Indian literature part 2

Medieval Literature
Around 1000 A.D. local differences in Prakrit grew more and more pronounced, which later came to be known as
Apabhramsa, and this led to the modern Indian languages taking shape and being born.
The most powerful trend of medieval Indian literature between 1000 and 1800 A.D. is devotional (bhakti) poetry
which dominates almost all the major languages of the country.
The rise of bhakti poetry gave rise to regional languages (Bhasa). The conception of bhakti did away with the elite
tradition of Sanskrit and accepted the more acceptable language of the common man. Kabir (Hindi) says that Sanskrit
is like water of a well stagnant, Bhasa like flowing water.
A seventh century Shaiva Tamil writer Manikkarvachakar has something similar to say about in his book of poetry
Thiruvachakam.
Basavanna was a famous Kannada poet, a Shiva devotee and a great social reformer. Allama Prabhu (Kannada) wrote
great poetry under the garb of religion.
Chronologically, Marathi, the close successor of Kannada, became the next venue for bhakti. Gyaneswar (1275 A.D.)
is the first and foremost bhakti poet in Marathi. In his teens (he died at the age of 21) he became famous for his poetic
contribution to bhakti for Vithal (Vishnu).
Chandidas, a Bengali poet, is acclaimed as a great genius for the lucidity and sweetness of his poems. Similarly,
Vidyapati in Maithili created a new poetic language. Lal Ded, a Kashmiri Muslim poetess, gave a new dimension to
mystical bhakti. Jayadeva, a Sanskrit lyric poet of the 12th century, influenced a large number of devotional Bengali
poets like Govinda Das (16th century), Balaram Das and others.
Sri Chaitanya (1486-1533), a great Bengali saint, helped Vaishnavism to turn into a religious and literary movement,
made it a living faith and became a source of never-ending inspiration to a host of Bengali poets, including Jiva
Goswami.
Muslim and Hindu saint-poets of rural Bengal known as Bauls (mad lovers) created oral poetry of divine intoxication
under the influence of both Vaishnava and Sufi (Islamic mysticism which enunciates the doctrine of divine love)
philosophy.
Muslim poets like Malik Muhammad Jayasi, Raskhan, Rahim and other wrote Sufi and Vaishnava poetry. The
religious and cultural synthesis that was a special feature of medieval India finds abundant expression in its literature.
The Islamic element is all-pervasive, next only to the Upanishadic Hindu element.
Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, wrote in many languages, but mostly in Punjabi, and was a great poet of inter-religious
communication. Nanak says truth is supreme, but above truth is truthful living. Guru Nanak and other Sikh Gurus
belong to the sant tradition, which believes in one omnipresent God, and not in many gods like Rama and Krishna.

Women Poets of Bhakti

The contribution of women writers in different languages during that period deserves special attention. Women writers
like Ghosha, Lopamudra, Gargi, Maitreyi, Apala, Romasha Brahmavadini, etc., right from the days of the Vedas (6000
B.C. – 4000 B.C.), focused on the image of women in mainstream Sanskrit literature.
The songs of Buddhist nuns (6th century B.C.) like Mutta and Ubbiri and Mettika in Pali express the torment of
feelings for the life left behind.

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Their writings speak to us about the social conditions prevailing at that time, and the position of woman at home and
in society. They all wrote small lyrics or poems of devotional fervour, metaphysical depth, and with a spirit of
dedication and utmost sincerity.

Other Trends in Medieval Literature

Bhakti was not the only aspect of medieval literature. Love ballads and heroic poetry in Punjabi, known as Kissa and
Var, were popular Punjabi medieval forms. The most famous Punjabi love ballad is Hir Ranjha, an immortal book by a
Muslim poet called Warris Shah.
In Hindi, between 1700 and 1800 A.D., many poets like Bihari Lal and Keshav Das created secular poetry of Sringara
(erotic sentiment), and a large number of other poets, wrote academic accounts of the entire range of poetry, in verse
form.
During the medieval period, Urdu, as a language, came into being. It was Amir Khusro (1253 A.D.), an early architect
of India’s composite culture, and a great Sufi poet, who first experimented with Persian and Hindi (then known as
Hindavi) mixed poetry, which was the genesis of a new language, subsequently recognised as Urdu.
Urdu has largely followed Persian forms and metres in poetry, but it has adopted some of the purely Indian forms also.
Ghazals (lyrical couplets), marsia (elegy) and qasidah (ode of praise) are of Iranian origin. Sauda (1706-1781) was the
first among the late medieval poets who gave vigour and versatility to Urdu poetry, which his predecessors had been
struggling to accomplish.
Then, it was Dard (1720-1785) and Mir Taqi Mir (1722-1810) who gave Urdu maturity and class, and ushered it into
the modern period.

