in Meghalaya were recognized as the world’s longest sandstone cave

KUTHIYOTTAM RITUAL

ü usually performed every year during the Pongala festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

ü Nearly 1,000 young boys undertake a seven-day penance before Pongala day.

ü These boys are said to represent the wounded soldiers of the goddess.

ü The ritual also reportedly involves piercing the child’s side with a small hook and knotting a thread through it to symbolise their bond with the Goddess.

the largest congregation of women for a festival in the world

 only  performed by women, and the streets of the city are known to be jam packed with devotees during the festival.

Indian President released commemorative coins in denominations of 10 and 1000 on Lord Jagannath’s

Nabakalebar festival

ü It is observed in the Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri, Odisha at predefined time according to Hindu Calender.

ü Nabakalebara is a combination of two Odia words

“Naba” (new) and “kalebara” (body) which translates as

“the change of one’s physical form“.

 This usually occurs every twelve to nineteen years.

ü The Deities are carved from a special type of Neem wood known as Daru Bramha

Ministry of Culture under the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat is taking the initiative for the first ever cultural integration of the famous Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat with the North-East

held at the coastal village of Madhavpur Ghed, District Porbandar in Gujarat

Every year, for five days from day of Ram Navmi, a cultural fair

is organized – religious belief that Krishna married to Rukmini

held in Cairo, Egypt

music, dance, puppet theatre, visual arts, food and yoga.

ü Classical culture will be the focus on this year.

ü It is the biggest foreign festival in Egypt and encourages artistic collaborations between the two

countries.

This year, the festival will also bring two new events, a fashion show and screening of the Indian movies.

ü The festival is organised by the Embassy of India in Egypt and the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian

Culture in collaboration with entertainment company Teamwork Arts

Madhya Pradesh has won the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kadaknath

ü Kadaknath is in demand not only because of its taste but also due to its low cholesterol and high protein content.

Prime Minister handed over the “Chaadar” to be offered at Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Ajmer Sharif

ü The ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin) is the World’s Leading Travel Trade fair

project of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India,

implemented by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been certified as the world’s firstTrusted Digital Repository as per ISO 16363:2012 standard, granted by Primary Trustworthy Digital

Repository Authorisation Body Ltd. (PTAB), United Kingdom

signages, cafeteria, wi-fi facility, audio visual centre and water management system.

ü The monuments will also be made disabled friendly.

ü  Swachch Bharath Abhiyan is also being implemented at these monuments ensuring

cleanliness within the heritage precincts.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Organizations- for creation of appropriately equipped training, rehearsal & performance spaces, various cultural spaces, studio theatres, Tagore Cultural Complexes etc.

ü Financial assistance  to  artistes

ü The implementing agency of the projects under the Scheme at State/UT level is State Govt./UT

Administration or the applicant not-for-profit cultural organizations etc.

World Hindi Conference/ Vishva Hindi Sammelan is a world conference on Hindi language.

ü  consists of several Hindi scholars, writers and laureates from different parts of the world

to contribute the language.

ü The First World Hindi Conference was organized in Nagpur by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. in 1975.

ü Every year 10th January : observed as the World Hindi Day.

where Hindi is the first or customary language

ü  objective to promote Hindi as an international language.

ü The Secretariat is fully financed by Government of India and is located in Mauritius.

ü Indian Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone of this building during his visit in 2015.

ü The aim of secretariat is to present Hindi as common man’s language, Janbhasha, in front of the

world.

ü The next edition of world Hindi Conference will be hosted by Mauritius.

ü It aims to mobilize extra resources through Public Private Partnerships to promote, protect and

preserve India’s cultural heritage. It invites the participation of the corporate sector, nongovernment organizations, private/public sector as well as individuals in this task

sites with the tangible elements of saree weaving tradition in India

ü It comprises of sites from five Indian states: Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra

Pradesh and Assam

Iconic Saree Weaving Clusters of India

o Moidams – the Mound – Burial System of the Ahom

Dynasty, Assam

o Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh

o River Island of Majuli in midstream of

Brahmaputra River in Assam

o Thembang Fortified Village, Arunachal Pradesh

refers to the unique system of vaulted mounds – Burial System practised by the Ahom Dynasty in Assam.

ü Believing that their Kings were Gods on earth, the Tai Ahoms choseto bury the deceased Royals in Choraideo for over 600 years

Che-tam-doi. It later became the most revered landscape of the Tai Ahoms.

ü The Moidams of Choraideu remains the only area where the largest concentration of these vaultedmound burial chamber exist together, demonstrating a grand royal burial landscape unique to the Tai Ahoms.

an ancient fortified village located at West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is inhabited by indigenous Monpa tribe

Thembang-dzong is one of the oldest villages: the head quarter of a large territory ruled by the powerful Bapu kings

Did you know?

ü Clans residing inside the fort still live in stone houses

ü It reflects both Tibeto-Bhutanese as well as North-East Indian characteristics.

ü The Thungri – Changla – Porshingla area of Thembang is identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by

Birdlife International.

Temple of Fire’ Ateshgah in Baku, Azerbaijan which was used

as a Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian place of worship in ancient times

Based on Persian and Indian inscriptions-14 Sanskrit, two Punabi and one Persian inscription in the Ateshgah

connecting Indian sub-continent to the West through Central Asia.

ü The flame used to burn naturally till 1969 till rampant gas extraction by the Soviets emptied the reserves.

ü The fuel for the fire that now burns is fed from a gas pipeline coming all the way from Baku.

ü Ateshgah was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.

ü Under the Swadesh Darshan and National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual

Augmentation Drive (PRASAD), 13 thematic circuits and 13 pilgrimage sites/destinations each

have been identified by Ministry of Tourism (MOT)) respectively.

heritage cities in first phase are implemented by the Ministry of Urban Development.

The cities under

HRIDAY mostly falls under PRASAD scheme too except Badami (Karnataka) and Warangal

(Telangana).

The ITC-Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) and the Indian Musicological Society (IMS) +

the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) and

 the Music Forum,

organized a National Seminar on Thumri Dadra and allied forms at the NCPA

üan annual thirteen-day Indian classical music festival held in Ahmedabad.

ü one of the Hindustani classical musical festival

ü from January first to the thirteenth every year.

ü The festival was started in the year 1980.

ü Besides pure classical music, it also includes performances of folk music, classical dance forms, and

semi-classical forms such as thumri.

Thumri

ü common genre of semi-classical Indian music.

ü text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl’s love for Krishna.

ü characterized by its sensuality, and by a greater flexibility with the raag.

ü The term “thumri” is derived from the Hindi verb thumakna, – “to make a dance-like movements”.

ü The form is, thus, connected with dance, dramatic gestures etc

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to map the contours

of the area around the Bagh-e-Naya Qila excavated garden in the Golconda Fort

Bagh-e-Naya Qila

ü  graden located inside Golconda fort in

Hyderabad.

ü It is believed to be built by successive rulers of the Deccan.

ü  unique feature : its symmetry.

ü There are strange figures worked out of stone and stucco on the walls of the outer fort facing the Naya Qila.

ü In 2014 ASI discovered water channels, settlement tanks, walkways, fountains, gravity pumps, and a host of other garden relics when excavating the area.

cultural institution in Kolkata that preserves rare artefacts from undivided

Bengal

It is a National Treasure House of the tribal arts and crafts of undivided Bengal and India

ü The museum also has sculptures dating back to the 10th century, terracotta and wooden panels from

the 18th and 19th centuries, and indigenous wooden and earthen dolls

rare Indian species (it cannot be transplanted )of plant found only in the upper reaches of the Shirui hill ranges

in the Ukhrul district of Manipur

It was declared as the State Flower of Manipur in 1989

endangered species

ü In the wild, it flowers in the monsoon months of June and July.

ü The lily has medicinal properties which is used in treating skin and stomach problems

Samta Diwas was observed on 5th April. It celebrate the birth anniversary of Babu Jagjivan Ram

ü He was an active participant in the country’s independence struggle and also founded the All-India

Depressed Classes League, dedicated to attaining equality for untouchables in 1935.

