Consider the following pairs:
| Traditions | Communities | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chaliha Sahib Festival | Sindhis |
| 2. | Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra | Gonds |
| 3. | Wari-Warkari | Santhals |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
Only pair 1 is correct: Chaliha Sahib is a 40-day festival of the Sindhis. Nanda Raj Jaat is a pilgrimage in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district and the Wari is a pilgrimage of Maharashtra, so neither belongs to the Gonds or the Santhals.
- ✓ 1. Chaliha Sahib is a 40-day period of austerity and prayers that Sindhis observe for Bhagwan Jhulelal Saeen, the god of water.
- ✗ 2. The Nanda Devi Raj Jat (Nanda Raj Jaat) is a pilgrimage of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, held once in 12 years, in which Goddess Nanda's palanquin is carried towards the Himalayas. It is not a Gond tradition.
- ✗ 3. The Wari, the regular annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur, is described by NCERT as an 800-year-old tradition in Maharashtra. It has no link with the Santhals.
Remember · Chaliha Sahib: Sindhis (40 days, Jhulelal). Nanda Raj Jat: Uttarakhand, every 12 years. Wari-Warkari: Maharashtra, Pandharpur.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 8 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 8 “Pandharpur wari, an 800-year-old tradition in Maharashtra. Wari means a pilgrimage that is held regularly, in this case annually.”
- Free Press Journal: Sindhi community observes 40-day Chaliha Sahib festival ↗ · reference work “Sindhi speakers across the world are celebrating 'Chaliha Sahib', a 40-day-long period of austerity and prayers dedicated to their foremost deity, Bhagwan Jhulelal Saeen, the god of water.”
- Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (Government of Uttarakhand): Nanda Devi Raj Jat ↗ “In Chamoli Nanda Devi Raj Jaat is organized once in 12 years. The Jaat starts from Nauti village near Karnprayag and goes up to the heights of Roopkund and Homekund with a four horned sheep.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·