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Subject: History

  • Tribes in news: Konyak

    An angry mob allegedly vandalized an Assam Rifles camp and the office of the Konyak Union in Nagaland’s Mon district.

    Konyak Tribe

    • With a population of roughly 3 lakh, the area inhabited by the Konyaks extends into Arunachal Pradesh, with a sizeable population in Myanmar as well.
    • They are known to be one of the fiercest warrior tribes in Nagaland.
    • The Konyaks were the last to give up the practice of head-hunting – severing heads of enemies after attacking rival tribes – as late as the 1980s.

    Significance in Naga Peace Process

    • Mon is the only district in Nagaland where the separatist group has not been able to set up base camps, largely due to resistance from the Konyaks.
    • The Konyaks therefore, are imperative for a smooth resolution of the peace talks, as well as the post-talk peace process in the state.

    Also read:

    Naga Peace Accord

     

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  • Who was St. Francis Xavier?

    The Prime Minister has greeted the people of Goa on the day of the Feast of St. Francis Xavier.

    St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552)

    • Francis Xavier venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Catholic missionary and saint who was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus.
    • He was born in Javier, Kingdom of Navarre (in present-day Spain), he was a companion of Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits.
    • He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time and was influential in evangelization work, most notably in India.

    His works

    • He has asked for a special minister to the king of Portugal whose sole office would be to further Christianity in Goa.
    • He also was the first Christian missionary to venture into Japan, Borneo, the Maluku Islands, and other areas.
    • In those areas, struggling to learn the local languages and in the face of opposition, he had less success than he had enjoyed in India.
    • Xavier was about to extend his missionary preaching to China when he died on Shangchuan Island.
    • Known as the “Apostle of the Indies” and “Apostle of Japan”, he is considered to be one of the greatest missionaries since Paul the Apostle.

    Try this question from CSP 2021

    Q. Consider the following statements:

    1. Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Jesuit Order.
    2. Francis Xavier died in Goa and a church is dedicated to him there.
    3. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in Goa each year.

    Which of the statements given above are correct?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

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  • Paika Rebellion to be included as ‘case study’ in history textbook

    The 1817 Paika Rebellion of Odisha would be included as a case study in the Class 8 NCERT history textbook, informed the Union Culture Minister.

    Who were the Paiks?

    • The Paiks of Odisha were the traditional landed militia and enjoyed rent free land tenures for their military service and policing functions on a hereditary basis.

    Paika Rebellion

    • When the British started tinkering with the revenue system in 1803, the farming community of Odisha rose in rebellion.
    • At that critical juncture, Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar — the military chief of the King of Khurda — led his army of Paikas forcing the British East India Company forces to retreat.
    • The rebellion came to be known as Paika Bidroh (Paika rebellion).

    When did it take place?

    • The rebellion, by the landed militia of Khurda called Paiks, predates the first war of independence in 1857 but did not get similar recognition.
    • It took place when the British East India Company wrested the rent-free land that had been given to the Paiks for their military service to the Kingdom of Khurda.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2020:

    Q. With reference to the history of India, ‘ulgulan’ or the great tumult is the description of the which of the following?

    (a) The revolt of 1857

    (b) The Mappila rebellion of 1921

    (c) The Indigo revolt of 1859-1860

    (d) Birsa Munda’s revolt of 1899-1900

     

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  • [pib] Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India (SPPEL)

    The Government of India has initiated a Scheme known as “Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India” (SPPEL) informed the Minister of Culture and Tourism.

    About SPPEL

    • The Scheme was instituted by Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2013.
    • The sole objective of the Scheme is to document and archive the country’s languages that have become endangered or likely to be endangered in the near future.
    • The scheme is monitored by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) located in Mysuru, Karnataka.
    • The CIIL has collaborated with various universities and institutes across India for this mission.
    • University Grants Commission (UGC) is also providing financial assistance for the creation of centres for endangered languages at Central and State Universities.

    What are Endangered Languages?

    • At the moment, the languages which are spoken by less than 10,000 speakers or languages that are not been linguistically studied earlier are considered endangered language.

    Present status of the scheme

    • Presently, 117 languages have been listed for the documentation.
    • Documentation in the form of grammar, dictionary and ethno-linguistic profiles of about 500 lesser known languages are estimated to be accomplished in the coming years.

     

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  • Were there domestic horses in ancient India?

    A group of researchers has been able to collect bones and teeth samples of over 2,000 such ancient specimens from regions from where domestic horses could have originated.

    Research on horse domestication

    • The research has studied fossils from the Iberian Peninsula in the southwestern corner of Europe, or the western-most edge of Eurasia (Spain and its neighbours), Anatolia (modern Turkey), and the steppes of Western Eurasia and Central Asia.
    • These collective data have led them to decide that until about 4200 BCE, many distinct horse populations inhabited various regions of Eurasia.

