UPSC Prelims 2025 Q18: Art & Culture – Music
The first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music training school, was set up in 1901 by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar in
- (a) Delhi
- (b) Gwalior
- (c) Ujjain
- (d) Lahore
Answer: (d) Lahore
Explanation
First Gandharva Mahavidyalaya
Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar set up the first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya at Lahore on 5 May 1901.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Why it mattered | The first music school run on public support and fees, not on royal patronage |
| Method | Music taught in classes, with a fixed syllabus, to anyone who wished to learn |
| Later | A branch opened in Bombay in 1908 |
| Paluskar's gharana | Gwalior gharana |
| Known for | His tune of 'Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram'; sang Vande Mataram at Congress sessions |
The other great music reformer was V.N. Bhatkhande.
He classified ragas into ten thaats and founded the Marris College of Music at Lucknow (1926).
Delhi, Gwalior and Ujjain are not where the first school was set up.
Answer: (d) Lahore.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Delhi got a Gandharva Mahavidyalaya much later, in 1939.
- (b) Incorrect. Gwalior was the home of Paluskar's gharana, not of the first school.
- (c) Incorrect. Ujjain was not where the first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya was set up.
- (d) CORRECT. The first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya was set up at Lahore in 1901.
Key point
Vishnu Digambar Paluskar: first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya at Lahore (1901); music teaching opened to the public. Bhatkhande: Marris College, Lucknow (1926).
Remember
First Gandharva Mahavidyalaya = Lahore, 1901.
Common mistakes
- Choosing Gwalior because Paluskar belonged to the Gwalior gharana.
- Confusing Paluskar with Bhatkhande, who worked at Lucknow.
- Forgetting that Lahore was a major cultural centre of undivided Punjab.
Exam tip
Paluskar = Lahore, 1901. Bhatkhande = Lucknow, 1926.
Sources
- Sangeet Natak Akademi — Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar
- Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal — History