RAS question
The 'Ginan' singing tradition is practiced in:
Correct answer: (A) Ismaili Khoja Muslim community of Rajasthan.
The Ginan singing tradition is practised by the Ismaili Khoja Muslim community of Rajasthan.
Explanation
Ginan is a devotional singing tradition associated with the Ismaili Khoja community. The Institute of Ismaili Studies explains ginan as a word meaning knowledge, and more specifically as a poetic composition in Indian languages such as Sindhi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi or Multani. These compositions are linked to the Pirs of the Khoja Ismaili tradition, who founded and led the community between the 13th and 19th centuries. These hymns carry spiritual teachings and are sung in Jamat Khanas. That is why the correct location is not a generic temple or monastery setting, but the Ismaili Khoja Muslim community, making the tradition part of Rajasthan's wider religious and cultural mosaic.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Jain temples are wrong because ginan is identified with the Khoja Ismaili tradition, not with Jain ritual or temple practice.
- (C) Hindu temples are wrong because the tradition in the question is specifically Ismaili Khoja devotional singing, even though its compositions may use Indian languages.
- (D) Buddhist monasteries are wrong because ginan is placed in Jamat Khanas of the Ismaili Khoja community, not in a Buddhist monastic setting.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's living folk and devotional traditions, especially minority community practices beyond the better-known temple and courtly arts. RAS repeats such areas because they show the state's cultural diversity through specific communities, performance forms and worship spaces.