SSC
How many basic hand gestures (mudras) used in Mohiniyattam are mainly adopted from the text Hastalakshana Deepika?
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Answer: Option D — 24
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is 24. Mohiniyattam, the classical dance of Kerala performed by women, mainly follows the Hastalakshana Deepika for its hand gestures. This text, which is also the main authority for the gestures of Kathakali, describes 24 basic hand gestures (mudras).
The 24 basic mudras of the Hastalakshana Deepika include pataka, mudrakhya, kataka, mushti, kartarimukha, shukatunda, kapitha, hamsapaksha, shikhara, hamsasya, anjali, ardhachandra, mukura, bhramara, suchimukha, pallava, tripataka, mrigashirsha, sarpashirsha, vardhamanaka, arala, urnanabha, mukula and katakamukha. Each of these basic gestures can be used with one hand (asamyuta) or both hands (samyuta), and combined in many ways, so that they can express hundreds of different meanings. In Mohiniyattam, these mudras are used gently and gracefully, in keeping with the lasya style of the dance, and they are combined with subtle facial expressions to convey the emotions of the songs.
Mohiniyattam is known for its soft, swaying movements, often compared to the swaying of palm trees or the gentle movement of waves. The dancers wear a white or off-white saree with a gold border (kasavu) and wear their hair in a bun on the left side of the head, decorated with jasmine flowers. The songs are in Manipravalam (a mix of Malayalam and Sanskrit), and the music is in the Sopana style, with the edakka as the main drum.
About the other options:
- 9 is the number of rasas (navarasa) in Indian aesthetics.
- 28 is the number of single-hand gestures (asamyuta hastas) in the Abhinaya Darpana, the text followed in Bharatanatyam.
- 108 is the number of karanas (basic units of dance movement) described in the Natyashastra and carved on the gopurams of the Chidambaram temple.
💡 Exam tip
These numbers are easy to confuse. Remember 24 basic mudras (Hastalakshana Deepika, used in Kathakali and Mohiniyattam), 28 single-hand gestures (Abhinaya Darpana), 108 karanas (Natyashastra) and 9 rasas.💬 Discussions on this question
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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.