Question : The Bhakti movement received a remarkable re-orientation with the advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Discuss.
(2018)
Answer : Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a mystic who was active in the Bengal region during the 15th and 16th century and whose contributions to the Bhakti movement can be felt even today in the culture and religious practices of the region. He is said to have re-oriented the Bhakti movement because:
Question : Why indentured labour was taken by the British from India to other colonies? Have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there?
(2018)
Answer : The British were masters of territory in nearly every available continent during the 18th to 20th century. And they began the practice of taking indentured labourers who were essentially peasants taken from India on contracts which bid that they work a specific number of years for the British with the guarantee of freedom afterwards. They did this because–
Question : Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss.
(2018)
Answer : India has one of the most unique and varied art palettes in the world. These include murals, paintings, wooden and cloth art, petroglyphs and other assorted forms ranging from the paleolithic to the modern era.
The safeguarding and preservation of this invaluable heritage is the need of the hour as it is under threat from
Question : How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not at all noticeable in later times?
(2017)
Question : In the context of the diversity of India, can it be said that the regions form cultural units rather than the States? Give reasons with examples for your view point.
(2017)
Question : Early Buddhist Stupa art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives, successfully expounds Buddhist ideals. Elucidate.
(2016)
Answer : During Buddha’s time, great kings and religious leaders often had their ashes placed into urns and buried in mounds made from piled earth called Stupas, which by the 3rd century BCE started being built with bricks and mortar.
The sculptures on the stupas generally depict the birth-stories of the Gautama Buddha, also called the Jatakas such as the scenes on the Bharhut sculptures or the Amaravati stupas, which represent a plethora of folk themes and legends ....
Question : Krishnadeva Raya, the king of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself but was also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss.
(2016)
Answer : Emperor Krishnadeva Raya was not only a great administrator of the Vijajayanagara Empire, but also a great patron of literature and was known as Abhinava Bhoja and Andhra Bhoja. Himself being a scholar, he wrote the Telugu work Amuktamalyada and a Sanskrit play, Jambavati Kalyana. During his rule, many Telugu, Sanskrit, Kannada and Tamil poets enjoyed the patronage of the emperor.
The period of the empire has become known as ‘Prabandha Period’, because of the quality ....
Question : To what extent Globalization has influenced the core of cultural diversity in India? Explain.
(2016)
Answer : Globalization has brought about a paradoxical dichotomy when it comes to cultural diversity – a corporate dominated monoculture where nations and cultural groups alike are deprived of autonomy and identity; and another of a vibrant celebration of pluralism in which various cultural groups are in direct and harmonious contact with each other. Hence Globalization provides both positive and negative influences on cultural diversity which can have far reaching impacts.
Negative Impacts:
Loss of individualism and group identity ....
Question : The ancient civilization in Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the present day. Comment.
(2015)
Answer : Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations lost their link with their ancient culture because of loss of their indigenous religion and cultural practices. Their traditions were replaced by other traditions, in fact the religions that existed during ancient times have almost replaced by other religions. Egypt, Mesopotamia (Iraq) were not inhabited by Muslims in ancient times. Similarly Greece whose ancient name was Yunan was also not inhabited by Christians. In ancient Greece, there were different types of ....
Question : Describe any four cultural elements of diversity in India and rate their relative significance in building a national identity.
(2015)
Answer : The diversity in India is unique. Being a large country with large population, India presents endless varieties of physical features and cultural patterns. It is the land of many languages it is only in India people professes all the major religions of the world. In short, India is “the epitome of the world”. The vast population is composed of people having diverse creeds, customs and colours. There are many cultural elements of diversity in India, ....
Question : Mesolithic rock cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also a fine aesthetic sense comparable to modem painting. Critically evaluate this comment.
(2015)
Answer : Art forms were used by prehistoric people to express their everyday life one such art form was rock cute cave architecture. Rock cut architecture is one of the forms of architecture seen in caves. Rock cut architecture is the practice of creating a structure by carving out solid natural rock. The Earliest caves employed humans were natural caves used by local inhabitants for a variety of purposes, such as shrines and shelters. Evidence suggests that ....
