Festivals, UNESCO heritage & miscellany

Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

Sankirtana, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, is the ritual singing, drumming and dancing of the Vaishnava people of the Manipur plains. Performers tell the life and deeds of Krishna through song and dance, and drums are central to it, so cymbals are not the only instruments.

• ✓ 1. It combines singing and dancing, performed in a temple hall or courtyard with devotees seated around the performers.
• ✗ 2. UNESCO describes a typical performance as two drummers with about ten singer-dancers, and its very title reads 'singing, drumming and dancing'; so drums are as central as cymbals.
• ✓ 3. UNESCO describes performers narrating the lives and deeds of Krishna through song and dance.

Remember · Sankirtana (Manipur): Vaishnava ritual singing, drumming and dancing that narrates Krishna's life; on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2013.

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). Permalink · Report an error

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)

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). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (a) 1 only

Only Arasavalli, near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, is famous for a Sun temple. Amarkantak is known as the source of the Narmada, and Omkareshwar is a Shiva shrine with a Jyotirlinga.

• ✓ 1. Arasavalli has the Suryanarayana Swamy temple, one of the few ancient Sun God temples in India. Its Ratha Saptami festival honours the Sun.
• ✗ 2. Amarkantak is a plateau in Madhya Pradesh where the Narmada and the Son rise. It is a pilgrimage centre, not a Sun-temple site.
• ✗ 3. Omkareshwar, on an island in the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, is a Shaiva site with one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

Remember · Arasavalli (Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh) has a famous Sun temple. Amarkantak is the source of the Narmada; Omkareshwar is a Jyotirlinga shrine of Shiva.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)

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). Permalink · Report an error