ü Jagjivan Ram holds a world record of being a parliamentarian uninterrupted for a record 50 years

between 1936 and 1986.

ü Handling the portfolio of Labour, he was the youngest minister in the interim cabinet of 1946.

ü He was served as defence minister of India during the India-Pakistan war of 1971 and was instrumental

in the creation of Bangladesh. He was also spearheaded green revolution as the Agriculture minister during 1967-70.

ü Jagjivan Ram daughter Meira Kumar served as the Lok Sabha Speaker between 2009 and 2014

town of Dharamsala on the town of Kangra, India.

ü The Palace Courtyard occupy the highest point in the fort.

ü Below the palace courtyard there is a large courtyard containing the stone carved temples of Laxmi Narayan, Ambika Devi and the Jain Temple

ü The fort is also known by other names, Nagarkot and Kot Kangra

Google doodle celebrates 100thbirth anniversary of classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai

ü She was born on May 11, 1918, in Kerala and spent her early years in Switzerland.

ü She was married to the architect of India’s space programme, Dr Vikram Sarabhai

ü an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor.

ü She was the founder of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in

dance, drama, music and puppetry, in the city of Ahmedabad.

ü She is Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardee.

ü While she was in school, she was introduced to Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a system of introducing musical concepts through movement.

CBSE syllabus information about the five places announced as ‘Panchteerth’ in honour of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.

üfive places central government will develop in honour of Babasaheb Dr. B.R.Ambedkar.

ü It includes,

1. Amedbkar’s birthplace in Mhow,Madhya Pradesh

2. Dr.Ambedkar Memorial in London where he stayed while studying in U.K

3. ‘Deeksha Bhoomi’ in Nagpur, where he took education

4. ‘Mahaparinirvan Sthal’ in Delhi, where he died on December 6, 1956

5. ‘Chaitya Bhoomi’ in Mumbai, where he was cremated

shadow puppet theatre tradition of Andhra Pradesh

Tholu Bommalata literally means “the dance of leather puppet”.

Puppeteers usually re-enact various stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata

ü  projected on a small screen, like colour

photographic transparencies.

ü Animals, birds, gods, and demons dominate the screen.

ü The puppeteer manipulates them from behind with two sticks.

ü Strong lamps are arranged so that the size,position, and angle of the puppets change with the distance of the light.

Yangli Festival

ü one of the important festivals of the Tiwas

ü related with agriculture which is the mainstay of their economy.

ü  worship for a bountiful harvest and to protect their crops from pest and other natural calamities.

ü celebrate  once in every three years.

ü Sowing of paddy starts immediately after celebrating this festival.

The ancient Aryankavu temple in Shoranur provides a perfect backdrop for Tholpavakoothu, a 2,000-yearold

puppet art form practised in Trissur, Palakkad and Malappuram districts of Kerala

TholpavaKoothu is a unique shadow puppet theatre form of Kerala.

ü performed using leather puppets at the specially constructed theatre called Koothu Madam in front of the Bhagavati temple.

ü As per the norm, leather puppets are manipulated using light from lamps lit in coconut shells.

ü The shadows of these puppets fall against the screen, creating beautiful images, set to music in Tamil, Sanskrit, and Malayalam.

ü It uses Kamba Ramayana as its basic text.

a large walled garden and burial complex located in muhalla Khuldabad in Allahabad, India

ü The three sandstone mausoleums within this walled garden,

an exquisite example of Mughal architecture.

ü The design of its main entrance, the surrounding gardens and the three-tier tomb of Sultan Begum has

been attributed to Aqa Reza, Jahangir’s principal court artist.

ü It is also called the National Academy of Art.

ü It is the Government’s apex cultural body in the field of visual arts in India.

ü It is fully funded by the Ministry of Culture.

ü Its headquarters are at New Delhi

ü an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote

and propagate understanding of Indian art, in and outside the country.

ü The National Art Award is one of the awards and honours in India and Asia awarded by Lalit Kala

Academy

Tibetan ethnic group native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, as well as certain areas of China, Bhutan and India, the Himalayas

ü It has been speculated that a part of the Sherpa’s’ climbing ability is the result of a genetic adaptation

to living in high altitudes.

ü They have been helping Everest climbers since the first British teams set their sights on the summit in

the 1920s.

Google celebrated the 246th birth anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the founder of the Brahmo Samaj

Movement by bringing Google doodle

ü He was born in 1772, in Radhanagar village in

Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

ü  shunned orthodox rituals and

became a staunch supporter of monotheism.

ü He studied Persian and Arabic along with Sanskrit, which influenced his thinking about God.

ü He read Upanishads, Vedas and the Quran and translated a lot of the scriptures into English.

ü After his father’s death in 1803 he moved to Murshidabad, where he published his first book Tuhfat-ul- Muwahhidin (A Gift to Monotheism).

ü Roy took a keen interest in European politics and followed the course of the French Revolution.

Organisations

ü In 1814, he settled in Calcutta, and the following year he founded the Atmiya Sabha.

ü He founded Brahma Sabha in 1828, an influential socialreligious reform movement.

ü The Brahma Samaj played a major role in reforming and modernising the Indian society.

ü Roy fought to abolish the practice of Sati.

ü He established a number of schools to popularise a modern education system in India.

ü In 1830, he travelled to the UK as the Mughal Empire’s envoy to ensure that Lord William Bentinck’s law banning the practice of Sati was not overturned.

•  general community of worshipers of one God, formed in May 1878, trace back its roots to The Brahmo Samaj.

•  formed by the followers of Keshav Chandra Sen(Brahmo Samaj India) after he violated the Brahmo Marriage Act by marrying his 13 year old daughter with Maharaja of Cooch-Bihar.

• Anandamohan Bose was its first President

untouchables, and the Brahmo Girls School of Calcutta, and

also founded small hospitals, orphanages, a leper asylum.

• Its basic principles :

It believes in the existence and personality of God,

o It believes in the immortality of the human soul.

o It does not believe in any particular book or collections

of books as the one infallible revelation of divine truth, love, and final authority.

o It does not believe in specific incarnation the Deity.

o It accepts, respects, and uses of scriptures of the world, (not as infallible) as ancient records of the

moral and spiritual experiences.

• It is involved in various educational, social, medical and other welfare activities.

 in Mumbai is a historic railway

station and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai.

serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways.

ü  formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station

ü This was the first terminus station in the subcontinent

ü The building was designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens.

ü The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878, according to a High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models.

ü Later in 1996, it was renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Terminus in July 2017.

ü The dome has been reported to be the first octagonal ribbed masonry dome that adapted to an Italian Gothic style building.

three-day annual indigenous Tiwa Community fair held the weekend of Magh Bihu

at a historic place known as Dayang Belguri at Joonbeel.

Meghalaya

ü Besides trade, Jonbeel Mela is also known for promoting friendship and harmony among tribes in

the region.

ü Every participant addresses the other as ‘mama’ or ‘mami’.

ü Community fishing at the nearby Jonbeel (the wetland after which the fair is named), cockfights, cultural shows, community feasts and token collection of taxes by Gova Roja and his courtiers are other

highlights of the fair.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) on rolled out

launched in the Garo Hills, where the people have created community forests

ü  plan to cover 12 elephant range states.

ü The 15 months campaign

ü The campaign aims to create awareness about elephant corridors to encourage free movement in their

habitat.

ü  an Indian philosopher, yogi, guru, poet, and nationalist.

ü He was born on August 15, 1872 in Kolkata.

ü His initial political activism involved emphasis on the urgency of

demanding total freedom from the British government.

ü  started new publications – Karmayogin (English) and Dharma (Bengali)

He was one of the top leaders of Anushilan Samiti, the armed revolutionary group

Spiritual Role

ü Later, Ghosh turned to spiritualism after he heard the “voice of Vivekananda” in the Alipore jail.

