REIGNITE TWENTIES

(LATEST QUICK REVISION NOTES)

ART & CULTURE

BRIEF COMPILATION
OCTOBER 2016 - OCTOBER 2017

M
COPREHENSIVE COVERAGE FROM NEWSPAPERS
(THE HINDU & THE INDIAN EXPRESS)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
 The Napier Museum building
 Where is Devicotta?
 Art in India: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture
 Research Institution of World Ancient, Traditional Culture and
Heritage
 India to celebrate Falun Gong
 Ahmedabad gets World Heritage City tag
 Indus Valley city of Dholavira has been unearthed
 Saint Teresa’s blue-bordered sari is Intellectual Property
 A jainsem
 Centre clears kambala Bill
 Hoysala Architecture
 New Google project-We Wear Culture
 Tanjore painting
 A festival of drums with a message
 Japan’s men-only island up for World Heritage status
 Khooni Bhandara
 Chenchus a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group
 Tiwa tribe in Assam
 Basaveshwara – A visionary of total revolution
 Basavanna
 Saint Ramanujacharya’s 1000th birth anniversary
 The colonial category of “criminal tribes”
 Single-Stringed Fiddle
 Under the Bodhi tree
 Velakali, a martial dance of Kerala
 On the trail of Raja Raja
 Neelakesi
 Kohinoor not in our jurisdiction: SC
 Vulnerable tribes
 National tribal and North east art Conclave
 Prehistoric evidence of human cannibalism discovered
 What is Spring Equinox 2017
 An ancient way to keep Buddhist texts alive
 Aari Embroidery
 Inclusion of Cities in World Heritage List
 In an antique land
 Reviving Assam’s ancient ink
 The annual tribal festival Bhagoria
 Kurukh, an endangered tribal language
 Unesco tag for humble ‘madur’ and ‘sitalpati’
 Government to support Tangaliya weavers in purchasing looms
 Chandrabhaga, a lost Ancient River, found in Odisha
 Reviving a vanishing folk art form in Bengal
Reviving a vanishing folk art form in Bengal
The traditional Bengal art of alpana, invoking Gods with finger-painted motifs, is now
all but lost.

Handed down through generations of women, this Bengal folk art, where the finger is
the brush and a paste comprising mainly rice powder is the paint, once adorned the
walls and floors of houses. The motifs are ritualistic images from mythology and
scriptures.

Although there is little awareness about alpana among the youth of West Bengal, it
has generated interest among people across the seas who see in it a unique art form.

Ian Beed, a religious studies scholar from Florida State University, told The
Hindu after attending a lec-dem that he was fascinated by the way alpana provided
women a vehicle for expression, irrespective of their caste or creed.

Alpana is intrinsically linked with religious austerity (called brotos or vrat) practised by
women of mostly rural West Bengal for the well-being of the family.

Urban women until recently also observed such pujas, whose ‘closure’ would always
be marked by a special puja and alpana drawing with special motifs. So if it is to
propitiate Goddess of wealth Lakshmi, it would involve her carrier, the owl, a granary,
a conch shell and lotus flower motifs.

Young girls and married women alike would draw these designs on walls and floors of
their mud houses using rice powder paste.

Buddhist scriptures

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Chinese Buddhist pilgrim and scholar Xuan Zang stayed a couple of years in
Bezawada (the old name of Vijayawada) to copy and study the Abhidhammapitakam,
the last of the three pitakas (Pali for baskets) constituting the Pali canon, the
scriptures of Theravada Buddhism.

The writings of Xuan Zang (also spelled Hsuan Tsang or Hiuen Tsang) about his
travels in India are detailed accounts of the life of the people in the 7th century. The
Chinese government has used his work to establish that the relationship between
India and China is 1,400 years old.

Xuan Zang travelled to Andhradesa to visit the Viharas at Amaravathi and

Nagarjunakonda around 640 C.E. It is popularly believed that he stayed at
Amaravathi for a couple of years to study the Abhidhammapitakam.
Converted to temples

V.V. Krishna Sastry, former director of the united Andhra Pradesh Archaeology
department, who hails from Krishna district and is an authority on Buddhist sites in
Andhra Pradesh, had gone on record that the remnants of Poorasaila (eastern hill) and
Aparasaila (western hill) monasteries mentioned by Xuan Zang were actually the
Moghalrajpuram caves and the Akkannna Madanna caves located in the heart of
Vijayawada.

These Buddhist Viharas were converted into Hindu Cave temples during the reign of
the Vishnukundins.

Chandrabhaga, a lost Ancient River, found

in Odisha
The river Chandrabhaga is believed to have existed during the 13th century near the
Sun Temple at Konark, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Odisha.

The claim has been presented by the scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology –
Kharagpur.

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The claim was brought forward by the study conducted on the basis of integrated
geological and geophysical exploration along with historical evidence and analysis of
satellite data.

Government to support Tangaliya weavers

in purchasing looms
Government of India will facilitate Tangaliya weavers in purchase of looms, by
providing them an assistance amounting to 90% of the price of looms.

About Tangaliya:

Tangaliya is a 700-year-old indigenous weave of Gujarat which employs an exquisite

technique of weaving, using raw wool yarn.

Tangaliya a dotted woven textile of Surendranagar district, Saurashtra is found only in

Gujarat.

It is usually worn as a wraparound skirt by the women of the Bharwad shephered

community.

Tangalia designs are used for preparing Shawl, Dupatta, Dress material and products
of Home d 茅 cor & accessories such as bedsheets, pillow covers etc.

The patterns formed during weaving process to create design in dots for floral and
geometrical motifs by using cotton or woolen yarn.

The shawls are woven in pit looms at homes and knot a contrast color thread with the
warp, which are woven into the textile to create the effect of raised dots, which have
become the signature style of the textile. Besides dots, several, geometric patterns are
also created.

A Tangaliya Shawl is a handwoven, GI protected shawl and textile made by the

Dangasia community from Schedule Caste in Gujarat, India.

In 2007, with the help of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), in

Gandhinagar, the Tangaliya Hastkala Association (Tangaliya Handicraft Association)
was formed, which included 226 Tangaliya weavers from five villages as members.

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Over the subsequent years, NIFT conducted workshops for skill building, quality
control and design development.

Eventually, the Tangaliya Hastkala Association (THA) received GI registration status.

These days, the textile is used for dupatta, dress material and home furnishing
products like bedsheets and pillow covers.

Instead of traditional cotton or sheep wool yarn, merino wool and eri silk are used

Reviving Assam’s ancient ink

By unravelling the science behind Assam’s ancient herbal ink ‘mahi’, researchers are
planning to recreate the lost techniques of manuscript writing. They say their efforts
could boost heritage tourism.

