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

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered two 1200-year-old miniature votive stupas during landscaping activities near Sarai Tila mound on the premises of ‘Nalanda Mahavihara’, a world heritage site in Nalanda district.

What has ASI found?

• The stupas, carved from stone, depict Buddha figures.
• These two votive stupas (offered in fulfillment of a vow) were discovered by the ASI officials during landscaping near Sarai Tila mound within the premises of ‘Nalanda Mahavihara on January 4.
• These, carved from stone depicting Buddha figures, must be around 1200 year old.

What are Stupas?

• The Sanskrit word stupa signifies “heap, mound, and pile” and is derived from the root ‘stup’ “to pile up.”
• The ashes of Buddha collected were divided into eight parts and stupa was erected on them.
• The legend of relic sharing has been imagined latter on, after the establishment of relic worship and stupa.
• This belief was raised only when the Buddha was considered as a God, a Chakravartin.

Types of Stupa

• Buddha himself distinguished three kinds of stupa (Chaitya): (i) Sariraka, (ii) Paribhogika and (iii) Uddesika (according to Mahaparinibbanasutta).
• Beside all these, there are also the sculpted, engraved painted stupas intended to procure merit for the donors.
• Mostly stupa is containing a relic, that the stupa must have been considered from ancient times as a substitute of the Buddha.
• In Buddhist history, the Buddha was considered to be a Chakravartin, a universal monarch.

How votive stupas were erected?

• As his ashes were no longer available, they were replaced by his written law –i.e. factitious body of the Buddha (Niramanakaya), the relic stupas contain the spiritual relics (Dharama Sarira) and the body of law (Dharamakaya) of these represented as Buddha.
• These stupas erected over relics are called Sariraka Stupas.
• Other stupas called Paribhogika were erected over objects used by the Buddha, such as his bowl, girdle, clothes etc.
• Others called Uddesika(votive) were raised over places which were made famous by the presence of Buddha (Buddha’s presence). These are commemorative stupas.

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Maghi Mela is being celebrated from January 14.

Maghi Mela

• Maghi Mela is held in the holy city of Sri Muktsar Sahib every year in January, or on the month of Magh according to the Nanakshahi calendar.
• It is one of the most important festivals for Sikhs.
• Today, the Mela starts on Maghi day and continues for another day or two.
• People from different parts of the state and even outside come to Muktsar to take a holy dip in the sarovar (lake) of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and enjoy the festivities.
• The festival marks the martyrdom of 40 Sikh soldiers in the Battle of Khidrana against the Mughals.
• In the 1700s, the Mughals and Sikhs were at constant war with each other.

About Battle of Khidrana

• In 1704, during the siege of Anandpur Sahib by the Mughals, 40 Sikh soldiers deserted their posts and fled.
• Upon arriving at their village near Amritsar, a woman named Mai Bhago scolded them and rallied the fighters to return to Anandpur Sahib in the service of their Guru.
• The freshly motivated soldiers along with Mai Bhago set off towards Anandpur Sahib to help Guru Gobind Singh hold fort against the Mughals.
• They met the Guru at Khidrana where they took on a large Mughal army, sacrificing their lives in the process.

Political significance of the Maghi Mela

• Back in the day, people would arrive in the city days before the actual Maghi day.
• In the evenings, there would be kavi darbars (poetry sessions) where politicians would speak.
• This is likely how the political conferences, which can be traced back to the mid-1950s, started.

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Lakhs of pilgrims are descending on Sagar Island in the southernmost tip of West Bengal for the annual Gangasagar Mela, being held between January 12 and 14, to celebrate Makar Sankranti.

What is Gangasagar Mela?

• Every year during Gangasagar mela, devotees from all over the country gather at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal to take a sacred dip during Makar Sankranti (mid-January).
• The mela is said to be India’s second largest pilgrimage gathering after the Kumbh Mela.
• Gangasagar, the largest and the oldest living tradition in Bengal, has been mentioned in Indian epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, putting its existence as early as 400 BCE.
• Legends suggest that the first Kapil Muni’s temple was constructed by Queen Satyabhama in 430 AD, and the present idol was established by Swami Ramanand in 1437, marking the beginning of a pilgrimage that remains timeless till today.

About Sagar Island

• Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata.
• This island forms the Sagar CD Block in the Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian State of West Bengal.
• Although Sagar Island is a part of the Sundarbans, it does not have any tiger habitation or mangrove forests or small river tributaries as is characteristic of the overall Sundarban delta.
• This island is a place of Hindu pilgrimage.
• Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti (14 January), hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganges and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers (puja) in the Kapil Muni Temple.

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The necropolis of noblemen dating from the Asaf Jahi era known as Paigah Tombs Complex in Hyderabad is set to be restored with funding by the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Who were the Paigahs?

• Paigah tombs are 200 years old and represent the final resting places of the Paigah Nobles of several generations.
• During the conquest of the Deccan region by Emperor Aurangzeb, the Paigahs came along with him.
• The House of Paigah was founded by Shams-ul-Umra I also known as Nawaz Abul Fatah Khan Tegh.
• Their ties with Nizams were further cemented through matrimonial alliances.
• They also constructed several palaces in the city and the notable amongst them are the famous Falaknuma Palace, Asman Garh Palace, Khursheed Jah Devdi and Vicar-ul-Umarahi palace.
• They were believed to be rich than the average Maharajah of the country.

