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  • World Ayurveda Congress: Aligning traditional medicine with modern medicines

    modern

    Context

    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended the recent growth of traditional medicine (TM), and Ayurveda in particular, while addressing the World Ayurveda Congress 2022 (WAC) earlier this month. Noting the lag in evidence despite considerable research, he gave a clarion call “to bring together medical data, research, and journals and verify claims (benefit) using modern science parameters”.

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    All you need to know about World Ayurveda Congress (WAC)

    • Platform by World Ayurveda foundation: The World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) is a platform established by World Ayurveda Foundation to propagate Ayurveda globally in its true sense.
    • Platform to connect various stakeholders in medicine: World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) is a platform to connect Ayurveda practitioners, medicine manufacturers, enthusiasts and academicians.
    • What is the mandate: World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) & Arogya Expo monitors progress and initiate missions and collect feedbacks.

    modern

    World Ayurveda Congress (WAC), 2022

    • 9th edition of WAC held at Panjim, Goa: The 9th edition of World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) & Arogya Expo was organized at PANJIM, GOA.
    • Organised by Ministry of AYSUSH on the principle of whole government approach (WGA): The WAC organised by the Ministry of AYUSH on the ‘Whole Government Approach’ (WGA) to foster and strengthen the research ecosystem for AYUSH systems.
    • What is Whole System Approach (WSA): The concept of WGA is in consonance with the “Whole System Approach” (WSA). WSA encompasses integrated and network participation of several stakeholders (including patients and the community) for better solutions (treatment outcomes) in a challenging and complex situation. IM is an important component of WSA in the current context.
    • Active Participation: The event witnessed the active participation of more than 40 countries and all states of India.
    • PM’s vision: To transform the healthcare system of the country and to develop a healthy society, there is a need to think holistically and integrate the Traditional medicine (TM) and modern medicine system (MM).

    World Ayurveda Foundation (WAF)

    • Aim of WAF: WAF is an initiative by Vijnana Bharati aimed at global propagation of Ayurveda, founded in 2011.
    • Objective and core principle: The objectives of WAF reflect global scope, propagation and encouragement of all activities scientific and Ayurveda related are the core principles.
    • Focus Areas: Support to research, health-care programmes through camps, clinics and sanatoriums, documentation, organization of study groups, seminars, exhibitions and knowledge initiatives to popularize Ayurveda in the far corners of the world are the broad latitudes of focus at WAF.

    modern

    What is Traditional Medicine?

    • According to WHO: The WHO describes traditional medicine as the total sum of the “knowledge, skills and practices indigenous and different cultures have used over time to maintain health and prevent, diagnose and treat physical and mental illness”.
    • Culmination of multiple ancient practices: Its reach encompasses ancient practices such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and herbal mixtures as well as modern medicines.
    • Percentage of people use traditional medicine: of According to WHO estimates, 80% of the world’s population uses traditional medicine.

    Traditional medicine in India

    • It is often defined as including practices and therapies such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Siddha that have been part of Indian tradition historically, as well as others such as homeopathy that became part of Indian tradition over the years.
    • Ayurveda and yoga are practised widely across the country.
    • The Siddha system is followed predominantly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
    • The Sowa-Rigpa System is practised mainly in Leh-Ladakh and Himalayan regions such as Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling, Lahaul & Spiti.

    How TM modalities (such as Ayurveda or homoeopathy) can scientifically align with MM for a better outcome?

    • Remarkable success in treating neurological diseases: A recently established Department of IM in NIMHANS continued to show remarkable success in treating difficult neurological diseases with a team of Ayurvedic and MM physicians and carefully planned and monitored IM strategy.
    • CRD projects: Modern rheumatology practice in the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases (CRD) model includes critical elements of TM and Ayurveda, which have shown unequivocal evidence in CRD research projects
    • Evaluation based on other protocols: Several controlled protocols-based evaluations of standardised Ayurvedic drugs and other TM modalities (such as diet, exercise, yoga, and counselling), often in conjunction with MM, in arthritis patients, were completed.
    • Sustained clinical improvement in patients suffering from active Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): RA is a severely painful crippling lifelong autoimmune condition, mostly seen in women, and universally acknowledged as difficult to treat. Supervised and monitored IM intervention (including Ayurvedic drugs) over several years showed a consistently superior and sustained clinical improvement in patients suffering from active RA.

    modern

    Relationship between AYUSH and Modern medicines

    • AYUSH systems include Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, Siddha, and other TM.
    • AYUSH systems and MM differ radically in several ways or so it seems.
    • Modern scientific research in Ayurveda is often at variance with classical Ayurveda.
    • Unlike MM, TM has at its core a personalised approach. MM is dominantly reductionist.
    • The ambitious futuristic programme of TM and IM by AYUSH is well-intended and in the right direction.

