A fresh round of excavations at the site of Delhi’s Purana Qila or Old Fort has uncovered evidence of the continuous history of the city since the pre-Mauryan era. Findings include shards of Painted Gray Ware pottery which are usually dated to around 1200 BC to 600 BC. remains of a 900-year-old Vaikuntha Vishnu from the Rajput period, a terracotta plaque of Goddess Gaja Lakshmi from the Gupta period, the structural remains of a 2,500-year-old terracotta ring well from the Mauryan period, and a well-defined four-room complex from the Sunga-Kushan period dating back to 2,300 years ago, besides beads, seals,....Read More

Kashmiri Pandits have embarked on the annual pilgrimage to Mata Kheer Bhawani or Ragnya Devi temple in Ganderbal, Jammu Kashmir. The history of Mela Kheer Bhawani dates back centuries, symbolizing the reverence and devotion of the people towards the divine Mother Ragnya Devi. It is observed on the Ashtami day during Shukla Paksha or waxing phase of moon in Jyeshta month (June – July). The temple gets its name from kheer, or milk and rice pudding, that pilgrims pour into the spring inside the temple complex as an offering to the goddess. Legend has it that the water of the....Read More

The Mahakal Lok corridor, located at Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple, experienced massive destruction caused by strong winds. ABOUT MAHAKALESHWAR TEMPLE It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh. As per Hindu mythology, the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma and is presently located alongside river Kshipra and Rudra Sagar lake. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams of Lord Shiva. The shrine is also revered as one the 18 Maha Shaktia Peeth in India. It is the only jyotirlinga facing the south, while all the others face east. This is because the direction of....Read More

PM will install a historic golden sceptre, called Sengol, near the Speaker’s seat in new parliament. Background Before independence in 1947, the then Viceroy - Lord Mountbatten asked the to-be Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru about any ceremony symbolise the transfer of power from British to Indian hands. PM Nehru consulted C. Rajagopalachari, commonly known as Rajaji who suggested that the Chola model of handing over the Sengol sceptre could be adopted as a suitable ceremony for India’s independence. He said that it would reflect India’s ancient civilisation and culture, as well as its unity in diversity. Rajaji went on to....Read More

International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has recommended the inclusion of Santiniketan in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. ABOUT SANTINIKETAN Santiniketan is a renowned cultural and heritage place located in Birbhum District, West Bengal. It was the home of Rabindranath Tagore, where he lived and composed many of his literary works, including songs, poems, and novels. The Santiniketan campus is adorned with splendid sculptures, frescoes, murals, and paintings created by renowned artists such as Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar, Binodbehari Mukhopadhyay, and others. The region of Birbhum District, where Santiniketan is located, is also famous for its fairs and festivals.....Read More

Since 2018, archaeologists have discovered 500 graves at the site of Juna Khatiya. ABOUT JUNA KHATIYA Juna Khatiya is an Early Harappan burial site located about 30 km from Lakhpat in Kutch district, Gujarat. The burial site, spread over 16 hectares in a Kutch village, is considered to be the largest pre-urban Harappan cemetery. The burials discovered at this site date from 3,200 BCE to 2,600 BCE, predating Dholavira—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and several other Harappan sites in the state. The site is important because others like Dholavira have a cemetery in and around the town, but no major habitation....Read More

Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) order not to issue a Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate to any Khasi person who adopts the surname of her or his father has triggered a war of words in matrilineal Meghalaya. ABOUT KHASI TRIBE The Khasis, numbering about 1.39 lakh, are one of the three indigenous matrilineal communities in the Meghalaya. The other two are Garos and Jaintias. Khasi traditions- Khasis follow a matrilineal system of inheritance and youngest daughter or “Ka Khadduh” inherits the property. After marriage, husbands live in the mother-in-law's home. The mother's surname is taken by children. The birth of....Read More

Maharashtra govt has constituted SIT to probe Trimbakeshwar temple incident. SIT will probe a recent incident in which a group of people from minority community allegedly attempted to ‘forcibly’ enter Trimbakeshwar temple in ABOUT TRIMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE Trimbakeshwar temple is the abode of one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. A Jyotirlinga is a representation of Lord Shiva in Hinduism. Temple is located at foothills of mountain Bramhagiri, from which river Godavari flows. It was constructed by third Peshwa Balaji Bajirao (1740-1760) on the site of an old temple. The sanctum, internally a square and externally a stellar structure, houses....Read More

India Pavilion at Cannes film festival is inspired by Saraswati Yantra, abstract representation of goddess Saraswati, drawn from the ancient text of Maha Upanishad. The pavilion has been designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, with the theme “Showcasing India’s Creative Economy” to the global community. Goddess Saraswati is believed to be the keeper of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom and learning. Maha Upanishad is a Sanskrit text and is one of the minor Upanishads. Text exists in two versions, one attached to the Atharvaveda in some anthologies, and another attached to the Samveda. The Atharvaveda version is shorter,....Read More

It is a masked dance unique to Tibetan Buddhism. In this Buddhist monks with colourful costumes dance to the sounds of traditional instruments. The dance in itself is seen as a form of meditation and mostly practised during festivals like Losar in Buddhist monastries. It is considered an act of cleansing evil forces. The dance ritual of Cham is practiced till date in Himalayas, especially in places where Tibetan Buddhism prospered in India- Ladakh, Dharamshala, Lahaul Valley, Spiti Valley & Sikkim, and Bhutan and Tibet. Padma Sambhava (Guru Rinpoche) the founder of Nyingmapa is believed to have started the Cham....Read More