Other Aspects of Indian Culture

Out of the four sites listed, two were included in the World Heritage List (WHS) in 2023: Shantiniketan and Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas. While Rani-ki-Vav was added to the WHS list in 2014 and the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya in 2002.

* Shantiniketan: It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore's father, Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, in 1863 as a spiritual retreat. Shantiniketan was further expanded by Rabindranath Tagore into Visva-Bharati University in 1921, emphasizing the fusion of traditional Indian and modern Western education.

* Rani ki Vav: It was built in the 11th century CE by Queen Udayamati of the Solanki dynasty in Patan, Gujarat, as a memorial to her husband, King Bhimdev I. It is an exceptional example of stepwell design.

* Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas: These were built during the 12th-13th centuries CE under the patronage of the Hoysala dynasty, centered in Karnataka. Hoysala temples are characterized by star-shaped platforms (jagatis). Some of the renowned temples are Chennakeshava Temple (Belur), Hoysaleswara Temple (Halebidu), and Keshava Temple (Somanathapura).

* Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya: It was built during the reign of Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE at the site where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

Chhau dance - Chhau is a traditional Indian dance-drama form originating from eastern India, primarily in Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. It has three styles: Seraikella Chhau (Jharkhand), Mayurbhanj Chhau (Odisha) and Purulia Chhau (West Bengal). Chhau dance got inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the year 2010.


_Please Note: Chhau is basically a mask dance. However, Mayurbhanj Chhau is the only one which is performed without a mask._

Durga Puja (West Bengal) - It is an annual Hindu festival particularly significant in West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, and other parts of India. Durga Puja was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the year 2021.

Garba Dance (Gujarat) - has been inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity by UNESCO, under the provisions of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage during the 18th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage from 5th -9th December 2023 in Kasane, Botswana.

Kumbh Mela - Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu pilgrimage and festival celebrated at four sites: Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and Nashik (Maharashtra). The Kumbh Mela was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the year 2017.

National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.

* Pair 1 is correctly matched: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance over the previous four years.

* Pair 2 is not correctly matched: Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games is given for good performance over the previous four years and showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.

* Pair 3 is correctly matched: Dronacharya Award is given to coaches for doing outstanding and meritorious work consistently and enabling sportspersons to excel in International events.

* Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games is given to honour sportspersons who have contributed to sports through their performance and continue to contribute to the promotion of sports events after their retirement.

* Pair 4 is not correctly matched: Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is given to corporate entities (both in the private and public sector), sports control boards, and NGOs including sports bodies at the state and national level who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

Statement 1 is correct: It was India's first time hosting the Chess Olympiad (held near Chennai/Mamallapuram, 28 July–9 August 2022). Supporting facts: first-ever Olympiad torch relay across multiple Indian cities; record participation with close to 190 teams in Open and over 160 in Women's; as host, India fielded multiple teams in each section.

Statement 2 is correct: The official mascot was 'Thambi' (Tamil for "younger brother"). Supporting facts: chosen to reflect Tamil Nadu's culture and hospitality; widely used in event branding, promotions, and public outreach.

Statement 3 is not correct: The Open section winners receive the Hamilton–Russell Cup, not the Vera Menchik Cup. Clarification: Hamilton–Russell Cup is the historic team trophy of the Open section (perpetual trophy retained by the winning federation until the next Olympiad).

Statement 4 is not correct: The Women's section winners receive the Vera Menchik Cup, not the Hamilton–Russell Cup. Clarification: the trophy honours Vera Menchik, the first Women's World Chess Champion; awarded to the Women's section winners.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The national awards such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri do not amount to titles within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Padma awards were instituted in the year 1954 and have been suspended in years 1978, 1979, 1993, and 1997.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Although there is a general guideline to limit the Bharat Ratna to three recipients per year, this rule has been exceeded twice: In 1999, four awards were conferred (Jayaprakash Narayan, Amartya Sen, Gopinath Bordoloi, and Ravi Shankar) and in 2024, Five awards were conferred (M.S. Swaminathan, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Karpoori Thakur, and L.K. Advani).

Statement 1 is Correct: The Laureus World Sports Awards were first presented in the year 2000 in Monte Carlo. American golfer Tiger Woods was the inaugural winner of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: The award has been dominated by tennis players rather than Formula One players. By the time of the 2021 UPSC examination, tennis players had won the Sportsman of the Year award 11 times (Roger Federer-5, Rafael Nadal-2, and Novak Djokovic-4), while Formula One drivers had won it only 4 times (Michael Schumacher-2, Sebastian Vettel-1, and Lewis Hamilton-1).

Statement 3 is Correct: Roger Federer holds the record for the most wins in the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year category, having won it five times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2018). When including his 'Comeback of the Year' award in 2018, he has a total of six Laureus statuettes, making him the most decorated individual in the history of the awards at that time.

Statement 1 is Incorrect: The finalists for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (2019-2021) were decided based on the Percentage of Points (PCT) earned from the total points contested, rather than the absolute number of matches won. This system was introduced by the ICC to account for the disparity in the number of matches played by different teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because they had a higher PCT (70.0%) compared to England (64.1%). In terms of match wins, England actually won more matches (11) than New Zealand (7) during the tournament cycle, directly contradicting the statement.

Pair 1 is correct: Chapchar Kut is a harvest festival celebrated in Mizoram.

Pair 2 is correct: Khongjom Parba is a ballad commemorating the Battle of Khongjom, which took place in Manipur.

Pair 3 is incorrect: Thang-Ta is a martial art form that originated in Manipur, not Sikkim.

So, only options 1 and 2 are correct.

Pair 1 is correct: Chalio / Chaliho also called Chaliho Sahib is a forty-day-long festival celebrated by Hindu Sindhi community.

Pair 2 is incorrect: Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra - While the Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra is a festival celebrated in Uttarakhand, it's not primarily associated with the Gond community. The Gonds are an indigenous tribe spread across central India.

Pair 3 is incorrect: Wari-Warkari - The Wari-Warkari tradition and pilgrimage are associated with the Marathi community of Maharashtra, particularly devotees of the Hindu god Vitthal. The Santhals are an indigenous tribe inhabiting parts of eastern India.

Kalaripayattu is an ancient Indian martial art that originated in Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. It's considered one of the oldest and most scientific martial arts in the world, with a rich history and tradition.

In a leap year, Chaitra has 31 days and Chaitra 1 coincides with March 21. In a normal year Chairta 1 coincides with March 22.

The Saka era calendar, also known as the Shaka calendar or the Indian national calendar, is a solar calendar used alongside the Gregorian calendar in India. It is based on the Saka era, believed to have begun in 78 CE.

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Limbu, the second most numerous tribe of the indigenous people called Kiranti, live in Nepal, on the easternmost section of the Himalayas east of the Arun River, and in northern India, mostly in the states of Sikkim, West Bengal, and Assam.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Karbi people live in Assam and Meghalaya, not Himachal Pradesh.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: The Dongaria Kondh tribe is indigenous to Odisha.

Pair 4 is incorrectly matched: The Bonda tribe resides in the Malkangiri district of Odisha, not Tamil Nadu.