ü In April 1910, Aurobindo Ghosh secretly moved to Pondicherry to start a new life.

ü monthly philosophical magazine ‘Arya’.

ü Sri Aurobindo began to attract followers and the number kept increasing, resulting in the formation of

Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1926.

objectives of the national movement – Swaraj, Swadesh, Boycott and national education.

ü started a daily newspaper Bande Mataram in 1907

Prime Minister inaugurates Bangladesh Bhavan in Santiniketan. He also invoked Rabindranath Tagore and

said that his legacy has bound India and Bangladesh together

ü Tagore was born on May 7, 1861 at Jorasanko, Calcutta (Kolkata)

üthe youngest son of Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the Brahmo Samaj

ü book Gitanjali was published in English in 1912 and got the Nobel Prize for literature

ü  the first Asian to get the Nobel Prize

ü In 1915, Tagore was awarded knighthood, but he renounced it in 1919 as a protest against the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre

ü in favour of the emancipation and education of women.

ü Tagore believed that education was the only means for India’s progress

ü 1901, he established a school at Shantiniketan in West Bengal

 In 1921, this school became the Visva-Bharati University.

ü Tagore was the first to call ‘Mahatma’

ü Protested against the Sedition Bills of 1898

ü In 1899, he worked with Sister Nivedita in organising relief for the plague victims in Calcutta

ü He wrote the national anthem for both India and Bangladesh – (Jana gana mana was sung at the

Calcutta Congress Session in 1911 for the first time)

ü Tagore passed away in 1941.

the 500^th death anniversary of the great saint and poet, Kabir

He is widely acknowledged as born in Year 1398 CE (71 years before Guru Nanak).

His early life was in a Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher, the Hindu bhakti

leader Ramananda

formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti

or devotion.

ü  regarded devotion to God with a pure heart as effective mean to attain salvation.

ü He emphasized oneness of all religions by describing Hindus & Muslims as Pots of same clay. To him Ram & Allah, Mandir & Mosque were the same.

ü Sant Kabir had criticized all social structures which discriminated among people

üKabir panth, a religious community that recognises

him as its founder and is one of the Sant Mat sects. Its members are known as Kabir panthis.

ü Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar are compositions of Kabir.

ü The hallmark of Kabir’s works consists of his two line couplets (Doha), which reflect his deep

philosophical thinking

India’s nomination of the “Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” has been inscribed on UNESCO’s

World Heritage list

ü Currently India host 37 world heritage sites, out of which 29 are cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed.

ü  adopted in 1972 by the Member States of the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural

Organization (UNESCO).

ü  aim of the Convention is to ensure the proper identification, protection, conservation and

presentation of cultural and natural heritage with ‘outstanding universal value to all mankind’.

ü The full title of the World Heritage Convention is the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World

Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Parties to the Convention

ü As of 31 January 2017 there are 193 parties to the convention.

ü The Convention sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in

protecting and preserving them.

ü Mixed sites have both outstanding natural and cultural values

ü The convention also contains a “List of World Heritage in Danger” which are sites threatened by serious and specific dangers.

Natural

ü Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area

ü Kaziranga National Park

ü Keoladeo National Park

ü Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

ü Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

ü Sundarbans National Park

ü Western Ghats

Mixed :Khangchendzonga National Park

annual mela held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam, that

celebrates the menstruation course of Goddess Kamakhya.

ü Also known as Siddha Kubjika, the goddess is a Hindu tantric goddess of desire who evolved in the

Himalayan hills.

üalso identified as Kali and Maha Tripura

ü The festival is also known as ‘Mahakumbh of the East’

ü The four-day festival begins on the fourth days after the goddess undergoes her annual periods.

Other significance of the festival

ü The ritualistic fair celebrating the goddess’ period is

one of the reasons why the taboo associated with

menstruation is less in Assam compared to other

parts of India.

ü The attainment of womanhood of girls in Assam is

celebrated with a ritual called ‘Tuloni Biya’, meaning

small wedding.

ü The Mela serves as an occasion to promote

awareness on menstrual hygiene

 one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peeths or seat

of Shakti followers, each representing a body part of

Sati, Lord Shiva’s companion.

 located in the heart of Nilachala Hill situated in the western part of Guwahati, Assam.

the main temple of powerful Tantrik Shaktism cult

ü  Ministry of Tourism + Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

ü The sites/monuments are selected on the basis of tourist footfall and visibility.

ü The adopting agencies will be called ‘Monument Mitras’. They would also get visibility in the monument

premises and in the Incredible India website.

sector and private sector companies and Corporate individuals for the development of tourist

amenities.

ü The project primarily focuses on providing basic amenities that includes cleanliness, public

conveniences, drinking water, ease of access for differently abled and senior citizens, standardized

signage, illumination and advanced amenities such as surveillance system, night viewing facilities,

tourism facilitation center and an enhanced tourism experience.

ü The project would begin with 93 ASI ticketed monuments and would be expanded to other natural and cultural sites across India

The Commemorative Postage Stamps on India-Viet Nam: Joint Issue depicts Sanchi

Stupa of India and Pho Minh Pagoda of Viet Nam

monument usually housing sacred relics

associated with the Buddha or other saintly

persons.

ü The ‘Great Stupa’ at Sanchi is the oldest

stone structure of India.

ü originally commissioned by the Ashoka of Mauryan Empire in the 3^rd century BC.

ü This hemispherical brick structure is surrounded by four gateways called Toranas, each representing love, trust, courage and peace.

ü These gateways are beautifully crafted and sculptured, depicting various events from the life of the Buddha and the Jatakas.

ü In 1989 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site

ü It has upper as well as lower pradakshinapatha or

circumambulatory path.

–

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

ü There are 36 (29 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed) World Heritage Sites in India at the moment.

ü The only mixed-criteria site in India is Khangchendzonga National Park

UNESCO

ü Responsible for coordinating international cooperation in- education, science, culture and

communication.

ü Permanent Head Quarters is in Paris, France.

ü It has 194 member states and 10 associate members.

ü UNESCO state parties are the UN member states except Cook Islands, Niue, and the State of Palestine.

ü Liechtenstein, a UN member is not member of UNESCO.

ü US is leaving UNESCO citing “anti Israel bias” and the size of U.S. dues to the organization with effect

from 31 December 2018

ü  built by the British in 1908.

ü The Railway is operated by the Southern Railway and is the only rack railway in India.

ü The railway relies on its fleet of steam locomotives

ü In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site

of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

ü The site then became known as Mountain railways of India

The Mountain Railways of India

ü refer to railway lines built in the mountains of India

ü Three of these railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the

Kalka–Shimla Railway

ü The fourth railway, the Matheran Hill Railway, is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

ü All these are narrow-gauge railways; the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is also the only rack railway in India.

ü  under the Ministry of Culture.

ü  set up in 1861 with the primary object of surveying antiquarian remains in this country and

their study.

Maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance

is the prime concern of the ASI

and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation.

ü  provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. It also regulates Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.

ü ASI is the successor of The Asiatic Society of India. It was founded in its current form in 1861 by Sir

Alexander Cunningham.

Upgradation of Monuments by ASI

· Ministry of Culture has proposed upgradation of 7

monuments in Tamil Nadu.

· Monuments include

o The Shore Temple in Mamallapuram,

o Vellore Fort,

o Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur,

o Kailasanathar Temple in Kancheepuram,

o Sittannavasal Caves in Pudukottai,

o Gingee Fort in Villupuram and

o MoovarKoil in Kodumbalur

Govardhan Teerth of Mathura needs to be made into a world class destination as part of PRASHAD scheme

ü Launched by the Ministry of Tourism with the objective of holistic development

of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.

included projects for development of Heritage destinations.

ü The total number of sites identified for development under the scheme at present are 24.

