SSC
The Modhera Dance Festival, held at the Sun Temple of Modhera, is organised in which state?
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Answer: Option B — Gujarat
Detailed Solution
The Modhera Dance Festival (also called the Uttarardh Mahotsav) is an annual classical dance festival held at the Sun Temple of Modhera, in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. It is organised by the Gujarat Tourism department every year in the third week of January, after the festival of Uttarayan.
The festival is held in the courtyard of the Sun Temple, with the beautifully lit temple as its backdrop. Leading classical dancers from across India perform Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and other dance forms. The festival aims to present classical dance in the setting it was originally performed in, the temple, and to promote the temple as a tourist destination.
The Sun Temple of Modhera was built in 1026-27 CE by King Bhima I of the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty. It is dedicated to Surya, the Sun god. It is built in such a way that the rays of the rising sun fall on the image of the Sun god in the sanctum at the time of the equinoxes. The temple complex has three parts: the Gudhamandapa (the sanctum hall), the Sabhamandapa (the assembly hall) and the Suryakund, a large stepped tank with many small shrines. The temple is famous for its detailed carvings of gods, goddesses, dancers and scenes from daily life. Modhera village was declared India's first solar-powered village in 2022.
Several dance festivals are held at famous temples in India, such as the Khajuraho Dance Festival (Madhya Pradesh), the Konark Dance Festival (Odisha), the Pattadakal Dance Festival (Karnataka), the Natyanjali Festival at Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu) and the Mamallapuram Dance Festival (Tamil Nadu).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Odisha holds the Konark Dance Festival at the Sun Temple of Konark.
- ✗Madhya Pradesh holds the Khajuraho Dance Festival.
- ✗Karnataka holds the Pattadakal Dance Festival.
Quick tip
Remember: The Modhera Dance Festival = Gujarat, the Sun Temple built by Bhima I (Solanki) and January. Do not confuse it with the Konark Dance Festival at Odisha's Sun Temple.
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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.