SSC
Baisakhi, celebrated in Punjab in April, is mainly a:
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Answer: Option B — Harvest festival
Detailed Solution
Baisakhi (also spelt Vaisakhi) is the harvest festival of Punjab and Haryana. It is celebrated every year on 13 or 14 April, on the first day of the month of Vaisakh, and it marks the harvest of the rabi crops, especially wheat. It also marks the solar New Year in Punjab.
For the farmers of Punjab, Baisakhi is a time of joy and thanksgiving, as the golden wheat crop is ready to be harvested. People wear colourful new clothes, visit gurdwaras and temples, and celebrate with fairs (melas), feasts, music and dancing. Men perform the energetic Bhangra dance and women perform the Giddha, to the beat of the dhol, singing songs about the harvest and the joys of rural life. People also take holy dips in rivers and sacred tanks.
Baisakhi is also one of the most important festivals of the Sikhs, because on Baisakhi in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, founded the Khalsa Panth at Anandpur Sahib. At a large gathering, he asked for volunteers willing to give their heads for their faith. Five men came forward, and he initiated them as the Panj Pyare (the five beloved ones), the first members of the Khalsa. Sikhs celebrate the day with the Nagar Kirtan, prayers and langar at gurdwaras, especially at the Golden Temple in Amritsar and at Anandpur Sahib. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar also took place on Baisakhi, 13 April 1919, when people had gathered there.
The same day marks the New Year in many parts of India: Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Pohela Boishakh in Bengal, Bohag Bihu in Assam and Pana Sankranti in Odisha.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Festival of lights is the name given to Diwali.
- ✗Monsoon festival describes festivals such as Teej.
- ✗Festival of colours is the name given to Holi.
Quick tip
Remember: Baisakhi = the rabi (wheat) harvest, 13-14 April, the founding of the Khalsa (1699) and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919).
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.