SSC
The Atla Taddi festival, in which women pray for good husbands and play on swings, is celebrated in which state?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — Andhra Pradesh
Detailed Solution
Atla Taddi (also spelt Atla Tadde) is a traditional festival of the Telugu people, celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is observed mainly by women, especially young unmarried girls and newly married women, who pray for a good and loving husband and for a happy married life.
Atla Taddi falls on the third day (tadiya) of the dark half of the month of Ashwayuja (September-October), soon after the Navratri and Dussehra festivals. It is dedicated to Goddess Gauri (Parvati). The festival is similar in spirit to Karva Chauth, which is celebrated by married women in North India for the long life of their husbands.
On the day of Atla Taddi, women and girls wake up very early, before sunrise, and eat a meal, often of rice with curd and gongura (sorrel leaves) pickle. They then fast for the whole day, without food or water. They apply mehendi (henna) on their hands, wear new clothes and bangles, and gather in groups to play games and to swing on swings tied to trees, while singing traditional folk songs. In the evening, after seeing the moon, they worship Goddess Gauri and offer her "attlu" (dosas), from which the festival gets its name. They give the dosas to married women as gifts, and then break their fast. The festival is a time of joy, friendship and celebration for women.
Other important festivals of the Telugu people include Ugadi (the Telugu New Year), Sankranti (called Pedda Panduga, the "big festival" in Andhra Pradesh), Bathukamma and Bonalu (in Telangana).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Karnataka is known for festivals such as Mysuru Dasara and Ugadi.
- ✗Tamil Nadu is known for festivals such as Pongal and Thaipusam.
- ✗Kerala is known for festivals such as Onam and Vishu.
Quick tip
Remember: Atla Taddi = Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, women's fasting, swings and the offering of dosas (attlu) to Goddess Gauri.
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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.