SSC
The 'Rann Utsav' is celebrated in which state?
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Answer: Option D — Gujarat
Detailed Solution
The Rann Utsav is a famous cultural festival held every year in the Great Rann of Kutch, in the Kutch district of Gujarat.
About the Rann Utsav:
- It is organised by the Gujarat Tourism Department.
- It is held during the winter months, usually from about November to February, when the white salt desert can be visited comfortably.
- It takes place mainly at Dhordo village, where a large "tent city" is set up for visitors.
- It was started in 2005-06 to promote tourism in the Kutch region and has become one of India's biggest tourism events.
- Visitors can see the vast white salt desert, especially on full-moon nights, when it shines brightly.
- The festival showcases the folk music, dance, food and handicrafts of Kutch, such as embroidery, bandhani (tie-and-dye), Rogan art, Ajrakh block printing, leather work and pottery.
- Other attractions include camel rides, the Kala Dungar (Black Hill), the Bhujodi weaving village and the ancient Harappan site of Dholavira.
- Gujarat Tourism's campaign "Kutch nahi dekha to kuch nahi dekha" ("If you have not seen Kutch, you have not seen anything"), featuring Amitabh Bachchan, made the region famous.
- In 2023, Dhordo was named one of the "Best Tourism Villages" by the UN World Tourism Organization.
About the Rann of Kutch:
- It is a large area of salt marshes in the Thar Desert region, divided into the Great Rann and the Little Rann.
- It floods during the monsoon and dries into a white salt crust in the dry season.
- The Little Rann has the Wild Ass Sanctuary, the only home of the Indian wild ass (khur).
- Dholavira, a major Harappan city in Kutch, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Other famous festivals:
- Rajasthan: Pushkar Fair, Desert Festival (Jaisalmer).
- Maharashtra: Ganesh Chaturthi, Ellora-Ajanta festival.
- Madhya Pradesh: Khajuraho Dance Festival.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Rajasthan hosts the Desert Festival at Jaisalmer.
- ✗Maharashtra hosts the Ellora-Ajanta festival.
- ✗Madhya Pradesh hosts the Khajuraho Dance Festival.
Quick tip
Remember: Rann Utsav = Kutch, Gujarat (tent city at Dhordo; white salt desert; Nov-Feb); Little Rann = Wild Ass Sanctuary; Dholavira = UNESCO 2021.
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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.