Railway
Nat Puja, Bihu and Chongli are folk dances of which state?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — Assam
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Assam. Bihu, Nat Puja and Chongli are listed in exam books among the folk dances of Assam, a state with a very rich and diverse tradition of folk performing arts, linked with its many communities, festivals and religious traditions.
Bihu is the most popular folk dance of Assam. It is performed during the Bihu festivals, especially Rongali Bihu (also called Bohag Bihu), which is celebrated in mid-April and marks the Assamese new year and the arrival of spring. Young men and women perform the dance in groups, with brisk steps, rapid hand movements and swaying of the hips, to the beat of the dhol (drum), the pepa (a hornpipe made from buffalo horn), the gogona (a bamboo jaw harp), the taal (cymbals) and the toka (a split bamboo clapper). The women wear the traditional mekhela chador, often made of muga silk, and the men wear dhotis and the gamosa (a white cotton cloth with red borders). The songs, called Bihu geet, are about love, youth, nature and the joys of spring. Nat Puja is a ritual dance performed as part of worship, and Chongli is another folk dance listed among the traditional dances of the state.
Assam's other performing arts include Sattriya (its classical dance), Bagurumba (the butterfly dance of the Bodo community), Jhumur (the dance of the tea garden communities), Deodhani (a dance in honour of the snake goddess Manasa), Ojapali (a narrative art form), Bhortal (a cymbal dance of Barpeta), Ankiya Nat (the one-act plays of Sankaradeva) and Ali-Ai-Ligang (a festival of the Mising community).
About the other options:
- West Bengal is known for Purulia Chhau, Gambhira and Dhunuchi Naach.
- Odisha is known for Odissi, Gotipua and Dalkhai.
- Manipur is known for the classical Manipuri dance, Lai Haraoba and Thang-Ta.
- None of these states is associated with Bihu.
💡 Exam tip
If a question lists Bihu along with other dances, the answer is almost certainly Assam. Remember the three Bihu festivals: Rongali (Bohag) Bihu in April, Kongali (Kati) Bihu in October and Bhogali (Magh) Bihu in January.💬 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.