Modern Indian Literature

The 19th Century Indian Renaissance
In almost all the Indian languages, the modern age begins with the first struggle for India’s freedom in 1857, or near
that time.
The impact of western civilization, the rise of political consciousness, and the change in society could be seen in what
was written during that time.
Contact with the western world resulted in India’s acceptance of western thought on the one hand, and rejection of it
on the other, and resulted in an effort made to revive her ancient glory and Indian consciousness.
A large number of writers opted for a synthesis between Indianization and westernization, in their search for a national
ideology.
All these attitudes were combined to bring about the renaissance in 19th century India.
The Indian renaissance took a different shape, in the context of the Indian race, moment and milieu, and as a result,
nationalistic, reformistic and revivalistic thinking found its way into literature, which slowly turned itself into a pan-
Indian movement, spearheaded in different parts of the country by renaissance leaders like Raja Rammohun Roy
(1772-1833), Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Vivekananda, Madhav Govind Ranade, U.V. Swaminatha Aiyer, Gopal
Krishna Gokhale, K.V. Pantulu, Narmada Shankar Lalshankar Dave and others.
The leaders of the renaissance, in fact, succeeded in instilling nationalistic fervour in the people, and induced in them
a desire for social reform and a sentimental yearning for their past glory.

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The most important literary event that revolutionalised literature was the emergence of literary prose in all the modern
Indian languages, and the advent of the printing press, under the patronage of an Englishman, William Carey (1761-
1834), at Serampore, Bengal.
It is true that Sanskrit and Persian had a vast body of prose, but the necessity for prose in modern Indian languages, for
use in administration and higher education, led to the emergence of prose in different languages at the beginning of the
modern period.
The Emergence of Nationalism
It is true that the idea of a modern state took root in Indian society because of India’s contact with western ideas, but
very soon, Indian writers like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Bengali, 1838-1894) and others made use of this newly
acquired concept of nationalism to attack colonial rule, and in the process created their own brand of nationalism,
rooted in the soil.
Bankim Chandra wrote many historical novels like Durgesh Nandini (1965), and Anand Math (1882), acquired a pan-
Indian popularity and made nationalism and patriotism a part of dharma.
Revivalism and reformism were natural corollaries of the newly emerging idea of nationalism. Rabindra Nath Tagore
(Bengali, 1861-1942), the greatest name in modern Indian literature, made federalism an important part of his concept
of national ideology.
He said that the unity of India has been and shall always be a unity in diversity. The foundation for this tradition had
been laid in India at the social level, not the political, by saints like Nanak, Kabir, Chaitanya and others. It is this
solution-unity through acknowledgement of differences-that India has to offer to the world.
As a result, India’s nationalism is mingled with its spiritual tradition, with truth and tolerance preached by Mahatma
Gandhi, and non-alignment advocated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, showing India’s concern for its pluralism. Modern
Indian pluralism is multi-lingual, multi-cultural, secular, national-state concept.
The Literature of Nationalism, Reformism and Revivalism
Patriotic writings proliferated almost spontaneously in different languages, as the resistance of a community against
foreign rule. Rangalal in Bengali, Mirza Ghalib in Urdu and Bharatendu Harishchandra in Hindi expressed themselves
as the patriotic voice of that era. This voice was, on the one hand, against colonial rule, and on the other, for the
glorification of India. Besides, Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) wrote ghazals in Urdu, about love, with unusual imagery
and metaphors. He accepted life both as a joyous existence and as a dark and painful experience.
Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824-73) wrote the first modern epic in an Indian language, and naturalised blank verse in
Bengali. Subramania Bharati (1882-1921) was the great Tamil patriot-poet, who revolutionized the poetic tradition in
Tamil. Themes from mythology or history were taken to write epics, by Maithili Saran Gupta (Hindi, 1886-1964),
Bhai Vir Singh (Punjabi, 1872-1957), and others, with the express purpose of fulfilling the needs of the patriotic
reader.
The first Tamil novel, Pratap Mudaliyar Charitram (1879) by Samuel V. Pillai, the first Telugu novel, Sri Ranga Raja
Charitra (1872) by Krishnamma Chetty, and the first Malayalam novel, Indu Lekha (1889) by Chandu Menon were
written with didactic intentions and to re-examine evil social customs and practices like untouchability, caste
distinctions, denial of remarriage of widows, etc.
In other first novels, like the Bengali novel, Phulmani O Karunar Bibaran (1852), by an Englishwoman, H. Catherine
Mullens, or the Hindi novel, Pariksha Guru (1882) by Lala Sriniwas Das, one can discover shared patterns of response
and articulation towards social problems.

