Nitin Singhania Test: UNESCO's List Of Intangible Cultural Heritage - UPSC MCQ

It is a combined dance drama conducted by the Chakyars (a sub-caste among Hindus) who traditionally play the male caste in Kerala's State. The women of the Nambiar caste play the female roles. The performance lasts from 6 to 20 days. They are mainly enacted inside the temples, and the theme is based on Hindu mythology.

• It is a popular folk theatre in the region of Uttar Pradesh. It is an enactment of Ramay using songs, dances and dialogues, mainly during the period before Dussehra.

• It is generally performed by male actors, who do the role of Sita as well. The play is staged annually over ten or more successive nights, during the auspicious period of "Sharad Navaratras".

• Another unique Ramlila is being staged since 1972, at Bakshi ka Talab near Lucknow, where lead characters like Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman are played by Muslim youths, a clear departure in a region known for communal flare-ups.

• The Hindu Community celebrates the Garhwal region's religious festival and ritual theatre in the Saloor-Dungra villages of the Painkhanda Valley in the Chamoli district Uttarakhand.

• The villagers pay their offerings to the village deity, Bhumiyal Devta, in the village temple's courtyard.

• This festival is unique to this village and is not performed elsewhere in the Himalayan region. A particular caste/group hosts Bhumiyal Devta during a particular year.

• Each caste and the occupational group has a distinct role in the festival, and an important aspect is the singing of the Jagar, a musical rendition of local legends.

• Performed by the tribe of the same name in the State of Rajasthan, Kalbelia dance movements resemble a serpent.

• Traditionally, the Kalbelia tribe was known for its frequent movement from one place to another and catching snakes and trading snake venom.

• It is a tribal martial art dance performed mainly in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal. There are three subgenres of this dance based on the place of their origin and development, Purulia Chhau (West Bengal), Seraikella Chhau (Jharkhand) and Mayurbhanj Chhau (Odisha).

• The dance is mainly performed during the spring festival and lasts for 13 days. The whole community participates in it. The male dancers dance during night time at an open space.

• It is a blend of both dance and martial practices employing mock combat techniques. The theme of the Chhau dance is based on Hindu mythology. The dancers wear masks during performance except for Mayurbhanj Chhau.

• It indicates the beginning of the New Year for the Parsis and is also celebrated as the Spring festival by the Kashmiri community. It denotes Zoroastrian respect for the environment.

• In this festival, there is a custom to lay down a table and place a copy of the Gathas, lit a lamp or a candle, put a shallow ceramic plate with sprouted wheat or beans, a small bowl with a silver coin, flowers, painted eggs, sweets and a bowl of water containing goldfish in it. All this signifies prosperity, wealth, colour, sweetness and happiness.

It consists of a series of poses, meditation, controlled breathing, word chanting and other techniques to help a person build self-realisation. Traditionally, it was transmitted through Guru-Shishya parampara.