Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Fine Arts

Chapter

The Pahari Schools of Painting

Question:

What is the distinctive trait of the Utka Nayika?

Options:

Patience in waiting for the beloved.

Teasing and playful nature towards the beloved.

Complete independence and self-sufficiency.

Hastening to meet the beloved despite facing hazards.

Correct Answer:

Patience in waiting for the beloved.

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 1)-  Patience in waiting for the beloved.

Depiction of Ashta Nayikas or eight heroines is one of the most painted themes in Pahari paintings, involving the depiction of women in various dispositions and emotive states. To mention a few — Utka is the one who is anticipating the arrival of her beloved and patiently waits for him, Svandhinpatika is the one whose husband is subject to her will, Vasaksajja awaits her beloved’s return from a voyage and decorates the bed with flowers in a welcoming gesture, and Kalahantarita is the one who resists her beloved when he seeks to soften her pride and repents when he comes late.

Even though describing Ashta Nayikas remained a favourite among poets and painters, none of them is treated with as much flair as the Abhisarika, one who hastens to meet her beloved braving all hazards. The situation conceived is, generally, full of bizarre and dramatic possibilities with the passion and steadfastness of the nayika, triumphing against the opposing elements of nature.