State Heritage Destination

Andhra Pradesh Amaravati, Srisailam,

Assam Kamakhya

Bihar Patna, Gaya

Gujarat Dwarka, Somnath

Jammu and Kashmir Hazratbal, Katra

Jharkhand Deogarh

Kerala Guruvayoor

Himachal Pradesh Maa Chintpurni, Una

Madhya Pradesh Omkareshwa

Maharashtra Trimbakeshwar

Odisha Puri

Punjab Amritsar

Rajasthan Ajmer

Tamil Nadu Kanchipuram, Vellankani

Uttar Pradesh Varanasi, Mathura

Uttarakhand Badrinath, Kedarnath

West Bengal Belur

ü an autonomous institution under the Union Ministry of Culture.

ü It was established in the year 1987 as a centre for research, academic pursuit and dissemination in the

field of the arts

Regional Centres

ü  Southern Regional Centre(SRC

ü Eastern Regional Centre

ü  Northeastern Regional Centre

ü The IGNCA has six functional units –

· Kala Nidhi, the multi-form library;

· Kala Kosa, devoted mainly to the study and publication of fundamental texts in Indian languages

· Janapada Sampada, engaged in lifestyle studies;

· Kaladarsana, the executive unit which transforms researches and studies emanating from the

IGNCA into visible forms through exhibitions;

· Cultural Informatics , which applies technology tools for cultural preservation and propagation;

and

· Sutradhara, the administrative section that acts as a spine supporting and coordinating all the

activities.

17th World Sanskrit Conference to be held at

Vancouver, Canada

held every three years

educators of the Sanskrit language and its literatures, and of the history.

ü The conference is organised under the auspices of the International Association of Sanskrit Studies.

ü  The conference in New Delhi in 1972 has been recognised as the first WSC

India’s nomination of the “Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” has been inscribed on UNESCO’s

World Heritage list.

ü India stands second largest in number after China in terms of number of World Heritage properties in ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region; it is overall sixth in the world.

World Heritage list.

ü This makes Mumbai city the second city in India after Ahmedabad to be inscribed on the World

Heritage List.

Buildings

ü The Ensemble consists of 94 buildings primarily of 19th century Victorian Gothic revival and early 20th

century Art Deco style of architecture with the Oval Maidan in the centre.

ü These public buildings include the Old Secretariat (1857-74), University Library and Convention Hall

(1874-78), the Bombay High Court (1878), the Public Works Department Office (1872), Watson’s Hotel

(1869), David Sasoon Library (1870), the Elphinstone College(1888), etc

A bronze statue of the the Bhakti saint, Ramanujacharya is being built near Shamshabad Airport,Hyderbad

in Telangana State

It is set to become the world’s second tallest statue of a seated figure, at 216 feet

ü His ultimate objective was to induce vedic way of life into the society, which met with glorious

Success

ü Rāmānuja followed in the footsteps of Indian Alvārs tradition, the scholars Nāthamuni and Yamunāchārya

ü  contemporary to Shankaracharya and Madhvacharya.

ü  born in a Tamil Brāhmin family in the village of Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.

ü Rāmānuja is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedānta.

ü Sri Vaishnavam Sampradaya is a genius system designed as a dissoluble tie by Ramanujacharya to

unite the heterogeneous population of universe through mutual respect, equality and thereby, the whole world in one spiritual bond.

ü He himself wrote influential texts, such as bhāsya on the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, all

in Sanskrit.

ü His theories assert that there exists a plurality and distinction between Ātman (soul) and Brahman

(metaphysical, ultimate reality), while he also affirmed that there is unity of all souls and that the

individual soul has the potential to realize identity with the Brahman

India’s first community radio station, is struggling to stay alive

ü It was started in 1998 in Machanoor village of Telangana’s Sangareddy district.

ü It is an initiative of the Deccan Development Society (DDS), a local grassroots organization.

ü It caters to the Sanghams (self-help groups) of underprivileged, rural women.

ü The programming content is generated entirely by the 5,000-odd women, most of them semi-literate or

illiterate agricultural workers.

The Ministry of Culture

ü  to reimburse the Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST)

to lessen the financial burden of

Religious/Charitable Institutions who provide food free of cost without any discrimination to

Public/Devotees

ü Religious / Charitable Institution shall first register with Darpan Portal of NITI Aayog

Ashram, Dargah, Matth, Monasteries etc.

ü It should have been in existence for at least three years

ü It should serve free food to at least 5000 people in a month.

ü Such institutions should be covered under any of the following acts

o Income Tax Act, 1961

o Companies Act, 2013

o Societies Registration Act, 1860

o Any relevant acts

What is Darpan Portal?

ü The NGO-DARPAN is a platform that provides space for interface between VOs/NGOs and key

Government Ministries / Departments / Government Bodies, to start with.

ü free facility offered by the NITI Aayog in association with National Informatics Centre to

bring about greater partnership between government & voluntary sector

ü Also called Erukala or Erukula, they are a social group primarily found in Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana

declared as criminal tribes by British.

historians that the Kakatiyas of Warangal and Bastar belonged to this Erukala caste

ü The Yerukala tribes is said to traditionally hunt bats for food meat in Nalconda.

ü The bat population here is dwindling primarily due to loss of habitat– indiscriminate cutting of fruit

trees also being sought for witchcraft, faith healing

ü It is an initiative of Ministry of Culture and

 to be implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency with research support of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts

(IGNCA) and National Museum as associate bodies

ü aims to promote research on themes related to the study of Maritime Routes

ü Main objective of the project is to inscribe places and sites identified under Project Mausam as

transnational nomination for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

The Savara tribal art of Edisinge that once flourished in the Eastern Ghats, is on the verge of extinction

ü found inhabiting the eastern ghats of AP (Palakonda Hill ranges).

ü  build their settlements on hill slopes and near hill streams to facilitate easy access to terrace

fields, and for fetching water.

ümost significant feature of the social organization of the savaras – absence of clan organization.

ü For all practical social purposes such as marriage, the group having a common surname is exogamous.

ü They are non-vegetarians and staple food is rice.

Reasons for decline

ü Change in the religious profile of families and replacement of mud houses with concrete buildings

are said to be the reasons for the slow death of the ancient art.

ü Also some of the surviving artists are too old to practise it.

ü The Ministry of Tourism

Biennial

ü 6th International Buddhist Conclave is on the theme, “Buddha Path – The Living Heritage”.

ü The Buddha and his Path, the Eight-fold Path is known as, Aṭṭhangiko Maggo-

also refers to the Eight Great Places of Buddhist Heritage, (referred in Pali

as Aṭṭhamahāṭhānāni).

to the Buddhist sites in the country and cultivate friendly ties with countries and communities interested

in Buddhism.

ü Japan would be the ‘Partner Country for IBC-2018.

ü A website landofbuddha.in website will be launched.

ü The Ministry planned to organize an ‘Investors’ Summit’ during the Conclave to attract investments in

developing world class infrastructure at Buddhist sites.

ü  now known as a Marathi folk art but its origin in Karnataka, and

then spread to Maharashtra

ü dance festival of the Bhils of Kalyana, in Karnataka (Nritya Ratnavali).

ü Kalyani Chalukya king Someswara III (1126–1138 CE),

 Author of Manasollasa, systematised the dances of the Bhils and called them

chitra gondhalis

ü The gondhalis(dancers) are worshippers of Renuka Devi and Tulja Bhavani

ü Kadamrai gondhalis were hereditary office holders in the Tulja Bhavani temple

ü ballads of the Gondhalis –powadas

ü The gundala(drum) : made of bronze or wood. The mouth is covered with buffalo hide

ü Gondhala is seen as an accompaniment to the Poikkal Kudirai dance

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) accepted Telangana government’s

nomination of two irrigation structures in the ICID Register of Heritage Irrigation Structures

Sadarmattanicut across river Godavari in Nirmal district and Pedda Cheruvu in Kamareddy district are  the two structures.

About 24 Bru families have repatriated to Mizoram from Tripura, since August 25th. The repatriation is as

per a tripartite repatriation agreement signed among the two state governments and the Mizoram Bru

Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF).

ü  one of the 21 scheduled tribes of Tripura.

