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Kajli Teej, celebrated by women with swings and songs during the monsoon, is a cultural festival of which state?
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Answer: Option A — Rajasthan
Detailed Solution
Kajli Teej (also called Kajari Teej or Badi Teej) is a festival celebrated by women in Rajasthan, as well as in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. It is celebrated on the third day (Tritiya) of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada, which falls in August, during the monsoon. It is especially famous in the town of Bundi, in Rajasthan, where a grand fair and procession are held.
Kajli Teej is dedicated to Goddess Parvati, who is worshipped as a symbol of marital happiness and devotion to her husband, Lord Shiva. Married women observe a fast for the long life and well-being of their husbands, and unmarried girls pray for a good husband. They worship the neem tree, apply mehendi on their hands, wear green clothes and bangles, and sing traditional songs called "kajari", which describe the monsoon, the longing of women for their husbands who are away, and the joys of the season. Women swing on swings tied to trees and enjoy special sweets. In Bundi, the festival is celebrated with a procession of Goddess Teej in a decorated palanquin, accompanied by camels, elephants, folk dancers and musicians, followed by a fair.
Kajari is also a famous form of folk and semi-classical song of Uttar Pradesh, especially of the Mirzapur and Varanasi regions, sung during the monsoon. Famous singers such as Girija Devi and Siddheshwari Devi made kajari popular on the classical stage.
There are three main Teej festivals in the monsoon season: Hariyali Teej (in Shravana, celebrated with great splendour in Jaipur), Kajari Teej (in Bhadrapada, about 15 days later) and Hartalika Teej (in Bhadrapada, a day before Ganesh Chaturthi). In Punjab, the monsoon festival of women is called Teeyan.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kerala celebrates Onam during the monsoon.
- ✗Assam celebrates the Bihus.
- ✗Odisha celebrates Raja Parba at the start of the monsoon.
Quick tip
Remember: Kajli (Kajari) Teej = Rajasthan (especially Bundi), Bhadrapada, Goddess Parvati and the kajari songs of the monsoon.
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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.