Indian Literature and Hindu Mythology Quiz

The Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award, instituted in 1954. It is awarded for exceptional service towards advancement of Art, Literature, Science, and public service. The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award, while Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military award (not civilian). Jnanpeeth is for literature only.

In the Ramayana epic, Sage Vishwamitra takes the young princes Rama and Lakshmana to Mithla, the kingdom of King Janaka. They accompany him to attend Sita's swayamvara ceremony where Rama ultimately wins her hand by lifting and stringing the divine bow Shiva Dhanush.

In the Ramayana, Sulochana was the daughter of the serpent king Shesha Naag and the wife of Meghnatha (also known as Indrajit), the eldest son of Ravana. Mandodari was Meghnatha's mother, while Urmila and Mandvi were the wives of Lakshmana and Bharata respectively.

In the Ramayana, when the demon Meghanada (Indrajit) uses the Nagapasha weapon to bind Rama and Lakshmana, they are rescued by Garuda, the divine eagle and Vishnu's mount. Garuda is the natural enemy of serpents and is immune to their venom, making him the only one who could free them.

The 2004 film 'The Aviator' directed by Martin Scorsese is a biographical drama about Howard Hughes, the famous American business tycoon, film producer, and aviation pioneer. Leonardo DiCaprio portrayed Hughes, depicting his life from the late 1920s to the 1940s.

Ratnavali (also spelled Ratnawali) is a Sanskrit play written by King Harsha Vardhan in the 7th century CE. He was a renowned ruler of Kannauj and a great patron of arts and literature. The play is a four-act romantic comedy about a king and a merchant's daughter.

Maithili Sharan Gupt (1886-1964) was a prominent Hindi poet who wrote 'Saket' (1932), a poetic work based on the Ramayana from Urmila's perspective. 'Satyartha Prakash' was by Swami Dayanand, while 'Shakuntala' and 'Savitri' are associated with Kalidas. Gupta was a pioneer of Khari Boli poetry.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati wrote 'Satyartha Prakash' (1875), a foundational text of the Arya Samaj movement advocating Vedic principles. Swami Vivekanand focused on Vedanta philosophy, Sarojini Naidu was a poet and freedom fighter, while Kalidas was a classical Sanskrit playwright.

'Shakuntala' is a renowned Sanskrit play by Kalidas (4th-5th century CE), part of his Abhijnanasakuntalam. It tells the love story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Maithili Sharan Gupt and Swami Dayanand are later writers, while Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas.

Sarojini Naidu, known as the Nightingale of India, wrote 'The Song of India' (also called 'The Song of India' collection). Firdausi was a Persian poet, Lala Lajpat Rai a freedom fighter, and Sri Aurobindo a philosopher-yogi. Naidu was a poet and first female governor of an Indian state.

In the Ramayana, Rama killed the demoness Tataka on his way to Maharshi Vishwamitra's ashram. Tataka was a yaksha princess turned demon who terrorized the forest. Khara and Maricha were other demons defeated later in the epic, while Vali was the vanara king killed by Rama during his exile.

Sumitra was the mother of Lakshmana and Shatrughna, the twin sons of King Dasharatha in the Ramayana. Kaushalya was Rama's mother, Kaikeyi was Bharata's mother, while Manthara was a maidservant who influenced Kaikeyi. The twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna were devoted to Rama.