    Key findings of the research

    • A similar genetic analysis has found that horses with the modern domestic DNA profile lived in the Western Eurasian Steppes, particularly the Volga-Don River region.
    • By around 2200–2000 BCE, these horses spread out to Bohemia (the Czech Republic of today and Ukraine), and Central Asia and Mongolia.
    • These horses were bred by breeders from these countries to sell them to countries that demanded them.
    • Riding on horses became popular in these nations by around 3300 BCE, and armies were built using them, for example, in Mesopotamia, Iran, Kuwait and the ‘Fertile Crescent’ or Palestine.
    • The first spoke-wheeled chariots emerged around 2000-1800 BC.

    Indian story

    • Horses were never native to India.
    • The only animals native to India were the Asian elephant, snow leopard, rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, Sloth bear, Himalayan wolf, Gaur bison, red panda, crocodile, and the birds peacock and flamingo.
    • Thus, it seems clear from these sources that horse is not native to India.
    • Horses must have come into India through inter-regional trading between countries.
    • Indians might have traded their elephants, tigers, monkeys, birds to their neighbours and imported horses.

    When did India get its horses?

    • Horse-related remains and artefacts have been found in Late Harappan sites (1900-1300 BCE).
    • Horses did not seem to have played an essential role in the Harappan civilization.
    • This is in contrast to the Vedic Period, which is a little later (1500-500 BCE).
    • The Sanskrit word for horse is Ashwa, which is mentioned in the Vedas and Hindu Scriptures.
    • These are roughly towards the end of the late Bronze Age.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements correct?

    1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
    2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
    3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) Only 1

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

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  • [pib] Who was Lachit Borphukan?

    The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Lachit Borphukan on Lachit Diwas.

    Who was Lachit Borphukan?

    • The year was 1671 and the decisive Battle of Saraighat was fought on the raging waters of the Brahmaputra.
    • On one side was Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s army headed by Ram Singh of Amer (Jaipur) and on the other was the Ahom General Lachit Borphukan.
    • He was a commander in the Ahom kingdom, located in present-day Assam.
    • Ram Singh failed to make any advance against the Assamese army during the first phase of the war.
    • Lachit Borphukan emerged victorious in the war and the Mughals were forced to retreat from Guwahati.

    Lachit Diwas

    • On 24 November each year, Lachit Divas is celebrated statewide in Assam to commemorate the heroism of Lachit Borphukan.
    • On this day, Borphukan has defeated the Mughal army on the banks of the Brahmaputra in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
    • The best passing out cadet of National Defence Academy has conferred the Lachit gold medal every year since 1999 commemorating his valour.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.What was the immediate cause for Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade and fight the Third Battle of Panipat:

    (a) He wanted to avenge the expulsion by Marathas of his viceroy Timur Shah from Lahore

    (b) The frustrated governor of Jullundhar Adina Beg khan invited him to invade Punjab

    (c) He wanted to punish Mughal administration for non-payment of the revenues of the Chahar Mahal (Gujrat Aurangabad, Sialkot and Pasrur)

    (d) He wanted to annex all the fertile plains of Punjab upto borders of Delhi to his kingdom

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  • Who was Rani Gaidinliu?

    Union Home Minister has laid the foundation for ‘Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum’ in Imphal, Manipur.

    Rani Gaidinliu

    • Gaidinliu (26 January 1915 – 17 February 1993) was a Naga spiritual and political leader who led a revolt against British rule in India.
    • At the age of 13, she joined the Heraka religious movement of her cousin Haipou Jadonang.
    • The movement later turned into a political movement seeking to drive out the British from Manipur and the surrounding Naga areas.
    • Within the Heraka faith, she came to be considered an incarnation of the Goddess Cherachamdinliu.

    Meeting with Pt. Nehru

    • Gaidinliu was arrested in 1932 at the age of 16, and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the British rulers.
    • Jawaharlal Nehru met her at Shillong Jail in 1937 and promised to pursue her release.
    • Nehru gave her the title of “Rani” (“Queen”), and she gained local popularity as Rani Gaidinliu.

    Her legacy

    • She was released in 1947 after India’s independence and continued to work for the upliftment of her people.
    • An advocate of the ancestral Naga religious practices, she staunchly resisted the conversion of Nagas to Christianity.
    • She was honored as a freedom fighter and was awarded a Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

     

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  • Puri Heritage Corridor Project

    Odisha CM will lay the foundation stone of the much-awaited Puri Heritage Corridor.