Paigah Tombs

• Paigah Tombs are the tombs belonging to the nobility of Paigah family, who were fierce loyalists of the Nizams, served as statespeople, philanthropists and generals under and alongside them.
• They are among the major wonders of Hyderabad State which known for their architectural excellence as shown in their laid mosaic tiles and craftsmanship work.

Its architecture

• These tombs are made out of lime and mortar with beautiful inlaid marble carvings.
• It consists of marvelous carvings and motifs in floral designs and inlaid marble tile-works.
• It depicts Indo-Islamic architecture, a mix of both the Asaf Jahi and the Rajputana styles of architecture.
• There is fabulous stucco (plaster) work, representing the Mughal, Persian and Deccan style too.

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

Living Root Bridges

• A living root bridge is a type of simple suspension bridge formed of living plant roots by tree shaping.
• They are common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. Such a bridge is locally called jingkieng jri.
• They are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees (Ficus elastic) by the Khasi and Jaintia peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau.
• Most of the bridges grow on steep slopes of subtropical moist broadleaf forest between 50m and 1150m above sea level.

Why is it so unique?

• As long as the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the roots in the bridge can naturally grow thick and strengthen.
• New roots can grow throughout the tree’s life and must be pruned or manipulated to strengthen the bridge.
• Once mature some bridges can have as many as 50 or more people crossing, and have a lifespan of up to 150 years.

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A renowned folk artist has expressed his angst over the fading participation of students in Ottanthullal Artform.

What is Ottanthullal?

• Ottanthullal (or Thullal, in short) is recite-and-dance art-form of Kerala.
• It was introduced in the 18th century by the famous Malayalam poet Kunchan Nambiar (1705 – 1770).
• It is famous for its humour and social satire, and marked by its simplicity as opposed to more complex dance-forms like Kathakali and Koodiyattam.

Unique features

• Ottanthullal follows the classical principles of Natyasasthra (a treatise on art compiled in the 2nd century B.C.E).
• It is enacted into three separate versions

1. Ottanthullal
2. Seethankan thullal
3. Parayan thullal

• The Ottanthullal is the most popular among the three varieties of Thullal.

How is it performed?

• The performance uses elaborate expressions and stories recited in verses to bring important mythological tales and stories to life.
• The costume and makeup of the performer are similar to that of a Kathakali artist.
• It is performed at temple festivals and cultural programmes.
• The performer is supported by a singer who repeats the verses and is accompanied by an orchestra of mridangam or thoppimaddalam (percussions) and cymbals.

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There has been a proposal from the district administration to rename the Western Maharashtra city of Ahmednagar as ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Nagar’, after the 18th century Malwa queen, Ahilyabai Holkar.

History of Ahmednagar

• Ahmednagar lies in the Western region of Maharashtra.
• It has been a part of some prominent kingdoms, starting from 240 B.C. when the vicinity is mentioned in the reference to the Mauryan Emperor Ashok.
• The Rashtrakuta Dynasty, the Western Chalukyas, and then the Delhi Sultanate ruled over the region in the Medieval period.
• In the last case, the rule was not direct, and a revolt by Afghan soldier Alladin Hasan Gangu led to the establishment of the Bahmani kingdom in the Deccan.
• After some time, Ahmednagar (then known as Nizamshahi) became one of the five independent kingdoms to emerge from that empire.

How did the city of Ahmednagar first get its name?

• In 1486, Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah became the Bahmani Sultanate’s Prime Minister.
• He fought back an attempt by the king to dislodge him from power, and defeated the army of the Bahamani kingdom near Ahmednagar in May 1490.
• Finally, in 1494 he laid the foundation of a city close to where he defeated the army, on the left bank of Sina river, and named it after himself: Ahmednagar.

Who was Ahilyabai Holkar?

• Born in Chondi village of Ahmednagar to the village head Mankoji Shinde, on May 31, 1725, Ahilyabai was one of the few women rulers of Medieval India.
• While the education of girls and women was rare at that time, Mankoji insisted on it for his daughter.
• When she was eight years old, Malhar Rao Holkar, the army commander to Peshwa Bajirao, is believed to have spotted her at a temple service in Chondi.
• Impressed by her devotion and character, he decided to get his son, Khande Rao, married to her.
• Ahilyabai took control of Malwa after her husband’s death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754.

Her Administration

• She brought about two important changes in the administration, both divergences from the traditions of her era.
• She vested the military power in Tukoji Holkar, a confidante of her father-in-law though not related.
• She separated the state’s revenue from the personal use of the ruling family. Her personal expenses were met from inherited wealth and the land holdings she had.

Role in demolished temple re-construction

• From Gangotri to Rameshwaram, and from Dwarka to Gaya, she spent money on rebuilding temples destroyed under the Mughal rule.
• The most significant one, however, is the current Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
• Destroyed by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb to build the Gyaanvapi mosque, the temple was restored in its current form by Ahilyabai in the year 1780, 111 years after its destruction.
• The Somnath temple, witness to the regular destruction by a host of aggressors over the centuries, was restored in 1783 by all the Maratha confederates, with a significant contributions from Ahilyabai.
• With temples and rest areas in Kedarnath, Srisailam, Omkareshwar and Ujjain, Ahilyabai contributed to the improvement of facilities at other holy sites hosting Jyotirlingas too.

Conclusion

• Ahilyabai died in the year 1795 at the age of 70.
• Her legacy is not documented in a structured way in history textbooks or popular references either.
• Part of the problem is the general absence of any non-Mughal, non-British narratives in contemporary Indian history books.

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