SSC
The type of abhinaya that deals with the use of costumes, jewellery and facial make-up is called:
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Answer: Option C — Aharya Abhinaya
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Aharya Abhinaya. Abhinaya is the art of expression in Indian classical dance and drama. The word comes from Sanskrit and means "carrying towards", because the performer carries the meaning of the story to the audience. The Natyashastra of Bharata Muni describes four types of abhinaya, and every classical dance form uses all four.
Aharya Abhinaya is expression through external decoration, which includes the costume, jewellery, make-up, hairstyle, props and even the stage setting. In Kathakali, for example, the elaborate green, red, black and white face make-up immediately tells the audience whether a character is noble, evil, a demon or a woman or sage. In Bharatanatyam and Odissi, the specific style of costume, jewellery and hair decoration identifies the dance form and the character being shown. Good aharya helps the audience understand who the characters are even before the performer begins to move.
About the other options:
Angika Abhinaya is expression through the body: movements of the head, eyes, hands (mudras), feet and the whole body. It is the most visible part of dance.
Vachika Abhinaya is expression through speech, song, recitation and rhythm. In dance, it usually includes the lyrics of the song being performed.
Sattvika Abhinaya is the expression of inner emotional states, such as tears, trembling, sweating or a change in skin colour, which come from the performer's deep involvement in the emotion. It is considered the most refined and difficult type of abhinaya.
💡 Exam tip
Use this memory aid for the four abhinayas: Angika means body (anga), Vachika means speech (vak), Aharya means costume and make-up, and Sattvika means inner emotion. Questions usually describe one of these and ask you to name it.💬 Discussions on this question
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Ask a doubtMore Indian Dance Forms Questions
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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.