Railway
The traditional art of decorating the floor in front of the house with rice flour, especially in Tamil Nadu, is called:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — Kolam
Detailed Solution
Kolam is a traditional form of floor art from Tamil Nadu (and also popular in parts of Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh). Women draw kolams early every morning on the ground in front of the main door of the house, after cleaning the space and sprinkling it with water or cow-dung water.
Features of kolam:
It is traditionally drawn with white rice flour (rice powder), which also serves as food for ants, birds and small creatures; this is seen as an act of kindness to all living beings.
Many kolams are drawn by first placing a grid of dots (pulli) and then drawing lines around or through them to form symmetric geometric patterns, loops, flowers and creepers. The "sikku kolam" is a continuous line that weaves around the dots.
Kolams are believed to welcome Goddess Lakshmi into the home and to keep away evil.
During the harvest festival of Pongal and in the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January), women create especially large and colourful kolams, and kolam competitions are held.
Similar floor and wall art traditions are found all over India, with different names:
- Rangoli: the general term, used in Maharashtra, Gujarat and elsewhere.
- Alpana: Bengal, made with rice paste.
- Mandana: Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, drawn on walls and floors with chalk on a base of red clay.
- Aipan: Uttarakhand (Kumaon), made with red ochre and rice paste.
- Muggu: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Aripana: Bihar (Mithila).
- Chowkpurana: Uttar Pradesh.
- Mathematicians have studied the patterns of kolams because of their links with geometry, symmetry and computer science.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Mandana is the floor and wall art of Rajasthan.
- ✗Aipan is the floor art of Uttarakhand.
- ✗Alpana is the floor art of Bengal.
Quick tip
Remember: Kolam = Tamil Nadu (rice flour, dots), Alpana = Bengal, Mandana = Rajasthan, Aipan = Uttarakhand, Muggu = Andhra, Aripana = Bihar.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes Questions
View all ›- Q1.Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil and Nandalal Bose are famous Indian:
- Q2.The 'Mysore Peta', an important part of traditional attire in Karnataka, is worn on the:
- Q3.Pattachitra painting is a traditional art form of which state?
- Q4.Warli painting is a tribal folk art of which state?
- Q5.Phad paintings, a form of scroll painting depicting folk deities such as Pabuji and Devnarayan, are famous in:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes, 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 India's traditional painting styles (such as Madhubani, Warli, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Gond and Tanjore), handicrafts and textiles, traditional dresses, and the major tribes of each state and their customs. It also includes Geographical Indication (GI) tags given to crafts and products. Questions usually ask which state a painting or craft belongs to, which tribe lives in a region, or what a traditional dress is called. Warli belongs to Maharashtra, Madhubani to Bihar, Pattachitra to Odisha and West Bengal, and Gond art to Madhya Pradesh. Grouping tribes by state, and noting the largest tribe of key states (such as the Bhils and the Santhals), helps with elimination. Practise the paintings, crafts and tribes 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.