SSC
The Arubathu Moovar festival, a procession of the 63 Nayanmar saints, is celebrated annually in which state?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Tamil Nadu
Detailed Solution
The Arubathu Moovar festival is celebrated every year at the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai, as part of the temple's ten-day Panguni Brahmotsavam, held in the Tamil month of Panguni (March-April). "Arubathu Moovar" means "the sixty-three" in Tamil, and the festival honours the 63 Nayanmars, the Shaiva saint-poets of Tamil Nadu.
On the eighth day of the festival, the bronze images (utsava murtis) of all 63 Nayanmars are taken out in a grand procession around the four streets (mada veedhis) surrounding the temple, along with the images of Lord Shiva (as Kapaleeshwarar) and his consort Goddess Parvati (as Karpagambal). The procession attracts lakhs of devotees. Along the route, people set up stalls to distribute free food, water, buttermilk and drinks to the devotees, a practice known as "thanneer pandal".
The Nayanmars (also spelt Nayanars) were 63 saints who lived between the 6th and 10th centuries CE and were devoted to Lord Shiva. They came from all castes and backgrounds, including kings, farmers, potters, hunters and women. Their hymns and stories are central to Tamil Shaivism. The most famous among them are Appar (Tirunavukkarasar), Sambandar (Tirugnana Sambandar) and Sundarar, whose hymns are collected in the Thevaram, and Manikkavasagar, who wrote the Thiruvasagam. Their lives are described in the Periya Puranam, written by Sekkizhar in the 12th century. Together with the 12 Alvars, the Vaishnava saints, the Nayanmars led the Bhakti movement in South India, which spread devotion through songs in the Tamil language.
The Kapaleeshwarar temple is one of the most important Shiva temples of Chennai. According to legend, Goddess Parvati worshipped Shiva here in the form of a peacock (mayil), which gave Mylapore its name.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kerala is known for temple festivals such as the Thrissur Pooram.
- ✗Karnataka is known for festivals such as the Karaga and the Mysuru Dasara.
- ✗Andhra Pradesh is known for the Tirumala Brahmotsavam.
Quick tip
Remember: The Arubathu Moovar festival = the 63 Nayanmars and the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai. The Alvars were the 12 Vaishnava saints.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Festivals & Fairs of India Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Sarhul festival of Jharkhand, celebrated with traditional dances when the sal trees blossom, is especially associated with which tribe?
- Q2.'Chad Sukra', a popular traditional dance festival of the Pnar (Jaintia) people of Meghalaya, is celebrated as a:
- Q3.Which festival, celebrated in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, honours Gogaji, the folk deity worshipped as a protector against snakes?
- Q4.The 'Doul Utsav', a celebration of Holi linked with the Vaishnava satras, is mainly celebrated in which state?
- Q5.The Bhagoria festival of the Bhil tribes of Madhya Pradesh is associated with which major festival?
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
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.