SSC
In Maharashtra, the victory of truth over falsehood is celebrated through which masked dance?
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Answer: Option C — Songi Mukhawate
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Songi Mukhawate. Songi Mukhawate is a masked folk dance of Maharashtra, performed mainly in the northern part of the state, including the Nashik and Jalgaon areas. It is usually performed during the Chaitra Purnima festival in March or April, and its central theme is the victory of truth over falsehood and of good over evil.
In this dance, the performers wear large, brightly painted masks that represent Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Lord Vishnu, and Bhairava, a fierce form of Lord Shiva. The dancers move to the loud beat of drums and the sound of the sambal and other traditional instruments, and they carry swords or sticks as they act out the battle between good and evil. The story of Narasimha killing the demon king Hiranyakashipu to protect his devotee Prahlada is the central legend behind the dance. The masks are usually carved from wood and passed down through generations within families of performers.
About the other options:
Lavani is a popular song and dance form of Maharashtra, performed by women to the beat of the dholki. It does not use masks.
Tamasha is a traditional folk theatre of Maharashtra that combines song, dance and comedy. Lavani is an important part of Tamasha, but it is not a masked dance.
Koli is the dance of the fishing community of the Konkan coast, and its movements imitate rowing boats and casting nets.
💡 Exam tip
Songi Mukhawate is one of the few masked dances of Maharashtra and is tested in two ways: through its theme (the victory of truth over falsehood) and through the deity shown on the mask (Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu). Other famous masked dances of India include Chhau of Purulia and Seraikela, Cham of the Buddhist regions of Ladakh and Sikkim, and Gambhira of West Bengal.💬 Discussions on this question
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Ask a doubtMore Indian Dance Forms Questions
View all ›- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?
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- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:
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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.