The technique involves extracting ‘mahi’ using

cow urine from a cocktail of fruit pulp and tree bark such as haritaki, amla, bibhitakhi
or bhomora, mango and jamun — often infused with the blood of eels or catfish.

Rust from iron tools or nails was added for an intense black hue.

Uses:

‘Mahi’ was used in early and medieval Assam for writing on ‘sancipat’ (folios made of
the bark of the sanci tree) manuscripts.

Some folios were gifted by Kumar Bhaskar Barman, the then King of Pragjyotishpura
(ancient Assam) to Harshavardhana, an emperor who ruled north India from 606 to
647 C.E., a testimony to the period of use.

The endurance of the ink is proven by the stability of sancipat manuscripts.

The key factor for this long-lasting marriage between ‘mahi’ and ‘sancipat’ is the
herbal concoction’s resistance to aerial oxidation and fungal attacks.

“One of the reasons for the manuscripts’ stability is the anti-fungal activity of the ink.

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This is due to its raw materials, including astringent fruits and cow urine, which seems
to have a protective effect on cellulosic sancipat against fungal attack in the hot and
humid climate of Assam.

In mahi, no external stabiliser is used whereas gum Arabic is used for the purpose in
iron gall ink.

Another interesting feature is that the pH of mahi remains neutral because of cow
urine and the absence of acidic ingredients like vinegar.

Iron gall ink has an acidic character that leads to destruction of the manuscripts.

The Pāli Canon

The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravadan Buddhist
tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language.

It is the first known and most complete extant early Buddhist canon.

It was composed in North India and was preserved orally until it was committed to
writing during the Fourth Buddhist Council in Sri Lanka in 29 BCE, approximately 454
years after the death of Gautama Buddha.

It was composed by members of Sangha of each ancient major Buddhist sub-tradition.

It is written in Pali, Sanskrit, and regional Asian languages.

It survives in various versions.

The surviving Sri Lankan version is the most complete.

The Pāli Canon falls into three general categories, called pitaka (from Pali piṭaka,
meaning “basket”, referring to the receptacles in which the palm-leaf manuscripts
were kept).

Because of this, the canon is traditionally known as the Tipiṭaka (Sanskrit: IAST: Tripiṭ
aka; “three baskets”).

The annual tribal festival Bhagoria

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The annual tribal festival Bhagoria commenced in 5 districts of Madhya Pradesh from
March 6.

The week-long festival is organised at different Bhagoria haats (local markets) in

Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Khargone and Barwani districts in western Madhya Pradesh.

Bhagoria Haat is the colorful festival of the Bhils and the Bhilalas.

This festival is held particularly in the district of West Nimar and Jhabua and the
‘haat’ is held actually in the nature of a mass ‘Svayamvara’ or a marriage market.

This is indicated in the name of the festival, Bhagoria Haat and during the festival the
young people elope after choosing their partners.

They are later on accepted as husband and wife by the society through prearranged
customs.

As per tradition, the boy is supposed to apply gulal, red powder, on the face of the girl
whom he chooses as his wife.

If the girl is willing, she also applies gulal on the boy’s face.

The Bhagoria Haat also concurs with the completion of harvesting, making it an
agricultural festival as well.

The Bhagoria Haat Festival is held on 25th feb to 5th March 2016, mainly on various
market days before the beginning of the Holi Festival.

Kurukh, an endangered tribal language

Kurukh, an endangered tribal language of the Dravidian family, is set to get a new
lease of life in West Bengal.

It is spoken by the Oraon tribal community.

“We are taking steps for the recognition of the Kurukh language of the Oraon
community who live in Dooars [in north Bengal]… We are proud of our languages. We
love and respect all languages,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

The language was given official status in the State last month.

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Experts say that while most of the tribal languages in the State have their origins in
the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Barman families, Kurukh is an exception.

“The only example of a tribal language having its origin from the Dravidian family is
Malto, which is not spoken in West Bengal, but in the Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand,”
Shyam Sundar Bhattacharya, former head of the linguist division of the Office of
Registrar-General of India in Kolkata.

Ancient Celtic art uncovered

Celtic art is associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic
languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art
of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and stylistic
similarities with speakers of Celtic languages.

Celtic art is a difficult term to define, covering a huge expanse of time, geography and
cultures.

A case has been made for artistic continuity in Europe from the Bronze Age, and
indeed the preceding Neolithic age; however archaeologists generally use “Celtic” to
refer to the culture of the European Iron Age from around 1000 BC onwards, until the
conquest by the Roman Empire of most of the territory concerned, and art historians
typically begin to talk about “Celtic art” only from the La Tène period (broadly 5th to
1st centuries BC) onwards

UNESCO tag for humble ‘madur’ and

‘sitalpati’
The West Bengal government’s efforts to revive the traditional arts and crafts of
Bengal has finally got international recognition.

The two kinds of mats — sitalpati and madur — and the shalpata plate has received
Unesco recognition for being traditional handicrafts.

The West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board, a statutory body under the state
MSME and textile departments, has been working to revive and promote sitalpati,
madur, shalpata plates and other such traditional Bengali handicraft items.

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According to government officials, madur sticks are primarily produced in East and
West Midnapore, whereas sitalpati sticks are produced in areas of Cooch Behar.

Vulnerable tribes
A recent Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) publication has brought to the fore
startling revelations about the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the
country inc- luding the fact that no base line surveys have been conducted among
more than half of such groups.

“Our findings revealed shocking facts, of the 75 PVTGs, base line surveys exists for
about 40 groups, even after declaring them as PVTGs,” states the publication: The
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of India — Privileges and Predicaments.

Base line surveys are done to precisely identify the PVTG families, their habitat and
socio-economic status, so that development initiatives are implemented for these
communities, based on the facts and figures. The publication emphasises State
governments must urgently conduct such surveys to arrive at accurate demographic
and socio-economic figures of the PVTGs.

Findings:

Among the 75 listed PVTG’s the highest number are found in Odisha (13), followed by
Andhra Pradesh (12), Bihar including Jharkhand (9) Madhya Pradesh including
Chhattisgarh (7) Tamil Nadu (6) Kerala and Gujarat having five groups each. The
remaining PVTGs live in West Bengal (3) Maharashtra (3), two each in Karnataka and
Uttarakhand and one each in Rajasthan, Tripura and Manipur. All the four tribal
groups in Andamans, and one in Nicobar Islands, are recognised as PVTGs.

“The publication provides one of the most detailed descriptions of PVTGs with each of
the tribes being discussed in separate chapters.

Updates crucial

The book points out that the PVTG list requires revising and refinement to avoid
overlapping and repetition. For instance, the list contains synonyms of the same group
such as the Mankidia and the Birhor in Odisha, both of which refer to the same group.

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Some of the PVTGs are distributed in more than one State.

The Birhor are recognised as a PVTG in four States, while 10 other group are PVTG in
two States, namely the Sahariya, Kurumba, Koraga, Korwa, JenuKuruba, Kattunayakan,
Katkari/Kathodi, Kharia, Kolam, and Lodha.

National Tribal and North East Art

Conclave
“National Tribal and North East Conclave-2017” organized by Lalit Kala Akademi
under Ministry of Culture here today.

The creativity of the tribal communities, as also of the artists from the North East
region and select contemporary artists.

The Conclave is a unique artistic event representing the important schools of Indian
tribal art, alongside other art genres.

The conclave platform features more than a dozen forms of tribal art. Most of these
artists from 100 and more artist contingents, have showcased their art forms at
Festivals of India held abroad and distinguished platforms elsewhere.

The handpicked coteries are fielding their master painters for the event.

Some of the noteworthy forms on schedule are

Cheriyal painters from Telangana,

southern miniature paintings,

Patachitra art from Odisha,

fresco paintings from Rajasthan,

as also Bhil, Mina works, and paintings on leather by artists from Andhra Pradesh.

The event includes demonstrations of folk traditions that allow visitors to gauge the
in-depth sourcing of their output.

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What is Spring Equinox 2017

March 20 marks the beginning of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere,
referred to as the ‘spring equinox’.

The word ‘equinox’ is derived from Latin and roughly translates as ‘equal night’.

In other words, spring equinox is the time of the year when both day and night time
extends for 12 hours each. This happens twice a year, the second instance is
September 23, the beginning of autumn.

Scientifically speaking, spring equinox is the moment when the earth’s equator passes
through the centre of the sun. Roughly this takes place on March 19, 20 or 21 every
year.

The spring equinox is different from the summer and winter solstice when the sun
reaches the highest or lowest point in relation to the equator, marking the longest or
shortest day.

The spring equinox is marked by celebrations across the northern hemisphere as a

moment of rebirth and rejuvenation.

An ancient way to keep Buddhist texts

alive
Derge Parkhang, or printing lamasery (a monastery of lamas), is one site where
the Tibetan language is being preserved.

THE DERGE PARKHANG :

(i) One of the most revered institutions in the Tibetan world- the Derge Parkhang or
printing lamasery is located in the mountainous heart of the Kham region.
(ii) The press, in the town of Derge, dates to 1729 and draws pilgrims from across the
Tibetan plateau.

HALLOWED TRADITION :

(a) The printing press is the embodiment of a hallowed tradition and is one site where
the Tibetan language is being preserved.

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(b) It has more than 3,20,000 wooden printing blocks that are on average more than
260 years old.
(c) The monastery also houses collections of sutras, including 830 classic scriptures
and copies of more than 70% of ancient Tibetan manuscripts.

Aari Embroidery
A pen like needle which resembles the shape of a crochet needle, gives rise to an
intrinsic form of artwork called the ‘Aari work’.

In this artwork beads and ‘muthia’, a sharp edged needle is put to work, which
creatively gives rise to chain stitch kind of imprints.

This work is popular for its delicate and finest threadwork which enhances the
essence of hand embroidery.

Origin and History

Aari work traces out its emergence way back in the 12th century, which marked the
rule of the Mughal emperors. Floral motifs, traditional designs and fascinated the
Mughal royals during that period. This popularized and brought Aari work into the
limelight. With time, places like Kutch, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and
Delhi started recognizing the specialty of Aari embroidery, which marked the gradual
popularity of Aari embroidery.

Inclusion of Cities in World Heritage List

Five Indian cities have been included in the Tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage
Sites, namely,

Historic City of Ahmadabad,

Delhi – A Heritage City,

Jaipur City, Rajasthan,

Ekamra Kshetra- The Temple City, Bhubaneswar and

The Victorian & Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai.

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In an antique land
Aratipura, the ancient site which belongs to 9-14th century had been one of the most
important Jain religious complexes in Karnataka.

It is also called as Tipruru and surrounded by the Kanakagiri hills.

The artefacts belongs to the Ganga and Hoyasala dynasties that ruled this region
between 9thand 14th century.

The script and language of the inscriptions found in the site were in the Kannada of
the Hoysala period.

The site is known for the sculpture of Parsvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara in the Jain
pantheon, standing on a lotus pedestal under the hood of a snake.

There is also a 2.2-metre sculpture of Bahubali stands on Shravana Betta that

predates the one at Sravanabelagola.

The monolithic statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola was carved from a single block
of granite.

It was built by the Ganga Dynasty Minister Chavundaraya in 10thCentury and it is 17 m

tall, one of the largest free-standing statues in the world.

Basavanna
Basavanna, also known as Bhaktibhandari (literally, the treasurer of devotion), was a
12th-century philosopher, statesman, Kannada poet and a social reformer during the
reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka, India.

Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known

as Vachanaas. Basavanna rejected gender or social discrimination, superstitions and
rituals such as the wearing of sacred thread.

The traditional legends and hagiographic texts state Basava to be the founder of the
Lingayats.

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However, modern scholarship relying on historical evidence such as the Kalachuri

inscriptions state that Basava was the poet philosopher who revived, refined and
energized an already existing tradition.

Saint Ramanujacharya’s 1000th birth

anniversary
A Hindu theologian, philosopher, and one of the most important exponents of the Sri
Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.

His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti

movement.

Rāmānuja is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of VedāntaR

āmānujais famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedānta.

His Vishishtadvaita (qualified monism) philosophy has competed with the Dvaita
(theistic dualism) philosophy of Madhvāchārya, and Advaita (monism) philosophy of Ā
di Shankara, together the three most influential Vedantic philosophies of the 2nd
millennium.

Rāmānuja‘s philosophical foundation was qualified monism, and is

called Vishishtadvaita in the Hindu tradition.

His ideas are one of three subschools in Vedānta, the other two are known as Ādi
Shankara’s Advaita (absolute monism) and Madhvāchārya’s Dvaita (dualism).

The colonial category of “criminal tribes”

History has a way of leaving unfortunate legacies. “If the Local Government has
reason to believe that any tribe, gang or class of persons is addicted to the systematic
commission of non-bailable offences, it may report the case to the Governor General
in Council, and may request his permission to declare such tribe, gang or class to be a
criminal tribe.”

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Hence, a register for Criminal Tribes, not to forget eunuchs. I quoted from the Criminal
Tribes Act (CTA) of 1871, though there was a consolidated Criminal Tribes Act of
1924.

From 1924: “The Local Government may establish industrial, agricultural or

reformatory schools for children, and may order to be separated and removed from
their parents or guardians and to be placed in any such school or schools the children
of members of any criminal tribe or part of a criminal tribe, in respect of which a
notification has been issued.”

The Ananthsayanam Ayyangar Committee (1949-50) report was more comprehensive,

which looked at the way the CTA had worked throughout India.

