SSC
The Tillana style (item) is associated with which classical dance?
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Answer: Option D — Bharatanatyam
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Bharatanatyam. The Tillana is traditionally the last major item of a Bharatanatyam recital (margam), before the closing Mangalam. It is a lively, joyful and fast-paced piece of pure dance (nritta) that brings the recital to an exciting close.
The Tillana is set to a musical composition of the same name, which is a form of Carnatic music. The composition is made up mainly of rhythmic syllables, such as "dhim", "ta", "na" and "dheem", with a short section of meaningful lyrics, called the sahityam, which is usually a verse in praise of a deity or a short expression of love or devotion. The dancer performs complex footwork, graceful movements and sculptural poses, called karanas, in time with the music, and the rhythm becomes faster and more intricate as the piece goes on. The short sahityam section allows the dancer to show some expression (abhinaya) before returning to the rhythmic dance. The Tillana is similar in spirit to the Tarana of Hindustani music, which also uses rhythmic syllables rather than words. Famous composers of Tillanas include Swathi Thirunal, the Tanjore Quartet, Patnam Subramania Iyer and Lalgudi Jayaraman.
The order of a traditional Bharatanatyam recital, organised by the Tanjore Quartet in the 19th century, is usually: Alarippu, Jatiswaram, Shabdam, Varnam, Padam (and Javali), Tillana and Mangalam. The recital moves from pure dance at the start, through expression in the middle, and back to pure dance at the end.
About the other options:
- Kathakali has its own terms, such as Kelikottu, Purappadu and Kalasam.
- Sattriya has its own dance types, such as Chali, Jhumura and Nadu Bhangi.
- Manipuri is structured around the Ras Leela, Sankirtana and Cholom dances.
- None of these uses the Tillana.
💡 Exam tip
Tillana is the final item of a Bharatanatyam recital. Alarippu is the first, and Varnam is the central and most demanding item. Odissi's final item, which plays a similar role, is called Moksha.💬 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.