Consider the following pairs: Traditions- Communities 1. Chaliha Sahib Festival- Sindhis 2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra- Gonds 3. Wari-Warkari- Santhals Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Only pair 1 is correctly matched, so the answer is A.

• Pair 1 is correct. Chaliha Sahib, also called Cheti Chand, is observed by Sindhis around the Chaitra month and honours Jhulelal, the river deity and protector of the Sindhi community.
• Pair 2 is wrong. Nanda Raj Jaat is a pilgrimage in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, held roughly every twelve years and dedicated to Goddess Nanda. It belongs to the Garhwal Himalayan region, not to the Gonds of central India.
• Pair 3 is wrong. The Wari (Varkari) is the annual pilgrimage of Varkaris from Maharashtra to Pandharpur, linked to the Vitthal (Vithoba) tradition and the palkhis of saints such as Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram. Santhals are a tribe of Jharkhand, Odisha and Bengal, with their own festivals such as Sohrai and Baha.

The core concept is cultural identity: festivals are tied to specific regions, faiths and communities, and the Bhakti movement's pilgrimage traditions are a strong Art and Culture theme. A Mains answer on living heritage and community identity can draw on the same material.

Trap: Aspirants often assume that a yatra or a tradition with a tribal-sounding name belongs to a tribal community, and pick option C. Check the region and the religious base of each tradition before you match it.