This had a list of 116 criminal tribes in British territories and more than 200 in the
Princely States. (For British territories, a number of 163 floats around. I don’t know
where that comes from.

Entry 15 in the Concurrent List (seventh schedule) mentions “vagrancy; nomadic and
migratory tribes”. Don’t get me wrong. There are certainly state-level statutes on
habitual offenders.

The earliest is Punjab/Haryana (1918), followed by Madras/Tamil Nadu (1948).

Others followed in 1950s/1960s. Some states didn’t bother.

Denotified Tribes (DNTs), also known as Vimukta Jati, are the tribes that were
originally listed under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, as “Criminal Tribes” and
“addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences.”

Once a tribe became “notified” as criminal, all its members were required to register
with the local magistrate, failing which they would be charged with a “crime” under
the Indian Penal Code.

Single-Stringed Fiddle
The romance of the single-stringed fiddle may stir up childhood memories of a lone
hawker playing popular film hits on his instrument, made of bamboo.

The single-stringed fiddle also has a spiritual message.

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The single string representing Adhvaita, the non-duality of the Supreme from which
emanates the whole universe, like the seven notes emerging from the one single
string.

It has been a companion of poets, saints, bards and minstrels in different parts of the
world.

Meera and her legendary plucked ‘ektara’; or the the Bauls of Bengal are some
examples.

Most of the single-stringed fiddle belong to the ‘spike fiddle’ category due to their
shape. Many are played solo, while most accompany singing or are a part of a larger
orchestra.

In India, the oldest known single-stringed fiddle is said to be the Ravanhattha ,

attributed to Ravana.

Rajasthani folk musicians play a refined version of it with a main gut or nylo-gut string
and several resonating strings.

The Vicharti Jaati gypsies and Vaaghris of Kathiawad and Gujarat along with other
indigenous communities play instruments with a coconut shell resonator and bamboo
neck with a thin metal string.

The sound is high-pitched, but sweet.

Other notable indigenous fiddles are the Baana of the Bardic Pardhan Gonds of
Madhya Pradesh and the Pulluvan Veena of Kerala.

Under the Bodhi tree

A string of information:

the Buddha was enlightened in 528 BC under the peepal or Bodhi tree as it is now
known. In 262 BC, Emperor Ashoka sent his daughter Sanghamitta to Anuradhapura in
Sri Lanka with saplings of this Bodhi, which till date is being regenerated. It is
considered to be the oldest specimen of a tree that has been regenerated for over
2,000 years.

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In 254 BC, Tissarakkha, Ashoka’s queen, destroyed the original Bodhi tree in Bodh
Gaya, as she did not favour Ashoka embracing Buddhism. A second tree grew from the
roots of the first. It was eventually destroyed several times due to storms and invaders.
Each time it was destroyed, a new tree was planted in its place, not necessarily
regenerated.

After the decline of the Mauryan empire around 180 BC, the temple and the tree were
neglected and covered under mounds of sand. Between 1862-1878, Alexander
Cunningham, who had excavated the Nalanda ruins and several other
Buddhist stupas in Bihar, excavated the Mahabodhi Temple. He then discovered a
much-decayed Bodhi tree, which had been completely destroyed in a storm in 1876.
Cunningham planted a new Bodhi tree in 1881.

Velakali, a martial dance of Kerala

Spectacular would best describe the scene of an assembly of men wearing the
traditional warrior’s head gear in fiery red, brandishing swords and shields and
advancing with stylised movements to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals.

The music and the moves point to a battle scenario. However, this is no battlefield, but
the temple courtyard, and the men are no warriors, but artistes trained in Velakali, a
martial dance of Kerala.

Velakali was performed recently at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, in

connection with the annual Painkuni festival that falls in March-April. For most
residents of Thiruvananthapuram, childhood memories would be vivid with colours of
this festival; particularly that of the huge effigies of the five Pandavas that are put up
before the eastern gate of the temple and of the beats of Velakali. And war is what it
represents – between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, characterised by the troupe of
101 Velakali artistes.

Symbolically, it glorifies the victory of righteousness over wrong, when the Kauravas
run away, beating a retreat with the ‘vela ottam’.

On the trail of Raja Raja

Under Raja Raja Chola (947-1014), the Chola empire expanded in all directions and
the king (regnal 985-1014) was eulogised as the Lion among kings.

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But it is the Brihadiswara Temple, also known as the Big Temple, which stands as a
reminder of this great ruler, 1,000 years after he consecrated it.

Neelakesi
Neelakesi is an epic of Jainism. Tamil literary tradition places it among the five lesser
Tamil epics, along with Naga kumara kaviyam, Udhyana kumara Kaviyam, Yasodhara
Kaviyam and Soolamani. It is a polemical work written as a Jain rebuttal to the
Buddhist criticism in the Great Tamil epic Kundalakesi.

Nilakesi “The Blue-Haired” tells the story of the Jain nun of the same name who was
a rival of the Buddhist protagonist of the Kundalakesi.

According to the epic, when animal sacrifices of a temple of the Kali in Panchala were
stopped due to the influence of the Jains, the Goddess dispatched the local deity Nīli
to seduce and destroy the monk responsible for it. However, Nīli herself is converted
to Jainism by the monk. Nīlakēci, as she is renamed, travels the country indulging in
philosophical debate with rhetoricians of other religions. She debates and defeats
several Buddhist rhetoricians like Arkachandra, Kundalakesi, Moggallana and even
Gautama Buddha himself.

Nilakesi also defeats votaries from other schools of Indian philosophy, including
Samkhya, Vaisheshika, Mīmāṃsā and Cārvāka.

Kohinoor not in our jurisdiction: SC

The Supreme Court refused to further dwell on a petition seeking a judicial
declaration to bring the Kohinoor diamond back from the United Kingdom, leaving the
task to the wisdom and efforts of the government.

The affidavit said the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972, which prevents the
export of precious articles and treasures from the country, was toothless as the British
East India Company confiscated the Kohinoor from the boy king Maharaja Duleep
Singh in 1849 — “it is a known historical fact.”

Though both India and the U.K. were signatories to the UNESCO Convention on
Means of Prohibiting and Preventing Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership

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of Cultural Property, the restitution of Kohinoor would require a “special agreement”

between both countries.

Channakeshava temple turns 900

The Channakeshava temple in Belur — a masterpiece of Hoysala architecture —
turned 900 this year. While the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is yet to come up
with plans to make it a memorable occasion, the Muzrai Department and Hassan
district administration have planned a series of programmes.

The temple, constructed by Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala dynasty, is a monument

recognised by the ASI.

It attracts thousands of tourists from different parts of the country and abroad.

Considered to be the first temple of Hoysala style, it was built between 1106 and 1117,
according to Srivatsa Vati, a historian and an expert in Hoysala architecture.

