SSC
Mangalacharan, Sthayee, Pallavi, Abhinaya and Moksha are items of which classical dance?
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Answer: Option A — Odissi
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Odissi. A traditional Odissi recital follows a set order of items, which was organised in the 1950s and 1960s by the great Odissi gurus, such as Kelucharan Mohapatra, Pankaj Charan Das, Deba Prasad Das and Mayadhar Raut, during the revival of the dance through the Jayantika association.
Mangalacharan is the opening item. It is an invocation in which the dancer offers prayers to Lord Jagannath or another deity, to Mother Earth (bhumi pranam), to the guru and to the audience. Sthayee (also called Batu or Batu Nritya) is a piece of pure dance (nritta) that shows the basic postures and movements of Odissi, including the chauka (a square stance) and the tribhanga (a posture with three bends in the body). Batu is associated with Lord Shiva in his form as Batukeshwar Bhairava. Pallavi is a graceful item of pure dance in which a raga (melody) is elaborated through the movements of the body, eyes and hands. Its name means "blossoming" or "elaboration". Abhinaya is the expressive item, in which the dancer interprets the meaning of a song, often a verse from the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva or a song by an Odia poet. Moksha is the final item, which means "liberation". It is a fast, rhythmic piece of pure dance that ends in stillness, representing the merging of the soul with the divine.
About the other options:
- Bharatanatyam has its own order of items: Alarippu, Jatiswaram, Shabdam, Varnam, Padam and Tillana.
- Kuchipudi includes items such as Bhama Kalapam and the Tarangam.
- Kathak includes items such as Thaat, Aamad, Tukda, Paran and Tihai.
💡 Exam tip
The Odissi recital begins with Mangalacharan and ends with Moksha. Questions often ask for either the first or the last item, or for the dance to which these items belong.💬 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.