Police
In which country is the Cham mask dance celebrated, especially at the Tshechu festivals of its dzongs?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — Bhutan
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Bhutan. Cham (also spelt Chham) is a sacred masked dance of Tibetan Buddhism, performed by monks and trained laymen at religious festivals. In Bhutan, the Cham dances are the main feature of the Tshechu festivals, held every year at the dzongs (fortress-monasteries) and temples across the country.
The Tshechu festivals are held in honour of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), the 8th century Buddhist master who is believed to have brought Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet. "Tshechu" means "tenth day", because the festivals are usually held on the tenth day of a month of the Bhutanese lunar calendar, which is linked with the life of Guru Rinpoche. During the festival, the dancers wear spectacular masks, representing deities, protectors, animals and demons, and colourful silk costumes, and they perform slow, symbolic dances, accompanied by drums, cymbals and long horns. The dances depict stories from Buddhist teachings, such as the victory of good over evil, the punishment of wrongdoers and the path to enlightenment. Watching the dances is believed to bring blessings and to cleanse people of their sins. The Paro Tshechu and the Thimphu Tshechu are the best-known of these festivals, and at the end of the Paro Tshechu, a huge thangka (religious painting), called the thongdrel, is unveiled at dawn. In 2008, UNESCO inscribed the "Mask dance of the drums from Drametse" of Bhutan on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Cham dances are also performed in India, in the monasteries of Sikkim, Ladakh (for example, at the Hemis festival), Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
About the other options:
- Sri Lanka is known for Kandyan dance.
- Thailand is known for the Khon masked dance-drama based on the Ramakien.
- Myanmar is known for its classical dance and puppet theatre.
💡 Exam tip
Link the Cham dances of Bhutan with the Tshechu festivals and Guru Rinpoche. Bhutan's welcome dance is the Joenpa Legso.💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
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?
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:
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.