    Conclusion

    • TM and Ayurveda need to respond to the new world order, which has changed substantially recently. It is reasonably certain that MM and TM in the current format will continue to treat several medical disorders and altered health states. But evidence-based medicine will become the new mantra. Also, informed and empowered patients and people will continue to make the right choices.

    Mains question

    Q. What is World Ayurveda congress? What is tradition medicines? How Traditional medicines can align with modern medicines to treat several serious medical disorders.

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  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: India’s Soft Power

    Context

    Despite India’s rich history and unrivaled cultural diversity, the country remains hampered by the lack of a comprehensive soft power strategy, said the Parliamentary standing committee on external affairs. 

    What is Soft Power?

    • In politics (and particularly in international politics), soft power is the ability to co-opt rather than coerce (contrast hard power).
    • It is the capacity to attract and persuade others to do things they otherwise wouldn’t.
    • It involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction.
    • Soft power resources are the assets that produce attraction or centre of attraction in geopolitical arena.

    Etymology of the word

    • Joseph Nye, a US foreign policy veteran, coined the phrase soft power in 1990.
    • He encourages readers of his book The Future of Power to think of soft power in terms of resources
    • Power is derived from resources, and soft power is no different.
    • Hard power rests on military resources like navy fleets, attack aircraft and a capacity to inflict harm.
    • Soft power rests on three primary resources:
    1. Culture,
    2. Political values and
    3. Foreign policy

    Why discuss this?

    • In addition to economic and military power, the idea of Soft Power has gained traction during the past few decades.
    • Indian arts, culture, yoga and spiritualism, culinary varieties, festivals, music and dance forms etc, have attracted people from all around the world for centuries.

    Projecting India’s Soft Power

    soft power

    Areas which can be used to further India’s soft power include-

    1. Yoga and Ayurveda
    2. Spiritual knowledge of India ex. Save Soil movement by Sadhguru
    3. Indian cuisine
    4. Indian film industry ex. Indian movies are always cherished in EU and South Asia.
    5. Indian sports and games
    6. Indian handicrafts and GI goods ex. PM Modi gifting local handicrafts to foreign dignitaries
    7. Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata
    8. Sustainable practices of India like environmental friendliness and respect towards other creatures. Ex: About 300 years ago, more than 300 Bishnois were killed while trying to peacefully protect a grove of Khejri trees in Rajasthan.

    Limitations of soft power

    • Soft power has been criticized as for being ineffective or less effective tool in diplomacy.
    • Actors in international relations respond to only two types of incentives: Economic incentives and Forceful coercion.
    • As a concept, it can be difficult to distinguish soft power from hard power.
    • Rising powers such as China, are creating new approaches to soft power ex. Debt Traps, thus using it defensively.
    • Soft power can backfire, leading to reputational damage or loss, or what has been termed ‘soft disempowerment’. Ex. India’s perception in Maldives.

    Initiatives by India showcasing its soft power

    • Principle of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’
    • Non-Alignment Movement
    • ‘Neighborhood First’ Policy
    • Vaccine diplomacy
    • Aid to Sri Lanka
    • Developmental aids in Afghanistan
    • Humanitarian assistance for disaster relief (HADR) in the neighborhood
    • Political sensitization of leaders e. Late foreign minister responding to Tweets

    Major achievements

    • India has moral high ground at the world forum especially due to the non-violent manner in which we had achieved our independence.
    • International support for tough decisions like abrogation of article 370, and maintaining neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine War. 
    • It keeps India distant from world conflicts like recently in Syria, Sudan, Israel-Palestine issue. So India earns goodwill from all over the world.

    Threats to India’s soft power

    • India’s older regimes and academia did little to encourage, protect or to benefit from Yoga.
    • Perhaps no other country in recent times has so ignored the potential value of its soft power.
    • There is a cultural battle occurring in the media and academia, in which India’s civilizational views are poorly represented.
    • India’s cultural diplomacy is often labeled by the left liberals as Hindutva Politics.

