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With reference to Manipuri Sankirtana, consider the following statements : 1. It is a song and dance performance. 2. Cymbals are the only musical instruments used in the performance. 3. It is performed to narrate the life and deeds of Lord Krishna. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Explanation
The correct answer is option B (statements 1 and 3 only).
Manipuri Sankirtana is a performing art form involving ritual singing, drumming and dancing performed in temples and domestic spaces in Manipur[1], confirming that statement 1 is correct as it combines both song and dance.
Statement 2 is incorrect because cymbals are not the only instruments used. Instruments used in Manipuri dance performances include the pung (barrel drum), pena (bowed string instrument), kartal (small cymbals), and flute[2]. Other common instruments are the harmonium, pena, bansuri, shankh (conch), and esraj[3]. Thus, multiple instruments accompany the performance, not just cymbals.
Statement 3 is correct as Sankirtana practices centre on the temple, where performers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through song and dance[4]. The performances are specifically dedicated to depicting stories of Lord Krishna.
Therefore, only statements 1 and 3 are correct, making option B the right answer.
Sources- [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meitei_Sankirtana
- [2] https://www.britannica.com/art/manipuri
- [4] https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sankirtana-ritual-singing-drumming-and-dancing-of-manipur-00843
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis question is a classic 'UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage' pick. While Sankirtana was inscribed in 2013, UPSC cycles through this list frequently. The phrasing is lifted directly from the UNESCO citation ('Ritual singing, drumming and dancing'). If you memorize the UNESCO list, you must read the 3-line official description for each entry.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Explicitly describes Meitei/Manipuri Sankirtana as a performing art that involves multiple performance modes together.
- Specifically lists 'ritual singing' and 'dancing' as components performed in its practice.
- Mentions the UNESCO inscription that names the element using the exact combined terms.
- Labels the practice with the phrase linking singing and dancing together as part of the tradition.
- The UNESCO page title for the element uses 'ritual singing, drumming and dancing', confirming the combined nature of the practice.
- An official heritage entry framing Sankirtana with both singing and dancing.
Describes a bhakti leader (Chaitanya) who popularised group devotional singing accompanied by ecstatic dancing — a model where singing and dancing are combined in religious performance.
A student could note this bhakti pattern (combined singing+dancing) and check whether Manipuri Sankirtana, as a bhakti/ritual performance from the northeast, follows the same combined pattern.
Reports that temples appointed singers, percussionists, musicians and dance masters, implying religious performances often integrated song, music and dance.
Use this rule that temple ritual arts fuse music and dance to investigate if Manipuri Sankirtana, linked to temple/bhakti contexts, similarly combines both elements.
Provides an example where female singers 'sing before him and dance until dusk', showing in practice that performers both sing and dance in the same event.
A student can generalise from such market/religious performance examples to hypothesise Manipuri Sankirtana may also be a combined singing+dancing performance and then verify with region-specific sources.
Notes that temple choreography originated in folk dancing and that trained dancers were maintained by temples, indicating a tradition where narrative/religious themes are rendered through dance together with music.
Apply this pattern of temple-sponsored dance+music to test whether Manipuri Sankirtana, if performed in temple/bhakti contexts, uses both song and dance together.
Literary example (Silappadikaram) records people 'singing and dancing' together when honouring a visitor, showing longstanding cultural pairing of song and dance in ritual/social events.
A student might use this general cultural pattern of joint singing+dancing to consider whether a named regional ritual (Manipuri Sankirtana) fits that broader practice and seek confirmation.
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