    Puri Heritage Corridor Project

    • Conceived in 2016, the Puri Heritage Corridor Project was unveiled in December 2019 to transform the holy town of Puri into an international place of heritage.
    • The project includes redeveloping major portions of the holy town and in the vicinity of the temple for visitors and tourists.

    About Jagannath Temple

    • The Jagannath Temple is an important Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Sri Krishna in Puri in Odisha.
    • The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
    • The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars.

    Its architecture

    • With its sculptural richness and fluidity of the Oriya style of temple architecture, it is one of the most magnificent monuments of India.
    • The huge temple complex covers an area of over 400,000 square feet and is surrounded by a high fortified wall.
    • This 20 feet high wall is known as Meghanada Pacheri.
    • Another wall known as kurma bedha surrounds the main temple.

    The temple has four distinct sectional structures, namely:

    1. Deula, Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls). In Rekha Deula style;
    2. Mukhashala (Frontal porch);
    3. Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
    4. Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall)

     

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  • Pochampally makes it to list of best tourism villages in the world

    Pochampally village in Telangana is set to be named as one of the best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

    Best Tourism Villages Initiative

    • The Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Pilot initiative aims to award those villages which are outstanding examples of rural destinations and showcase good practices in line with its specified nine evaluation areas.
    • It also aims to support villages to enhance their rural tourism potential through training and access to opportunities for improvement.

    Key objectives

    • Reduce regional inequalities in income and development
    • Fight rural depopulation
    • Progress gender equality and women’s and youth empowerment
    • Enhance education and skills development

    About Pochampally

    • Pochampally, 50 Kms from Hyderabad, is a town in Nalgonda district of Telangana.
    • It is often referred to as the Silk City of India for the exquisite sarees that are woven through a unique style called Ikat.
    • It is also known as Bhoodan Pochampally to commemorate the Bhoodan Movement that was launched by Acharya Vinobha Bhave from this village on April 18th, 1951.
    • Currently, a two-room Vinobha Bhave Mandir exists within the village which was earlier the place where Vinobha Bhave resided during his visit to the village.

    What is Pochampally Ikat?

    • Ikat is a Malaysian, Indonesian word that means “Tie and Dye”.
    • For this style, Pochampally Ikat, received a Geographical Indicator (GI Status) in 2004.
    • Ikat involves the process of wrapping (or tying) and dyeing sections of bundled yarn to a predetermined colour pattern before they are woven.
    • The dye penetrates into exposed sections while the wrapped section remains undyed.
    • This pattern formed by the yarn in this process is woven into fabric.

    Back2Basics: Bhoodan Movement

    • The Bhoodan movement (Land Gift movement), also known as the Bloodless Revolution, was a voluntary land reform movement.
    • It was initiated by Vinoba Bhave, a staunch Gandhian in 1951 at Pochampally village, which is now in Telangana, and known as Bhoodan Pochampally.
    • The movement attempted to persuade wealthy landowners to voluntarily give a percentage of their land to landless people.
    • Philosophically, Bhave was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s Sarvodaya movement and Gram Swarajya.
    • Landless laborers were given small plots that they could settle and grow their crops on.
    • Bhoodan Acts were passed that stated that the beneficiary had no right to sell the land or use it for non-agricultural purposes or for forestry.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. With reference to land reforms in independent India, which one of the following statements is correct?

    (a) The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings

    (b) The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless

    (c) It resulted in cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation

    (d) Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits

     

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  • Mosques to honour 1921 Malabar Rebellion martyrs

    Granite plaquettes featuring the names of Variamkunnathu Kunjahamad Haji, Ali Musliyar, and other martyrs of the 1921 Malabar Rebellion will be put up at the precincts of a few mosques in Ernakulam.

    Malabar Rebellion

    • The Malabar Rebellion in 1921 started as resistance against the British colonial rule and the feudal system in southern Malabar but ended in communal violence between Hindus and Muslims.
    • There were a series of clashes between Mappila peasantry and their landlords, supported by the British, throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
    • It began as a reaction against a heavy-handed crackdown on the Khilafat Movement, a campaign in defence of the Ottoman Caliphate by the British authorities in the Eranad and Valluvanad taluks of Malabar.
    • The Mappilas attacked and took control of police stations, British government offices, courts and government treasuries.

    Who was Variyankunna Kunjahammed Haji?

    • He was one of the leaders of the Malabar Rebellion of 1921.
    • He raised 75000 natives, seized control of large territory from the British rule and set up a parallel government.
    • In January 1922, under the guise of a treaty, the British betrayed Haji through his close friend Unyan Musaliyar, arresting him from his hideout and producing him before a British judge.
    • He was sentenced to death along with his compatriots.

     

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