History, Art & Culture: July 2022 Current Affairs - UPSC PDF Download

Mangarh Hillock to Be Declared ‘as a Monument of National Importance’

Why in the News?

The Mangarh hillock in Rajasthan should be classified as a monument of national importance in remembrance of the 1500 Bhil tribal independence fighters, according to a report by the National Monuments Authority (NMA).

What are Monuments of National Importance?

The Archaeological Survey of India has identifies any monument as the "Monuments of National Importance" if it is a:

• the remains of a historic site
• the location of an old monument
• the area surrounded by walls or other coverings used to safeguard the monument
• Land that allows for public access to the monument

What is the Background of the Mangarh Hillock?

• The hillock, which is located near the boundary between Gujarat and Rajasthan, was the scene of a tribal rebellion where more than 1500 Bhil tribal freedom warriors were massacred in 1913.
• There has been a call for the construction of a memorial at the site, also known as the Adivasi Jallianwala.
• Over 1,500 tribal members were killed when British soldiers opened fire on them on November 17, 1913, as they were having a protest assembly there under the direction of a local leader named Govind Guru.

What is the National Monuments Authority (NMA)?

• According to the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act 2010 , it was constituted under the Ministry of Culture.
• Specific responsibilities for the conservation and preservation of monuments and sites have been assigned to the NMA, including management of the prohibited and restricted zones around centrally declared monuments.
• Examining applications for licences to conduct construction-related activities in restricted and regulated areas is one of the duties of the NMA.

What is the Bhil Tribe?

About:

• Bhils are frequently referred to as the bowmen of Rajasthan. They are the tribal communities that are spread out the greatest in India.
• They are the biggest tribe in South Asia.
• They can be broadly divided into two types:
  • Rajput Bhils and
  • Central Bhils, also known as pure Bhils.
• In addition to the mountainous regions of India's Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, the central Bhils can also be found in Tripura's northwest.
• In the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tripura, they are regarded as Schedule Tribes.

Historical Perspective:

• Bhils are people who are of pre-Aryan ancestry.
• The name "Bhil" is derived from the Dravidian word "billu," which is also known as "Bow."
• The Mahabharata and Ramayana are two older epics that mention the name Bhil.

Since MANGARH HILLOCK is a part of monuments, here’s a video to clear your concepts on this topic:

• Important Monuments & Places in India

Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee

Why in News? 

The Union Home Minister paid tribute to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on his birth anniversary.

Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee

• Birth: Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was born on 6th July 1901 in a Bengali family. His father Ashutosh Mukherjee was a judge of the Calcutta High Court.
• Education: Early education of Shyama Prasad Mookergee happened in Bhawanipur’s Mitra Institution in 1906.
  • Shyama Prasad passed his matriculation exam and was admitted to Presidency College.
  • He graduated in English, securing the first position in first class in 1921.
  • He enrolled as an advocate in Calcutta High Court in 1924.
• Death: Syama Prasad Mukherjee died in the custody of Jammu and Kashmir Police in 1953

Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Political Career

• Youngest Vice-Chancellor: In 1934, at the age of 33, Syama Prasad Mukherjee became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta.
  • He held the office until 1938.
• Association with Hindu Mahasabha: Syama Prasad Mukherjee joined the Hindu Mahasabha in Bengal in 1939 and became its acting president that same year.
  • He was also the president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabhafrom 1943 to 1946.
• Member of Constituent Assembly: he was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India in 1946.
• Part of Government: Syama Prasad Mukherjee served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s first cabinet after Independence.
  • However, he resigned from it because of differences of opinion with Nehru-led government on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh: He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 (BJP is the successor of Bharatiya Jana Sangh).

Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s Views

• On Partition: he was against the Partition of India and supported Congress in 1946 elections because he was assured by Sardar Patel that the Congress would never accept partition.
• On Jammu and Kashmir: Syama Prasad Mukherjee was opposed to India’s policy of autonomy to Jammu & Kashmir provided under Article 370 of Indian Constitution.
  • He was arrested during Jana Sangh’s agitation against Indian government’s Jammu and Kashmir policy and died during detention.

Pythagorean Geometry in Vedic-Era 

Why in News? 

Recently, a position paper by the Karnataka government on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has described Pythagoras’s theorem as “fake news”.

About

• The Pythagoras theorem is disputed in many international forums. Not the content, but Pythagoras claiming it as his own.
• It has referred to a text called the Baudhayana Sulbasutra, in which a specific shloka refers to the theorem.

Pythagoras: Theorem named after him

• Evidence suggests that the Greek philosopher (around 570–490 BC) did exist. However, there is an element of mystery around him, largely because of the secretive nature of the school/society he founded in Italy. 
• Relatively little is known about his mathematical achievements, because there is nothing today of his own writings.

