SSC
Garba, Dandiya Raas and Tippani are popular folk dances of which state?
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Answer: Option B — Gujarat
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Gujarat. Garba, Dandiya Raas and Tippani are three of the best-known folk dances of Gujarat.
Garba is the most famous dance of Gujarat. It is performed during Navratri, the nine-night festival in honour of the goddess Durga (Amba). Women and men dance in concentric circles around a central lamp placed inside an earthen pot (the garbo), or around an image of the goddess. The word Garba is linked to "garbha", meaning womb, because the lamp in the pot represents life and the divine energy of the goddess. The dancers move in a circle, clapping their hands and stepping to a steady rhythm. In December 2023, UNESCO inscribed the Garba of Gujarat on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Dandiya Raas is also performed during Navratri. The dancers hold a pair of colourful decorated sticks (dandiyas) and strike them together and with their partners' sticks in time with the music. It is believed to represent a mock fight between the goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura, with the sticks representing her sword. Tippani is a dance of the women of the Chorwad region of Saurashtra, who beat the floor with long sticks called tippanis while working on floors and roofs.
About the other options:
- Rajasthan is known for Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Chari and Bhavai.
- Maharashtra is known for Lavani, Koli, Tamasha and Powada.
- Punjab is known for Bhangra, Giddha and Luddi.
- None of these is associated with Garba or Dandiya Raas.
💡 Exam tip
Garba and Dandiya Raas are almost always linked with Gujarat and with Navratri. A common follow-up question asks which festival they are performed in (Navratri), and a newer one asks when Garba was added to the UNESCO list (2023).💬 Discussions on this question
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Ask a doubtMore Indian Dance Forms Questions
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Indian Dance Forms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian Dance Forms, 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.
Indian dance forms are one of the most frequently tested areas of static GK. This topic covers the eight classical dances recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya), the folk and tribal dances of every state, and related terms such as mudra, abhinaya, lasya and tandava. Most questions ask which state a dance belongs to, which community performs it, or which feature identifies a classical style. Learn the classical dances with their state and one signature feature each, such as the face make-up of Kathakali or the brass plate of Kuchipudi. For folk dances, group them state by state, since exams often list three or four dances and ask for the common state. Watch for dances shared by more than one state, such as Chhau, which has three styles. Practise the Indian dance forms 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.