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Historical novels were written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Bengali), Hari Narayan Apte (Marathi), and others, to
describe the glorious past of India, and to in still nationalist fervour in her people.
In fact, in the 19th century, the idea of national identity emerged from literature, and most Indian writings turned into
the voice of enlightenment. This paved the way for India to understand the real, factual position by the time it reached
the threshold of the 20th century. It was during this time that Tagore started writing the novel Gora (1910), to
challenge colonial rule, colonial criteria and colonial authority, and to give new meaning to Indian nationalism.
Indian Romanticism
The trend of Indian romanticism ushered in by three great forces influenced the destiny of modern Indian literature.
These forces were Sri Aurobindo’s *(1872-1950) search for the divine in man, Tagore’s quest for the beautiful in
nature and man, and Mahatma Gandhi’s experiments with truth and non-violence.
Sri Aurobindo, through his poetry and philosophical treatise, ‘The Life Divine’, presents the prospect of the ultimate
revelation of divinity in everything. He wrote mostly in English.
Tagore, a many-splendoured genius, wrote novels, short stories, essays and dramas, and never ceased to try out new
experiments. His collection of poetry in Bengali, Gitanjali (song offerings), received the Novel Prize in 1913.
Tagores’ poetry, after the award, inspired writers of different Indian languages to popularize the age of romantic
poetry. The age of romantic poetry in Hindi is known as Chhayavad, the age of romantic mystery, in Kannada, is
Navodaya, the rising sun, and in Oriya, it is known as Sabuj, the age of green. Jaishankar Prasad, Nirala, Sumitra
Nandan Pant and Mahadevi (Hindi); Vallathol, Kumaran Asan (Malayalam); Kalindi Charan Panigrahi (Oriya); B.M.
Srikantayya, Puttappa, Bendre (Kannada); Viswanath Satyanarayana (Telugu); Uma Shankar Joshi (Gujarati), and
poets of other languages highlighted mysticism and romantic subjectivity in their poetry.
The poets of Ravikiran Mandal (a group of six poets of Marathi) searched for the hidden reality in nature. Indian
romanticism is fraught with mysticism – not like English romanticism, which wants to break puritanic shackles,
seeking joy in Hellenism.
Muhammad Iqbal (1877-198), the greatest poet that Urdu had produced, second only to Ghalib, went through initially
a romantic-cum-nationalistic phase in his poetry. His best collection of Urdu poems is Bang-i-Dara (1924). His quest
for Pan-Islamism did not deter him in his concern for humanity at large.
Some previous questions:

YEAR 2022

Q1. With reference to Indian history, consider the following texts:

1. Nettipakarana
2. Parishishtaparvan
3. Avadanashataka
4. Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana
Which of the above are Jaina texts
(a) 1,2 and 3
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 1,3 and 4
(d) 2, 3 and 4

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Q2. Consider the following pairs:

Site of Ashoka’s major rock edicts Location in the State of

1. Dhauli Odisha
2. Erragudi Andhra Pradesh
3. Jaugada Madhya Pradesh
4. Kalsi Karnataka
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) Only one pair
(b) Only two pairs
(c) Only three pairs
(d) All four pairs

Q3. Which one of the following statements about Sangam literature in ancient South India is correct?

(a) Sangam poems are devoid of any reference to material culture.

(b) The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.

(c) Sangam poems have no reference to warrior ethic.

(d) Sangam literature refers to magical forces as irrational.

Q4. The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the new Circuit House near Somnath Temple Veraval. Which of the
following statements are correct regarding Somnath Temple?

1. Somnath Temple is one of the Jyotirlinga shrines.

2. A description of Somnath Temple was given by Al-Biruni.
3. Pran Pratishtha of Somnath Temple (installation of the present day temple) was done by President S.
Radhakrishnan.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3

YEAR 2021

Q1. With reference to Chausath Yogini Temple situated near Morena, consider the following statements:

(1) It is a circular temple built during the reign of Kachchhapaghata Dynasty.

(2) It is the only circular temple built in India.

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(3) It was meant to promote the Vaishnava cult in the region.

(4) Its design has given rise to a popular belief that it was the inspiration behind the Indian Parliament building.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 4

(d) 2, 3 and 4

Q2. Consider the following pairs:

Historical place Well-known for

(1) Burzahom Rock-cut shrines

(2) Chandraketugarh Terracotta art

(3) Ganeshwar Copper artefacts

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2

(c) 3 only

(d) 2 and 3

Q3. Which one of the following statements is correct?

