Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (History, Art & Culture) – August 24, 2020

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has started work on cleaning the insect faeces deposited on some sections of the iconic Taj Mahal.

• By application of clay pack on its walls, the stains were removed, but as they reappeared, the ASI undertook a study of the problem.
• The findings showed that this problem was also present on other monuments facing the Yamuna, namely Itmad-ud-daullah, Chini Ka Rauza, Mehtab Bagh and portions of the Agra Fort.

Vatteluttu script: It was a script derived from the Brahmi and was used in the Southern part of India.

• It was used to write Tamil and Malayalam.
• It removed those signs from Brahmi, which were not needed for writing the Southern languages.
• Presently, both Tamil and Malayalam have moved on to their own Grantha derived scripts.

Sarada script: It was a Western variant of the Gupta script. It evolved into Kashmiri and Gurmukhi (now used for writing Punjabi) scripts. It was also used for writing Sanskrit. It is now rarely used.

Modi script: Marathi language.

Lokanarakavu temple (Kerala): Legend goes that Lokanarkavu temple was constructed by the Lohana community of traders and merchants who migrated from Sindh in Gujarat. Some believe that the original name of the temple was Lohanarkavu and others believe that it is the short form of Lokamalayarkavu (Loka – people, mala- mountain, aru -river and kavu – sacred grove).

Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple: Kerala.

Thyagarajaswamy temple: Tamil Nadu.

Chariots were primarily used in south Indian temples; in some, new chariots have been replaced old ones.

• If the chariots become very old and fragile, or caught with fire or even damaged beyond repair, they are not be drawn during Rathotsava but abandoned outside the town in an open field.
• They are acquired by the museums and private collectors, who restore and place them in museums.
• Today, we can see a massive chariot beautifully positioned in the newly built Manjusha Museum at Dharmasthala (Karnataka), Calico Museum at Ahemadabad, Janapadaloka at Ramnagar (Karnataka), and Government Museum at Kanyakumari and at the National Museum in New Delhi.

All knowledge comes under two kinds, the higher, Para, and the lower, Apara, says the Mundaka Upanishad, quoting the words of knowers of Brahman.

• Any meaningful discussion on an issue is possible only when the pros and cons are studied from all angles in a dispassionate manner.
• For instance, knowing about adharma and dharma and their influence on beings is necessary for it can shape one’s choices in life.
• A wise person would do well to avoid adharma. Dharma, if understood properly, can become the governing principle in one’s daily life.
• Apara Vidya or the lower knowledge is not false or wrong; in fact all the four Vedas wherein everything pertaining to phonetics, grammar, rituals, etymology, astrology, metrics, etc, is thoroughly explained, come under this category.
• Apara Vidya is the means by which one can aim for the four Purusharthas, including the glitter of worldly goals such as name, fame, wealth, etc as well as attainment of the heavens and other lokas.

The sanctuary is located at Domkhar village in Leh, next to the banks of Indus River. It has 500-odd petroglyphs.

• These are numerous rocks carved figures, thought to date back between 2000 and 4000 years.
• The archaic scripts on these rocks have been discovered to be similar to those found among the nomadic tribes of the steppe region of Central Asia who lived 2,000 years ago.
• Such petroglyphs are found scattered widely across Ladakh: some noteworthy places outside Domkhar are Tangtse, Khaltse, Kharu and Biama.

It is amazing that the Muslims of India showed as much reverence for the Prince of Ayodhya as the Hindus.

• There are no less than 23 Ramayanas in Indo-Persian literature, translated from either Valmiki or Tulsidas.
• The Persian scholar Abul Fazl records how Emperor Akbar commissioned these translations to foster amity between the communities.
• The first Ramayana in Persian was by Mulla Abdul Qadir Badayuni in 1584.
• It was embellished by 176 beautiful illustrations and is kept in the Jaipur museum.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was founded in 1984 in New Delhi with the vision to spearhead heritage awareness and conservation in India.

• Today INTACH is recognized as one of the world’s largest heritage organizations, with over 190 Chapters across the Country.
• In the past 31 years INTACH has pioneered the conservation and preservation of not just our natural and built heritage but intangible heritage as well.
• Headquartered in New Delhi, it operates through various divisions such as Architectural Heritage, Natural Heritage, Material Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Heritage Education and Communication Services (HECS), Crafts and Community Cell, Chapters, INTACH Heritage Academy, Heritage Tourism, Listing Cell and Library, Archives and Documentation Centre.

Archaeologists have found numerous seals of different shapes and sizes all across the excavation sites.

• While most seals are square, it was found that triangular, rectangular and circular seals were also used.
• Steatite, a soft stone found in the river beds, was although the most common material used to make seals, yet agate, chert, copper, faience and terracotta seals have also been found.
• Some instances of copper, gold and ivory seals have also been found.
• Most seals have inscriptions in a pictographic script that is yet to be deciphered.
• The script was written mostly from right to left, but, bi-directional writing style i.e right to left on one line and left to right on another line has also been found.

Some of the paintings from the later period can be seen in the Jogimara caves in the Ramgarh hills in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh. These are dated to be painted around 1000 BCE.

• Chhattisgarh is also home to the variety of caves in the district of Kanker like the shelter of Udkuda, Garagodi, Khairkheda, Gotitola, Kulgaon, etc.
• These shelters depict the human figurines, animals, palm prints, bullock carts, etc. which show a higher and sedentary type of living.