Reclining Buddha<\/a>\u00a0in 1876.<\/p>\nThe other significance of Kushinagar<\/h5>\n
Kushinagar is also the\u00a0centre of the Buddhist circuit<\/strong>\u00a0which consists of pilgrimage sites at\u00a0Lumbini, Sarnath and Gaya<\/strong>. Further, Kushinagar is also among the very few places in India where The Buddha is depicted in reclining form.<\/p>\nThe prime tourist attractions in Kushinagar include the ancient Mahaparinirvana Temple- one of the most sacred shrines for Buddhists, Rambhar Stupa, Kushinagar Museum, Sun Temple, Nirvana Stupa, Matha Kuar Shrine, Wat Thai Temple, Chinese Temple, Japanese Temple.<\/p>\n
Hence, the airport is expected to help in attracting more followers of Buddhism from home and abroad to Kushinagar.<\/p>\n
\nBhaskarabda and other different types of Calendars in India<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\n
Assam Government has announced that Bhaskarabda, a Luni-Solar Calendar, will be used as an official calendar.<\/p>\n
Note:\u00a0<\/strong>Currently, the official calendar of the Assam government is the\u00a0Saka calendar<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0Gregorian calendar<\/strong>. However, the Bhaskarabda calendar will also be used from now onwards.<\/p>\nAbout the Bhaskarabda Calendar<\/h5>\n
Bhaskarabda Calendar is an era counted from the date of the ascension of a 7th-century local ruler,\u00a0Bhaskar Varman<\/strong>\u00a0to the throne of\u00a0Kamrupa kingdom<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThe calendar uses a lunisolar system, which is based on both the phases of the moon and the solar year. The gap between Bhaskarabda and Gregorian is 593 years.<\/p>\n
Note:\u00a0<\/strong>Bhaskar Varman was a contemporary and political ally of northern Indian ruler\u00a0Harshavardhana<\/strong>.<\/p>\nDifferent types of Calendars in India<\/h5>\n
Gregorian Calendar:\u00a0<\/strong>Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most of the world. It was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a minor modification of the Julian calendar. The calendar is based on the solar cycle.<\/p>\nSaka Calendar:<\/strong>\u00a0Kushana king Kanishka is believed to have created a calendar that came to be known as the Saka Calendar. It is based on the lunisolar system. It was adopted as the\u00a0National Calendar of India<\/strong>\u00a0in 1957 after recommendation by a committee headed by eminent scientist\u00a0Meghnad Saha<\/strong>.<\/p>\nNote<\/strong>: In the lunisolar calendar, months are lunar, but years are solar.<\/p>\nHijri Calendar<\/strong>:\u00a0Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to determine the proper days of Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the annual period of fasting and the proper time for the Hajj.<\/p>\nVikram Samvat Calendar:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u00a0is the historical Hindu calendar used in the Indian subcontinent. It is the official calendar of Nepal. In India, it is used in several states. The calendar uses lunar months and solar sidereal years.\u00a0King Vikramaditya of Ujjain<\/strong>\u00a0established the Vikrama Samvat era after defeating the \u015aakas.<\/p>\n
\nBamiyan Buddhas<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\n
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has said it would protect the ancient Buddha statues in Mes Aynak. This is the site of a copper mine where the Taliban are hoping for Chinese investment.<\/p>\n
This Taliban\u2019s position is in marked contrast to the time they ruled Afghanistan earlier. Earlier, they brought down the Bamiyan Buddhas statues using artillery, explosives, and rockets.<\/p>\n
About the Bamiyan Buddhas<\/h5>\n
The Bamiyan Buddha Statues were situated\u00a0in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the central highlands of Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
They were great examples of a confluence of Gupta, Sassanian and Hellenistic artistic styles.<\/p>\n
They are said to date back to the 5th century AD and were once the tallest standing Buddhas in the world.<\/p>\n
They were called Salsal and Shamama by locals. Salsal means \u201cthe light shines through the universe\u201d; Shamama is \u201cQueen Mother\u201d.<\/p>\n
Previous Taliban ruling and Bamiyan Statues<\/h5>\n
In 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas statues. Following the fall, UNESCO included the remains in its list of world heritage sites in 2003, with subsequent efforts made to restore and reconstruct them.<\/p>\n
