SSC
'Man Kutuhal', a work on music that helped develop the dhrupad style, was compiled under the patronage of:
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Answer: Option C — Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior
Detailed Solution
"Man Kutuhal" (Manakutuhala), a work on music, was compiled under the patronage of Raja Man Singh Tomar, the ruler of Gwalior (1486-1516).
About Raja Man Singh Tomar:
- He was a ruler of the Tomar dynasty of Gwalior.
- He was a great patron of music, architecture and the arts.
- He built the beautiful Man Mandir Palace in the Gwalior Fort, decorated with coloured tiles showing animals, birds and plants.
- He also built the Gujari Mahal for his favourite queen, Mrignayani, a Gujar woman; it now houses a museum.
- He resisted the attacks of the Lodi Sultans of Delhi.
His contribution to music:
- He was a great patron of dhrupad, a form of Hindustani classical vocal music.
- He gathered the leading musicians of his time at his court, and had them develop and standardise the dhrupad style.
- Dhrupad compositions were composed in the local language (Braj and Gwalior dialects) rather than Sanskrit, which made them more accessible.
About Man Kutuhal:
- It was compiled by the musicians of his court, at his direction, around the late 15th or early 16th century.
- It discussed ragas, dhrupad compositions and other musical forms.
- The original text is lost, but a Persian translation and adaptation, called "Rag Darpan", was made by Faqirullah (Saif Khan) in 1666, during the reign of Aurangzeb.
Gwalior and music:
- Gwalior became an important centre of Hindustani music.
- The tomb of the Sufi saint Muhammad Ghaus and the tomb of Tansen are at Gwalior.
- The Gwalior gharana is regarded as one of the oldest khayal gharanas.
- The annual Tansen Sangeet Samaroh is held at Gwalior.
About Gwalior Fort:
- It is one of the strongest forts in India, built on a hill.
- It contains the Man Mandir Palace, the Teli ka Mandir, the Saas-Bahu temples, and Jain rock-cut sculptures.
- It also has one of the earliest inscriptions showing the use of zero (at the Chaturbhuj temple, 9th century).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Raja Man Singh I of Amber was Akbar's general.
- ✗Rana Kumbha and Ibrahim Adil Shah II were other patrons of music.
Quick tip
Remember: Man Kutuhal = compiled under Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior (dhrupad; Man Mandir Palace; Gujari Mahal for Mrignayani); Persian version = Rag Darpan (Faqirullah, 1666).
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Music & Musical Instruments — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Music & Musical Instruments, 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.
This topic covers Indian classical music, its two main traditions (Hindustani and Carnatic), gharanas, ragas and talas, folk music styles, and the musical instruments of India along with the artists who are famous for playing them. It also includes the four classes of instruments: string (tata), wind (sushira), percussion (avanaddha) and solid (ghana). Exam questions usually pair an instrument with its maestro, such as the sitar with Pandit Ravi Shankar, the shehnai with Ustad Bismillah Khan or the santoor with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. Other common questions ask about the origin of a gharana, the instrument a folk style uses, or the class an instrument belongs to. Making a two-column list of instruments and artists is the quickest way to revise. Practise the music and musical instruments 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.