    Recommendations by the Committee on External Affairs

    • Strategy document: The committee has recommended that a policy document should be prepared on India’s soft power projections along with a Soft Power Matrix for evaluating soft power outcomes.
    • Inter-ministerial synergy: The report highlighted the need for greater synergy among MEA and other Ministries, Departments, and agencies involved in India’s soft power projections and cultural diplomacy.
    • Revamping the Indian Council of Cultural Relations: China is estimated to spend about $10 billion a year just on its Confucius Institutes and soft power promotion whereas ICCR and other agencies put together spend only Rs. 300-400 crore.
    • Increased funding: To step up India’s efforts, the committee recommended a minimum 20% hike in the budget of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). 
    • Talent acquisition: MEA representatives admitted that finding and inducting trained personnel into the government has been a challenge. Bureaucrats, they submitted, were not always the right pick for cultural diplomacy. 

    Way forward

    • India should move beyond asanas and analysis and take action.
    • Having the Indian story merely out there, jostling with a hundred other stories, isn’t necessarily winning the war of narrative.
    • Our cultural outreach must be well-oiled, well-funded, and primed to produce geopolitical clout.
    • Our moves — whether they be hard-to-power thrusts or soft power maneuvers — must emanate from consistent strategy.
    • In the age of the internet, India must amplify its strengths and work rapidly to right the wrongs.

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  • Millet-only lunch in Parliament

    millet

    To raise awareness on millets and prepare for 2023, PM Modi, along with fellow parliamentarians across party lines, enjoyed a sumptuous lunch where millets were front and centre.

    Why in news?

    • 2023 has been declared as the “International Year of Millets” by the United Nations, after a proposal from India in 2019.

    What are Millets?

    • Millet are small-grained cereals like sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni), little millet (kutki), kodo millet, finger millet (ragi/ mandua), proso millet (cheena/ common millet), barnyard millet (sawa/ sanwa/ jhangora), and brown top millet (korale).
    • They were among the first crops to be domesticated.
    • There is evidence for consumption of millets in the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation (3,300 to 1300 BCE).
    • Several varieties that are now grown around the world were first cultivated in India.
    • West Africa, China, and Japan are also home to indigenous varieties of the crop.

    Cultivation of millets

    • Millets are now grown in more than 130 countries, and are the traditional food for more than half a billion people in Asia and Africa.
    • Globally, sorghum (jowar) is the biggest millet crop.
    • The major producers of jowar are the US, China, Australia, India, Argentina, Nigeria, and Sudan.
    • Bajra is another major millet crop; India and some African countries are major producers.

    Millets in India

    millet

    • In India, millets are mainly a kharif crop.
    • During 2018-19, three millet crops — bajra (3.67%), jowar (2.13%), and ragi (0.48%) — accounted for about 7 per cent of the gross cropped area in the country, Agriculture Ministry data show.

    (1) Jowar

    • Jowar is mainly grown in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh.
    • In 2020-21, the area under jowar stood at 4.24 million hectares, while production was 4.78 million tonnes.
    • Maharashtra accounted for the largest area (1.94 mn ha) and production (1.76 million tonnes) of jowar during 2020-21.

    (2) Bajra

    • Bajra is mainly grown in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
    • Of the total 7.75 mn ha under bajra in 2020-21, the highest (4.32 mn ha) was in Rajasthan.
    • The state also produced the most bajra in the country (4.53 million tonnes of the total 10.86 million tonnes) in 2020-21.
    • The consumption of millets was reported mainly from these states: Gujarat (jowar and bajra), Karnataka (jowar and ragi), Maharashtra (jowar and bajra), Rajasthan (bajra), and Uttarakhand (ragi).

    Benefits of Millets

    • Millets are eco-friendly crops: They require much less water than rice and wheat, and can be grown in rainfed areas without additional irrigation.
    • Lesser water footprints: Wheat and rice have the lowest green water footprints but the highest blue water footprints, while millets were exactly opposite. Green water footprint refers to water from precipitation whereas blue water refers to water from land sources.
    • Highly nutritious: Agriculture Ministry declared certain varieties of millets as “Nutri Cereals” for the purposes of production, consumption, and trade.
    • Nutrition security: Millets contain 7-12% protein, 2-5% fat, 65-75% carbohydrates and 15-20% dietary fibre. Small millets are more nutritious compared to fine cereals. They contain higher protein, fat and fibre content.

