Art & Culture Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The iconic Maharani Temple, situated on a small hillock in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir , was tragically gutted in a blaze. Constructed in 1915 by Mohini Bai Sisodia, wife of Maharaja Hari Singh, it was a royal temple of the Dogra dynasty. Dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati, the temple featured intricate Indian and Persian designs. The Indian Army and local communities restored it in 2021, highlighting its cultural significance.

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The Satnami community in Chhattisgarh violently protested the desecration of a Jaitkhamb, a sacred symbol. The tallest Jaitkhamb is near Giraud village in Baloda Bazar of Chhattisgarh, at Guru Ghasidas’ birthplace. The Satnamis, founded in 1657 by Birbhan in Haryana, trace their roots to Bhakti poet Kabir and Saint Ravidas. The community’s spiritual lineage follows Guru Ghasidas, an 18th-century saint.

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Mudgal Fort in Karnataka showcases India’s rich historical and cultural heritage, reflecting its architectural, cultural, and historical significance. The fort has a 1,000-year history, linked to the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Bahmani Sultans, and Vijayanagara Empire. It became a strategic battleground between the Vijayanagara Empire and Adil Shahi Sultanate, witnessing 11 battles due to its pivotal location in the fertile, mineral-rich Raichur Doab between the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers.

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The Hemis Festival, celebrating Tibetan Buddhism, occurs annually in Ladakh, India. In 2024, it celebrated on June 16th and 17th. Known as Hemis Tsechu, it commemorates Guru Padmasambhava’s birth anniversary. The two-day event fills Hemis Monastery, Ladakh’s largest Buddhist monastery, with vibrant colors, music, and spiritual energy, making it a significant cultural celebration.

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Devotees nationwide are gathering at Assam’s Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati for the annual Ambubachi Mela. The Kamakhya Temple, one of India’s 51 Shaktipeeths, is located atop Nilachal Hills and is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya, a form of Goddess Parvati. The Ambubachi Mela celebrates the goddess’s annual menstruation. The temple’s architecture uniquely combines the traditional Nagara and Mughal styles, known as the Nilachala Style.

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With the south-west monsoon setting in, Nouka Baich boat races will soon begin in rural West Bengal. These traditional races occur from September to November, with increasing female participation. Linked to the worship of the Hindu deity Manasa, goddess of snakes, these races use various traditional boats, including the 90 ft long Sorengi. The races celebrate agrarian culture and the swollen rivers of the monsoon season.

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The Ahom era Moidams in Assam’s Charaideo district, resting places of royal families, have been recommended for UNESCO World Heritage List inclusion by ICOMOS. These mound-burial sites, dating from the 13th to 19th century Ahom dynasty, are likened to ancient Chinese royal tombs and Egyptian pyramids. Charaideo was the dynasty’s first capital, founded in 1253. Despite adopting Hindu cremation later, Ahom rulers entombed remains in Moidams. These sites, spread across Southeast Asia, symbolize Tai-Ahom cultural influence.

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The world’s largest Ramayan temple is being built in East Champaran, Bihar. It will be three times larger than the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and taller than Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The temple features a 33-foot tall shivling, made of black granite from Mahabalipuram, and includes 22 smaller temples dedicated to key deities from the Ramayana. The main shikhar rises to 270 feet, with architectural inspiration drawn from notable temples in India and Cambodia.

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Archaeologists recently found Vattezhuthu and eight Tamil inscriptions at the Thalikiswarar temple in Tirupur district, Tamil Nadu, dating back 1100 years. Vattezhuthu, a syllabic script used in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Sri Lanka, was used to write Tamil and Malayalam. It emerged around the 4th century AD from the Tamil-Brahmi script and evolved into the modern Malayalam script by the 15th century.

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The Assam government is planning a grand Jhumur dance performance with 8,000 tea tribe artists. Jhumur is a traditional dance of Assam’s tea tribes, performed during autumn. It features young girls dancing in fields or under trees, with male members playing instruments like the Madal drum, flute, and Taals. The dance depicts daily life, joys, sorrows, and aspirations, and serves as recreation, ritual worship, courting, and prayer for rain.