Latest Arts and Culture General Knowledge(GK) Questions and answers

1 .

Nuakhai Festival Being Celebrated in which state?

A)

Odisha

B)

Chhattisgarh

C)

Rajasthan

D)

Maharashtra

Correct Answer : Odisha

* Nuakhai is an annual harvest festival in Odisha. Nuakhai is celebrated to welcome the approaching new season and welcome the season’s new rice. Nuakhai is celebrated a day after Ganesh Chaturthi, and it is one of the most awaited festivals in Odisha.

* This year(2022) the festival is being celebrated today on 1 September, 2022. The Goddess of Western Odisha, Maa Samaleswari will be offered with new crop or ‘Nabanna’ between 10:56 AM to 11:10 AM.

* Nuakhai is made of two words, Nua which means new, and Khai which means food. The festival altogether means celebrating the season’s new rice harvested by hardworking farmers. The people in the western part of Odisha celebrate Nuakhai with zeal and excitement.

* Nuakhai marks the harvest of new rice paddy and people across the socio-economic strata celebrate this festival.

* People of western Odisha have agriculture as their main occupation, therefore Nuakhai is a very important festival for them. The celebration of Nuakhai begins with cleaning and decorating the households. People wear new and traditional clothes which are made of Sambalpuri fabrics.

* Once the Nabanna is given to the goddess, people enjoy the Nabanna, distribute Nua or rice grains to family and friends, and offer their greetings to mother earth for providing food. The celebration is followed by ‘Nuakhai Juhar’ where young members of the family touch the feet of elders seeking their blessings..

Source : Times of India

2 .

Which dance form has been nominated by the Government of India for inclusion in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List?

A)

Giddha

B)

Garba

C)

Lavani

D)

Bhangra

Correct Answer : Garba

India has nominated the dance form Garba to be inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list. UNESCO( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Director Eric Falt said that after the inclusion of 'Durga Puja' on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage representative last year, India has now nominated 'Garba' for 2022.

He said, the next meeting of UNESCO is in November & hopefully there will be yet another beautiful Indian festival Garba inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.

India was elected by UNESCO to serve on the distinguished Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in July. India garnered a whopping 110 votes from 155 State Parties that finalised its selection..

Source : AIR

3 .

Which museum signs(19th Aug 2022) deal to return 7 ancient artefacts to India?

A)

Rijksmuseum

B)

Louvre Museum

C)

Van Gogh Museum

D)

Scotland Museum

Correct Answer : Scotland Museum

Scotland Museums in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Friday(19th Aug 2022) signed an agreement with the Indian government to repatriate seven stolen artefacts to India.

Glasgow Life, a charitable organisation which runs the city's museums, had confirmed the handover earlier this year and the arrangement was formalised at a transfer of ownership ceremony at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the presence of Acting Indian High Commissioner to the UK Sujit Ghosh.

The seven antiquities to now find their way back to India include a ceremonial Indo-Persian talwar or sword, believed to date back to the 14th century, and an 11th century carved stone door jamb taken from a temple in Kanpur.

We are delighted that our partnership with Glasgow Life has resulted in a decision to restitute Indian artefacts from Glasgow museums to India, said Ghosh..

Source : Business Standard

4 .

After A Gap Of Two Years, 2022 Kharchi Festival begins In which state?

A)

Manipur

B)

Meghalaya

C)

Tripura

D)

Nagaland

Correct Answer : Tripura

Kharchi Festival is back with all its pomp and fervour. This year, the festival will be celebrated with much grandeur as it was halted for the past two years due to the covid-19 pandemic.

* It is a 7-day-long celebration which will begin on July 7 and will end on July 13, 2022. The festivity will take place in Agartala, West Tripura district.

* Khar means sin and chi means cleaning. Therefore, it is known as the cleaning of sins festival. In Kharchi Festival, 14 deities are worshipped. The festivity will take place at Chaturdash Devata Mandie, located 8kn away from the celebration.

* The 14 gods which are prayed to during the festivity are Saraswati, Durga, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga, Kartikeya, Brahma, Ganesh, Ganga, Agni, Himadri, Prithvi, Samudra and Kamadeva.

* The festival begins with the head priest and others, carrying these 14 deities to the river. After the holy ceremony of bathing them is over, the idols are brought back to Chaturdash temple with flowers, petals and other elements which are used during the puja. Out of 14 idols, 11 idols are kept inside Andarmahal once the festivity gets over. Only three idols are worshipped throughout the year..

Source : Outlookindia

5 .

Lord Jagannath Yatra takes place in which state of India?