ü The Indian government during a census count, accidentally incorporated the name Reang/Riang for this ethnic group. The correct name is ‘Bru’.

ü also found in Mizoram, Assam, Manipur and Bangladesh.

Culture

ü Dance is an integral part of Reang life. Most popular : Hojagiri folk dance performed by a Reang

sub tribe.

ü ‘Buisu’ is the most popular festival of reang tribes

(AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

 changes to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and

Remains Act, 1958.: proposes, to allow the construction of Centre-approved public infrastructure within

a 100 metre radius of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument

ü New features

o Defines a ‘prohibited area’ as an area of 100 meters around a protected monument or area. The

central government can extend the prohibited area beyond 100 meters.

o The Bill introduces a definition for ‘public works’, which includes the construction of any

infrastructure that is financed and carried out by the central government for public purposes.

o The Bill empowers the National Monuments Authority to consider an impact assessment of the

proposed public works in a prohibited area, including its

(i) Archaeological impact

(ii) Visual impact

(iii) Heritage impact

Bhoomika, a doll designed to stand as a symbol of support to the weavers of Chendamangalam was launched

Recently

Chekutty’ doll

‘Chekutty’ or ChendamangalamKutty is a doll upcycled from the Chendamangalam handloom sarees that were destroyed during the Kerala floods

ü Chendamangalam-a place in Ernakulam district of Kerala

ü ChendamangalamDhoties and Set Mundu has been given GI tag.

About Bhoomika

ü  inspired from Tsunamika, cloth dolls that enabled tsunami-affected fisherwomen in Tamil Nadu to rebuild their lives

ü Bhoomika is not just made of cloth from the Chendamangalam loom but from any “waste” fabric.

The Indian Army commemorates September 23 every year as Haifa Day. The Israeli coastal city of Haifa,

honored the brave Indian soldiers who laid down their lives, for the liberation of the city from the Ottoman

Empire.

The war is considered “the last great cavalry campaign in history”

second World Hindu Congress was held in Chicago, Illinois, U.S

ü ‘Sumantrite Suvikrante or THINK COLLECTIVELY, ACHIEVE VALIANTLY’ is the theme of WHC 2018

ü  held once in every four years.

ü The inaugural WHC was held in November 2014 in New Delhi.

ü commemorates the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic address to the Parliament

of World Religions in Chicago in 1893

ü  aims to preserve the cultural heritage of the Indian Railways

ütwo-year digitisation project “The Railways-Lifeline of a Nation” is a comprehensive digital document viewable on Google’s Arts and Culture website.

ü The project is divided into “Journeys”, “People”, “Heritage” and “Engineering” sections, each containing

visual and textual narratives that rail enthusiasts can access for free.

Hindi Diwas 2018 is celebrated on 14th September every year

ü word ‘Hindi’ – Persian word ‘Hind’ -‘the Land of Indus River’

ü Bihar became the first state of India to declare Hindi as its official language in the year 1881,replacing Urdu

Indian Republic.

ü 14th September 1949 was the 50th Birthday of Hindi Scholar and Stalwart Beohar Rajendra Simha

whose constant push aided in the adoption of Hindi as India’s Official Language from a total of 22

scheduled languages of the country

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered a hoard of medieval period

metal coins during the conservation of Khirki Masjid, a 14th century mosque in

South Delhi.

ü  lies on the southern periphery of the village Khirki, close to the Satpula, a seven arched bridge on the edge of southern wall of Jahapanah (the

fourth city of Delhi)

a publishing house based in Ahmedabad, India

founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1929

separate publication wing called the ‘Navajivan Samprat’ (Contemporary

Navajivan)

ü It has printed books penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi named ‘Exam Warriors’.

ü Modi is only the third PM after Jawaharlal Nehru and Morarji Desai whose books have been printed

by Bapu’s publication division

The reclusive Cholanaikkan tribe of Kerala is leaving the forest for the plains. Survival has become difficult

in the forested hills due to the torrential rains and lack of basic amenities and infrastructure

ü found mainly in ranges of Nilambur jungle and Silent Valley National Park.

ü  one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes of the region.

ü  primarily speak the Dravidian Cholanaikkan language

also said to speak Canarese, a dialect of Kannada.

ü They are called Cholanaikan because they inhabit the interior forests.

‘Chola’ or ‘shoals’ means deep ever green forest, and ‘naikan’ means King

ü live in rock shelters called ‘Kallulai’ or in open campsites made of leaves.

ü found in groups each called a ‘Chemmam’

Naval Commander Abhilash Tomy suffered injuries and resigned from ongoing Golden Globe Race. A storm

hit his yacht and broke the mast; Tomy suffered serious back injuries. A French fishing vessel rescued Tomy

and took him to a nearby French island for treatment

ü The participants are required to sail around the world, single-handed and non-stop

ü  uniqueness of the race is that boat designs and technology newer than 1968 is not permitted, hence

use of Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite communication, navigational aids, etc is forbidden

ü Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy is the only invitee from Asia to participate in the

prestigious Golden Globe Race (GGR).

ü Commander Abhilash Tomy was sailing on a replica of Suhaili – Thuriya

ü They are a sect within the Ismā’īlī branch of Shia Islam. The largest populations of Dawoodi Bohras

reside in India, Pakistan, Yemen and East Africa

invokes the Rain God with its vigour, rhythm and tempo.

ü  15 to 20 vibrant artists with drums around their necks creating mesmerizing beats

and heart-stopping acrobatics.

ü The app, which was earlier unveiled in Mumbai and Jaipur, helps users find answers to all types of

questions such as shopping, fitness, food and tuition centres

ü To increase tourist footfall, the department would focus on the Jatayu Nature Park in Kollam District

and on the Neelakurinji that has blossomed after 12 years on the slopes of Munnar

ü  Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO :inscribed ´Kumbh Mela´

ü  largest religious congregation and largest peaceful gathering on the planet.

ü  held four times every 12 years at four different locations across central and northern India.

ü The festival attracts tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims, including mendicant nagas

ü Kumbh: is held every third year at one of the four places by rotation: Haridwar, Allahabad, Nashik

and Ujjain. Thus the Kumbha Mela is held at each of these four places every twelfth year.

o Kumbha Mela: Held at all four places.

o Ardha Kumbha Mela: Held at Haridwar and Prayag, every 6 years.

o Purna Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag every 12 years.

o Maha Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag, every 144 years

Prime Minister unveiled a statue of Jat leader Sir Chhotu Ram (1881-1945) in Haryana

ü  co-founder of the National Unionist Party of Punjab

ü Peasantry rewarded him the titles of Deen-bandhu and Rahbar-e-Azam. The British honoured him with a knighthood in 1937

ü The National Unionist Zamindara Party, formed in 2013, in Rajasthan

Political Career

ü Chhotu Ram founded the Jat Sabha, followed by the launch of the Jat Gazette in 1915.

ü Lawyer by profession, he joined the Congress in 1916 and was president of the Rohtak District Congress Committee from 1916 to 1920.

ü   formed the Unionist Party in alliance with Fazl-e-Hussain and Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan.

protesting against the Supreme Court order of Sabarimala woman entry

consider lord Ayyappa as their forest diety

ü found deep inside the Periyar wildlife sanctuary.

ü Their main occupations include fishing and collecting fruits and other edibles from the forest.

ü They depend on forests for all their needs.

Around 1000 petroglyphs have been discovered in and around the Ratnagiri and Rajapur districts in

the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Petroglyphs have also been discovered in Sindhudurg and the banks

of Khushavti River in Goa

ü a form of rock art where an image is created by incising, picking, carving or abrading rock surfaces.

ü different from pictographs or petrographs, which is an image drawn or painted on a rock surface.

ü often associated with prehistoric peoples and are found worldwide

About the petroglyphs found in the Konkan coast

ü These petroglyphs are theorized to be from the Mesolithic period

ü This period is also suspected to be contemporary to other prominent rock art sites like Bhimbetka, Mirzapur, Tindivanam, Viluppuram and Unakoti.