    Back2Basics: 2023- the Year of Millets

    • On March 3, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
    • The proposal, moved by India, was supported by 72 countries.
    • Several events and activities, including conferences and field activities, and the issuing of stamps and coins, are expected as part of the celebrations.
    • These are aimed at spreading awareness about millets, inspiring stakeholders to improve production and quality, and attracting investments.

     

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  • Anti-dumping duty on viscose fibre from Indonesia

    The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended the levy of anti-dumping duty (ADD) on viscose staple fibre imported from Indonesia.

    What is Dumping?

    • Dumping is a process wherein a company exports a product at a price that is significantly lower than the price it normally charges in its home (or its domestic) market.
    • This is an unfair trade practice which can have a distortive effect on international trade.
    • Anti-dumping is a measure to rectify the situation arising out of the dumping of goods and its trade distortive effect.

    What is Anti-Dumping Duty?

    • An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value.
    • In order to protect their respective economy, many countries impose duties on products they believe are being dumped in their national market.
    • In fact, anti-dumping is an instrument for ensuring fair trade and is not a measure of protection per se for the domestic industry.
    • Such ‘dumped’ products have the potential to undercut local businesses and the local economy.
    • Anti-dumping duties provide relief to the domestic industry against the injury caused by dumping.

    Mechanism in India

    • The Department of Commerce recommends the anti-dumping duty, provisional or final.
    • The Department of Revenue in Finance Ministry acts upon the recommendation within three months and imposes such duties.

    WTO and Anti-Dumping Duties

    • The WTO operates a set of international trade rules, including the international regulation of anti-dumping measures.
    • It does NOT intervene in the activities of companies engaged in dumping.
    • Instead, it focuses on how governments can—or cannot—react to the practice of dumping.
    • In general, the WTO agreement permits governments to act against dumping if it causes or threatens material injury to an established domestic industry.

    Issues with such duties

    • Anti-dumping duties have the potential to distort the market.
    • In a free market, governments cannot normally determine what constitutes a fair market price for any good or service.

    Back2Basics: Viscose Fibre

    • Viscose is a type of rayon. Originally known as artificial silk, in the late 19th century, the term “rayon” came into effect in 1924.
    • The name “viscose” derived from the way this fibre is manufactured; a viscous organic liquid used to make both rayon and cellophane.
    • It is the generalised term for a regenerated manufactured fibre, made from cellulose, obtained by the viscose process.
    • As a manufactured regenerated cellulose fibre, it is neither truly natural (like cotton, wool or silk) nor truly synthetic (like nylon or polyester) – it falls somewhere in between.
    • Chemically, viscose resembles cotton, but it can also take on many different qualities depending on how it is manufactured.

     

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  • Mapping: Great Lakes

    lake

    Scientists are building a sensor network to detect the trends in the water chemistry of Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes of North America.

    What is the Acidification of water bodies?

    • Acidification of oceans or freshwater bodies takes place when excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere gets rapidly absorbed into them.
    • Scientists initially believed this might be a good thing, as it leaves less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
    • But in the past decade or so, it has been established that absorption of carbon dioxide leads to a lowering of the pH, which makes the water bodies more acidic.

    What are Great Lakes?

    • The Great Lakes are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River.
    • There are five lakes, which are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario and are in general on or near the Canada–US border.
    • Hydrologically, lakes Michigan and Huron are a single body joined at the Straits of Mackinac.
    • By itself, Lake Huron is the world’s third largest freshwater lake, after Lake Superior and Lake Victoria.
    • The Great Lakes Waterway enables modern travel and shipping by water among the lakes.

    Why are they significant?

    • The Great Lakes contain a fifth of the world’s total freshwater, and is a crucial source of irrigation and transportation.
    • They also serve as the habitat for more than 3,500 species of plants and animals.

    Acidification of Great Lakes

    • Scientists are developing a system that would be capable of measuring the carbon dioxide and pH levels of the Great Lakes over several years.
    • It is known that the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has caused the world’s oceans to turn more acidic.
    • Recently, it has been observed that by 2100, even the Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — might approach acidity at around the same rate as the oceans.
    • Researchers hope the data from the Lake Huron project would add to scientific information on the subject.