Significance of Bamiyan<\/h5>\n
Bamiyan is situated in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush in the central highlands of Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
The valley, which is set along the line of the Bamiyan River, was once integral to the early days of the Silk Roads, providing passage for not just merchants but also culture, religion and language.<\/p>\n
When the Kushana Empire spread, Bamiyan became a major trade, cultural and religious centre.<\/p>\n
As China, India and Rome sought passage through Bamiyan, the Kushans were able to develop a syncretic culture.<\/p>\n
Moreover, during the rapid spread of Buddhism between the 1st to 5th centuries AD, Bamiyan\u2019s landscape reflected the faith, especially its monastic qualities.<\/p>\n
\nGeo-heritage Sites in India<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\n
The Geological Survey of India(GSI) has identified two geological heritage sites in the Indian Himalayan Region of India.<\/p>\n
About the two sites identified by GSI<\/h5>\n
The two sites identified by GSI in the Himalayan Region are:<\/p>\n
Siwalik Fossil Park<\/h6>\n
Location:\u00a0<\/strong>Himachal Pradesh<\/p>\nDescription of the Site:<\/strong>\u00a0The Siwalik Fossil park displays a rich collection of vertebrate fossils recovered from the Siwalik rocks of the area of the Plio-Pleistocene age.<\/p>\n\u2013 The deposition of Siwalik sediments took place in the narrow linear depression, called the \u2018fore deep<\/strong>\u2018, which started developing in front of the Himalayas since the inception of its uplift in the middle Miocene.<\/p>\nStromatolite bearing Dolomite \/ Limestone of Buxa Formation<\/h6>\n
Location:\u00a0<\/strong>Sikkim<\/p>\nDescription of the Site:\u00a0<\/strong>The Geoheritage site at Mamley exposes litho units of Buxa Formation, Daling Group of Proterozoic age. The dolostones are profusely stromatolitic (Precambrian algal structures). This site provides one of the rare examples of early life in Sikkim Himalaya.<\/p>\nAbout\u00a0Geo-heritage Sites<\/h5>\n
Geo-heritage refers to the geological features which are inherently or culturally significant offering insight to earth\u2019s evolution or history to earth science or that can be utilized for education.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Geological Survey of India (GSI)<\/strong>\u00a0declares geo-heritage sites\/ national geological monuments for protection and maintenance.<\/p>\nGeo-heritage Sites in India<\/h5>\n
\n\n\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 State<\/strong><\/td>\n| \n Geological heritage site\/<\/strong>National geological monument<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nANDHRA PRADESH<\/strong><\/td>\n| Volcanogenic bedded Barytes, Mangampeta<\/p>\n Eparchaean Unconformity<\/p>\n Natural Geological Arch, Tirumala Hills,<\/p>\n Erra Matti Dibbalu- the dissected and stabilized coastal red sediment mounds located between Vishakhapatnam and Bhimunipatnam.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\u00a0KERALA<\/strong><\/td>\n| Laterite near Angadipuram PWD rest house premises<\/p>\n Varkala Cliff Section<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nTAMILNADU<\/strong><\/td>\n| Fossil wood near Tiruvakkarai<\/p>\n National fossil wood park<\/p>\n Charnockite, St. Thomas Mount<\/p>\n Badlands of Karai Formation with Cretaceous fossils along Karai \u2013 Kulakkalnattam Section<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nGUJARAT<\/strong><\/td>\nSedimentary Structures \u2013 Eddy Markings, Kadan Dam\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nRAJASTHAN<\/strong><\/td>\n| Sendra Granite<\/p>\n Barr Conglomerate<\/p>\n Stromatolite Fossil Park.<\/p>\n Gossan in Rajpura-Dariba Mineralised belt, Udaipur Dist.