Art and Culture Old Year Notes with PDF

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I. Traditional & Folk Arts

A. Martial Arts

• Gatka: A traditional martial art from Punjab involving the use of wooden sticks (lathi) to simulate swords.
• Kalaripayattu: An ancient martial art that originated in Kerala; considered a living tradition.

B. Painting Styles

• Madhubani / Mithila Painting: A traditional art form from the Mithila region, associated with Bihar and Nepal.
• Bani Thani: A well-known painting belonging to the Kishangarh (Marwar) school of art.
• Pietra Dura (Parchin Kari): A decorative art form involving inlaying floral designs made of semi-precious stones.
• Pattachitra: A folk scroll painting tradition from Odisha and West Bengal with themes from Hindu mythology.
• Manjusha Painting: A folk art from Bihar executed on boxes, using pink, green, and yellow colors.
• Pithora Painting: A ritualistic folk art by tribal communities in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
• Kalamkari: A style of hand-painted cotton textile from South India (name from Persian ‘kalam’ pen and ‘kari’ craftsmanship).

C. Performing Arts & Folk Theatre

• Bhand-Pather: A traditional satirical folk theatre from Jammu and Kashmir, performed by jesters (Bhands).
• Tamasha: A famous folk form of musical theatre from Maharashtra.
• Yakshagana: A traditional folk theatre form from Karnataka.
• Chakiarkoothu: A traditional dance-drama from Kerala performed by the Chakiar caste; accompanied by the Mizhavu drum in a Koothambalam theater.

II. Classical Dance Forms

A. Recognized Classical Dances & Features

• Bharatanatyam: Originates from Tamil Nadu.
• Kathak: Originates from Uttar Pradesh; shows strong Mughal influence.
• Kathakali: From Kerala; a story-play performed traditionally only by males with elaborate makeup.
• Kuchipudi: Originates from Andhra Pradesh (Krishna district). Features dancers speaking dialogues and the Tarangam (balancing on a brass plate).
• Odissi: The classical dance of Odisha; considered the oldest surviving dance form based on archaeological evidence.
• Manipuri Sankirtana: From Manipur; includes singing, drumming, and dancing to narrate Lord Krishna’s life. Recognized by UNESCO.
• Mohiniattam: A solo dance from Kerala performed by women, known for its graceful movements and theme of love.
• Sattriya: From Assam; a combination of music, dance, and drama founded by Sankaradeva in the 15th century. Uses devotional songs called Borgeet.

B. Classical Dance Poses & Dancers

• Tribhanga: A classic pose where the body is bent in three parts (neck, waist, knee) forming an ‘S’ shape.
• Prominent Dancers:
  • Birju Maharaj, Pandit Durga Lal (Kathak)
  • Rukmini Devi Arundale, Sonal Mansingh, Lakshmi Viswanathan, Pratibha Prahlad (Bharatanatyam)
  • Vempati Chinna Satyam (Kuchipudi)
  • Madhumita Raut (Odissi)
  • Kalamandalam Kshemavathy (Mohiniattam)
  • Kottakkal Sivaraman (Kathakali)
  • N. Madhabi Devi (Manipuri)
  • Indrani Rahman (Known for multiple forms)

III. Music

A. Systems and Forms

• Hindustani Music: North Indian classical system.
  • Khayal: A form promoted by Amir Khusrau.
  • Dhrupad: A major devotional tradition revived by Raja Man Singh Tomar; uses Sanskrit syllables in the Alap section. Exponents: Gundecha Brothers.
• Carnatic Music: South Indian classical system.
  • Composers: Tyagaraja (composed kritis about Lord Rama), Annamacharya (15th-century composer).
• Folk Songs & Occasions:
  • Chaiti: Seasonal song.
  • Kajari: Sung during marriages (Vivah) and seasonal occasions.
  • Rasia: A folk song from the Braj region.
  • Sohar: Sung during childbirth rituals (Sanskar geet).
  • Sufi Kalam: Devotional music from Jammu and Kashmir.

B. Musical Instruments & Instrumentalists

• Instruments of Indo-Islamic Origin: Sitar, Tabla, Shehnai (invented/created by Amir Khusrau).
• Veena: The most ancient Indian instrument; a national symbol.
• Wind Instruments: Akum, Todi, Bansuri (flute), Mohuri, Madhukari, Shankh, Ate, Jeeka, Shehnai.
• Prominent Instrumentalists:
  • Sitar: Pandit Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Debu Chaudhuri, Nikhil Banerjee.
  • Sarod: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ali Akbar Khan.
  • Tabla: Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kishan Maharaj.
  • Flute: Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Panna Lal Ghosh.
  • Santoor: Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Bhajan Sopori.
  • Shehnai: Ustad Bismillah Khan.
  • Violin: Pandit V.G. Jog, Lalgudi Jayaraman, Kanyakumari, Yehudi Menuhin.
  • Mridangam: T.V. Gopala Krishnan.