Question : To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilisation provided inputs to the present day urbanization? Discuss.
(2014)
Answer : Excavation of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro of Indus Valley Civilization proved that it has influenced urban civilization with its town planning and evidence also showed that it has egalitarian society. This Indus Valley Civilization has some influence in the present day urbanization and socio-economic practices.
Indus Valley Civilization has given many inputs to the present day urbanization ranging from the famous covered drainage and sewerage pattern of disposing solid and liquid waste for a hygienic society, which ....
Question : Gandhara sculpture owed as much to the Romans as to the Greeks. Explain.
(2014)
Answer : Gandhara School of art is distinct from the iconic tradition of early Indian sculpture and the anthropomorphic tradition of Greco-Roman art. The Gandhara artist had the hand of a Greek but the head and heart of an Indian.
The Gandhara region attained its peak of prosperity in the Kushan period (1st to 3rd centuries CE), when it became one of the strongholds of Buddhism, and developed an advanced urban life where the Gandhara art flourished. In ....
Question : Taxila university was one of the oldest university of the world with which were associated a number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as university in the modern sense. Discuss.
(2014)
Answer : Taxila University flourished from 600 BC to 500 AD, in the kingdom of Gandhar. 68 subjects were taught at this university and the minimum entry age, as ancient texts show, was 16. At one stage, it had 10,500 students including those from Babylon, Greece, Syria, and China. Different streams of subjects were taught ranging from literature, music, dance to medicine, astronomy, mathematics and commerce.
Though it had many feature of university many historians are not considering ....
Question : Sufis and medieval mystic saints failed to modify either the religious ideas and practices or the outward structure of Hindu / Muslim societies to any appreciable extent. Comment.
(2014)
Answer : In India during the medieval period there were two reform movements that took place one is bhakti movement and other is Sufi movement. These two movements are not only religious reforms but also help in establishing harmony between Hindu and muslim community.
Sufism, as a reform movement laid strong emphasis on free thoughts and liberal ideas. The movement aimed at progress in their own spirituality and to serve mankind by bringing universal brotherhood and humanitarian ideals. ....
Question : Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected political history of South India, the Sangam literature portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness. Comment.
(2013)
Answer : Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous.
Sangam literature gives an unusually complete and true picture of the social and economic during the early Chola period. The culture is best described as an amalgam of the Dravidians and Aryans. The stories of Mahab-harata and Ramayana were well known ....
Question : Chola architecture represents a high watermark in the evolution of temple architecture. Discuss.
(2013)
Answer : The Imperial Chola rulers of Tanjore developed the Dravidian style of temple architecture almost to perfection. The two magnificent temples at Tanjore and Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tiruchirapalli District built in early 11th century A.D. shows the best of Chola art.
The Brihadeswara or Rajarajeswara Temple of Shiva in Tanjore built by Rajaraja Chola in 1010 A.D. is the largest and highest of Chola temples and stands as a symbol of Chola greatness.
Constructed in granite, the main ....
Question : Discuss the Tandava dance as recorded in the early Indian inscriptions.
(2013)
Answer : Lord Shiva is also known as Nataraj, the Dancing God. This divine art form is performed by Lord Shiva and his divine consort Goddess Parvati. The dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava. Shiva’s Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. Tandava depicts his violent nature as the destroyer of the universe.
The Dance of Bliss’ symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, ....
Question : The 'flute-playing Krishna' theme is very popular in Indian art. Discuss.
(2012)
Answer : India having strong religious foundations, religious themes are often reflected in Indian art forms ranging from music, dance, paintings, sculpture, cloth and jewelery designs etc. Krishna is one of the main Gods of India whose stories are reflected in India's most well known and read epic-Mahabharata and the Bhagwad Gita. Krishna is often described and portrayed as an infant or young boy playing a flute as in the Bhagavata Purana. Indian art often depicts and ....
Question : Comment on the significance of Rasarnava in studying the history of Indian Chemistry.