<\/p>\n Stromatolite Park<\/p>\n Kishangarh Nepheline Syenite, Ajmer Dist<\/p>\n Akal Fossil Wood Park<\/p>\n Welded Tuff<\/p>\n Jodhpur Group \u2013 Malani Igneous Suite Contact<\/p>\n Great Boundary Fault at Satur<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0MAHARASHTRA<\/strong><\/td>\n| Lonar Lake<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nCHATTISGARH<\/strong><\/td>\n| Lower Permian Marine bed at Manendragarh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nKARNATAKA<\/strong><\/td>\n| Columnar Lava, St Mary Island<\/p>\n Pillow lavas near Mardihalli<\/p>\n Peninsular Gneiss, Lalbagh<\/p>\n Pyroclastics & Pillow lavas, Kolar Gold fields<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nHIMACHAL PRADESH<\/strong><\/td>\n| Siwalik Fossil Park, Saketi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nODISHA<\/strong><\/td>\n| Pillow Lava in lron ore belt at Nomira<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nJHARKHAND<\/strong><\/td>\n| Plant Fossil bearing Intertrappean beds of Rajmahal Formation, upper Gondwana sequence<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nNAGALAND<\/strong><\/td>\n| Nagahill Ophiolite Site<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nSIKKIM<\/strong><\/td>\nStromatolite bearing Dolomite \/ Limestone of Buxa Formation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nDarlong Community<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\nLok Sabha has\u00a0passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The bill sought to include the Darlong community as a subtribe of the Kuki tribal community in the list of Scheduled Tribes(STs).<\/p>\n About Darlong Community<\/h5>\nDarlong is a tribal community of Tripura, which has a population of 11,000.\u00a0They are\u00a0considered as a generic tribe under the Kuki community.<\/p>\n Traditionally, the Darlongs adopted Jhum cultivation\/shifting cultivators. Today, most of them have taken up agroforestry and horticultural plantation or orchard development as their main livelihoods.<\/p>\n The community has a high prevalence of education and cultural activities, and members of the community serve in senior positions in the local administration.<\/p>\n For instance, a tribal musicologist and Rosem (a tribal instrument) maestro Thanga Darlong was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri a few years ago for his contributions to culture.<\/p>\n Tribal Population in Tripura<\/h5>\nTripura has 20 tribal communities. Most of these tribes live in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, formed in 1982.<\/p>\n The tribal council covers nearly 70% of the total area of Tripura and houses roughly 30% of the state\u2019s population.<\/p>\n A large majority of them still depend on slash and burn cultivation and traditional livelihood for sustenance.<\/p>\n
\nHatti Community<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\nThe Union Home Minister has assured the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh that the Centre would consider the request for inclusion of the Hatti community in the list of Scheduled Tribes.<\/p>\n About the Hatti Community<\/h5>\nThe Hatti community is largely concentrated in the Trans-Giri area of the Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh.<\/p>\n The community is named after their age-old professional practice of selling their homegrown crops at small markets called \u2018Haat\u2019 in nearby cities.<\/p>\n The Hattis is governed by a traditional council called\u00a0Khumbli,<\/strong>\u00a0which like the khaps of Haryana decides community matters. The Khumbli\u2019s power has remained unchallenged despite the establishment of the Panchayati Raj system.<\/p>\nReason for Scheduled Tribe(ST) Status demand by Hatti Community<\/h5>\nHatti community of Himachal Pradesh share social as well as cultural similarities with the Jaunsar community of the Jaunsar-Bawar area of Uttarakhand.<\/p>\n This is because the Trans-Giri area and Jaunsar Bawar area, were part of the erstwhile Sirmaur princely state.<\/p>\n Incidentally, those who crossed over to the Jaunsar Bawar area which is now in Uttarakhand have enjoyed tribal status since 1967. However, the Hatti community of the Himachal weren\u2019t accorded the ST status.<\/p>\n Hence, they are demanding that they should also be granted the Scheduled Tribe(ST) status.<\/p>\n
\nNational Virtual Library of India(NVLI)<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\nThe government has implemented the National Virtual Library of India(NVLI) project through the Indian Culture Portal.<\/p>\n Currently, the\u00a0Indian Culture Portal has a total of about 2.98 lakh digital artifacts with metadata and more than 34 lakh bibliographic entries.<\/p>\n About the National\u00a0Virtual Library of India(NVLI)<\/h5>\nLaunched by:\u00a0<\/strong>Ministry of Culture in collaboration with IIT Bombay, Mumbai.<\/p>\nAim:\u00a0<\/strong>To provide a platform for the digital preservation of diverse cultural artifacts, and to create awareness and a sense of collective ownership among citizens about their shared heritage.