C. Vocalists & Personalities

• Hindustani: Pt. Bhimsen Joshi (Kirana Gharana), Girija Devi (Thumri, Banaras Gharana), Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Malini Rajurkar, Mita Pandit.
• Carnatic: M.S. Subbalakshmi, Balamurali Krishna.
• Other: Smt. Surooj Bai Khande (singer of “Bharthari Gayan”).

IV. Festivals & Fairs

A. National & Religious Festivals

• Sindhu Darshan Festival: Annual festival on Guru Purnima (June) in Leh, Ladakh.
• Kumbh Mela: The world’s largest religious gathering. Held every 3 years, rotating between Prayag, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. The Maha Kumbh at each site occurs every 12 years. (Varanasi is not one of the sites).

B. Regional & Harvest Festivals

• Onam: Harvest festival of Kerala, associated with King Mahabali; features Athapoo/Pookalam (flower arrangement).
• Pongal: Harvest festival in Tamil Nadu (January).
• Bihu: Festival of Assam celebrated three times a year; includes the Bihu dance.
• Vaisakhi / Baisakhi: Festival primarily associated with Punjab.
• Wangla Festival: Harvest festival of the Garo tribe in Meghalaya.
• Chapchar Kut: Festival of Mizoram celebrated in March.
• Losoong Festival: Celebrated in Sikkim by the Bhutia community (December).

C. Community-Specific Festivals & Pilgrimages

• Chaliha Sahib Festival: Celebrated by the Sindhi community for 40 days in July/August.
• Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra: A pilgrimage in Uttarakhand held every 12 years, symbolizing the journey of Nanda Devi. (Not associated with the Gonds).
• Wari-Warkari: An annual pilgrimage in Maharashtra to Pandharpur, involving carrying saints’ footprints (Paduka). (Not associated with the Santhals).
• Ijtima Festival: An important Muslim festival in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• Baldev Chhath Mela: A fair held at the Baldev ji temple in Palwal district, Haryana.
• Thyagaraja Aradhana: A music festival in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, in honor of composer Thyagaraja.
• Rath Yatra Festival: Primarily associated with Jagannath Puri, Odisha.

D. Historical Fairs

• Nauchandi Mela: An annual fair in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, symbolizing Hindu-Muslim communal harmony.

V. Religion, Temples & Pilgrimage

A. Hindu Temples & Jyotirlingas

• Jyotirlingas: Kedarnath, Vishwanath (Varanasi), Amarnath, Srisailam (near Krishna River, Andhra Pradesh).
• Prominent Temples & Locations:
  • Jagannath Temple (Puri, Odisha) – Deity: Lord Vishnu.
  • Vidyashankara Temple (Karnataka)
  • Rajarani Temple (Odisha)
  • Kandariya Mahadeo Temple (Madhya Pradesh)
  • Bhimesvara Temple (Andhra Pradesh)
  • Markandeshwar Temple (Gadchiroli, Maharashtra) – ‘Khajuraho of Vidarbha’.
  • Venkateshwara Temple (Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh) – Located on the seventh peak (Venkatadri) of the Sheshachalam range.
  • Chitragupta Swami Temple (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu) – Only temple dedicated to Chitragupta.
  • Samadhishvara Temple (Chittor Fort, Rajasthan) – Built by Parmar Raja Bhoj.

B. Architectural Features & Unique Temples

• Gopurams: The towering gateways at South Indian temples.
• Chausath Yogini Temple (Morena, MP): Circular temple built by the Kachchhapaghata Dynasty; believed to have inspired the Indian Parliament’s design.
• Bhitargaon Temple (Kanpur, UP): One of the oldest brick temples in India (Gupta period, 5th-6th century AD).
• Ladkhan Temple (Aihole): One of the earliest temples from the Chalukya period.
• Shore Temple (Mahabalipuram): The earliest freestanding temple in the Dravidian style.
• Khajuraho Temples: Feature interconnected compartments.

C. Religious Institutions & Maths

• Adi Shankaracharya’s Maths:
  • North: Jyotirmath (Joshimath, Uttarakhand)
  • East: Govardhan Math (Puri, Odisha)
  • West: Dwarka Peeth (Dwarka, Gujarat)
  • South: Sringeri Sharada Peetham (Sringeri, Karnataka)
• Buddhist Monasteries:
  • Tabo Monastery (Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh), founded 996 CE.
  • Alchi Temple Complex (Ladakh).
  • Lhotsava Lhakhang Temple (Nako village, Himachal Pradesh, not Zanskar Valley).

D. Other Places of Worship

• Kaaba: The holiest shrine in Islam, located in Mecca.
• Synagogue: Place of worship for Jews.

E. Regional Religious Practices

• Jagar: A form of god/ancestor worship ritual in Kumaon and Garhwal, Uttarakhand.

VI. Cultural Institutions & Academies

• Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT): Established in 1979 by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan. An autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture aiming to link education with culture.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi: The national academy for music, dance, and drama, inaugurated on January 28, 1953.
• Kerala Kalamandalam: Founded by Vallathol Narayana Menon for the revival of Kathakali.
• Shanti Niketan (Visva Bharati): Located in Birbhum district, West Bengal; established by Rabindranath Tagore. Kala Bhawan was established there in 1919; Nandalal Bose became its Principal in 1922.