    Consequences of acidification

    • The Great Lakes are believed to have been born some 20,000 years ago, when the Earth started to warm and water from melting glaciers filled the basins on its surface.
    • However, this rich ecosphere is under threat as the five lakes would witness a pH decline of 0.29-0.49 pH units — meaning they would become more acidic — by 2100.
    • This may lead to a decrease in native biodiversity, create physiological challenges for organisms, and permanently alter the structure of the ecosystem, scientists say.
    • It would also severely impact the hundreds of wooden shipwrecks that are believed to be resting at the bottom of these lakes.

     

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  • Dhokra Art of West Bengal

    dhokra

    This newscard is an excerpt from the articles published in TH.

    Do you know?

    The dancing girl from Mohenjo-Daro (c. 2300 – 1750 BCE) is not just the most famous piece of art from the Harappan Civilisation, it is also one of the finest examples of metal art from that period.

    dhokra

    But did you know that this world-famous figurine is also the oldest example of a unique metal casting tradition called Dhokra that survives to this day in parts of India?

    Dhokra Art

    • Named after a nomadic tribe called ‘Dhokra Damar’, the art of Dhokra was originally found in the region from Bankura to Dariapur in Bengal, and across the metal-rich regions of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
    • Today, it is practiced in the tribal belt across present-day Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
    • The Dhokra artistes first make a clay model out of wax, which is then replaced with molten metal, either brass or bronze, through a lost-wax metal cast.

    What is Dhokra?

    • Dhokra is a metal casted art that uses the ancient lost-wax casting technique.
    • This art is said to be the first of its kind to use a non-ferrous metal like copper and its alloys – brass (a mix of zinc and copper) or bronze (tin and copper) which do not contain iron.
    • It uses the process of annealing, where a metal is heated to very high temperatures and allowed to cool slowly.
    • The casting is done using two kinds of processes – the traditional, hollow-casting method and solid casting. Solid casting is predominant in Telangana, whereas hollow casting is used in Central and Eastern India.

    Symbolism of Dhokra

    • With its roots in ancient civilisations, Dhokra represents a primitive lifestyle and the beliefs of people, going back to the age of hunting.
    • This is why figures of elephants, owls, horses and tortoises are commonly seen in Dhokra art.
    • The elephant symbolises wisdom and masculinity; the horse motion; owl prosperity and death; and the tortoise femininity.
    • In Hindu mythology, these iconic symbols also have stories behind them.
    • The world is imagined to rest on four elephants, standing on the shell of a tortoise.
    • The tortoise, considered as an avatar of Lord Vishnu, carries the world on his back, holding up the earth and the sea.

     

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  • 21st Dec 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    21st Dec 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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  • Day 3| Daily Answer Wars| CD WarZone

    Topics for Today’s question:

    GS-3         Agriculture and related issues

    Question

    Q.The UN General Assembly adopted an India-sponsored resolution to mark 2023 as the “International Year of Millets”.Highlighting the benefits of millets, list some government efforts to promote millet production in India. (15 Marks)

     

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  • Rule 267 becomes the bone of contention in Rajya Sabha

    rajya-sabha

    Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha rulebook, which allows for suspension of day’s business to debate the issue suggested by a Member, has become a bone of contention in the Upper House.

    What is Rule 267 of Rajya Sabha?

    • The Rule gives special power to a Rajya Sabha member to suspend the pre-decided agenda of the House, with the approval of the Chairman.
    • The Rajya Sabha Rule Book says, “Any member, may, with the consent of the Chairman, move that any rule may be suspended in its application to a motion related to the business listed before the Council of that day.
    • If the motion is carried, the rule in question shall be suspended for the time being: provided further that this rule shall not apply where specific provision already exists for suspension of a rule under a particular chapter of the Rules”.

    Why this rule has become important?

    • In the Upper House, the Opposition members have been consistent in demanding a debate on the India-China border situation.
    • There have been hundreds of notices by Members to invoke Rule 267 in the past eight years.
    • After the latest clash between the two sides in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, the Opposition members have become more vocal with their demand.
    • Every day, Opposition leaders are demanding that the Chair suspends all other business and allow a discussion on the latest situation in India-China border by applying Rule 267.

    Is Rule 267 the only way to raise important issues in the House?

