Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (History, Art & Culture)–October 19th,2020

The Indus Civilisation.
•The Indus Civilization represents the earliest manifestation of urban development in the plains of the Indus valley and its extension along the Arabian sea-coast.
•The four principal settlements so far excavated provide the material to reconstruct the cultural content of the civilization.
•Two lie in Pakistan: Harappa, usually identified with Hariyupiya of the Rigveda, is situated on an old bed (sukbrawa) of the river Ravi in Sahiwal District of Punjab, and Mohenjo-daro (literally ‘mound of the dead’) is on the right bank of the Indus river in Larkana District of Sind.
•The other two sites are in western India; Lothal is situated on the Sabarmati river at the head of the gulf of Cambay on the west coast of India, and Kalibangan (literally ‘black bangles’) lies some 310 km north-west of Delhi along the left bank of the now-dry Ghaggar (old Sarasvati) river in northern Rajasthan.
Source: Poonam Dahiya

The potteries found at the excavation sites can be broadly classified into two kinds – plain pottery and painted pottery.
•The painted pottery is also known as Red and Black pottery as it used red colour to paint the background and glossy black paint was used to draw designs and figures on the red background.
•Trees, birds, animal figures and geometrical patterns were the recurring themes of the paintings.
•Most of the potteries that have been found are very fine wheel-made wares, with a very few being handmade.
•Some examples of polychrome pottery have also been found, though very rare.
Source: NItin Singhania

The abacus and the animal part of the Sarnath pillar forms the official national emblem of India.
•In the abacus of the Sarnath pillar, four animals are shown representing four directions – a galloping horse (west), a bull (east), an elephant (south) and a lion (north).
•The animals seem to follow each other turning the wheel of existence till eternity.
Source: Nitin Singhania

Stupas were burial mounds prevalent in India from the Vedic period.
•It is a conventional representation of a funeral cumulus in which relics and ashes of the dead were kept.
•During the period of Ashoka, the art of stupas reached its climax.
•Almost 84000 stupas were erected during his period.
•Although a Vedic tradition, stupas were popularised by the Buddhists.
Source: NCERT

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, is one of the most illustrious Vaishnav temples in the country, dedicated to Ranganatha, a reclining form of Hindu deity, Bhagwan (God or Lord) Vishnu.
•Situated in an ethereal setting on the island of Srirangam that is bounded by the two rivers of Cauvery and Kollidam (a tributary of Cauvery), this living temple and sacred centre of pilgrimage is counted as the first and foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Bhagwan Vishnu.
Source: CCRT

First discovery of rock paintings in the world was made in India (1867-68) by an Archaeologist, Archibold Carlleyle, and twelve years before the discovery of Altamira in Spain (site of oldest rock paintings in the world).
•In India, remnants of rock paintings have been found on the walls of caves situated in several districts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.
•Some of the examples of sites early rock paintings are Lakhudiyar in Uttarakhand, Kupgallu in Telangana, Piklihal and Tekkalkotta in Karnataka, Bhimbetka and Jogimara in Madhya Pradesh etc.
Source: ASI

: The art of bronze-casting was practised on a wide scale by the Harappans. Their bronze statues were made using the ‘lost wax’ technique in which the wax figures were first covered with a coating of clay and allowed to dry.
•Then the wax was heated and the molten wax was drained out through a tiny hole made in the clay cover.
•The hollow mould thus created was filled with molten metal which took the original shape of the object. Once the metal cooled, the clay cover was completely removed.
•In bronze we find human as well as animal figures, the best example of the former being the statue of a girl popularly titled ‘Dancing Girl’.
•Amongst animal figures in bronze the buffalo with its uplifted head, back and sweeping horns and the goat are of artistic merit.
•Bronze casting was popular at all the major centres of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
•The copper dog and bird of Lothal and the bronze figure of a bull from Kalibangan are in no way inferior to the human figures of copper and bronze from Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
•Metal-casting appears to be a continuous tradition.
Source: Nitin Singhania

Past human cultures used various raw materials found from the natural context, for example, shell species of Turbinella pyrum from the Gulf of Kachchh, agate-carnelian from Khandak near the Harappan site of Surkotada and other locations in Gujarat, lapis lazuli from the Badakshan mines of Afghanistan, high quality steatite from northern Rajasthan, and turquoise from Central Asia.
Source: NCERT

Sattriya originated in Sattra, monastery, as a part of neo-Vaishnavite movement started by Srimanta Sankardev in the 15th Century. He propagated the “ek sharan naama dharma” (chanting the name of one God devotedly).
•“Sattriya dances are devotional in nature as they were intended for propagation of neo-Vaishnavism. Its highlights are intense emotional fervour, and in its solo avatar now dramatic abhinaya is prominent in contrast to nritta, pure dance”.
•Dr. Sunil Kothari was recently bestowed the prestigious Madhabdev Award by the Government of Assam for his work in making Sattriya popular in India and abroad.
•Though long recognised as a traditional dance form, Sattriya was given the status of a classical dance in the year 2000 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
•Highlighting on how it differs from other forms, Kothari says, “In its basic stance for male and female known as Purush Pak and Prakriti Pak, Sattriya dances differ from other dance forms.
•They have special mnemonic bols, typical Assamese music known as Borgeet, musical instruments like large cymbals, drums, colourful costumes which stand out from other dance styles, besides complicated choreographic patterns using various talas for each stanza sung by the vocalist.
•Dance-dramas are distinct living tradition and use vachikabhinaya, dialogues. Special masks are also used in dance-dramas.”
Source: The HINDU

The traditional string puppets of the Rajasthan area known as Kathputli, which derives its name from kath meaning wood and putli meaning doll.
•The puppets are covered in traditionally bright Rajasthani dress. The show is accompanied by a dramatic folk music.
•A unique feature of the puppets is the absence of legs. The strings are attached to the finger of the puppeteer.