“Soon after winning a war in 1104, Vishnuvardhana took up the construction of the
temple, and according to an inscription, the temple was ready by March 1117,”

Points to Remember:

The temple was built between 1106 and 1117.

It was commissioned by Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana.

The temple is regarded a marvel of architecture in typical Hoysala style.

It commemorates the king’s victory in 1104.

Belur, along with Halebid, is proposed as a UNESCO heritage site.

Belur is 40 kilometres from Hassan city.

Centre clears kambala Bill

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The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has cleared the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2017, legalising kambala — the traditional
slush track buffalo race — and will send it to the President for his assent.

Following protests by people and kambala organisers in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada
districts, the State government on February 13, 2017 passed the Bill to exempt
kambala and bullock-cart racing from the ambit of the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals Act, 1960.

About Kambala:

Kambla in its traditional form is non-competitive with buffalo pairs made to race one
after another in paddy fields, which is considered a thanksgiving to the Gods for
protecting the animals from diseases.

Hoysala Architecture
The Hoysala era (1026 CE – 1343 CE) was marked by illustrious achievements in art,
architecture, and culture. The nucleus of this activity lay in the present day Hassan
district of Karnataka, India.

The most remarkable accomplishment of this era lies, undoubtedly, in the field of
architecture.

The intention of surpassing the Western Chalukyan Empire (973 CE – 1189 CE) in its
own sphere provided further impetus for excelling in the field of architecture.

HISTORY OF THE HOYSALA EMPIRE

The Hoysala rulers began as local chieftains in the hills of Western Ghats. With time,
their fortune began to prosper and within a few decades they achieved the status of a
powerful feudatory under Western Chalukyan Emperors.

Early in the history of Hoysala dynasty, the capital of their nascent dominion was
shifted from the hills of Western Ghats to Belur. The military conquests of
Vishnuvardhan (1108 CE – 1152 CE) against the neighbouring Chola Empire (c. 300
BCE – 1279 CE) in 1116 CE marks the first major development in the history of these
dynasts.

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A new age now ushered with Vishnuvardhan as he built the Chennakesava temple
(1117 CE) in Belur to celebrate this victory; furthermore, he decided to shift the capital
almost 20 km to the east to Halebidu or Halebid.

The Hoysalas gained their political freedom in 1192 during the reign of Veera Ballala II
(1173 CE – 1220 CE).

They soon became a leading power in Southern India and enjoyed territorial
supremacy and economic well-being over the next century or so.

At its height, the empire consisted of present day Karnataka, parts of Tamil Nadu and
south-western Telangana.

However, invasions of sultanates from Delhi and Madurai, from 1311 CE onwards,
proved fatal to the then reigning monarch, Veera Ballala III (1292 CE – 1343 CE). He
eventually succumbed to these repeated onslaughts in 1343 CE.

NATURE & INFLUENCE

The Nolamaba (late 8th – 11th century) and Western Ganga (350 CE – 1000 CE)
dynasties – predecessors of Hoysalas in Southern Karnataka – constructed both
Hindu and Jain temples inspired by Tamil heritage.

In contrast, the Hoysala rulers were influenced by the Western Chalukyan architecture
and employed their craftsmen as well.

An abundance of figure sculpture covers almost all the Hoysala temples. Soapstone,
which allows fine detailing and clarity, also helped in this predilection.

This is a return to a more extensive iconographic representation of episodes from

popular epics compared to later Western Chalukyan architecture.

It must be remembered, however, that in temple architecture these do not merely

serve a decorative purpose, but are essential to the integrity and composition of the
structure.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

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A cuboid cell, the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) houses a centrally

placed murti(enshrined icon) on a pitha (pedestal).

The shikhara (superstructure), rises over the garbha griha and together with the
sanctum they form the vimana (or mulaprasada) of a temple.

A ribbed stone, amalaka, is placed atop the shikhara with a kalash at its finial.

An intermediate antarala (vestibule) joins the garbha griha to an expansive

pillared mandapa(porch) in front, chiefly facing east (or north).

The temple may be approached via entrances with gigantic gopurams (ornate
entrance towers) towering over each doorway. In the prakaram (temple courtyard)
several minor shrines and outbuildings often abound.

The vimanas are either stellate, semi–stellate or orthogonal in plan.

The intricately carved banded plinths, a distinguishing characteristic of the Hoysala

temples, comprise a series of horizontal courses that run as rectangular strips with
narrow recesses between them.

Also, the temples themselves are sometimes built on a raised platform or jagati which
is used for the purpose of a pradakshinapatha (circumambulation).

To study in detail the architecture of the period, we will consider examples from Belur
and Halebidu which together contain some of the finest surviving temples from that
era.

New Google project-We Wear Culture

Textile collections from museums and cultural institutions of India, along with at least
three unique Indian weaving traditions — Baluchari, Patola and brocades — have
featured in Google’s virtual exhibition project titled “We Wear Culture” .

Textiles having different motifs and designs from northeastern India (1850-1980),
mainly collected during anthropological fieldwork, are on display as important cultural
artefacts.

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A 19th century warrior cloth worn by the Nagas — a black and red wrap with a white
band in the middle having painted human figures — signifies the number of heads
taken by the person.

Other unique cultural objects in the digital collection are the Pani Gamcha, a black
cotton cloth with white stripes, used by the Meitei women in Manipur and the
Kakat-Bandha, a narrow piece of yellow cotton cloth with embroidery work, used by
the Bodo people.

The tradition of Baluchari sari weaving is as old as modern Bengal itself, said Jayanta
Sengupta, director of Indian Museum, Kolkata.

The digital collection shows Baluchari saris dating back to 19th century, with some of
the pieces from the Tagore family.

With its origins in Murshidabad, the weaving tradition started from a village called
Baluchar, which was submerged during a flood.

Google’s project also details the time-consuming craft of Patola saris, traditionally
woven by the Salvi community of Gujarat and the richly decorative brocades, typically
woven on a drawloom.

The brocade weavers from Banaras have historically had a rich repertoire, producing
not only saris but also skirts, patkas, turbans and ornate costumes and furnishings
since the 17th century for the Mughal court.

Tanjore painting
What is Tanjore Art?

Tanjore Art or Thanjavur Art is an art form that orginates from the ancient city of
Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, India. It is popular not only in India but around the world,
finding a place for itself on the walls of several homes.

History

16th Century – Tanjore art draws its inspiration from the period of Nayakas’ rule over
Thanjavur. When the Vijayanagara empire under Krishnadevaraya came to Thanjavur,
paintings and art started gaining importance. The Vijayanagara administered their

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kindgom through Nayaka governors. Thanjavur was also a Nayaka state. Under the
rule of Raghunatha Nayaka, one of the most succesful Nayaka rulers, a unique school
of Thanjavur artists was established.