ü The depictions include basic human and animal forms, rudimentary abstract patterns, fertility symbols and complex geometrical reliefs.

ü There are depictions of Rhinoceroses, Hippopotami, Elephants and Tigers. However, there are no depictions of hunting scenes.

ü A peculiar motif of two legs, squatting and spread outward was also found. This resembles a goddess named Lajja Gauri portrayed in later periods.

ü The uniqueness about petroglyphs of this region is that they are made on laterite stone rather than

granite or sandstone.

Prime Minister hoists Tricolour at Red Fort on 75th anniversary of Azad Hind government

ü The Provisional Government of Free India or Free India (Azad Hind) was an Indian provisional government established in occupied Singapore in 1943

ü The founders established for allying with the Axis powers to free India from British Rule.

ü supported by the Empire of Japan, Nazi Germany, Italian Social Republic, and their allies who were fighting against British

ü established by Indian nationalists-in-exile during the latter part of the Second World War in Singapore with monetary, military and political assistance from Imperial Japan.

ü Founded on October 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose ü The government of Azad Hind had its own currency, court and civil code

ü Japan gave it nominal authority of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1943 and the occupation of

parts of Manipur and Nagaland.

ü Immediately after the formation of the government-in-exile, Azad Hind declared war against the Anglo-

American allied forces on the Indo-Burma Front.

ü Its army, the “Azad Hind Fauj” (Indian National Army or the INA), went into action against the British

Indian Army and the allied forces as part of the Imperial Japanese Army in the Imphal-Kohima sector.

Pochampalli sarees

•                     • The art originated in 18th Century in Pochampally town of Telangana and is locally called as Chit-ku. The town is popularly known as the silk city of India.

•                     • These sarees are culturally popular for the Ikat styling and designs (geometrical) imprinted on this fabric.

•                     • The Poochampalli Ikat Sarees also have GI tag in their name

ü Every year this festival is celebrated as per Shalivahana calendar for nine days starting Bhadrapada Amavasya (also known as Mahalaya Amavasya or Pitru Amavasya) till Durgashtami

The third edition of Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 is set to commence in Goa

and visual arts exhibitions. This year’s programme will include special events to celebrate the 175th

anniversary of Panaji

Guadeloupean author Maryse Conde won

ü The Ramlila festivities were declared by UNESCO as one of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of

Humanity” in 2008

ü Uttar Pradesh government has taken up a proposal to change the name of the Sangam city, Allahabad to Prayagraj

Allahabad.

for fiction for “Milkman”

ü The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel

written in the English language and published in the UK.

and Parvathi Devi from atop an 800-foot high hillock

ü Sagar Island is the biggest island of the Sunderbans archipelago and the place where Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal

during Makar Sankranti in West Bengal

ü Dollu Kunita and Gombe Kunita – folk dances of Karnataka were performed.

ü Seoul Peace Prize Committee has decided to confer 2018 Seoul Peace Prize on Prime Minister Narendra

Modi.

economic growth, accelerating Human Development of people in India through anti-corruption and social

integration efforts.

The Māori culture forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture

ü  the world’s largest dome at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology

(MIT)’s World Peace University (MIT-WPU) campus at Loni Kalbhor, Pune –

150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

ü The dome is built atop the MIT World Peace Library and the World Peace Prayer Hall, which are named

after the 13th century poet-saint and philosopher Dnyaneshwar — a pivotal figure of the Bhakti

movement in Maharashtra

ü It tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel

helped complete the book after the British astrophysicst’s death.

About Sun Temple, Konark

• built in the 13th century by King Narasimhadeva I of the Ganga dynasty

• gigantic chariot of the Sun god, with 12 pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven horses

• a UNESCO World Heritage site under Cultural category.

• is the third link of Odisha’s Golden Triangle. The first link is Jagannath Puri and the second link is Bhubaneswar (Capital city of Odisha).

• It is also known as ‘Black Pagoda’ due to its dark color

derives its name from the Madhubani town in Bihar where this art form was done traditionally

origin is believed to be during the period of RamayanaCharacteristic features

line drawings filled in by bright colours and contrasts or patterns

Two-dimesional with no shading

It has been given Geographical Indication (GI) tag

Sun and Moon etc.; auspicious occasions like marriages, birth etc.

o Floral, animal and bird motifs are also drawn and symbolic in nature, for example- fish depicts good luck

and fertility.

o commonly includes double line border, bold use of colours, ornate floral patterns and exaggerated

facial features.

• It is done on freshly plastered walls using rice paste and vegetable colours on a base of cow dung and mud.

For commercial purposes, the work is now being done on paper, cloth, canvas etc. and men have also got

involved along with women

• The Government granted a one-time corpus fund to NCF. Apart from this, there is no fund allocated by the Government to National Culture Fund. It receives contributions and voluntary donations as endowments

from many other sources.

the arts and culture in India.

•  created as a Trust under the Charitable Endowment Act, 1890.

• aims at inviting individuals as well as private institutions in the task of promoting, protecting and

preserving India’s cultural heritage

• A council headed by Union Culture Minister manages and administers the Fund and decides the policies

while an Executive Committee headed by Secretary, Ministry of Culture actualizes those policies.

• All the projects undertaken by the NCF are completed within a specified period, in accordance with an MoU

signed by NCF with the concerned donor organization.

Recently, first ever dictionary of Gondi

language was launched

aims to create a standardized and

unified language and was supported by Indira

Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, an

autonomous body under ministry of culture

• segregates language based on Degree of Endangerment as Safe, Vulnerable, Definitely endangered, Severely endangered, Critically endangered and Extinct

• UNESCO has put it in the ‘vulnerable’ category

• aims to raise awareness about language endangerment and the need to safeguard the world’s linguistic diversity.

•  also serves as a tool to monitor the status of endangered languages and the trends in linguistic diversity at the global level.

• uses nine factors to determine the vitality of a language

Tholu Bommalata’, the shadow puppet theatre tradition of Andhra Pradesh

literally means “the dance of leather puppets” (tholu – leather

and bommalata – puppet dance).

• mostly made of skin of antelope, spotted deer and goat. Auspicious characters are made of antelope skin and deer skin.

•  coloured on both sides. Hence, these puppets throw coloured shadows on the screen.

Puppeteers narrate stories from the twin-epics of Ramanayana and Mahabharata with animated movement of

arms and hands to give a three-dimensional effect

• The Vakataka Empire originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE.

most important successors of the Satavahanas in the Deccan and contemporaneous with the Guptas in northern India.

 Brahmin dynasty. Little is known about Vindhyashakti, the founder of the family.

 Territorial expansion began in the reign of his son Pravarasena I.

 Vakatakas are noted for having been patrons of the arts, architecture and literature.

rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) were built under the patronage of Vakataka emperor, Harishena

Till now, researchers have only managed to get written inscriptions and copper plates, all featuring

the Vataka king Prithvisena. It is the first traces sealing the fact that the king shifted his capital from Padmapura to Nandivardhan in Vidarbha.

They have unearthed some vital signs and remains in the form of typical artefacts including ceramics, ear studs made of glass were excavated belonging to the period during the Vakataka rule.

 Terracotta objects depicting images of gods, animals, humans along with amulets, scotches, wheels, skin rubbers, spindle whorls were discovered.

Some of the ceramics, according to the researchers, dates back to 3-4th century BCE.

 A near-intact clay sealing of the Vakataka empress Prabhavatigupta, the chief queen of the Vakataka king Rudrasena II has also been unearthed.

 a Shia Muslim mourning place, near Charminar in Hyderabad, India

constructed in memory of martyrdom of Imam Hussain in the battle of karbala, and is used during the festival of Moharram

built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1611, three years after building the Charminar

 Ashoorkhana is famous for its resplendent tile work that have retained their lustre and vibrant colours even after four centuries.

 the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda who ascended to the throne in 1580.

 founded the city of Hyderabad and built its architectural centerpiece, the Charminar. He also built Charkaman archways.

 contemporary of Tulsidas, Mirabai and Surdas. His poetry is bound to earth and revels in the universality of love and mystic experiences.

