SSC
The Lucknow gharana of Kathak was founded by:
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Answer: Option C — Ishwari Prasad
Detailed Solution
Explanation
According to tradition, the Lucknow gharana of Kathak traces its origin to Ishwari Prasad, a kathakar (storyteller-dancer) from the village of Handia, near Allahabad (Prayagraj), in Uttar Pradesh. The great Kathak dancers of the Lucknow gharana, including Pandit Birju Maharaj, are regarded as his descendants.
According to a popular legend, Lord Krishna appeared to Ishwari Prasad in a dream and asked him to revive the art of dance, and he then taught it to his sons and passed on the tradition. Over several generations, his descendants moved to Lucknow, where they found the patronage of the Nawabs of Awadh. The gharana flourished especially in the 19th century, at the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, under masters such as Thakur Prasad and the brothers Kalka Prasad and Bindadin Maharaj, who are regarded as the founders of the modern Lucknow gharana. Bindadin Maharaj is also famous for composing many thumris. The next generation included Kalka Prasad's sons, Achhan Maharaj, Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj, and Achhan Maharaj's son was Pandit Birju Maharaj.
The Lucknow gharana is known for its grace, elegance and delicacy, and for the importance it gives to abhinaya (expression), especially the interpretation of thumris. In contrast, the Jaipur gharana is known for its powerful footwork and rhythmic complexity.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bhanu Ji is regarded as the founder of the Jaipur gharana of Kathak.
- ✗Janaki Prasad is regarded as the founder of the Banaras gharana of Kathak.
- ✗Raja Chakradhar Singh, the ruler of Raigarh, was the patron who established the Raigarh gharana.
💡 Exam tip
Learn the founders of the Kathak gharanas: Lucknow (Ishwari Prasad), Jaipur (Bhanu Ji), Banaras (Janaki Prasad) and Raigarh (Raja Chakradhar Singh, as patron).💬 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.