(2012)
Answer : Rasarnava is a tantric medical work assigned to 1200 A.D was written by an unknown author in the form of a dialogue between Bhairava and his consort Parvati. It deals with transmutation of substances of base metals into noble metals rasas (mercury and some important mineral, aparasa (inferior minerals) metals and various means of processing ....
Question : What are the groups into which musical instruments in India have traditionally been classified?
(2012)
Answer : The Indian musical instruments are traditionally classified into four major categories: Tara Vadya or string instruments, Sushira Vadya or wind instruments, Avanaddha Vadya or membrane covered instruments and Ghana Vadya or solid percussion instruments (e.g. ghatam, kartal, cymbals). Each instrument is further classified into different categories based on the mode of playing.
Tara Vadya is further classified based on the mode of playing - by friction with a bow (e.g. violin, sarangi, esraj, dilruba etc); and ....
Question : Comment on the significance of fire in Zoroastrianism.
(2012)
Answer : Fire in Zoroastrianism symbolizes divinity. According to parsis, fire, the seventh creation of ahura mazda permeated in to all other creations made them dynamic and brought them to life.Athra (fire) gives clear guidance and help to the faithful by illuminating the path of asha (truth). Athra just as it burns and destroys the physical impurity, in the same way it can remove spiritual uncleanliness or sin. Finally, at the end of the time it is ....
Question : Bagurumba folk dance.
(2012)
Answer : Bagurumba dance also called as 'butterfly dance' is a spring time dance of the Bodos of Assam inhabited in areas of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Nalbari, Darrang and Sonitpur districts. The dance is the usually performed during Bwishagu festival of the Bodos in the Bishuba Sankranti or in Mid-April. The Baguru-mba dance is instituted only to appease "Bathou", the supreme god of the ....
Question : Distinguish either between the 'Moatsu' and 'Yemshe' festivals of Nagaland or the 'Losar' and 'Khan' festivals of Arunachal Pradesh.
(2011)
Answer : Moatsu vs Yemshe festivals of Nagaland
Both Moatsu and the Yemshe festivals are related to agricultural activities of Nagaland. The differences between the two are as follows:
Question : Write a sentence each on any five of the following traditional theatre forms
(2011)
Question : What are the major different styles of unglazed pottery making in India?
(2011)
Answer : Different styles of unglazed pottery: Unglazed pottery is the oldest form of pottery practiced in India, which has developed with time, offering a wide range to its customers. The unglazed variety is also a finer version. Most of the discovered unglazed pieces have combinations of black and red coloring. Most commonly, black and red pottery vessels have a red interior and a black exterior. There are basically three types of unglazed pottery.
First is the paper ....
Question : List of classical dances as per Sangeet Natak Academi.
(2011)
Answer : The Sangeet Natak Akademi currently confers classical status on eleven other Indian dance forms:
Question : While bringing out their salient features, distinguish between either ‘Madhubani’ Art and ‘Manjusha’ Art or ‘Rajasthani’ schools of painting and the ‘Pahari’ school of painting.
(2010)
Answer : ‘Madhubani’ art and ‘Manjusha’ art are the traditional and indigenous art form of Bihar. There is a matriarchal dominance over both the art form. Nature and celestial bodies like the sun and moon are the common themes of both the art form. There are certain distinctive features, which gives uniqueness to both. ‘Madhubani’ painting are characterised by bright and bold use of colours like yellow, black, blue, red, green, white and orange, on the other ....
Question : Distinguish between the following four literary awards:
(2010)
Question : List the salient features of the important folk dances of either Central India or Northern Eastern India.
(2009)
Answer : The salient features of the important folk dances of Central India are
Gaur Dance: Originated in Madhya Pradesh, involves men wearing head-dresses, with stringed 'cowries' and plumes of peacock feathers and Women, ornamented with brass fillets and bead necklaces around their tattooed bodies.
Muria Dance 1. Performed by the Muria tribals of North Bastar area.
2. Starts with an invocation or prayer to the phallic deity of their tribe and the founder of the Ghotul institution.
3. ....
Question : What are the important similarities and difference between the Hindustani and the Carnatic Styles of Classical music?
(2009)
Answer : Carnatic music is a system of music associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form due to Persian and Islamic influences in North India
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