The Radiant Smile of the Sun Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thar

Of the options, only the Thar desert, also called the Great Indian desert, is found in India. Over sixty percent of the Thar desert lies within the state of Rajasthan. The rest is distributed in nearby states of Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat and the neighbouring country of Pakistan.

Till the 21st century, the state of Uttar Pradesh was India's largest state. It was then carved up into three different states for ease of administration, resulting in Rajasthan now being the largest state in the country.

Answer: True

Traditionally, the Rajput tribes have ruled over this region. There were many small Rajput kingdoms that dotted this area from 6th BC onwards. It was common for some smaller kingdoms to merge together through marriages or other alliances, mostly to ward off other invaders like the Mughals.

The British began referring to the entire region as Rajputana, which means 'land of the Rajputs', in the mid 19th century. When Rajasthan was formally made into a state after Indian independence, it was given its current name which means 'land of the kings'.

Answer: Game meat

Given that Rajasthan is largely a desert state, fish is not a feature of this cuisine. The food mainly includes food items that can be stored for long periods and fresh green vegetables were a rarity in older times. The region is well known for preparations like chilli cutlets ("Mirchi bada") and onion pastries ("Pyaaz kachori"). The vegetarian cuisine is inspired by the Marwaris of the Marwar region found in the south western part of the state.

On the other hand, the Rajputs were traditionally part of the warrior class. Keen hunters, they followed a predominantly non-vegetarian diet. Laal maas is game meat that is cooked and served in a spicy red gravy. If cooked in white gravy, the dish is known as safed maas. Laal means red while safed means white in Hindi.

Answer: Ghoomar

The ghoomar is typically performed only by women. It derives its name from the word 'ghoomna' which means to twirl. The women form a circle and then twirl in and out keeping rhythm with the music. A unique feature of this dance is that the faces of the women are covered throughout by veils. Rajasthani society is regarded as conservative and till modern times women did not show their faces in public to unknown men, a practice still followed in some remote villages of the state.

This practice, referred to as purdah (meaning veil), led to the building of the architectural jewel, Hawa Mahal, in the city of Jaipur. The name means 'Palace of the Winds'. The elaborate edifice has hundreds of small windows called jharokas. They look out over the street below. In earlier times, women of the royal family watched important processions and celebrations from these. This enabled them to join in the festivities without having anyone look upon them.

The other three options are all traditional dances from the southern part of India.

Answer: Jodhpur

Jodhpurs are pants worn mainly while horse riding. They were inspired by the traditional chudidars won by the Rajasthani men. The pants are tightly fitted from the ankle to the knee but flared from the knee to the hip. Jodhpurs became popular as riding wear while playing the sport of polo. Most Rajasthani royals played polo. This riding dress was made popular in England by Sir Pratap Singh. He was the son of the Maharaja of Jodhpur and hence the name.

Women in Rajasthan traditionally wore brightly coloured clothing called poshak. This consisted of a long ankle length skirt called a ghagra, a blouse called the choli and a long strip of cloth to cover the head called the dupatta. The dupatta protected from the heat and also acted as a veil. Bright coloured clothes provided some colour in the stark desert region.

Jodhpur is the second largest city of Rajasthan, after the capital Jaipur. It is nicknamed the "Blue City" as most of the older houses in the city are painted blue.

Answer: Udaipur

The Aravalli range separates Udaipur from the desert and as such the city has a much more moderate climate. There are several lakes within the city, most of them man-made. This has led to the city's nickname of 'Venice of the East', a nickname shared by many other cities.

Udaipur was founded in the mid-16th century by Maharana Udai Singh II after whom it was named. He made this the capital of his kingdom of Mewar. A fortified wall was created to protect the city from the Mughals. It had also a natural protection in the form of the mountain range surrounding it.

Udaipur is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international tourists. The Lake Palace, a summer palace for the royal family, is located in the middle of Lake Pichola. Now turned into a luxury hotel, it has also featured in movies like "Octopussy". The city also has a monsoon palace called "Sajjangarh" located on the top of a hill. The kings were known to sit here and admire the rain clouds during the monsoon season.

Answer: Camel

Pushkar is regarded as a holy site by followers of Hinduism and Sikhism. As such, the consumption of meat and eggs is banned within the town. The Pushkar fair is held every year over a period of several days, generally in late October - early November. The dates are based on the Hindu calendar with the last day of the fair falling on the festival of Kartik Purnima.

The fair was originally established to provide a means for livestock trading. While cattle and horses are also traded, it is most famous for the camels. The fair coincides with an important pilgrimage season, thus bringing pilgrims, traders and now increasingly tourists to this small town.

Answer: Marble

Ranakpur is a small village located between the cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur. The village is well known for the beautiful Jain temple found here. Constructed in the 15th century by a local Jain businessman called Dharni Shah after he had a divine vision, the temple honours the first Jain tirthankar, Adinath.

It is wholly built of marble. There are over 1400 marble pillars within the temple and it is stated that the carvings on each pillar are distinct with no two pillars looking the same. The structure has four faces paying homage to Adinath's influence across the four cardinal directions or the entire cosmos.

Answer: Stepwell

Chand Baori is an ancient stepwell believed to have been built around 800 BC. Baori or bawdi is the Rajasthani word for stepwell. Stepwells were common in many of the arid parts of western India. Their structure helped to conserve water. Though they were built mainly for utilitarian purposes, some of them contain intricate architectural work.

Chand Baori is one of the largest stepwells found in India. It is also one of the deepest at 64 feet and has over 3,000 steps around all four sides. The steps are in a pattern forming beautiful geometrical designs.

Answer: Tiger

Rajasthan has three national parks which are designated as tiger reserves - Ranthambore National Park, Sariska Tiger Reserve and Mukundra Hill Tiger Reserve. Ranthambore is located in the Sawai Madhopore district of southeast Rajasthan. It is considered to be one of the best reserves in India to spot the Bengal tigers in their natural habitat. Apart from the tigers, other wildlife found here are the Indian leopard, wild boar, sloth bear and nilgai to name just a few.

The Ranthambore Fort which was built in the 10th century on a nearby hill provides a panoramic view of the national park.