1676-1855 – Tanjore painting flourished during Maratha rule. The Marathas took over
Thanjavur in the late 1600s. They were great patrons of art and artists. It was during
the rule of Serfoji II that Tanjore art and painting developed into the form and style we
recognise today. It was also the time when great innovations took place in Tanjore art
and other fields.

Post Maratha rule – The Maratha rule in Thanjavur came to an end with the death of
its last ruler, Shivaji II. After this, the mercantile Chettiar community continued to
patronise the Tanjore artists. Since they were Shaivites, they encouraged such themes
in the paintings.

Style

Tanjore paintings use a lot of rich and vivid colours. They make use of gold foil, glass
beads, precious and semi-precious stones, depending on the function or occasion for
which they are created. Due to its time under rulers from different cultures, Tanjore
paintings are influenced by Vijayanagara, Maratha and even European styles of
paintings. The subjects of Tanjore paintings are mainly Hindu gods, goddesses and
saints.

The paintings are usually made by placing layers of cloth over wooden planks. Hence,
they are often referred as palagai padam in local communities.

Today, Tanjore paintings are purchased by people to adorn the walls of their homes.
They are also bought for gifting purposes and as collectors’ items by art lovers. Sadly,
there are replicas that are sold for extremely cheap rates which dilute this beautiful art
form.

Did you know?

Tanjore paintings mostly have a story to tell. The main character of the painting is
always placed in the centre.

A festival of drums with a message

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The banks of the Bharathapuzha at Perumparamba, near Edappal, are set to

reverberate with the sounds of the largest traditional percussion ensemble in Kerala.

Panchavadyam

Literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, is basically a temple art form that
has evolved in Kerala.

Of the five instruments, four – timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka – belong to
thepercussion category, while the fifth, kombu, is a wind instrument.

Panchavadyam is characterised by a pyramid-like rhythmic structure with a constantly

increasing tempo coupled with a proportional decrease in the number of beats in
cycles.

Thayambaka

It is a type of solo chenda.

A Chenda is a cylindrical wooden drum, and has a length of two feet and a diameter of
one foot.

It is a performance that developed in Kerala, in which the main player at the centre
improvises rhythmically on the beats of half-a-dozen or a few more chenda and
ilathalam players around.

Mizhavu

Mizhavu is a big copper drum played as an accompanying percussion instrument in

the Koodiyattam and Koothu, performing arts of Kerala.

It is played by the Ambalavasi Nambiar community.

After 1965, the cast barrier having broken, anyone can play mizhavu in koodiyattam.

Koodiyattam

It is a form of Sanskrit theatre traditionally performed in the state of Kerala.

It is officially recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible

Heritage of Humanity.

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It is the only surviving specimen of the ancient Sanskrit theatre.

It finds several mentions in ancient sangam literature.

Koothu

Koothu is an informal dance structure, which originated in Tamil land.

The performances generally depict scenes from ancient epics like Ramayana,
Mahabharatha and other classical epics.

There are traditionally no dialogues, instead only songs.

Japan’s men-only island up for World

Heritage status
A Unesco advisory body has recommended adding Japan’s island of Okinoshima, a
men-only ancient religious site in Fukuoka prefecture, to its World Heritage list.

The advisory body, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS),
notified Japan of its decision.

If approved, the island, which is part of the prefecture’s Munakata region, will be the
17th set of Japanese cultural assets to be granted World Heritage status, taking the
total number of Japanese assets on the list to 21.

Okinoshima still follow strict taboos from ancient times, including the controversial
ban on women from entering the island.

Men setting foot on the island are first required to strip all clothes and perform a
cleansing ritual.

It was also the site of successful exchanges with the people of the Korean Peninsula
and China between the fourth and ninth centuries.

Khooni Bhandara

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A unique underground water management structure of the Mughal era in Madhya

Pradesh, known as the ‘Khooni Bhandara,’ is eyeing the tag of UNESCO world
heritage site.

The ancient water supply system was envisaged and constructed by Mughal Subedar
Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana of Emperor Jehangir’s regime.

The Subedar – known to be a man of huge foresight, collected information on the the
groundwater resources in the Satpuda region and to tap the resources properly and
provide its benefit to the residents of Burhanpur, constructed the unique water supply
system in year 1615.

The structure includes several small ponds were constructed in various parts to
collect water.

The water was transported through baked clay pipes to the Pond at Shaniwara Dwar
in Burhanpur city.

The water from this pond was then supplied to the palaces, Masjids and residences of
common people again using underground pipes. Though the system is not in use
presently, it is yet very much workable.

Chenchus a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal

Group
Chenchus are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group whose hamlets or Pentas dot the
Nallamala forest range spread across four to five districts in Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh states.

They are inveterate forest dwellers, who have, over centuries, steadfastly refused to
move out of their woods regardless of the perils of such life.

If patriotism be defined as love for the land, Chenchus are patriots in true spirit.

The non-resident war cries on social media over imagined boundaries are no match
for their raw affinity to forests where they live without basic facilities.

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The Chenchus are Adivasi, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.

Points to Know:

The Devadari Kura (Cedrus deodara or native cedar) plant which is believed to ward
off liver, urinary and respiratory infections and gastric ulcers is there source of food.

Nallamala (tropical dry deciduous scrub with trees of axle wood, teak, Hardwicke) is
also host to India’s largest tiger reserve, the 3,728-sq.-km Nagarjunasagar Srisailam
Tiger Reserve (NSTR).

The FRA clearly defines ‘forest land’ under Section 2 (d) to mean forests of all
categories including the protected areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks
and Tiger Reserves.

Tiwa tribe in Assam

Men of Tiwa tribe in Assam kill protected species such as deer, boar, goat, pangolin
and porcupine in a ritual-cum-sport.

For two or three months in a year, men of the Tiwa tribe of Karbi Anglong district in
Assam comb the deep jungles to hunt wildlife.

The Tiwa, one of the major tribes of the State, lives both in the hills and the plains.

The Tiwas burn grass to make a path, as they do for jhum cultivation (slash and burn)
after growing paddy and pumpkin, chilli and other vegetables when they are not
hunting.

The Tiwas do not hunt in the breeding season of wild animals.

The Napier Museum building

The Napier Museum building, with its unique architectural style, stands apart from all
the other heritage structures in and around Thiruvananthapuram.

Set in the sprawling grounds of the Public Gardens, the majestic structure is a fine
specimen of Indo-Saracenic style in architecture.

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The advent of Indo-Saracenic style in erstwhile Travancore can be dated back to the
time of Ayilyam Tirunal Rama Varma. His reign (1860 to 1880) witnessed construction
activities on a grand scale.

The growing fondness for Neo-classical (colonial) style of architecture amongst

Anglophile rulers and aristocratic nobles reflected in the new edifices constructed
during his reign.

