key Points

•  About Madhubani painting:
  • ​Mithila painting, popularly known as Madhubani art.
  • The colours used in Madhubani paintings are usually derived from plants and other natural sources.
  • Women usually paint their homes to celebrate festivals and the theme of the painting can be varied from nature to myths.
  • Artists often show scenes of nature, an abundant harvest, tantric images of snake worship, and even city scenes.

Additional Information

•  Other states and their traditional art forms:

The correct answer is ​Purandara Dasa.

Key Points

​Purandara Dasa

• ​​He is considered the Pitamaha of Carnatic music.
• His compositions are mainly in the Kannada language.
• He was born in 1484.
• Raga Mayamalavagowla first carnatic music was discovered by Purandara Dasa.

Additional Information

• Trippunithura Narayanaiyer Krishnan (TN Krishnan) was born on October 6, 1928, in Cochin.
• He learned music from his father and was provided with the patronage of the Royal Family of Cochin.
• He was tutored by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, another prominent Carnatic Violinist.
• Awards:
  • Padma Shri (1973)
  • Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1974)
  • Padma Bhushan (1992)
  • Sangeet Kalanidhi (1980).

The correct answer is Humayun.

Key Points

  Humayun:

• Din Panah was the sixth city of Delhi constructed by the second Gurkani emperor Humayun during his reign stretching from the early to the mid 15th century as a symbol of imperial tolerance of all religions, particularly the different sects of Islam.
• It was among the first cities to be built by the Gurkanis after their entry in Hindustan and at one point of time so popular for its open-arm welcome to the learned and wise, it is believed to have overshadowed towns and cities of Persia, Central Asia, and Turkey as the center of Islamic culture.
• During World War II, its citadel was home to Japanese detainees and later during the partition of former British India, a shelter for thousands of refugees in transit for present-day India and Pakistan. Today, only the citadel survives and is a historical attraction.

Additional Information

• Akbar:
  • ​Hamzanama paintings were produced during the reign of Akbar.
  • ​He was the third Mughal Emperor.
    • He reigned from 1556 to 1605.
    • He introduced the Mansabdari system. 
    • He built the Agra fort.
• Jahangir:
  • He reigned from 1605 to 1627.
  • He established Zanjis-i-Adil (chain of justice) at Agra for the seekers of royal justice.
  • He married Mehr-un-Nisa whom he gave the title of Nur Jahan (light of the world). 
  • He wrote his autobiography Tuzuk-i-Jaha.
• Babur:
  • ​He was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
  • Baburnama, also known as Tuzk-e Babri is the biography of Babur written by him.
  • Humayun was the son of Babur.

The correct answer is Ellora Caves.

Key Points

• Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district of Maharashtra.
• It is located nearly 100 km away from Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra.
• The temples and monasteries extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff.
• The structures were excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills.
• Ellora Caves are one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world.
• Ellora caves are a group of 100 caves at the site of which 34 caves are open to the public.
  • 17 caves out of these 34 are themed around Hinduism, 12 caves depict the themes of Buddhist, and 5 caves are of Jain faith.
• The set of caves in Ellora were developed during the period between the 5th century and 11th century A.D.
• The most remarkable of the Ellora cave temples is Kailasa Temple (Kailasanatha; cave 16).
• It features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world.
• It is named for the mountain in the Kailasa Range of the Himalayas where the Hindu god Shiva resides.

• Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE (the year 1250) Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometers (22 mi) northeast of Puri on the coastline of Odisha, India.
• The temple is attributed to King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE.
• Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga architecture.

• Konark temple was called the "Black Pagoda" in European sailor accounts as early as 1676 because it looked like a great-tiered tower that appeared black.
• Similarly, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the "White Pagoda". 
• Both temples served as important landmarks for sailors in the Bay of Bengal.
• Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, it remains a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who gather here every year for the Chandrabhaga Mela around the month of February. 

The correct answer is Akbar.

Key Points

• Akbar:
  • ​Hamzanama paintings were produced during the reign of Akbar.
  • ​He was the third Mughal Emperor.
  • He reigned from 1556 to 1605.
  • He introduced the Mansabdari system. 
  • He built the Agra fort.

Additional Information

• Jahangir:
  • He reigned from 1605 to 1627.
  • He established Zanjis-i-Adil (chain of justice) at Agra for the seekers of royal justice.
  • He married Mehr-un-Nisa whom he gave the title of Nur Jahan (light of the world). 
  • He wrote his autobiography Tuzuk-i-Jaha.
• Shahjahan:
  • ​Shahjahan was the fifth Mughal emperor of India.
  • He built the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Moti Masjid in Lahore, Jama Masjid of Delhi, and the Section of Agra Fort, etc.​
  • He reigned from 1628 to 1658.

• Babur:
  • ​He was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
  • Baburnama, also known as Tuzk-e Babri is the biography of Babur written by him.
  • Humayun was the son of Babur.

Option 1 is correct, i.e. Nagaland.

Key Points

• The Ao tribe of Nagaland has one such special festival, known as the Moatsu festival. 
• This festival is celebrated after seeds have been sown in the fields.
• Men and women of the tribe gather around large outdoor fires and performing traditional dances.

Additional Information

Some important festivals of Northeastern states are:

The correct answer is Ladakh.

Key Points

• Hemish festival is celebrated in Ladakh.
• Hemish Festival:
  • It is celebrated every year on the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. 
  • The Dance Festival is world-famous representing the reincarnation of Buddha.
  • The most attractive part of the festival is the mystic mask dance.
  • The mask dances of Ladakh are referred to as Chams dance.

Additional Information