(a) Ajanta Caves lie in the gorge of the Waghora river.

(b) Sanchi Stupa lies in the gorge of the Chambal river.

(c) Pandu – lena cave shrines lie in the gorge of the Narmada river.

(d) Amaravati Stupa lies in the gorge of the Godavari river.

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Q4. Consider the following statements:

(1) 21st February is declared to be International Mother Language Day by UNICEF.

(2) The demand that Bangla has to be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of
Pakistan.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q5. With reference to India, the terms ‘Halbi, Ho and Kui’ pertain to

(a) dance forms of Northwest India

(b) musical instruments

(c) pre-historic cave paintings

(d) tribal languages

YEAR 2020

Q 1. With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:
1. Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism
2. Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of the Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism
3. The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered Mahayana Buddhism
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q 2. With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs:
1. Parivrajaka — Renunciant and Wanderer
2. Shramana — Priest with a high status
3. Upasaka — Lay follower of Buddhism
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

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Q3. With reference to the cultural history of India, which one of the following is the correct description of the term
‘paramitas’?
(a) The earliest Dharmashastra texts written in aphoristic (sutra) style

(b) Philosophical schools that did not accept the authority of Vedas

(c) Perfections whose attainment led to the Bodhisattva path

(d) Powerful merchant guilds of early medieval South India

Q4. Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription?

”Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of
glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely.”

(a) Ashoka

(b) Samudragupta

(c) Harshavardhana

(d) Krishnadeva Raya

YEAR 2019
Q1. ln which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is ‘Ranyo Ashoka’ (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the
stone portrait of Ashoka?
(a) Kanganahalli
(b) Sanchi
(c) Shahbazgarhi
(d) Sohgaura

Q2. Consider the following:

1. Deification of the Buddha
2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas
3. Image worship and rituals
Which of the above is/are the feature/ features of Mahayana Buddhism?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Building ‘Kalyana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of
(a) Chalukya
(b) Chandela
(c) Rashtrakuta
(d) Vijayanagara

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2018
Q1. With reference to educational institutions during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs:

Institution Founder

Sanskrit college at Benaras William Jones

Calcutta Madarsa Warren Hastings

Fort William college Arthur Wellesley

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 3 only

Q2. Consider the following pairs:

Crafts Heritage of

Puthukkuli shawls Tamil Nadu

Sujni embroidery Maharashtra

Uppada Jamdani saris Karnataka

Which of the pairs given above is /are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 only
(d) 2 and 3

Q3. With reference to the cultural history of India consider the following statements
Most of the Tyagaraja Kritis are devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna
1. Tyagaraja created several new rages
2. Annamacharya nad Tyagaraja are contemporaries
3. Annamacharya kirtanas are devotional songs in praise of Lord Venkateshwara
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only

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(b) 2 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) 2, 3 and 4

Q4. With reference to the religious practices in India, the “Sthanakvasi” sect belongs to

(a) Buddhism

(b) Jainism

(c) Vaishnavism

(d) Shaivism

Q5. With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following statements

1. White marble was used in making Buland Darwaza and Khankah at Fatehpur Sikri
2. Red sandstone and marble were used in making Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza at Lucknow
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q6. With reference to Indian history, who among the following is a future Buddha, yet to come to save the world?

(a) Avalokiteshvara

(b) Lokesvara

(c) Maitreya

(d) Padmapani

Q7. Consider the following pairs:

Tradition State
Chapchar Kut festival Mizoram
Khongjom Parba ballad Manipur
Thang-Ta dance Sikkim

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

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(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 only
(d) 2 and 3

2017
Q 1. With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the
following statements is/are correct?

1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization
did not leave any evidence of using them.
2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been
aware of this animal.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to Manipuri Sankirtana, consider the following statements:

1. It is a song and dance performance

2. Cymbals are the only musical instruments used in the performance
3. It is performed to narrate the life and deeds of Lord Krishna
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1 only

Q3. The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at

(a) Ajanta

(b) Badami

(c) Bagh

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(d) Ellora

Q4. Consider the following pairs:

Traditions Communities
Chaliha Sahib Festival Sindhis
Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra Gonds
Wari-Warkari Santhals
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) None of the above

Q5. Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples?

1. Arasavalli
2. Amarkantak
3. Omkareshwar
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

2016
Q1. With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements :

1. The concept of Bodhisattva is central to the Hinayana sect of Buddhism

2. Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment
3. Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

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Q2. What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram?

