RAS question
In Rajasthan's art-culture context, the term Pushtimargiya is most directly associated with which tradition?
Correct answer: (A) Vaishnav worship of Shrinathji at Nathdwara, centred on Krishna's child form.
In Rajasthan's art-culture context, Pushtimargiya refers most directly to the Vaishnav Pushtimarga tradition of Shrinathji worship at Nathdwara, centred on Krishna's child form.
Explanation
The term belongs to the Nathdwara-Shrinathji setting because the Devasthan Department's temple profile identifies Mandir Shri Srinath Ji at Nathdwara as a Krishna temple belonging to the Vaishnava Pushtimarga sect established by Shri Ballabhacharya ji. Nathdwara is the principal seat of the Pushtimarg school, and the temple follows Ashtayam service, in which the deity is served through fixed daily rituals. Rajasthan Tourism's pichwai note adds the art-culture link: pichwais depict Shrinathji as a childhood manifestation of Lord Krishna and are associated with the Nathdwara temple. That makes option A the direct match; the other choices shift the term into Jain, Shaiva or Sufi contexts instead of Vaishnav Pushtimarga worship at Nathdwara.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Dilwara and Ranakpur belong to a Jain temple context, while Pushtimargiya belongs to the Vaishnav Nathdwara-Shrinathji tradition.
- (C) Eklingji is a Shaiva royal-devotional context in Mewar, whereas Pushtimargiya is tied to Vaishnava Pushtimarga worship of Shrinathji.
- (D) Sufi shrine-fair culture is a dargah and urs context, whereas Pushtimargiya concerns Shrinathji temple service and Nathdwara pichwai art.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's religious-art vocabulary: how sectarian traditions, temple practice and visual arts such as pichwai are linked. It recurs in RAS because art-culture questions often ask candidates to map a term to its correct regional religious context.