A)

Assam

B)

Odisha

C)

Telangana

D)

Uttar Pradesh

Correct Answer : Odisha

In Hinduism, the Jagannath Rath Yatra is one of the important festivals. The Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, organises this Rath Yatra. Jagannath Rath Yatra is held every year on the second day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadha, as per the Hindu calendar. Every year, thousands of devotees flock to the yatra.

2022 Jagannath Rath Yatra : July 1, 2022

6 .

The four-day Ambubachi Mela begins at the "Kamakhya Temple" in which state?

A)

Meghalaya

B)

Nagaland

C)

Tripura

D)

Assam

Correct Answer : Assam

Guwahati : The annual Ambubachi Mela at Assam’s famed Kamakhya Temple began on Wednesday(22nd June 2022) with devotees allowed to participate after a gap of two years.

As a part of the rituals, the temple doors were symbolically closed for four days with the ‘Pravritti’ on Wednesday(22nd June 2022), Maa Kamakhya Devalaya’s head priest or ‘Bor Doloi’ Kabinath Sarma said.

‘Nivriti’ or the opening of the door will take place on the morning of June 26, he said.

In view of the devastating floods in the state, the festival is being observed in a subdued manner this time.

“As the auspicious Ambubachi Mela begins from today, I pray to Maa Kamakhya to bless everyone with good health, happiness & prosperity, besides help us ward off all evils,” Chief Minister "Himanta Biswa Sarma" tweeted..

Source : The Print

7 .

Which state has celebrated the 'Sao Joao' festival in India?

A)

Goa

B)

Assam

C)

Meghalaya

D)

Uttar Pradesh

Correct Answer : Goa

The people of Goa has celebrated(24th June 2022) the "Sao Joao" festival, the feast of St John the Baptist with traditional enthusiasm after a two-year coronavirus-induced gap.

The festival is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, who baptised Lord Jesus on the river of Jordan and is celebrated at the onset of monsoon. Siolim, a village in North Goa, hosts a traditional canoe parade on the occasion of Sao Joao.

About the festival :

A large number of people participated in the boat parade in Siolim village of Goa’s Bardez taluka, marking the beginnng of revelry in the ‘Sao Joao’ festival.

Traditionally, people jump into the well but since the wells are fast disappearing, people prefer to celebrate it in swimming pools. The festival is marked to herald the monsoon season in the state every year in June. People are often seen having a great time by enjoying and dancing in the artificial rain which adds charm to the celebrations..

Source : Hindustan Times

8 .

'Sital Sasthi' festival being celebrated in which state?

A)

Odisha

B)

Maharashtra

C)

Telangana

D)

Madhya Pradesh

Correct Answer : Odisha

Sital Sasthi is a sacred Hindu festival is being celebrated in Odisha (6th June 2022). This week-long special festival highlights the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. According to the Hindu calendar, Sital Sasthi is observed on the sixth day of the Jyestha month during the Shukla Paksha.

People observing this festival believe that Lord Shiva represents the scorching heat of summer while Goddess Parvati signifies the first rain. So, this holy and lavish wedding is observed for a good monsoon.

Sital Sasthi is a celebration wherein Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are adopted by two families, and their wedding is solemnised with the involvement of rituals. After the marriage is performed, the God and Goddess are then carried around the city via a procession

During the week-long festival, devotees in large numbers take part in the most famous Sitala Sasthi Yatra that is conducted at Sambalpur in Western Odisha..

Source : News On Air

9 .

Which state/ UT is hosting India's first Lavender Festival here?

A)

Sikkim

B)

Meghalaya

C)

Jammu and Kashmir

D)

Arunachal Pradesh

Correct Answer : Jammu and Kashmir

India's first 'Lavender Festival' was inaugurated by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on May 26, 2022 at Bhaderwah, a town in the district Doda of Jammu Division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Minister described Bhaderwah as the birthplace of India's Purple Revolution. Referring to the lavender cultivation in the region, the Minister said that Lavender is an avenue of employment generation and research opening many paradigms of development for the region.

10 .

Rakhigarhi, one of the oldest Harappan sites is located in which Indian state?

A)

Maharashtra

B)

Haryana

C)

Karnataka

D)

Uttar Pradesh

Correct Answer : Haryana

Rakhigarhi, the largest Indus Valley site in India, was discovered by archaeologists in 1998. It is a village in Hisar, Haryana, located about 150 kilometres from Delhi. It is one of the five iconic archaeological sites mentioned by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget Speech in February 2020.

Arts and Culture - General Knowledge Questions