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Predicted Questions with Model Answers
Q1 (5 marks — 50 words)
Write a note on the Kalbelia dance and its UNESCO recognition.
Model Answer (EN): Kalbelia dance was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. Performed exclusively by women of the Kalbelia (snake-charmer) community in Pali, Ajmer, and Chittorgarh districts, it features serpentine body movements, quick spins, and acrobatic poses mimicking the cobra's movement. The costume — a black embroidered ghagra with mirror work — is distinctive. Gulabo Sapera is the most internationally known Kalbelia exponent.
Q2 (5 marks — 50 words)
Describe the Langha and Manganiar communities as hereditary professional musicians of Rajasthan.
Model Answer (EN): The Langha and Manganiar communities of western Rajasthan (Barmer, Jaisalmer) are hereditary professional musicians patronised by Rajput and Muslim landowners for 400+ years. Langhas are Muslim musicians serving Sindhi-Sipahi Rajput patrons, playing Sarangi and Khartal. Manganiars serve both Hindu and Muslim patrons, playing Kamayacha (12-stringed spike lute) and Morchang. Both communities transmitted their repertoire orally through the Baithak tradition; post-1947 land reforms eroded the traditional patronage system.
Q3 (5 marks — 50 words)
What are the five Lok Devta epic traditions of Rajasthan? Name the performing community and instrument for each.
Model Answer (EN): Rajasthan has five active Lok Devta (folk deity) oral epic traditions: (1) Pabuji — Bhopa community, Ravanhatha instrument; (2) Devnarayan — Bhopa-Bhopi pairs, Jantar (Ravanhatha variant), with Phad scroll; (3) Ramdevji — Kamad community, Dholak; (4) Gogaji — Joginath community, Been (serpent flute); and (5) Tejaji — Bhanabani Gurjar community, Sarangi. The Devnarayan epic (UNESCO ICH 2013) is one of the world's longest oral folk epics in active performance tradition at over one million words.
Q4 (5 marks — 50 words)
Write a note on Maand as Rajasthan's classical-folk raga tradition.
Model Answer (EN): Maand is Rajasthan's distinctive classical-folk raga, combining elements of Kafi and Yaman ragas with regional melodic ornamentation (meend, gamak). Associated primarily with Jaipur and Bikaner, it is sung predominantly by women of the Langa and professional court-singer traditions. "Kesariya Balam" (Come, O saffron-hued beloved) is the most iconic Maand composition and functions as Rajasthan's informal cultural anthem, popularised internationally by singer Allah Jilai Bai of Bikaner.
Q5 (10 marks — 150 words)
Discuss the folk dance traditions of Rajasthan, highlighting their social context, performing communities, and distinctive features. Which dance forms have received UNESCO recognition?
Model Answer (EN): Rajasthan's folk dance traditions are among the richest in India, spanning community-specific ritual dances, professional performance traditions, and seasonal celebrations — each embedded in a distinct social context.
Ghoomar — designated Rajasthan's State Dance (2023) — is performed by women of all castes on auspicious occasions. Its defining movement is the ghumna (twirling pirouette) executed while manipulating the odhni (veil). The dance originated in Bhil tribal communities before being adopted by Rajput royal courts. It requires no professional training, making it the most democratic folk dance tradition.
Kalbelia (UNESCO ICH 2010) is performed exclusively by Kalbelia community women, whose snake-charmer ancestry informs the serpentine body movements, rapid spins, and acrobatic poses. Performed to Pungi and Dholak accompaniment, with a distinctive black ghagra embroidered with mirror work. Gulabo Sapera has internationalised this tradition.
Terahtali is performed by Kamad community women (Nagaur, Pali) seated on the ground, with 13 brass manjiras (cymbals) tied to the body — 9 on the right knee, 2 on the left, 1 on each hand — while singing Ramdev devotional songs. The complex rhythmic coordination makes it technically the most demanding of Rajasthan's folk dances.
Chari dance of the Gujjar community (Kishangarh, Ajmer) involves balancing lit clay pots on the head — a test of physical discipline and cultural identity.
Gair (Bhil tribal, Banswara-Dungarpur) — a group stick-and-circle dance performed during Holi — has been submitted for UNESCO ICH nomination and was featured at the Tribes Art Fest 2026.
Q6 (10 marks — 150 words)
Examine the oral epic tradition of Rajasthan, focusing on the Devnarayan Phad. What makes it significant in world oral literature?
Model Answer (EN): Rajasthan's oral epic tradition is one of the most complex and sustained in the world, encompassing five major Lok Devta (folk deity) narratives — Pabuji, Devnarayan, Ramdevji, Gogaji, and Tejaji — each preserved by a dedicated performing community across centuries of continuous oral transmission.
The Devnarayan epic stands apart in global significance: at over one million words, it is one of the world's longest oral folk epics in active performance tradition — surpassing Homer's Odyssey (12,000 lines), the Mahabharata (100,000 shlokas), and the Tibetan Epic of Gesar (60+ volumes) in raw word count. Its UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription (2013) recognised both its extraordinary length and the unique performance format: the Bhopa-Bhopi pair unrolls a 30-feet Phad (scroll painting) at night by lamplight while the male Bhopa plays the Jantar (a variant of the Ravanhatha) and narrates the epic in a continuous performance lasting multiple nights.
The Phad itself is a distinct art form — painted by the Joshi community in Bhilwara using vegetable dyes, each scroll takes months to complete and functions as a visual accompaniment to the recitation. Each panel of the Phad corresponds to a specific episode in the epic narrative, providing a simultaneous visual-oral performance.
The tradition faces critical endangerment: younger generations of Bhopa families are abandoning the tradition for wage labour. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has initiated documentation drives, and the RISA brand (2026) has created commercial incentives for Phad production. However, the performance tradition — which requires both the visual Phad and the oral narration — remains at risk of fragmentation.