<\/p>\nThe\u00a0platform hosts data<\/strong>\u00a0of cultural relevance from various repositories and institutions all over India.<\/p>\nAs part of the NVLI project, IIT-B has developed the\u00a0Indian Culture Portal.\u00a0<\/strong>It is a one-stop source portal for information related to history, heritage, and culture.<\/p>\nSalient Features of the Portal<\/h5>\n\u2013 Inclusive Digital Platform:\u00a0<\/strong>The portal provides access to multiple cultural resources such as the national and state archives, libraries and district gazetteers which will cater to all sections of the society.<\/p>\n\u2013 Free Access and Bilingual Digital Platform:\u00a0<\/strong>Free access to archival resources and documents.The portal is also bilingual and is available in both English and Hindi language.<\/p>\n\u2013 Accessible by the Visually Impaired:\u00a0<\/strong>The portal has specific features and functionalities that allow the visually impaired to read and access the portal without difficulty.<\/p>\n\u2013 Digital Flipbook for Rare Books and E-books:\u00a0<\/strong>This exclusive feature is available for all books on the portal. Rare Books on the portal are also downloadable<\/p>\n\u2013 QR Code Sharing:\u00a0<\/strong>Data on the portal can be easily shared using unique QR codes. Once scanned, the desired page can be easily accessed on phones and other devices.<\/p>\n
\nPradhanmantri Sangrahalaya<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\nThe Prime Minister has inaugurated Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in New Delhi.<\/p>\n About Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya<\/h5>\nPradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a museum dedicated to all the prime ministers of the country since independence.<\/p>\n Located at<\/strong>: Delhi\u2019s Teen Murti Complex.<\/p>\nLogo:\u00a0<\/strong>The logo of the museum shows hands holding the dharma chakra, symbolizing the nation and democracy.<\/p>\nNodal agency for the project<\/strong>: Nehru Memorial Museum and Library(NMML).<\/p>\nThe museum integrated the erstwhile Nehru museum into this new building.<\/p>\n Key Features of the museum<\/h5>\nThe museum building integrates the Teen Murti Bhawan in New Delhi designated as Block I, with the newly-constructed Block II. It also includes the erstwhile Nehru Museum.<\/p>\n The museum will have displays that showcase stories of how the respective Prime Ministers steered the nation.<\/p>\n Personal items, gifts and memorabilia like medals, commemorative stamps, and speeches of the PM will also be on display.<\/p>\n The museum will also use holograms, virtual reality, augmented reality, multi-touch, multimedia, smartphone applications, interactive screens, and experiential installations to make the exhibition content interactive.<\/p>\n Significance of the museum<\/h5>\nThe museum will become a source of inspiration for the youth, who will be able to witness the hardships each PM faced and how they overcame them to lay the foundations of a new India.\u00a0The museum will also reflect the shared heritage of each government.<\/p>\n Key contributions of various Former Prime Ministers that the museum displays<\/h5>\nThe museum has galleries dedicated to Former Prime Ministers. For instance:<\/p>\n The Shastri gallery highlights his role in the Green Revolution and the Indo-Pak war of 1965.<\/p>\n The Indira gallery highlights India\u2019s role in the liberation of Bangladesh and the nationalization of banks.<\/p>\n The Vajpayee gallery celebrates him as a great parliamentarian and orator and highlights India\u2019s victory in the Kargil War and the Pokhran nuclear tests.<\/p>\n The economic reforms of the early 1990s and the civil nuclear deal with the US are highlighted among Manmohan Singh\u2019s contributions.<\/p>\n
\nKodavas<\/span><\/h3>\nNews<\/h5>\nResearchers have published a book titled \u201cA Place Apart: Poems From Kodagu\u201d. It is a bilingual edition of 21 poems by Appanna. This book will help spread awareness about the endangered\u00a0Kodava takke language.<\/p>\n About Kodavas<\/h5>\nKodavas are an\u00a0ethnolinguistic group<\/strong>\u00a0from the region of\u00a0Kodagu\u00a0(Coorg) in\u00a0Karnataka. They speak the\u00a0Kodava language.\u00a0<\/strong>They are traditionally\u00a0land-owning agriculturists and patrilineal<\/strong>, with martial customs.<\/p>\nKodavas worship ancestors and weapons. They are the\u00a0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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