The Huzur Cutcherry building (the Secretariat complex), constructed in 1869, under
the supervision of Chief Engineer Barton, was a remarkable architectural contribution.

However, the Indo-Saracenic architectural style remained alien to Travancore until

Lord Napier set foot in Travancore.

The design submitted by Chisholm introduced to the residents in Travancore the novel
Indo-Saracenic style, with its Indo-Islamic, and Indian elements, in harmonious unison
with Gothic architecture.

Chisholm’s design for the Napier Museum, strategically placed on top of a hill, cleverly
incorporated the sweeping sloping roof and intricately carved gables, majestic bay
windows supported on six finely crafted vyalis (mythical beasts) – typical Kerala
elements – alongside multi-foliated and pointed arches. Stained glass was also used
to enhance the quality of the light falling inside the building.

All the corners of the structure are lined with carefully hewn stone bricks, whereas the
walls are constructed using burnt bricks.

The geometric brickwork pattern on the wall lends a touch of elegance to the entire
composition.

Where is Devicotta?
Devicotta was a Maratha fort on an island in the mouth of the Coleroon River. There
were once two versions for its name: Theevu-Kottai (island fort) and Devi-kottai (fort
of the goddess).

It was 37 miles South of Pondicherry and a part of the Tanjore kingdom. The Rajah of
Tanjore offered it to the British c.1747, then later reneged on his promise. Stringer

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Lawrence, commanding the East India Company’s army, then in Cuddalore, ordered
the Fort be taken.

Robert Clive, a Lieutenant at the time, is said to have “particularly distinguished”

himself at its storming in June 1749.

In 1750, Capt. Charles Hopkins, retired from the Navy, took charge of Devicotta as the
Company’s first Factor. Comte de Lally then seized it from the British in 1758. Only for
Eyre Coote to retrieve it in 1761.

Art in India: Painting, Sculpture,

Architecture
Introduction

The cultural heritage of India is one of the richest and most ancient in the
world, rivalled only by Chinese art. The art of sculpture, the most highly
respected medium for artists, was widely practised throughout the
subcontinent, and buildings were profusely adorned with it. The subject
matter of Indian sculpture was almost invariably abstracted human forms
that were portrayed to instruct people in the truths of the Hindu Buddhist or
Jain religions. Painting in India typically concerned religious deities and
kings and was influenced in style by Chinese painting as well as the art of
Ancient Persiaand other countries from middle and central Asia, as well as
Greece. Painting in India encompasses Buddhist murals in the Ajanta caves
and the Brihadisvara Temple, to the large frescoes of Ellora to the
miniaturist tradition of Mughal, to the mixed-media embellished works from
the Tanjore school. The paintings from Gandhar-Taxila are influenced by
Persia to the west, while the eastern style of Indian painting – taking
inspiration from Indian mythology, grew up around the Nalanda school of
art. Indian civilization is also a rich source of architecture and architectural
styles, one of its more minor examples being the famous Taj Mahal.

Origins of Art in India

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The art of India begins way back in the Paleolithic culture of the Stone Age,
with the famous Bhimbetka petroglyphs at the Auditorium Cave, Bhimbetka,
Madhya Pradesh, as well as other petroglyphs at Daraki-Chattan, a narrow,
deep rock shelter in the Indragarh Hill, near Tehsil Bhanpura, Madhya
Pradesh. These primitive cupules and instances of rock art have been
dated to as far back as 290,000-700,000 BCE. (For other prehistoric
artworks in the Far East, see also: Chinese Neolithic art.) Later, Buddhists
were associated with many instances of cave art, which was imitated in the
seventh century by Hindus at Badami, Aihole, Ellora, Salsette, Elephanta,
Aurangabad and Mamallapuram. In addition, Buddhist literature is full of
descriptions about late Iron Age royal palaces in India being decorated with
a variety of religious art including frescoes and panel paintings but no such
works have survived. The best early frescoes to have emerged are those
from the Brihadisvara Temple at Chola, and the murals on temple walls in
Pundarikapuram, Ettumanoor, Aymanam and Trivandrum.

Sculpture in India

There is almost no individuality in Indian sculpture, because figures are

conceived of as shapes that are more perfect than any to be found in
human models.

Sculpting in India dates from the Indus Valley civilization of 2500-1800 BCE,
when small items of bronze sculpture and terracotta sculpture were
produced. An early masterpiece is The Dancing Girl of
Mohenjo-Daro (c.2500-2000 BCE, National Museum, New Delhi), arguably
the finest surviving statuette of the Indus Valley culture. This was followed
by the great circular stone pillars and carved lions of the Maurya period (c.
250 BCE), and the mature Indian gigurative sculpture of the second and
first centuries BCE, in which Hindu and Buddhist themes were already well
established. (For 2nd millennium arts in China, see Shang Dynasty
art c.1600-1000 BCE.) A wide range of sculptural styles subsequently
emerged in different parts of India over succeeding centuries, but by 900 CE
Indian plastic art had reached a form that has lasted with little change up to
modern times. This sculpture is distinguished not by a sense of plastic

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fullness but rather by its linear character: the figure is conceived from the
standpoint of its outline, and typically is graceful and slender with supple
limbs. From 900 CE onwards, this sculpture was used mainly as
architectural decoration with huge numbers of relatively small figures of
mediocre quality being produced for this purpose.

Schools of Painting

There is no one style of painting in India. Geography, climate, local cultural

traditions, demographics all help to shape art along regional lines. Also,
outside artistic influences are more strongly felt in border regions. Not
surprisingly therefore, Indian painting is a complex patchwork of differing
styles, with different approaches to both figure drawing and figure painting.
Here are a few examples.

Madhubani

Practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state, India, the origins of

Madhubani painting traditionally derive from the time of the Ramayana,
when King Janak commissioned artists to portray the marriage of his
daughter, Sita, with Sri Rama who was regarded as the incarnation of the
Hindu god Vishnu.

Mughal

Mughal painting is a miniaturist style of Indian painting, typically executed

to illustrate texts and manuscripts. It emerged and flourished during the the
Mughal Empire in the sixteenth-nineteenth centuries, coinciding with the
upsurge in the art of illumination in Persia, which reached its heyday during
the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1722). In fact, Mughal pictures were a blend of
Indian and Islamic art. One of the key patrons of Mughal painting was Akbar
(1556-1605). At Fatehpur Sikri, he employed the two Persian master
painters Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali, and attracted artists from
throughout India and Persia. They painted on cloth using vivid reds, blues
and greens, as well more muted Persian colours of pink and peach.

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Rajput

Another type of miniature court-style art, Rajput painting flourished in

particular during the eighteenth century, in the royal courts of Rajputana.
Typically it depicts a variety of themes, including Krishna’s life, epics like
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as landscapes, and people.
Colours used were usually extracted from minerals, plants, even conch
shells. Brushes used by Rajput artists were typically very fine and tapered.

