UPSC STATIC QUIZ – Art and Culture : 13 January 2024

Solution: c)

At Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, the stone statue has a hand gesture called the dharma-chakra mudra.

Experts say the Buddha is depicted in over a hundred poses around the world. While the Sitting Buddha — most common depiction — is believed to be teaching or meditating, the Standing Buddha signifies rising to teach after reaching nirvana.

The Walking Buddha is either beginning his journey toward enlightenment or returning after giving a sermon. This is the least common of the Buddha postures, and is seen mostly in Thailand.

Solution: b)

Statement 1 is incorrect.

• Dokra art is non-ferrous metal casting art that uses the lost-wax casting technique. This technique has been in use for over 4,000 years in India, and is still practised by artisans in central and eastern India. It is in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of its primitive simplicity, folk motifs and forceful form.
• One of the earliest known lost wax artefacts is the dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro.

The lost wax technique for casting of copper-based alloys has also been found in China, Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, Central America, and other places.

Solution: c)

‘Ashtadhyayi’, an ancient text written by the scholar Panini towards the end of the 4th century BC. Written more than 2,000 years ago, the ‘Ashtadhyayi’ is a linguistics text that set the standard for how Sanskrit was meant to be written and spoken. It delves deep into the language’s phonetics, syntax and grammar, and also offers a ‘language machine’, where you can feed in the root and suffix of any Sanskrit word, and get grammatically correct words and sentences in return.

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Sattras are monastic institutions created as part of the 16th century Neo-Vaishnavite reformist movement started by Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449-1596). As the saint travelled across Assam, spreading his teachings and propagating an egalitarian society, these Sattras/Thans were established as centres of religious, social and cultural reforms in the 16th century. Today, Sattras are spread across the state, promulgating Sankardeva’s unique “worship through art” approach with music (borgeet), dance (xattriya) and theatre (bhauna).

During the Ahom reign, the Sattras received a lot of donations in the form of land or money from the kings.

Solution: b)

Statement 1 is incorrect.

Chhath Puja is one of the most major festivals of India. This festival is celebrated in most parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and also in some parts of Nepal. It is celebrated six days after Deepavali, on the sixth day of the lunar month of Kartika (October–November) in the Hindu calendar. This day is observed by offering prayer to Lord Sun and taking dips into the holy waters of the Ganga.