March 2019 26/03/2019 – Posted in: ART & CULTURE – Tags: , , , , ,

 

26 march 2019

 

Sharada Peeth

 

News Flash

Pakistan is proposing to open a corridor to the 5,000-year-old Sharada temple, which was once a focal point of learning accepted to have been set up by Emperor Ashoka.

The site, also known as Sharada Peeth, is located on the banks of the Neelum river over 100 km from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

 

Background

  • The Sharada Peeth (also spelt as Sharda and translates to the seat of Hindu Goddess Saraswati) is believed to have been established in 237 BC during the reign of Ashoka. It was considered one of the most important seats of learning in South Asia, like Nalanda and Takshashila, where religion, philosophy, contemporary literature and astronomy were taught.
  • This landmark is “in ruins” due to lack of maintenance and is in urgent need of restoration after being severely damaged by the 2005 earthquake.
  • The temple has been completely deserted since Partition in 1947.

 

Sharada Peeth temple

  • The foundation of the Sharada Peeth goes back to the time when the Kashmiri Pandits transformed their land of scenic beauty into an intellectual centre, known as Sharada Peeth or Sarvajnanpeetha.
  • Goddess Sharada was also referred to as Kashmira-Puravasani.
  • One of the accounts of construction of the temple says that it was built during the rule of Kushans (early 1st century). While many other accounts say that Buddhists had a strong involvement in the Sharda region, the researchers have not been able to find evidence to support the claim.
  • The temple has close resemblance with the Martand temple (another religious site in Anantnag) in architecture, design and construction style.
  • Besides the temple, the ruins of one of the country’s oldest universities, called Sharada University also stand there. The university had its own script known as Sharada and it is said that it once had over 5,000 scholars and the biggest library
  • The main temple continues to stand in its own strength. Its three walls are in good condition although the door and the roof are missing.
  • The temple is also regarded as a Shakti Peeth a shrine built on places where body parts of Sati Devi had fallen while being carried by her husband Lord Shiv.

Source: Indian Express

 

 

 

19 March

Sangam period site in Keezhadi

 

News Flash

A government archaeologist, Amarnath Ramakrishna, who led excavations at a major Sangam period site in Keezhadi, Tamil Nadu, might soon return to the project after his controversial transfer in 2017.

 

Location

Keezhadi excavations began in 2013. Located around 12 km from Madurai, this site has attracted great attention because it could play a significant role in rewriting the history of the State. The archaeological record of Tamilakam, which comprises parts of modern-day Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is not very clear.

The word sangam is the Tamil form of the Sanskrit word meaning group of persons or an association. The Tamil Sangams were academy of poets and bards who flourished in three different periods and in different places under the patronage of the Pandyan kings. It was held in Ten (the old Madurai beloved to be perished by sea)Madurai. All the works of the first Sangam have perished.

The seat of the second Sangam was Kapatpuram, another capital of the Pandyas. It was attended by several poets and produced a large mass of literature, but only work Tolkappiyam (the early Tamil grammar) has survived.

The seat of the third Sangam was the present Madurai. It has also produced vast literature, but only a fraction of it has survived. The most of Sangam Literature belongs to this period. Only the historicity of the third sangam is certain.

Source: The Hindu

 

 

9 March 2019

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology

 

News Flash

Prime Minister inaugurates the new Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister also unveiled the statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya at the campus.

  • It is state-of-the-art institution.
  • Institute of Archaeology is an academic wing of the Archeological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture.
  • Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage in India.

Source: The Hindu

 

 

8 March 2019

Kashi Vishwanath Corridor

 

News Flash

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.

  • The Kashi Vishwanath temple located on the left bank of the holy river Ganga is surrounded by narrow and small, claustrophobic lanes.
  • The corridor will ease the congestion and provide the pilgrims and travellers other amenities such as wider and cleaner roads and lanes, better lighting with bright street lights, and clean drinking water.
  • The project envisions a massive makeover of the holy shrine and its surrounding areas. This massive makeover is the first after the 1780 AD when the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore renovated the temple and the area surrounding it.

 

Highlights

  • The proposed 50-feet corridor will directly connect Ganga’s Manikarnika and Lalita Ghat to the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple.
  • Along the corridor, pilgrims and travellers will see a newly built museum and depicting Varanasi’s ancient history and culture.
  • New Yagyashalas for religious functions like havan and yagya are proposed.

Source: Indian Express

 

 

5 March 2019

‘Azaadi Ke Diwane” museum

 

News Flash

‘Azaadi Ke Diwane’ museum inaugurated at Red Fort.

  • This museum is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the country’s freedom struggle.
  • It is a digitised and interactive museum with a state-of-the-art, informative and educational exhibition allowing the visitors to engage with the exhibits through multi-sensor technology.
  • The Museum is built by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Museum pays tribute to the selfless sacrifices of the revolutionaries, brave women freedom fighters and valiant children.
  • The Museum is part of Kranti Mandir Series. Kranti Mandir is India’s tribute to the revolutionary zeal and courage of the great freedom fighters.

Source: The Hindu

 

 

4 March 2019

Prayagraj Ardh Kumbha Mela 2019

 

News Flash

The Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 is the Ardh Kumbh Mela being held at Triveni Sangam in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. It is the largest public gathering and collective act of faith, anywhere in the world.

It has made into Guinness World Records in the three sectors:

  • Biggest Sanitation and Waste disposal mechanism.
  • Largest traffic and crowd management plan.
  • Biggest paintings exercise of public sites under paint my city scheme.

 

Elemental meaning of Kumbh is

  • The confluence (Sangam) of all the cultures in the universe.
  • A spiritual conscience.
  • The flow of humanity.
  • The flow of rivers, forests, and Rishi culture.
  • The flow of life.
  • The communion of nature and human life.
  • The source of energy.
  • The path of enlightenment.

 

Four main sites of Kumbh Mela

  • Haridwar on the Ganga, Uttarakhand.
  • Ujjain on the Shipra, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Nashik on the Godavari, Maharashtra.
  • Prayagraj at Triveni sangam (Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati), Uttar Pradesh.

 

Prayagraj Mela Authority

  • A permanent body to oversee the mela.

Source: Kumbh.gov