SSC
The Khajuraho Dance Festival was started by the Government of India in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad in the year:
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Answer: Option B — 1975
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is 1975. The Khajuraho Dance Festival was instituted in 1975. It is now organised every year by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad (under the Department of Culture of the Government of Madhya Pradesh), and it is held for about a week in February at Khajuraho in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
The festival is held in the open air, with the famous Khajuraho temples as the backdrop, usually in front of the Kandariya Mahadeva temple or the Chitragupta temple. Leading classical dancers of India perform Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali and Sattriya, and the event also features exhibitions of art and crafts. The Khajuraho temples were built between about 950 and 1050 CE by the Chandela dynasty. Of the original 85 temples, about 25 survive today. They are known for their nagara-style architecture and their detailed sculptures, which show gods, goddesses, celestial dancers (apsaras), musicians, warriors and scenes of everyday and courtly life. The Khajuraho group of monuments was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
About the other options:
1965, 1985 and 1995 are not linked with the founding of the Khajuraho Dance Festival.
The Konark Dance Festival in Odisha is held every year from 1 to 5 December near the Sun Temple of Konark. The Mamallapuram Dance Festival of Tamil Nadu, held in December and January, and the Natyanjali Festival at Chidambaram, held around Mahashivratri, are other well-known dance festivals held in temple settings.
💡 Exam tip
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is asked in two ways: the year it was instituted (1975) and the organisation that runs it (the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad). Also remember the Chandela dynasty as the builders of the Khajuraho temples, and 1986 as the year they became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.💬 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.