UPSC Prelims 2025 Q18: Gandharva Mahavidyalaya & V.D. Paluskar
The first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music training school, was set up in 1901 by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar in
- Delhi
- Gwalior
- Ujjain
- Lahore
Answer: (d) Lahore
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Paluskar did not set up the first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Delhi. Delhi has a Gandharva Mahavidyalaya today, but it came decades later and belongs to the wider movement his disciples spread. The original school of 1901 was in Punjab, not Delhi.
- b: incorrect — Gwalior is linked to Paluskar through his musical lineage. The Paluskar tradition is counted as a branch of the Gwalior gharana, which is widely regarded as the oldest khayal gharana. He did not found the school there, however. Gwalior is a distractor that uses this real link to the gharana.
- c: incorrect — Ujjain has no recorded link to the founding of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. It is known as a temple town and an ancient learning centre, not as a base for Paluskar's work.
- d: correct — Vishnu Digambar Paluskar was born on 18 August 1872 at Kurundwad in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. According to the Ministry of Culture's Indian Culture portal, he later settled in Lahore and set up the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya there in 1901 to train students in classical music. It was among the first schools to teach Hindustani music to the public, open to anyone who enrolled and not tied to a court or a single family of hereditary musicians.
How to eliminate
Option logic cannot solve this question. You have to know the fact: Paluskar's first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya was in Lahore (1901). Some reasoning helps. Gwalior is a tempting trap because the Paluskar style is a branch of the Gwalior gharana and Gwalior was a famous music court. UPSC often puts a city from a person's musical lineage next to the city where they actually worked. Delhi is tempting because a well-known Gandharva Mahavidyalaya exists there today, but that school came later. Lahore is the odd one out: it is the only city outside present-day India. That makes it look unlikely, which is why it works as a test of real knowledge. Remember the pair: Paluskar, Lahore, 1901. Bhatkhande is linked to Lucknow.
Know more
Two Vishnus who reshaped Hindustani music
In the late 19th century, Hindustani classical music was taught mostly inside hereditary gharanas (stylistic lineages) and was supported by princely courts. Two Maharashtrians, both named Vishnu, worked to make it public, systematic and teachable.
| Feature | Vishnu Digambar Paluskar | Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 1872, Kurundwad (Kolhapur) | 1860, Bombay |
| Main focus | Performing and teaching; music for the masses | Theory, classification, documentation |
| Institution | Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Lahore (1901) | Marris College of Music, Lucknow (now Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya) |
| Key work | Public concerts; devotional and patriotic songs | Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati; the 10-thaat system for classifying ragas |
Paluskar and the national movement
- He sang at sessions of the Indian National Congress. His performances made songs such as Vande Mataram, Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram and Jaya Jagadisha Hare widely popular.
- At the Cocanada (Kakinada) Congress session of 1923, he defied a government ban and sang Vande Mataram in Raga Kafi.
- Lala Lajpat Rai and Mahatma Gandhi admired his work.
Gharana link The Gwalior gharana, founded in the first half of the 19th century, is regarded as the oldest khayal gharana. The Paluskar tradition is treated as a branch of it. Later exponents include Narayanrao Vyas (1902–1984).
Why this matters for Prelims UPSC mixes up people, institutions and places in Art & Culture questions. Learn these pairs: Paluskar with Lahore and the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya; Bhatkhande with Lucknow and the thaat system; Man Singh Tomar with Gwalior and Dhrupad.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Khayal: Paluskar taught khayal in the Gwalior gharana tradition, so knowing khayal places him correctly in Hindustani music history.
- Man Singh Tomar: Gwalior, one of the options, owes its musical reputation to Man Singh Tomar's court, which helps explain why the city tempts candidates.
- Dhrupad: Dhrupad is the older court form tied to Gwalior; it contrasts with the khayal that Paluskar's schools taught.