Pythagoras Theorem

• The Pythagoras theorem describes the relationship connecting the three sides of a right triangle (one in which one of the angles is 90°):
  • a² + b² = c²
  • where a and b are the two perpendicular sides, and c is the length of the diagonal side.
• If any two sides of a right triangle are known, the theorem allows you to calculate the third side. Extended to the sides of squares and rectangles and their diagonals, the equation is of immense importance in construction, navigation and astronomy.

How do we know that Indian mathematicians from the Vedic period knew this?

• There are references in the sulbasutras, which are texts pertaining to fire rituals (yajanas) performed by Vedic Indians. The oldest of these is the Baudhayana Sulbasutra.
  • The period of Baudhayana Sulbasutra is uncertain. It is estimated based on linguistic and other secondary historical considerations.
• In recent literature, Baudhayana Sulbasutra is taken to be from around 800 BCE.
• Baudhayana Sulbasutra contains a statement of what is called Pythagoras theorem (it was known rather as a geometric fact, and not as a ‘theorem’).
• The yajna rituals involved construction of altars (vedi) and fireplaces (agni) in a variety of shapes such as isosceles triangles, symmetric trapezia, and rectangles.
• The sulbasutras describe steps towards construction of these figures with prescribed sizes.

How did the Knowledge of Equation Evolve?

• The earliest evidence is from the Old Babylonian civilisation (1900-1600 BCE).
• They referred to it as the Diagonal Rule.
• The earliest evidence of a proof comes from a period after the sulbasutras.
• The oldest surviving axiomatic proof of the theorem is in the Elements of Euclid from around 300 BCE.

Veda

• About:
  • A Veda is a collection of poems or hymns composed in archaic Sanskrit by Indo-European-speaking peoples who lived in northwest India during the 2nd millennium BCE. 
  • There are four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. 
• Rig Veda:
  • The Rigveda, or “Veda of Verses,” the earliest of those, is composed of about 1,000 hymns addressed to various deities and mostly arranged to serve the needs of the priestly families who were the custodians of that sacred literature.
• Sama Veda:
  • The Samaveda, or “Veda of Chants,” is made up of a selection of verses—drawn almost wholly from the Rigveda—that are provided with musical notation and are intended as an aid to the performance of sacred songs.
• Yajur Veda:
  • The Yajurveda, or “Veda of Sacrificial Formulas,” contains prose formulas applicable to various rites, along with verses intended for a similar purpose.
• Atharva Veda:
  • It is a later compilation that includes incantations and magic spells.

Since Phythagores theorem is related to Vedic age , here’s a document to clear your concepts on the same here:

• Literature: The Vedic Period
• Old NCERT Summary (RS Sharma): Advent of Aryans & Rig Vedic Period

Kargil Vijay Diwas

Why in News?

The 23rd anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas is being observed on the 26th of July 2022.

• The day is dedicated to the martyred soldiers of the Kargil war.

What do we know about the Kargil War?

About:

• After the Indo-Pak war of 1971, there had been many military conflicts.
  • Both the countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998 which further escalated tensions and finally the Kargil War in 1999.
• Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between May-July of 1999 in the Kargil (now a district in the UT of Ladakh) district of Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC) in which India got the victory.

Operation Vijay:

• In the year 1999, India and Pakistan signed the Lahore Agreement to mutually resolve the Kashmir issue in a peaceful manner.
• However, the Pakistani troops began infiltrating toward the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) under Operation Badr, hoping to cut off Indian Troops in Siachen.
  • The Indian Army responded by launching Operation Vijay.
• On 3rd May 1999, Pakistan started this war when it had infiltrated into the high altitudes in the rocky mountainous region of Kargil with around 5,000 soldiers and captured it.
• When the Indian Government got the information about it, ‘Operation Vijay’ was launched by the Indian army to throw back the intruders who had treacherously occupied Indian Territory.

What is the National War Memorial?

• Inaugurated in 2019, it is around 400 meters from India Gate.
• The layout of the structure comprises four concentric circles, named:
  • the "Amar Chakra" or Circle of Immortality.
  • the "Veerta Chakra" or Circle of Bravery.
  • the "Tyag Chakra" or Circle of Sacrifice.
  • the "Rakshak Chakra" or Circle of Protection.
• The proposal for a National War Memorial was first made in the 1960s.
• The memorial is dedicated to soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation during:
  • Sino-Indian war in 1962
  • Indo-Pak wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971
  • Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka 1987-90
  • Kargil Conflict in 1999.
• The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifices in United Nations peace-keeping missions, Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, counterinsurgency operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Operations (LICO).

To read more information on this topic:

• Kargil War

ANAYOOTTU 

Anayoottu, an annual ritual at the Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur was recently held.

Why in news?

• There is a history behind this annual ritual at the temple.
• Kerala’s elephant pooram was selected, along with other cultural forms of the country, for display at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games held in Delhi in 1982.
• Elephants were transported all throughout the country to New Delhi.

