SSC
The classical text 'Hastalakshana Deepika' is related to which dance?
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Answer: Option D — Kathakali
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Kathakali. Hastalakshana Deepika is a classical text on hand gestures (hastas or mudras) that is followed in the dance traditions of Kerala, especially Kathakali. The author and date of the text are not known with certainty, but it is regarded as the main authority for the gesture language of Kerala's dance and theatre.
The Hastalakshana Deepika describes 24 basic hand gestures (mudras), such as pataka, mudrakhya, kataka, mushti, kartarimukha, shukatunda, kapitha, hamsapaksha, shikhara and hamsasya. These basic gestures can be combined and used with one hand or both hands in many different ways to express almost anything: objects, animals, actions, people, gods, emotions and even grammatical ideas such as tense. In Kathakali, the performers do not speak or sing. The songs are sung by singers at the back of the stage, while the actor-dancers act out every word through mudras and facial expressions. Because of this, the mudras of the Hastalakshana Deepika form a complete sign language, which allows Kathakali to tell long and complex stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. Mohiniyattam, the other classical dance of Kerala, also mainly follows the Hastalakshana Deepika for its hand gestures.
About the other options:
- Bharatanatyam mainly follows the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikeshvara for its hand gestures, which lists 28 single-hand and 24 double-hand gestures.
- Kuchipudi also draws mainly on the Natyashastra and the Abhinaya Darpana.
- Odissi draws on texts such as the Abhinaya Chandrika and the Abhinaya Darpana.
💡 Exam tip
Link the texts with the dances. The Hastalakshana Deepika (24 basic mudras) goes with Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. The Abhinaya Darpana goes with Bharatanatyam. The Natyashastra is the foundation of all classical dances.💬 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.