SSC
Which classical dance features elaborately painted faces, large skirts, heavy jackets, lots of jewellery and tall headdresses?
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Answer: Option D — Kathakali
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Kathakali. Kathakali is the classical dance-drama of Kerala, and it is famous throughout the world for its spectacular costumes and make-up. The book from which this question is taken describes the faces as "painted masks", but strictly speaking, Kathakali dancers do not wear masks. Instead, their faces are painted so thickly and elaborately that they look like masks.
The make-up and costume of Kathakali, called the vesham, can take several hours to put on. The colours of the face paint follow a strict code that tells the audience what type of character is being shown. Pacha (green) is used for noble heroes, gods and kings, such as Krishna, Rama and Arjuna. Kathi (knife) shows arrogant or evil characters with a green face marked with red, such as Ravana and Duryodhana. Thadi (beard) is used for characters such as Hanuman (white beard) and wicked or demonic characters (red or black beard). Kari (black) is used for forest dwellers and demonesses, and Minukku (radiant) is used for women and sages. A white paper frame called the chutti is built around the face. The dancers also wear huge, wide skirts, heavy jackets, ornaments and tall, decorated headdresses (kireedam). To make the eyes red and expressive, the performers place a seed called the chundapoovu in their eyes.
About the other options:
- Mohiniyattam, also from Kerala, is a graceful solo dance performed by women in a simple white and gold saree, with light make-up.
- Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh uses costumes similar to those of Bharatanatyam.
- Odissi of Odisha uses a sari costume with silver jewellery and a headdress called the tahia.
💡 Exam tip
Kathakali questions often focus on its make-up and colour code, its literary texts (attakathas), its percussion instruments (chenda and maddalam), and its origin from Ramanattam and Krishnanattam.💬 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.