During his reign, Jean Baptiste Tavernier visited and wrote about walking into the Qutb Shahi tombs complex where carpets were laid out and whoever walked in was served pulao.

Battle of Karbala

 took place in 680 A.D. Ashoora or 10th day of Muharram. brief military engagement in a place called Karbala in Iraq, in which a small party led by al-hussain , grandson of the Prophet was defeated and massacred by an army sent by the Umayyad caliph Yazid I.

 The battle among Shiaite Muslims (followers of al-hussain) the 10th of Muharram became an annual holy day of public mourning.

Raman Spectroscopy been is now being used to ascertain if gold or gemstones on Thanjavur paintings are fake or not

Raman Spectroscopy

 one of the vibrational spectroscopic techniques used to provide information on molecular vibrations and crystal structures.

 uses a laser light source to irradiate a sample

Raman scattering (Raman effect)

 When light is scattered by matter, almost all of the scattering is an elastic process (Rayleigh scattering) due to which there is no change in energy.  However, a very small percentage of scattering is an inelastic process (Raman scattering), thus a scattered light has different energy from incident light

 characterised by bold drawing, techniques of shading and the use of pure and brilliant colours along with semi-precious stones, pearls and glass pieces.

 The conical crown appearing in the miniature is a typical feature of the Tanjore painting.

 Gold is extensively used in Thanjavur paintings as the glitter makes it more attractive as well as prolongs the life of the painting.

 also been granted Geographical identification tag

 recently celebrated at Jowai, Jaintia Hills District in Meghalaya

The Jaintia tribe • also known as Syntengs and Pnars.

• reside in the east part of Meghalaya and they are of an Austrio-Asiatic origin.

•  matrilineal society

• Amongst the Jaintias, it is the youngest daughter who inherits property and has the obligation to take care and look after the family.

•  famous for artistic weaving, wood-carving and cane and bamboo work.

• Jaintia men wear Jymphong and dhoti while the women wrap several pieces of clothes so as to give a cylindrical shape. During functions they wear crowns of silver and gold with peak attached at the back of it.

• Apart from Behdiengkhlam festival, the Laho Dance festivals also an important festivals of the Jaintias

 observed by ‘Pnars’ who believe in the traditional faith of “Niamtre”.

 During the festival young men symbolically drive away evil spirits by beating the roof of every house with bamboo poles.

 Women do not participate in the dancing, and have an important function of offering sacrificial food to the spirits of the forefathers.

main feature :the making of the “Dein Khlam”, “Symlend” and “Khnong”, which are rounded, polished and tall trunks of trees.

The people also display their artistic skills by erecting ‘rots’ (tall bamboo structures decorated with colour paper and tinsel)

 As part of the celebration, a game similar to football called dat la wakor is also held with each team trying to score a goal with a wooden ball.  also believed that the winner would have a bumper harvest.

• He was a freedom fighter who was the brain behind designing of our National Flag – Tiranga

a nationalist, an ardent believer of Gandhian principles, linguist and a writer

 Between 1918 and 1921 – campaigned for having our own national flag in every session of Congress. He even published a book in 1916 with over 30 designs.

• After Venkyya returned from South Africa, he stated researching about farming and cultivation of cotton which earned him the nickname of Patti (cotton) Venkayya. He was also known as Japan Venkayya and Jhanda Venkayya

• Components of Paryatan Parv

1.Dekho Apna Desh

2.Tourism for All

3.Tourism & Governance: I interactive sessions and workshops with stakeholders on varied themes like Skill Development in Tourism Sector, Innovation in Tourism, and Developing Rural Tourism in locations near established destinations

Recently Geological Survey of India (GSI) chose heritage locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka for UNESCO Global Geopark Network site status

• At present, there are 140 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 38 countries

About the sites chosen:

• Lonar Lake, Maharashtra:

o world’s oldest meteoric crater formed around 50,000 years ago and the only one formed in basalt rock; a salt water lake.

 became a national geo-heritage site in 1979.

• St. Mary’s Island and Malpe Beach, Karnataka:

o a hexagonal mosaic of basaltic rocks in an island off Udupi.

o estimated to be an 88-million-year-old formation that goes back to a time when Greater India broke away from Madagascar.

o It was declared a national geo-heritage site in 1975

aims to enhance awareness and understanding of key issues facing society, such as using our earth’s resources sustainably, mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing natural disasters-related risks.

 The Global Geoparks Network (GGN), is a legally constituted not-for-profit organisation. Its membership is obligatory for UNESCO Global Geoparks.

• An aspiring Global Geopark must have a dedicated website, a corporate identity, comprehensive management plan, protection plans, finance, and partnerships for it to be accepted.

• As of now there is no geo-heritage site from India is included under UNESCO Geo park Network.

Vishwa Shanti Ahimsa Sammelan (VSAS) 2018 took place in Mangi-Tungi in Satana Taluka of Nashik District, Maharashtra

•  the two hills of Sahyadri range.

• The hills have about 10 cave temples belonging to Jainism.

•   around 990 million Digambar Jains achieved salvation on these two hills. Therefore, the area is called ‘Siddha Kshtera’ (gateway to the state of enlightenment).

• also the site of the 108-feet tall statue of Jain Tirthankar Bhagwan Rishabhdev. : the tallest monolithic Jain statue

• Before that 57-feet tall Gommateswar statue of Bahubali (Son of Lord Rishabhdev) at Sravan Belagola was the tallest single-rock Jain statue in the world.

About Guru Nanak Dev ji

•  the founder of Sikhism (the first of the ten Sikh Gurus) and a Bhakti saint.

• born in 1469 in Nanakana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan and died in Kartarpur, Pakistan.

• Guru Nanak and Sikhism were influenced by the nirguni (formless God) tradition of Bhakti movement in medieval India

corridor : 4 km, 2 km on either side of the international border and runs cross over Ravi River.

• About Gurdwara: It was ordered by Maharaja of Patiala between 1921-1929 and is believed to be place where Nanak ji spent about last 18 years of his life.

• Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines: Pilgrimages between India and Pakistan are governed by the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, which includes a list of shrines in Pakistan and India open for visitors from the other country, and for which visas are required. The Kartarpur Corridor, which will provide visa-free access from India to the shrine inside Pakistan may need a separate treaty

such as Krishna and Vishnu, but most importantly to Shiva. (the most important of which is Bhadreshvara.)

The temples have a variety of architectural designs symbolizing the greatness and purity of Mount Meru, the mythical sacred mountain home of Hindu gods at the center of the universe.

They are constructed in fired brick with stone pillars and decorated with sandstone bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Hindu mythology

• The Archaeological Survey of India is undertaking the restoration of three temple groups at My Son

Recently, Nongkrem dance festival was celebrated at Smit village in Khasi Hills of Meghalaya

one of the most important festival of Khasi tribe – Hima Khyrim during which men, women and children dance to the tunes of drums and pipes

 celebration begins with the sacrifice of a goat. In fact, the the word Nongkrem means “goat killing ceremony”.

 A special dance is performed by the men :‘Ka Shad Mastieh’ in which they hold sword in their right hand and a whisks in left hand

·  Recently, Brahma Rathotsava (a twin car festival) was celebrated

at Hampi

·  1500 AD.

·   located on the bank of the Tungabhadra River.

·  Hampi houses the famous Virupaksha Temple, Vithala Temple and Nandi Statue.

·  Group of Monuments at Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

·  They are Dravidian temples and palaces that won the admiration of travelers between the 14th and 16th centuries

located in the Panchmahal district of Gujarat.

 inscribed as the World Heritage Site in 2004

·  The city of Champaner was founded during the time of the Rajput king Vanraj Chavda of the Chavda dynasty in the 8th century.