What is Anayoottu?

• The Aanayoottu (gaja pooja/ feeding of elephants) is a festival held in the precincts of the Vadakkunnathan temple in City of Thrissur, in Kerala.
• The festival falls on the first day of the month of Karkkidakam (timed against the Malayalam calendar), which coincides with the month of July.
• It involves a number of unadorned elephants being positioned amid a multitude of people for being worshipped and fed.
• Crowds throng the temple to feed the elephants.

Mythology behind

• It is believed that offering poojas and delicious feed to the elephants is a way to satisfy Lord Ganesha—the god of wealth and of the fulfillment of wishes.
• The Vadakkunnathan temple, which is considered to be one of the oldest Shiva temples in southern India, has hosted the Aanayottoo event for the past few years.

Since ANAYOOTTU is a part of festivals, here’s a document to clear your concepts on the same:

• Nitin Singhania: Summary of Fairs and Festivals of India

Sannati and Kanaganahalli Buddhist Sites

Why in the news?

• The ancient Buddhist site in Kanaganahalli in Kalaburagi district, which is a component of the Sannati site and was unearthed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) between 1994 and 2001, has finally received some attention after going almost unnoticed for 20 years.
• Until recently, some ancient artefacts discovered during excavation were stored in three tin huts at the same location, while many more were left lying around in the open.

Background

• Before the Kali temple at the Chandralamba temple complex in Sannati collapsed in 1986, Sannati and Kanaganahalli were modest, unremarkable villages on the bank of the Bhima.
• As they were clearing the wreckage, they came across an Ashokan edict that put the villages on the map and provided new opportunities for historical research on the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and the early history of Buddhism.
• It attracted historians from all across India and beyond and served as the impetus for the ASI excavations at Sannati and the neighbouring Kanaganahalli.

What is the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)?

• The Archaeological Survey of India, or ASI, is an affiliated agency of the Government of India's Ministry of Culture.
• It is responsible for archaeological research and conservation, as well as the protection and preservation of historic monuments and archaeological sites around the country.

What is the significance of Kanaganahalli excavation ?

• The Kanaganahalli excavation revealed several wonders, including the great Maha Stupa, known in the inscriptions as Adholoka Maha Chaitya (the Great Stupa of the Underworlds), and, most significantly, the stone picture of Emperor Ashoka, who is flanked by his queens and female attendants.
• The Mauryan Emperor's stone portrait, which bears the inscription "Raya Asoko" in Brahmi, is thought to be the only surviving representation of him, even though the stupa is one of the biggest of its era.
• Between the third century B.C. to the third century A.D., three construction phases of the Maha Stupa are said to have taken place: the Maurya, Early Satavahana, and Later Satavahana.
• It is thought that an earthquake demolished the stupa.
• One hundred and twenty drum-slabs decorated with various Dharma-Chakras, Stupas, the First Sermon, Bodhi-tree, Naga Muchulinda, and Vihara complexes; over ten inscribed sculptures of the Buddha; over a dozen Buddha-Padas;
• fragments of Ayaka pillars, umbrella stones, and various other artefacts were also recovered.
• The recoveries also included about 60 dome slabs with the sculpt

A potential UNESCO World Heritage Site

• The Sannati ASI site merits being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• For submission to UNESCO, we are putting together a thorough assessment on the site's historical significance.
• Sannati and Kanaganahalli, which have the potential to draw tourists from all over the world, particularly from nations with substantial Buddhist populations like China, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam,
• Additionally, there were intentions to turn Sannati into a significant tourist and pilgrimage hub and keep the area's historically significant treasures protected in a museum.

What are the Challenges?

• Do not even now have well-developed roads.
• With armed guards stationed outside its entrance and the exception of a few instances when a small group of researchers, historians, and enthusiasts visit, the ASI site appears empty throughout the year.
• Sannati Development Authority was constituted by the State government to provide this function.
• Even ten years after it was built, the museum building has not yet been turned over to ASI.
• Long-term neglect resulted in the building developing cracks and the entire property becoming a wasteland filled with thorny shrubs and weeds.

Ashoka’s Edicts

• A total of 33 inscriptions are inscribed on monoliths, poles and cavern walls by Ashoka. Most of them are written in Brahmi script except one which is carved in Aramaic and Greek (located in Afghanistan).
• James Prinsep, an archaeologist and an official of East India Company was the first one to interpret the edicts.
• These epitaphs were constructed along trade routes so that the majority of people could read them. The motive behind these edicts was to show Emperor Ashoka’s faithfulness towards peace by following Buddhism and to make individuals aware of Dhamma.

Since Sannati and Kanaganahalli Buddhist Sites are related to Buddhism, here’s a document to clear your concepts on the same here:

• Buddhism- Origin & Evolution
• Origin and Spread of Buddhism in India
• Buddhist Art & Culture