VII. Literature, Language & Texts

• Earliest reference to the Magnetic Compass: Found in ‘Jawamiul Hikayat’.
• First University Chair for Sanskrit: Established in France (University of Paris) in 1814.
• Mahabharata:
  • Translator: Pampa translated it into Kannada (Vikramarjuna Vijaya).
  • Character: Vichitravirya was the grandfather of Arjuna.
• First use of Urdu: Amir Khusrau was the first to use Urdu for poetic expression.
• Authors & Works:
  • Taslima Nasrin (Lajja), Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses), Vinda Karandikar (Poet, Jnanpith winner 2003).
• Punjabi Language: Puran Singh is known as the ‘Tagore of Punjabi’.

VIII. Indian Philosophy & Social Systems

• Mimamsa School of Philosophy: Emphasizes that liberation (moksha) is possible through correct Karma.
• Inheritance Schools of Hindu Law:
  • Mitakshara: Sons have rights by birth. Widows have limited rights.
  • Dayabhaga: Sons get rights after the father’s death. Widows have a right to a share.
• Traditional Service Systems (Jajmani System variants):
  • Jajmani (North India), Bara Balute (Maharashtra), Mirasi (Tamil Nadu), Adade (Karnataka).
• Ancient Guilds: The Shreni system involved organizations of traders/artisans that determined quality, price, and conduct.
• Tribal Tradition: Ghumkuria is a youth dormitory of the Oraon tribe in Jharkhand.

IX. Visual Arts, Cinema & Media

A. Painters & Visual Artists

• Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Tagore (founder of “Indian Society of Oriental Art”, Revivalistic style), Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Amrita Shergil, M.F. Hussain, Bikas Bhattacharjee, N.S. Bendre, Subodh Gupta (installation artist), Shivnandan Nautiyal (“Satyam Shivam Sundaram”), Vishnu Chinchalkar (Chitrakar).

B. Indian Cinema & Television

• First Talkie: Alam Ara (1931), dir. Ardeshir Irani.
• Film Milestones: Jhansi Ki Rani (first Technicolor), My Dear Kuttichathan (first 3-D), Taal (first insured).
• Personalities:
  • Ben Kingsley (played Gandhi), Richard Attenborough (directed Gandhi), Shyam Benegal (directed The Making of the Mahatma).
  • Devika Rani (actress who married Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich).
  • Ramanand Sagar (producer of Ramayan), B.R. Chopra (producer of Mahabharat, Dada Saheb Phalke Award 1998).
  • Seema Biswas (played Phoolan Devi in Bandit Queen).
  • Lata Mangeshkar (first singer/actress awarded Bharat Ratna, 2002).

C. Other Arts

• Sanskrit Drama: The Vidushaka (jester) is invariably a Brahmana.
• Cartooning: K. Shankar Pillai (awarded Padma Vibhushan, 1976).
• Photography: Raghu Rai (photojournalist).
• Theatre: Kavalam Narayana Panikkar, Bhanu Bharti, Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry (directors).
• Filmmaking: Mike Pandey (wildlife filmmaker).
• Music Composition: Mohd. Zahur Khayyam.

X. Lifestyle, Textiles & Ornaments

• Traditional Ornaments: Toti – a traditional Rajasthani earring shaped like a parrot.
• Traditional Dress:
  • Boku (Sikkim), Mekhala (Assam), Pheran (Kashmir), Mundu (Kerala).
• Textiles: Kalamkari (hand-painted cotton).

XI. Monuments, Libraries & Geography

A. Famous Monuments & Locations

• Gateway of India (Mumbai), India Gate (New Delhi), Victoria Memorial (Kolkata), Charminar (Hyderabad).
• Sanchi Stupa (Raisen, MP), Gujari Mahal (Gwalior, MP), Taj-ul-Masjid (Bhopal, MP).
• Sriharikota (ISRO launch facility, Andhra Pradesh).

B. Major Indian Libraries

• Saraswati Mahal Library (Thanjavur), Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library (Patna), Raza Library (Rampur), Library of Tibetan Work and Archives (Dharamsala).

C. Heritage Scheme

• HRIDAY Scheme: Launched in 2015 for holistic heritage city development. Includes Gaya, Puri, and Warangal (Agra is not included).

XII. Miscellaneous Personalities & Facts

• • • Mountaineering: Bachendri Pal (first Indian woman on Everest), Santosh Yadav.
    • Other Fields: Oprah Winfrey (TV host), P. Sainath (journalist), Rakesh Sharma (astronaut), Mandakini Amte (social service), Romila Thapar (historian), Indira Chakravarty (nutrition scientist), Meera Bhatia (jurist), Sadhvi Sadhana (Jain spiritual figure).

Know More About Art and Culture:

• Art and Culture Old Year – Questions and Answers
• Art and Culture One Liner Questions & Answers