·  The archaeological park comprises Hindu and Jain temples and several mosques, along with citadels, a palace,

military structures and stunning water installations

Lakulisa temple

·  The park may derive its name from the

1. Pavagadh hill that is made of reddish-yellow coloured stones

2. Pigmentation of the igneous rocks of the Pavagadh Hill is often compared to the champaka‘ flower or

that resemble the flames of fire from which it derives the name Champaner for the town.

·  The most interesting feature of the city is its water installation system which is why it is also called as the city

of thousand wells

ago.

·  The puncture does seem to represent the earliest known example of veterinary ―trepanation — the boring of a

hole into the skull.

·  The cow skull comes from an archaeological site in western France, inhabited by a Stone Age community

between 3,400 and 3,000 B.C.

·  Whether the hole was an operation to save the cow or practice for surgery on humans, was not clear.

·  include the Old Secretariat (1857-74), University Library and Convention Hall (1874-78), the Bombay High Court (1878), the Public Works Department Office (1872), Watson‟s Hotel (1869),

David Sasoon Library (1870), the Elphinstone College(1888), etc

·  located in Jahanabad, the epicentre of Swat‟s Buddhist heritage, a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Himalayas.

· It belongs to 7th century depicted in a lotus position at the

base of a granite cliff in northern Pakistan.

· It was damaged by Afghan Taliban in 2007.

· It is restored recently by Italian government nearly 12

years after the Afghan Talibans damaged.

an iconic civilnrights protest – Channar revolt

· also referred to as MarumarakkalSamaram – Protest to cover the upper body

exposed the caste fault-line that ran deep in the kingdom of Travancore

· It began when women from the Channar caste who had converted to Christianity sought to cover the breasts, a

right only Hindu upper caste women were allowed to exercise.

· The diwan of Travancore state, Colonel Munro, issued an order favouring the demand.

· The upper castes (Nairs) refused to allow the order to be followed and attacked (Nadar Christian) women who

sought to wear an upper garment.

· In the face of resistance from the upper castes, the order was even amended to say that Nadar Christian

women could wear a jacket (blouse) that was different from the dress worn by Nair women

In 2016, UNESCO classified it as an “Endangered” site along with four other Libyan sites on its World Heritage list

· one of three former cities that constituted Roman Tripolitania.

·  declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

· The listing is because of great damage caused by armed groups and excavation and smuggling of antiquities

due to lack of security

· an iconic fort in Delhi, believed to be constructed by the Mughal Emperor Humayun

· It is known as ―Dinpanah‖ meaning the ―The refuge of the faithful

· The other attractions at the fort sites are Qila-I-Kuhna Masjid (Built by Sher Shah), Sher  Mandal(Observatory) and Museum.

·  recently underwent a facelift after it was adopted by NBCC (Central PSU) under Ministry of Tourism‘s Adopt a Heritage Scheme

· Earlier this year, Buddhist monks in Leh‘sChushul village restructured a shang-dong into a stupa.

· Additionally Pashmina wool produced by the people in the region are given ‗Snow Leopard Friendly‘ certificate

by NCF, if it meets 15 conditions including neutralising shang-dongs

· Shang-dong is a traditional contraption used by Changpa people of Leh to capture the wolves that lift their

prized pashmina goats.

· This wolf trap is made of stones and buried in the ground.

· Once the wolves leap in, the conical walls ensure they can‘t clamber out.

· They found Buddhist communities had more positive attitude towards carnivores and they integrated ―locally

relevant religious philosophies‖ into conservation.

· It was also important to tighten the traditional link between culture, livelihood and conservation.

· So the shang-dongs which are a part of Changpa culture were not destroyed but merely dismantled.

· Others include rotational grazing, maintaining a village wildlife reserve where grazing and hunting are

prohibited, predator-proofing livestock corrals and stopping all retaliatory killing of carnivores including

wolves and snow leopards.

•  the traditional terracotta and white motifs drawn on

floors and walls on ceremonial occasions.

• consists of rhythmic geometrical patterns on a terracotta

painted base.

• A tiny organisation is trying to revive the domestic interest in this traditional folk art

• The “Qaumi Ekta Week” (National Integration Week) was observed all over the country, from 20 to 25th

November, 2018

• also provides an opportunity to reaffirm age old traditions and faith in the values of tolerance, co-existence and brotherhood in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society

Home Affairs

• The Foundation promotes Communal Harmony and strengthens National Integration.

• It also provides financial assistance for relief and rehabilitation of children rendered orphan or destitute in

communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence.

an annual cultural extravaganza in Manipur, the festival helps to promote Manipur as a

world class tourism destination

• The ‘Festival’ is named after the State animal, Sangai, the brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur

Handloom, Handicrafts, Indigenous Sports, Cuisine, Music and Adventure sports of the state etc.

• The State’s classical dance form, ‘Ras Leela’

• The Sangai : an endemic and endangered subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur, India.

•  found in its natural habitat only at Keibul Lamjao National Park over the floating biomass in the south

eastern part of Loktak Lake.

• organized by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), functioning under Ministry of Culture.

• It is being organized to mark the beginning of celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• It focusses on building a network for young leaders from South Asian countries to work towards achieving UN sustainable development goals

Australian Scientists have recently found the world’s oldest figurative art in a cave in Indonesia.

be about 40,000 years old.

• This discovery challenges the idea that the oldest artwork had originated in Spain and France.

• There is a theory that human capacity for abstract thinking originated in Europe, but the new discovery makes

the case that this development was occurring in Asia at the same time

formed in the year 1875 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

· It believes in infallibility of Vedas

Dayananda Saraswati gave the slogan ―Go back to the Vedas- to revive the true Vedic religion

·  advocated widow remarriage, female education and equal status for women in the society.

· strongly opposed idol worship, ritualism, practice of animal-sacrifice, the concept of polytheism, the idea of heaven and hell and fatalism

·  The Department of Post had released stamps featuring 16 step wells of India as a gesture of its concern for

their steadily deteriorating state in January, 2018.

·  Stepwells are indelible symbols of ancient water conservation techniques.

·  They are

1. Turji Ka Jhalra (Jodhpur)

2. Panna Miyan Ki Baori (Jaipur)

3. Chand Baori (Abhaneri)

4. Raniji Ki Baori (Bundi)

5. Nagar Sagar Kund (Bundi)

6. Neemrana Baori (Alwar).

·  Chand Baori in Abhaneri village of Rajasthan is one of the country’s largest and deepest stepwells.

·  It was built between the 9th and 10th century by King Chanda of Pratihara dynasty.

·  This traditional water harvesting structure looks like an upside-down pyramid.

·  a folk art with elements of classical music, is performed by the Kaniyan community.

·  an invocation to Sudalai Madan, the Lord of the Graveyards.

·  Kaniyans are a Scheduled Tribe whose population is less than 750 and only around 200 persons are currently

performing the art.

·  main singer of the troupe is called as Annavi‘, usually supported by a second singer

·  Two artists play the magudam – one plays the bass and the other the sharper version.

·  Two men, dressed as women, dance to the tune with boundless energy.

·  The art is facing a crisis not because of lack of patronage, but because not many come forward to take up it as a

profession

IIT Kharagpur has initiated a pilot project to protect the rich cultural heritage of the cities and towns along the

Hoogly River

·  The project aims to draw up a Heritage Management Strategy and an hour-long documentary film among its

other efforts to preserve the collective history

river.

·  The five trading posts and garrison settlements bear traces of Portugese (Bandel), Dutch

(Chinsurah), British (Barrackpore), French (Chandernagore), and Danish (Serampore) presence, as

well as India‘s own rich culture.

·  Among the top priorities of the project is the conservation of centuries-old buildings, which are mainly private

houses.

·  The project is being jointly funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK, and the Indian Council

for Historical Research.

·  An annual Hoogly Heritage Day is also being planned

 home to the Bahá’í World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a destination for Bahá’í pilgrims (one of the religious group in Israel).

The Indian cavalry brigades fighting under the leadership of British General Edmund Allenby helped liberate Haifa from the clutches of the Turkish-German forces inn 1918