SSC
The 'Matua Dharma Maha Mela' is held in which state?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — West Bengal
Detailed Solution
The Matua Dharma Maha Mela is held every year at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. It celebrates the birth anniversary of Harichand Thakur (1812-1878), the founder of the Matua sect, and falls on Madhu Krishna Trayodashi in the month of Chaitra (March-April).
The Matua movement was a religious reform movement that began in the mid-19th century in Faridpur district of Bengal (now in Bangladesh). It was founded by Harichand Thakur among the Namasudra community, who were treated as "untouchables" at the time. The sect preached devotion to God through singing and chanting (naam-kirtan), rejected caste discrimination and the authority of Brahmin priests, and gave importance to education and dignity of work.
After Harichand Thakur, his son Guruchand Thakur (1846-1937) led the movement. He laid special stress on education and opened many schools for the community. After the Partition of India, many Matua followers moved to West Bengal, and the sect's headquarters was set up at Thakurnagar.
During the mela, lakhs of devotees take a holy dip in the Kamana Sagar pond at Thakurnagar. They carry red and white flags and play the "danka" (drum) and "kansar" (gong) while singing devotional songs. The Matua community is also politically important in West Bengal.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bihar is known for the Sonepur Mela and Chhath.
- ✗Tripura is known for the Kharchi Puja and Ker Puja.
- ✗Assam is known for the Ambubachi Mela at the Kamakhya temple and the Jon Beel Mela.
Quick tip
Remember: Matua Maha Mela = Thakurnagar, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal; honours Harichand Thakur, founder of the Matua sect of the Namasudras; son Guruchand Thakur.
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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.