Mysore

Noted for their elegance, subtle colours, and intricate detail, Mysore painting is an
important form of classical art from Southern India. Mysore paintings portray Hindu
Gods and Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. The process of making a
Mysore painting involves a preliminary sketch of the image which is then covered by a
gesso paste made of Zinc oxide and Arabic gum to give a slightly raised effect.
Afterwards a thin gold foil is pasted. The rest of the drawing is then pasted
using watercolour.

Bengal

An avant garde, nationalist movement which reacted against the dominant academic
style of art in India as promoted by both Indian and British art schools, the Bengal
School of Art was an influential style of painting that developed in India during the
British Raj in the early twentieth century. Its influence waned with the spread of
modernist ideas in the 1920s.

Architecture

Arguably the two greatest examples of architecture from the Indian

subcontinent, are the 11th century Kandariya Mahadeva Hindu
Temple (1017-29) at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh – noted for its
Nagara-style architecture, and extraordinary erotic relief sculpture – and
the 17th century Taj Mahal(1632-54) in Agra, Uttar Pradesh – noted for its
Mughal (Mogul) designs and serene Islamic art – either of which can
compare with the finest architectural works in the West. For a comparison
with South-East Asian architecture, see: the 12th century Angkor Wat
Khmer Temple (1115-45) in Cambodia.

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Arts And Crafts

As well as painting, sculpture and architecture, India has a rich tradition

of crafts including gold-work, silver and other precious metalwork,
paper-art, weaving and designing of artifacts such as jewellery and toys.
Not surprisingly, this wealth of talent and ingenuity now includes some of
the world’s most innovative computer software and graphics designers.

Research Institution of World Ancient,

Traditional Culture and Heritage

Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the

Research Institution of World Ancient, Traditional, Culture & Heritage
(RIWATCH) Museum at Roing on 22nd July 2017.

It is place of exchange of cultural values of various tribes of the state

and the North East.

The MoS also pressed for documentation and research to preserve

age-old culture and traditions of the state, and exhorted people to
shoulder the responsibility to pass on traditional and cultural values to
the next generation.

Highlighting the UNESCO report, which states that there are 32

languages in Arunachal Pradesh that are on the verge of extinction, the
government is initiating programmes and policies to find out and to
revive those minor and major tribes whose languages are on the verge
of extinction.

Aims also include showcasing minor tribes in the state, least they
become extinct.

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The importance and objective of establishment of RIWATCH in the

region and called for cooperation in bringing up the museum for
preservation of cultural values of various tribes is immeasurable.

India to celebrate Falun Gong

Falun Gong, the ancient Chinese holistic system that is banned in China,
will be celebrated in India on July 15 with a parade and Human Word
Formation in the capital.

The event would highlight the persecution against the practitioners in

China. The practice is banned in China.

Falun Gong is a Chinese spiritual practice that combines meditation and

qigong exercises with a moral philosophy centered on the tenets of
truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

The practice emphasizes morality and the cultivation of virtue, and

identifies as a qigong practice of the Buddhist school, though its
teachings also incorporate elements drawn from Taoist traditions.

Through moral rectitude and the practice of meditation, practitioners of

Falun Gong aspire to eliminate attachments, and ultimately to achieve
spiritual enlightenment.

Ahmedabad gets World Heritage City tag

The 606-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad, which was founded

by Sultan Ahmed Shah, has become India’s first World Heritage City.
The World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO announced this.

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Ahmedabad is recognized the city as the cradle of India’s non-violent

freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi.

Indus Valley city of Dholavira has been

unearthed
Dholavira is crucial to India’s prehistory, as prominent a site of the Indus Valley
Civilisation as Mohenjodaro or Harappa. And it happens to be located right on the
Tropic of Cancer.

Dholavira’s location—on the Tropic of Cancer—had an added advantage. The sun is

directly overhead at noon at this latitude (23.5 degrees north) during Summer
Solstice.

Dholavira was at that time surrounded by the sea and was a trading port.

In February this year, Current Anthropology published what has been called a
“treasure trove” of new discoveries based on a long-term study (2007-2014) of the
northwestern Indus region. The findings have been significant enough for the report to
say that studying the Indus civilisation might help us understand what it takes for
cities to survive dire climate change.

Saint Teresa’s blue-bordered sari is

Intellectual Property
The famous blue-bordered sari of Mother Teresa, who has been canonised as Saint
Teresa of Calcutta by the Vatican, has been recognised as an Intellectual Property of
the Missionaries of Charity.

The diminutive nun of Albanian descent went around the streets of Kolkata since 1948
to be with the poor and the destitutes, wearing a white sari with three blue borders,
the outer border being wider than the two inner ones.

“The blue-designed border on the sari worn by nuns of the Missionaries of Charity was
recognised as Intellectual Property for the organisation on September four, 2016, the
day the Mother was canonised.

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It is the first time ever that a uniform has been protected under the Intellectual
Property rights.

What are intellectual property rights?

Intellectual property rights are like any other property right.

They allow creators, or owners, of patents, trademarks or copyrighted works to benefit

from their own work or investment in a creation.

These rights are outlined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
which provides for the right to benefit from the protection of moral and material
interests resulting from authorship of scientific, literary or artistic productions.

The importance of intellectual property was first recognized in the Paris Convention
for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883) and the Berne Convention for the
Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886). Both treaties are administered by the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

A jainsem
A jainsem is made out of a piece of cloth that is typically 2.75 m or 3 m in length, and
which is cut into two equal pieces to create a garment that Khasi women wear with a
blouse and skirt. The length of the jainsem depends on either the height of the woman
wearing it, or on her choice of whether to keep it down to her ankles or just below her
knees.

For the Khasi women who wear it, the jainsem is not a ceremonial dress; rather, it is
regular, everyday wear. “It is simple to make, easy to wear and not very costly in
comparison to the traditional ceremonial dresses,” said Agnes Kharshiing, a
Shillong-based social activist.

A jainsem can be made of silk, polyester or other fabric, and almost all jainsems have
intricate embroidery along their lower edge. Hundreds of women find employment in
sewing and embroidering them.

Like the two-piece mekhela-chador for the Assamese woman, the jainsem is a part of
the identity of the enterprising women of the matrilineal Khasi society. On special
occasions, jainsems made of muga and paat, the two silks of Assam, are also worn.

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However, the dress that Khasi women wear more commonly during festivals,
weddings and other ceremonies is the dhara, which, unlike the jainsem, is a one-piece
garment.

The costume worn at traditional Khasi dances comprises ka jingpim shad, a cloth
draped from waist to ankle; ka sopti mukmor, a full-sleeve blouse with lacework at the
neck; and ka dhara rong ksiar, two rectangular pieces of cloth embroidered with gold
thread, pinned crosswise at the shoulders, overlapping each other.

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