Part V — Art, Culture & Heritage

Chapter 8: Festivals, Art Forms, Languages & Literature

8.1 Major Festivals

The Kumbh Mela, held at Prayagraj (at the Sangam, once every 12 years, with smaller Ardh Kumbh/Magh Mela editions in between), is the world's largest peaceful religious gathering, drawing tens of millions of pilgrims, and was inscribed by UNESCO as an element of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Dev Deepawali, celebrated in Varanasi on Kartik Purnima with lakhs of lit earthen lamps along the ghats, has grown into a major cultural spectacle. Barsana's Lathmar Holi (Mathura region) is a distinctive Holi tradition in which women playfully strike men with sticks, tied to the Radha-Krishna legend.

8.2 Classical Dance — Kathak

Kathak, one of India's eight recognised classical dance forms, developed and flourished especially under the patronage of the Nawabs of Lucknow, characterised by intricate footwork, spins (chakkars), and expressive storytelling (abhinaya) — a signature UP cultural export recognised nationally and internationally.

8.3 Handicrafts and GI-Tagged Products

Banarasi silk sarees (Varanasi), Bhadohi carpets, Moradabad brassware, Firozabad glass bangles, Lucknow's Chikankari embroidery (a delicate hand-embroidery tradition), and Kannauj's perfume (ittar) industry (Kannauj is sometimes called the "Perfume Capital of India," with a tradition of natural attar-making going back centuries) are all major GI-tagged or nationally recognised handicraft traditions rooted in specific UP cities.

8.4 Languages and Literature

Uttar Pradesh's major regional languages/dialects include Awadhi (the language of the Awadh region, in which Tulsidas composed the Ramcharitmanas), Braj Bhasha (associated with the Mathura-Vrindavan region and a rich tradition of Krishna-devotional poetry), Bhojpuri (spoken in eastern UP, sharing cultural ties with Bihar), and standard Hindi/Khari Boli, which became the basis of modern standard Hindi. Notable literary figures include Tulsidas (author of the Ramcharitmanas, composed largely in Varanasi/Ayodhya), Munshi Premchand (pioneering Hindi-Urdu novelist and short-story writer, born near Varanasi, regarded as one of the greatest writers of modern Hindi literature), and Mirza Ghalib and Harivansh Rai Bachchan among UP's celebrated Urdu and Hindi poets respectively.

8.5 Practice Set — Culture, Festivals & Languages (16 MCQs)

1. The Kumbh Mela, the world's largest peaceful religious gathering, is held at:
   (a) Varanasi (b) Prayagraj, at the Sangam (c) Mathura (d) Ayodhya
2. UNESCO recognised the Kumbh Mela as part of the:
   (a) World Heritage List (Tangible) (b) Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (c) Ramsar Convention (d) Memory of the World Register
3. Dev Deepawali, a festival of lit earthen lamps along the ghats, is celebrated in:
   (a) Mathura (b) Varanasi (c) Ayodhya (d) Lucknow
4. Lathmar Holi, a distinctive Holi tradition tied to the Radha-Krishna legend, is associated with:
   (a) Barsana, in the Mathura region (b) Varanasi (c) Lucknow (d) Kannauj
5. Kathak, a classical dance form, developed and flourished especially under the patronage of:
   (a) The Nawabs of Lucknow (b) The Mughal court at Agra exclusively (c) The Peshwas of Pune (d) The Nizams of Hyderabad
6. Chikankari, a delicate hand-embroidery tradition, is especially associated with:
   (a) Kanpur (b) Lucknow (c) Agra (d) Varanasi
7. Kannauj is sometimes called the "Perfume Capital of India" for its traditional production of:
   (a) Ittar (attar) (b) Chikankari embroidery (c) Brassware (d) Carpets
8. Banarasi silk sarees are a GI-tagged handicraft tradition associated with:
   (a) Lucknow (b) Kanpur (c) Varanasi (d) Agra
9. Tulsidas composed the Ramcharitmanas primarily in which language?
   (a) Sanskrit (b) Awadhi (c) Braj Bhasha (d) Bhojpuri
10. Braj Bhasha, associated with a rich tradition of Krishna-devotional poetry, is linked to which region?
    (a) Mathura-Vrindavan (b) Varanasi-Ayodhya (c) Bundelkhand (d) The Terai belt
11. Munshi Premchand, a pioneering Hindi-Urdu novelist, was born near:
    (a) Lucknow (b) Varanasi (c) Kanpur (d) Agra
12. Which UP dialect/language became the basis of modern standard Hindi?
    (a) Awadhi (b) Khari Boli (Hindi) (c) Braj Bhasha (d) Bhojpuri
13. Bhojpuri, spoken in eastern UP, shares significant cultural ties with which neighbouring state?
    (a) Madhya Pradesh (b) Bihar (c) Rajasthan (d) Haryana
14. Harivansh Rai Bachchan, a celebrated Hindi poet from UP, is well known for the poetic work:
    (a) Madhushala (b) Kamayani (c) Godaan (d) Ramcharitmanas
15. Moradabad's traditional handicraft industry, tied to a GI recognition, centres on:
    (a) Silk weaving (b) Brassware (c) Glass bangles (d) Carpets
16. Firozabad's GI-recognised handicraft tradition centres on:
    (a) Glass bangles (b) Brassware (c) Chikankari embroidery (d) Perfume-making

Answer Key

1.(b)

2.(b)

3.(b)

4.(a)

5.(a)

6.(b)

7.(a)

8.(c)

9.(b)

10.(a)

11.(b)

12.(b)

13.(b)

14.(a)

15.(b) 16.(a)