1. Both were built in the same period.

2. Both belong to the same religious denomination.
3. Both have rock-cut monuments.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) None of the statements given above is correct

Q3. With reference to the cultural history of India, the memorizing of chronicles, dynastic histories and Epictales was
the profession of who of the following?

(a) Shramana

(b) Parivraajaka

(c) Agrahaarika

(d) Magadha

2015
Q1. With reference to the art and archaeological history of India, which one among the following was made earliest?

(a) Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneswar

(b) Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli

(c) Rock-cut Monuments at Mahabalipuram

(d) Varaha Image at Udayagiri

Q2. Kalamkari painting refers to

(a) a hand-painted cotton textile in South India

(b) a handmade drawing on bamboo handicrafts in NorthEast India.

(c) a block-painted woollen cloth in the Western Himalayan region of India

(d) a hand-painted decorative silk cloth in North-Western India

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Q3. Which one of the following was given classical language status recently? [Based on current affairs 2014-15]

(a) Odia

(b) Konkani

(c) Bhojpuri

(d) Assamese

2014
Q1. Consider the following languages:

1. Gujarati
2. Kannada
3. Telugu
Which of the above has/have been declared as ‘classical language/languages’ by the Government?
(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to the ‘Changpa’ Community of India, consider the following statements:

1. They live mainly in the state of Uttarakhand

2. They rear the pashmina goats that yield fine wool
3. They are kept in the category of Scheduled Tribes
Which of the given statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Consider the following towns of India:

1. Bhadrachalam
2. Chanderi
3. Kancheepuram
4. Karnal

SPM IAS Academy, D.S. Mansion 2nd floor, Opposite Indian Oil Petrol Pump, Near Assam State Zoo, Zoo Road,
Guwahati, Assam – 781005 Phone: 6901259799, Students’ Support Team: 7099064717,
Email: spmiasacademy@gmail.com
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Which of the above are famous for the production of traditional sarees/fabric?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(2) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) 1, 3 and 4

Q4. With reference to the famous Sattriya dance, consider the following statements:
1. Sattriya is a combination of music, dance and drama
2. It is a centuries-old living tradition of Vaishnavites of Assam
3. It is based on classical Ragas and Talas of devotional songs composed by Tulsidas, Kabir and Mirabai
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q5. With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs:

Famous work of sculpture Site

A grand image of Buddha’s Mahaparinivana with numerous celestial musicians above and the Ajanta
sorrowful figures of his followers below

A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth Mount Abu
from the deep and chaotic waters, sculptured on rock

“Arjuna’s penance:/ “Descent of Ganga” sculpted on the surface of huge boulders Mamallapuram

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

SPM IAS Academy, D.S. Mansion 2nd floor, Opposite Indian Oil Petrol Pump, Near Assam State Zoo, Zoo Road,
Guwahati, Assam – 781005 Phone: 6901259799, Students’ Support Team: 7099064717,
Email: spmiasacademy@gmail.com
15
Q 6. With reference to India’s culture and tradition, what is ‘Kalaripayattu’?

(a) It is an ancient Bhakti cult of Shaivism still prevalent in some parts of South India

(b) It is an ancient style bronze and brass work still found in the southern part of the Coromandel area

(c) It is an ancient form of dance-drama and a living tradition in the northern part of Malabar

(d) It is an ancient martial art and a living tradition in some parts of South India

Q7. Consider the following pairs:

Garba Gujarat

Mohiniattam Odisha

Yakshagana Karnataka

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q 8. With reference to Buddhist history, tradition and culture in India, consider the following pairs:

Tabo monastery and temple complex Spiti Valley

Lhotsava Lhakhang temple, Nako Zanskar Valley

Alchi temple complex Ladakh complex

SPM IAS Academy, D.S. Mansion 2nd floor, Opposite Indian Oil Petrol Pump, Near Assam State Zoo, Zoo Road,
Guwahati, Assam – 781005 Phone: 6901259799, Students’ Support Team: 7099064717,
Email: spmiasacademy@gmail.com
16
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q9. A community of people called Manganiyars is well-known for their

(a) martial arts in North-East India

(b) musical tradition in NorthWest India

(c) classical vocal music in South India

(d) pietra dura tradition in Central India

Q10. Consider the following statements :

1. ‘Bijak’ is a composition of the teachings of Saint Dadu Dayal

2. The Philosophy of PushtiMarg was propounded by Madhvacharya

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

SPM IAS Academy, D.S. Mansion 2nd floor, Opposite Indian Oil Petrol Pump, Near Assam State Zoo, Zoo Road,
Guwahati, Assam – 781005 Phone: 6901259799, Students’ Support Team: 7099064717,
Email: spmiasacademy@gmail.com
17