GS Paper: GS1-01.Indian Culture- Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to form a special committee to trace and certify 24 protected monuments that have gone “missing”.

Why in news?

• PMO has in a report last month said there was an urgent need to “rationalise” the list of monuments of national importance.

Sites in news

• Barakhamba Cemetery temple ruins, Mirzapur (UP) dating to 1000 AD
• Kos Minars – one at Faridabad’s Mujesar and
• Inchla Wali Gumti at Mubarakpur Kotla in the capital

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) 

• Founded by Alexander Cunningham, who is also revered as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”
• He was the protege of James Prinsep.
• It was Lord Canning who helped pass a statute for ASI’s establishment in 1861.
• Post-Independence, it is a Statutory body that now works under Ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains act (AMASR Act), 1958.
• It works as an attached Office of the Ministry of Culture.
• ASI has 3678 protected monuments and Archaeology sites of National Importance + 29 cultural under the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

Initiatives by ASI

1. Museums

• ASI’s museums are customarily located right next to the sites that their inventories are associated with “so that they may be studied amid their natural surroundings and not lose focus by being transported”.
• A dedicated Museums Branch maintains a total of 44 museums spread across the country.

2. Publications by ASI

• Epigraphia Indica
• Ancient India
• Indian Archaeology: A Review (Annually)

3. Library

• Central Archaeological Library in the National Archives building in Janpath, New Delhi

 

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Two sacred Shaligram stones arrived in Ayodhya for crafting the idols of Lord Ram and Janaki at the Ram Temple.

What is a Shaligram Stones?

• Shaligram stones are fossils of ammonite, which is a type of mollusk that lived between 400 million and 65 million years ago.
• They are found in the Shaligram Pilgrimage in the Nepal Himalayas.
• They date specifically from the Early Oxfordian to the Late Tithonian Age near the end of the Jurassic Period some 165-140 million years ago.
• Mostly found in riverbeds or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in Nepal, this stone is revered as a representation of Lord Vishnu.
• The stone is considered to have divine powers and is seen as a symbol of good luck and prosperity.

Mythological significance

• Historically, the use of shaligrama shilas in worship can be traced to the time of Adi Shankara through the latter’s works.
• Specifically it finds mention in the Taittiriya Upanishad.
• The statue of Vishnu in the Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram and Badrinath Temple of Garhwal region, and that of Krishna in Krishna Matha of Udupi and Radha Raman Temple of Vrindavana are also believed to be made from shaligrama shilas.

 

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This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in TH.

Shumang Leela

• Shumang Leela is a unique traditional form of theatre in Manipur.
• The tradition is believed to be descended from Lai Haraoba, a ritual of the Meitei community of Manipur.

Types of this dance

Shumang Leela is of two types:

1. Nupa Shumang Leela: It performed only by men. Here the roles of women are all played by men, called Nupi Shabis.
2. Nupi Shumang Leela: It performed only by women and the roles of men are played by women.

Performance details

• The plays serve as a medium to spread awareness among people of social, political and economic issues. Shumang Leelas may also discuss moral values, unity and integrity.
• This theatre form has for long been trying to strengthen the bond of brotherhood and friendship among various communities in the State.

Significance of the art

• In a society marked by heteronormativity, the gender-bending nature of Shumang Leela makes it a unique art form that is fraught with complexity.
• The men who take up female roles or vice versa are highly appreciated and laughed at.
• The traditional theatre form has preserved its original form, and its aim to inform and entertain has remained unchanged.

 

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The Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens — popularly known as the Mughal Gardens was renamed as Amrit Udyan.

The Amrit Udyan

• Edwin Lutyens had finalized the designs of the Mughal Gardens in 1917, but it was only during the year 1928-1929 that planting was done.
• It is spread across 15 acres and it incorporates both Mughal and English landscaping styles.
• The main garden has two channels intersecting at right angles dividing the garden into a grid of squares- a Charbagh (a four-cornered garden)- a typical characteristic of Mughal landscaping.
• There are six lotus-shaped fountains at the crossings of these channels rising to a height of 12 feet.
• The gardens house nearly 2500 varieties of Dahlias and 120 varieties of roses.

Why was it earlier named as Mughal Gardens?

• The garden is designed in Persian style of landscaping or what we call as ‘‘Mughal Gardens”.
• In fact, Edward Lutyens who designed the Viceroy’s House, what we call today as Rashtrapati Bhavan had deliberately used Mughal architectural details as part of the British appeasement plan.
• We see Chajja (dripstone), the Chattri (domed kiosk), the Jali (pierced screen) and many other Indian architectural features liberally used there.
• Mughal canals, terraces and flowering shrubs are beautifully blended with European flowerbeds, lawns and private hedges.

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Back2Basics: Mughal Gardening in India- The Charbagh Style

• The Mughals were known to appreciate gardens. In Babur Nama, Babur says that his favourite kind of garden is the Persian charbagh style (literally, four quadrants garden).
• The charbagh structure was intended to create a representation of an earthly utopia – ‘jannat’ – in which humans co-exist in perfect harmony with all elements of nature.
• Defined by its rectilinear layouts, divided in four equal sections, these gardens can be found across lands previously ruled by the Mughals.
• From the gardens surrounding Humanyun’s Tomb in Delhi to the Nishat Bagh in Srinagar, all are built in this style – giving them the moniker of Mughal Gardens.
• A defining feature of these gardens is the use of waterways, often to demarcate the various quadrants of the garden.
• Fountains were often built, symbolising the “cycle of life.”

 

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The Union conferred Padma Shri to Mr. Raju in the art category as an honour to the Etikoppaka wooden toy craft.

