SSC
The 'Mukteswar Dance Festival' is held at the Mukteswar Temple in:
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Answer: Option D — Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Detailed Solution
The "Mukteswar Dance Festival" is a three-day classical dance festival held every year in January on the premises of the Mukteswar Temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
About the Mukteswar Dance Festival:
- It is organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha.
- It is devoted mainly to "Odissi", the classical dance of Odisha, and features performances by leading Odissi dancers and groups.
- The temple, lit up at night, forms a beautiful backdrop for the performances.
About the Mukteswar Temple:
- It is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, built in the 10th century CE (around 950-975 CE), during the Somavamshi period.
- It is small but very richly carved, and is called the "Gem of Odishan architecture" (or the "jewel of Odisha architecture").
- It marks the transition from the early to the later phase of Odishan temple architecture.
- Its most famous feature is the "torana", a decorated arched gateway in front of the temple, which shows Buddhist influence.
- Its sculptures show ascetics, deities, nagas and scenes from the Panchatantra.
About Bhubaneswar:
- It is called the "Temple City of India", because it once had hundreds of temples around the Bindu Sagar lake.
- Other famous temples: the Lingaraja Temple (11th century, the largest), the Rajarani Temple, the Parasurameswara Temple (one of the oldest, 7th century) and the Brahmeswara Temple.
- Nearby are the Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves (Jain, 1st-2nd century BCE, by King Kharavela) and the Dhauli rock edicts of Ashoka (with the Shanti Stupa).
Other dance festivals in India:
- Konark Dance Festival (December): at the Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha.
- Khajuraho Dance Festival (February): Madhya Pradesh.
- Natyanjali Festival: Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu.
- Mamallapuram Dance Festival: Tamil Nadu.
- Elephanta Festival: Maharashtra.
About Odissi:
- It is one of the eight classical dances of India recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
- Its revival in the 20th century was led by gurus such as Kelucharan Mohapatra, Pankaj Charan Das and Deba Prasad Das.
- Its basic postures are the "chowk" and the "tribhangi".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Puri is famous for the Jagannath Temple and the Rath Yatra.
- ✗Konark hosts the Konark Dance Festival.
- ✗Khajuraho hosts the Khajuraho Dance Festival.
Quick tip
Remember: Mukteswar Dance Festival = Mukteswar Temple, Bhubaneswar (January; Odissi; temple of 10th century with a famous torana, "Gem of Odishan architecture"); Konark Dance Festival = December; Khajuraho Dance Festival = February.
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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.