    In Parliament, a member has a number of ways to flag issues and seek the government’s reply.

    • Question Hour: An MP can ask questions related to any issue during the Question Hour in which the concerned minister has to provide oral or written answers.
    • Zero Hour: An MP can raise the issue during Zero Hour. Every day, 15 MPs are allowed to raise issues of their choice in the Zero Hour.
    • Special Mention: An MP can even raise it during Special Mention. A Chairman can allow up to 7 Special Mentions daily.
    • Debate over president’s address: An MP can try to bring the issue to the government’s notice during other discussions such as the debate on the President’s speech.
    • Budget speech: Opposition leaders have also used the Budget debate to attack the government politically.

    Why the Opposition is insisting on Rule 267?

    • Any discussion under Rule 267 assumes great significance in Parliament simply because all other business would be put on hold to discuss the issue of national importance.
    • No other form of discussion entails suspension of other business.
    • If an issue is admitted under Rule 267, it signifies it’s the most important national issue of the day.
    • Also, the government will have to respond to the matter by replying during the discussions under Rule 267.

    What is the current controversy over Rule 267?

    • Opposition members have alleged that the Rajya Sabha chairman has consistently refused to allow any discussion under Rule 267 for a long time.
    • While Dhankhar has not allowed any matter under Rule 267, his predecessor M Venkaiah Naidu too didn’t allow any admission under Rule 267 during his entire five years.

    Has the Rule been ever used?

    • The rule has been used several times.
    • The Chair had agreed to suspend the business to discuss urgent national issues in the past.
    • The last time it was used was in November 2016, when the Upper House invoked Rule 267 to discuss demonetization.

     

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  • 3 more sites added to UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites

    Gujarat’s Vadnagar town, the iconic Sun Temple at Modhera, and the rock cut sculptures of Unakoti in Tripura have been added to the tentative list of UNCESO World Heritage Sites.

    What is UNESCO tentative list?

    • The UNESCO tentative list is an inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination.
    • With these 3 sites, India now has 52 sites on UNESCO Tentative List.

    About the sites

    (1) Sun Temple, Modhera

    unesco

    • The Sun Temple at Modhera is located on the left bank of the river Pushpavati, a tributary of river Rupan in Becharaji taluka of Mehsana district.
    • The temple description states that it is built in Maru-gurjara architectural style, consists of the main temple shrine (garbhagriha), a hall (gadhamandapa), an outer hall or assembly hall (Sabhamandapa or rangamandapa) and a sacred pool (Kunda), which is now called Ramakunda.
    • This east-facing temple is built with bright yellow sandstone.
    • It is the earliest of such temples which set trends in architectural and decorative details, representing the Solanki style at its best.

    (2) Vadnagar

    unesco

    • Vadnagar is a historic town, which had continuous habitation for more than 2,700 years.
    • A multi-layered historic town, the history of Vadnagar stretches back to nearly 8th century BCE.
    • The town still retains a large number of historic buildings that are primarily religious and residential in nature.
    • It has evolved with time and has an early historic fortified settlement, hinterland port, centre for industries of shells and beads, late medieval town, religious centre/temple town, a significant junction on trade routes and mercantile town.
    • Rampart datable to second century BCE, fortification along the lake from third-fourth century CE, findings of Indo-Pacific glass beads and marine shells, palaeo-seismic evidence evidently point towards historical authenticity of the town.

    (3) Unakoti

    unesco

    • Located in the northeastern region of Tripura, Unakoti is known as an ancient holy place associated with Shaiva worship.
    • It is famously known as the ‘Angkor Wat of the North-East’
    • The structures of the rock-cut sculptures are gigantic and have distinct mongoloid features and display almost the same mystical charm as the spellbinding figures in the Angkor Wat temple of Cambodia.

    Back2Basics: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

    • A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area, selected by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance, which is legally protected by international treaties.
    • The sites are judged to be important for the collective and preservative interests of humanity.
    • To be selected, a WHS must be an already-classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, mountain, or wilderness area).
    • It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
    • The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence.
    • The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 “states parties” that are elected by their General Assembly.

    UNESCO World Heritage Committee

    • The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
    • It monitors the state of conservation of the World Heritage properties, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
    • It is composed of 21 states parties that are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a four-year term.
    • India is NOT a member of this Committee.

     

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