Defence
'Phulaich', a colourful festival of flowers, is celebrated in which state?
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Answer: Option B — Himachal Pradesh
Detailed Solution
Phulaich (also called Ukhyang) is a festival of flowers celebrated in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, especially in the Sangla valley and other parts of the district. It is held in the month of Bhadrapada (September), at the end of the monsoon, when the high mountain meadows are full of flowers.
The local name of the festival, "Ukhyang", is understood to come from "uu", meaning flower, and "khyang", meaning to see or to watch, so it means "the festival of seeing flowers". On the day before the festival, young men of the village go up to the high mountain slopes and meadows to collect flowers, especially the "ladra" flower (a type of wild flower with a strong scent) and other wild flowers. They spend the night there, and bring the flowers down to the village the next morning, where they are welcomed with music. The flowers are offered to the village deity at the temple, and the people decorate themselves with them. The rest of the day is spent in singing, dancing and feasting.
Phulaich is also a festival of remembrance of the dead. It is believed that the flowers offered to the gods also bring peace to the souls of the family members who died during the year. Food, drinks and flowers are offered in their memory, and the poor are given food and charity.
Kinnaur is a district in the north-east of Himachal Pradesh, on the border with Tibet. It is known for its beautiful valleys, such as the Sangla (Baspa) valley, the Kinner Kailash mountain, its apples, chilgoza (pine nuts) and its traditional Kinnauri caps and shawls. The people of Kinnaur, called Kinnauras, follow a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Other festivals of Himachal Pradesh include the Kullu Dussehra, the Minjar Fair (Chamba), the Shivratri Fair (Mandi), Lavi Fair (Rampur), Halda and Gochi (Lahaul) and the Doongri festival (Manali).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Uttarakhand celebrates flower festivals such as Phool Dei.
- ✗Sikkim celebrates Buddhist festivals such as Saga Dawa.
- ✗Arunachal Pradesh celebrates festivals such as Losar and Solung.
Quick tip
Remember: Phulaich (Ukhyang) = the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, September, the ladra flowers and the remembrance of the dead.
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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.