Etikoppaka Toys

• Etikoppaka is a small village on the banks of Varaha River at a distance of 64 Kms away from the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.
• The name Etikoppaka is synonymous with beautiful wooden artifacts and lacquer colours.
• The toys are made with lacquer color and are traditionally known as Etikoppaka toys or Etikoppaka Bommalu.
• The village is very famous for its toys made of wood. The toys are also called as lacquer toys because of application of lacquer coating.
• Etikoppaka Toys have obtained their GI tag under the Handicrafts category in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

How are they made?

• The toys are made out of wood and are coloured with natural dyes derived from seeds, lacquer, bark, roots and leaves.
• The wood used to make the toys is soft in nature and the art of toy making is also known as Turned wood Lacquer craft.
• While making the Etikoppaka toys, lac, a colourless resinous secretion of numerous insects, is used.
• The already prepared vegetable dyes are further mixed to the lac, during the process of oxidation.
• After this process, the end product obtained is rich and colored lacquer.
• The lac dye is used for decorating the Etikoppaka toys, which are exported all over the world.

 

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Recent excavations at Bharatpur in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district have revealed the presence of a Buddhist monastery.

Bharatpur Buddhist Monastery Complex

• The Kolkata Circle of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) started excavating the site in the second week of January and a structural complex of a monastery has now been partially exposed.
• The site was initially excavated almost fifty years ago between 1972 and 1975 when archeologists from ASI found a Buddhist stupa at the site.

Uniqueness of this site

• This place hosts a large stupa along with a monastery complex and black and red ware pottery from the Chalcolithic or Copper Age.
• In other sites across West Bengal, such as Karnasubarna in Murshidabad, Moghalamari in Paschim Medinipur and Jagjivanpur in Malda, archeologists have found only smaller votive stupas.
• Further excavation is likely to shed more light to understand the earliest occupation of the site and its continuity till the establishment of a Buddhist monastery.

Key findings

• In the 1970s when the site was excavated along with the stupa, five beautiful seated sculptures of the Buddha in Bhumisparsha Mudra -with all five fingers of the right hand extended to touch the ground — were found.
• These miniature sculptures, each about 30 cm in height, were most likely used for worship in the monastery.

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Back2Basics: Mudras of Buddha

(1) Dharmachakra Mudra

• It is also called as the gesture of ‘Teaching of the Wheel of Dharma’ that describes one of the most important moments in the Buddha’s life as he performed the Dharmachakra mudra in his first sermon in Sarnath after he attained enlightenment.
• It is performed with the help of both the hands which are held against the chest, the left facing inward, covering the right facing outward.

(2) Dhyan Mudra

• It is also known as Samadhi or Yoga Mudra.
• It is performed with the help of two hands, which are placed on the lap and place the right hand on the left hand with stretched fingers (thumbs facing upwards and other fingers of both the hand resting on each other.)
• This is the characteristic gesture of Buddha Shakyamuni, Dhyani Buddha Amitabh and the Medicine Buddha.

(3) Bhumisparsa Mudra

• This gesture is also known as ‘touching the Earth’, which represents the moment of the Buddha’s awakening as he claims the earth as the witness of his enlightenment.
• It is performed with the help of the right hand, which is held above the right knee, reaching toward the ground with the palm inward while touching the lotus throne.

(4) Varada Mudra

• This mudra represents the offering, welcome, charity, giving, compassion and sincerity.
• It is performed with the help of both the hands in which palm of right hand is facing forward and fingers extended and left hand palm placed near centre with extended fingers.

(5) Karana Mudra

• It signifies the warding off of evil which is performed by raising the index and the little finger, and folding the other fingers.
• It helps in reducing sickness or negative thoughts.

(6) Vajra Mudra

• This gesture denotes the fiery thunderbolt that symbolises the five elements—air, water, fire, earth, and metal.
• It is performed with the help of right fist and left forefinger, which is placed by enclosing the erect forefinger of the left hand in the right fist with the tip of the right forefinger touching (or curled around) the tip of the left forefinger.

(7) Vitarka Mudra

• It signifies the discussion and transmission of the teachings of the Buddha.
• It is performed by joining the tips of the thumb and the index fingers together while keeping the other fingers straight, which is just like the Abhaya Mudra and Varada Mudra but in this mudra the thumbs touch the index fingers.

(8) Abhaya Mudra

• It is a gesture of fearlessness or blessing that represents the protection, peace, benevolence, and dispelling of fear.
• It is performed with the help of right hand by raising to shoulder height with bent arm, and the face of palm will be facing outward with fingers upright whereas the left hand hanging down while standing.

(9) Uttarabodhi Mudra

• This denotes the supreme enlightenment through connecting oneself with divine universal energy.
• It is performed with the help of both the hands, which are placed at the heart with the index fingers touching and pointing upwards and the remaining fingers intertwined.

(10) Anjali Mudra

• It is also called Namaskara Mudra or Hridayanjali Mudra that represents the gesture of greeting, prayer and adoration.
• It is performed by pressing the palms of the hands together in which the hands are held at the heart chakra with thumbs resting lightly against the sternum.

 

Answer this PYQ from CSP 2014 in the comment box:

Q.Lord Buddha’s image is sometimes shown with a hand gesture called ‘Bhumisparsha Mudra’. It symbolizes-

a) Buddha’s calling of the Earth to watch over Mara and to prevent Mara from disturbing his meditation

b) Buddha’s calling of the Earth to witness his purity and chastity despite the temptations of Mara

c) Buddha’s reminder to his followers that they all arise from the Earth and finally dissolve into the Earth and thus this life is transitory

d) Both the statements ‘a’ and ‘b’ are correct in this context

 

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