Art & Culture Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Assam Rifles celebrated the Chapchar Kut festival with locals in Champhai, Mizoram, on March 7, 2025. The event promoted unity, cultural harmony, and traditional pride among the community. The spring festival, marked by clearing forests for jhum cultivation, featured locals in colorful attire, engaging in folk dances and songs. Chapchar Kut, observed annually in March, attracted a diverse crowd, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of the Mizo community in a day-long celebration.

Notes:
The Jadayaswamy festival was recently celebrated in Tamil Nadu. It is observed by the Badagas, an aboriginal tribe of the Nilgiris. The Badagas live in villages called Hattis and speak the Badugu language. The festival is dedicated to Jadayaswamy, a revered deity, symbolizing faith and tradition. Eight villages organize a procession to the Jadayaswamy temple and perform a firewalk every year.

Notes:
The Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in Telangana’s Narayanpet district, dating back 3,500 to 4,000 years, are now on India’s Tentative UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Menhirs are large upright standing stones, often part of megalithic burial or ritual sites. They are found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, with the highest concentration in Western Europe. Menhirs vary in size, shape, and arrangement, including circles, semicircles, and parallel rows. The Carnac Stones in France, with 2,935 menhirs, is the most famous alignment. Some menhirs have engravings linked to fertility rites and seasonal cycles. Megaliths are stone structures used as burial sites or memorials.

Notes:
Artists performed the ‘Gomira’ dance during the Chanchala Kali Mata Puja in West Bengal. In West Bengal, the Chanchala Kali Mata Puja, a 300-year-old tradition, is celebrated after Holi (Dol). The Gomira masked dance is a traditional folk performance of the Rajbongshi and Polia communities in North Bengal. It is influenced by Mahayana Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, and Shaivite and Shakta traditions. The dance originated from a fusion of these spiritual influences. Masks used in the dance are made from papier-mâché, sholapith, bamboo, wood, sponge wood, clay, and paper. The dance is performed to the rhythmic beats of traditional percussion instruments like Dhak and Kansar.

Notes:
India has a vast tangible heritage, including monuments, sites, and antiquities from prehistoric to colonial times. Many organizations like Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology Departments have documented heritage, but much remains scattered or undocumented. The absence of a unified database makes research, conservation, and management difficult. The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) was established in 2007 to document and digitize India’s built heritage and antiquities. Rs. 20 lakh was allocated for NMMA in FY 2024-25. NMMA aims to create a national database and enhance collaboration between ASI, state departments, and stakeholders.

Notes:
Bagad Rath Yatra is a vibrant festival in Wai, Maharashtra, celebrated on Rang Panchami. It honors Lord Bhairavnath with a unique ritual where a devotee, ‘Bagadya,’ is suspended from a tall wooden chariot. The festival symbolizes community unity and deep-rooted cultural traditions. It has a 350-year-old history, showcasing seamless collaboration among participants. Powerful invocations and rituals reflect the strength and inspiration drawn from cultural heritage. The festival’s demanding tasks appear effortless due to devotion and collective spirit.

Notes:
The Ministry of Culture is dedicated to preserving public art installations created under the Public Art of India (PARI) project. PARI, launched by the Ministry of Culture, aims to celebrate and enhance India’s public art scene. It is executed by the Lalit Kala Akademi and the National Gallery of Modern Art. The project showcases diverse regional art forms like Phad, Thangka, Gond, and Warli through over 200 artists. Currently, PARI is implemented only in Delhi. The project blends India’s cultural heritage with contemporary themes, fostering dialogue and reflection in public spaces.

Notes:
President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Purple Fest 2025 at Amrit Udyan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on March 21, 2025. Purple Fest celebrates the talents, achievements, and aspirations of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), also called Divyangjan in India. The first Purple Fest was held in Panjim, Goa, in January 2023. Organized by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in association with Rashtrapati Bhavan. The event is becoming a flagship programme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for Divyangjan in India.

Notes:
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered over 110 megaliths near Malampuzha dam in Palakkad, Kerala, covering 45 hectares. Malampuzha dam is the largest water barrier and reservoir in Kerala. Megalithic structures were used for burials during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, built with large stones without mortar. The burials include Cists, Stone Circles, Urns, Dolmens, and Dolmenoid Cists, made from granite and laterite stones. Similar megalithic sites exist in Brahmagiri, Karnataka, and Adichanallur, Tamil Nadu. This discovery may provide new insights into Kerala’s early Iron Age society and beliefs.

Notes:
A rare set of copper plates from the early 15th century, during the reign of Devaraya I of the Sangama Dynasty, was unveiled in Bengaluru. Falcon Coins Gallery collaborated with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to present these historical artifacts. The plates are inscribed in Sanskrit and Kannada using Nāgarī characters and were issued during the coronation of Devaraya I. Unlike the traditional Varaha insignia of the Vijayanagara Empire, the seal on these plates features Vamana. Dated to Saka 1328 (1406 CE), they confirm the coronation date of Devaraya I. The inscriptions detail the genealogy of the Sangama Dynasty, tracing lineage from Chandra, Yadu, and Sangama to rulers like Harihara, Kampa, Bukka, Mãrapa, and Muddapa.