SSC
The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat is held in memory of the marriage of:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — Krishna and Rukmini
Detailed Solution
The Madhavpur Ghed Mela is held at Madhavpur, a coastal village in Porbandar district of Gujarat. It begins on Ram Navami in the month of Chaitra (March-April) and lasts for about five days. It celebrates the legendary marriage of Lord Krishna and Rukmini, which is believed to have taken place at Madhavpur.
According to the legend, Rukmini was the princess of Vidarbha. Her brother Rukmi wanted her to marry Shishupala, but she loved Krishna. Krishna carried her away and married her at Madhavpur on the way to Dwarka. The fair re-enacts the wedding procession and ceremonies, with folk songs and dances, at the Madhavrai temple.
In recent years, this fair has gained national importance. Rukmini is believed in local tradition of Arunachal Pradesh to have belonged to the Idu Mishmi tribe of that region. Building on this story, the Government of India and the Gujarat government have promoted the Madhavpur Mela since 2018 as a celebration of the cultural link between Gujarat and the North-East, under the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" programme. Artists from the North-Eastern states now perform at the fair.
Other important fairs of Gujarat:
- Tarnetar Mela near Than (Surendranagar), linked with the Trinetreshwar temple and famous for its embroidered umbrellas.
- Bhavnath Mela at Junagadh on Maha Shivaratri.
- Vautha Mela, a large donkey and camel fair.
- Shamlaji Mela and Chitra Vichitra Mela, attended by tribal people.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Rama and Sita's marriage is celebrated as Vivah Panchami.
- ✗Shiva and Parvati's marriage is linked to Maha Shivaratri.
- ✗Krishna and Radha are not described as married in the main tradition.
Quick tip
Remember: Madhavpur Ghed Mela = Porbandar, Gujarat, Ram Navami, marriage of Krishna and Rukmini; links Gujarat with Arunachal (Idu Mishmi).
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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.