DAY – 6 ( INSTA REVISION TEST)INSTA REVISION PLAN 3.0, 2020

Solution: B

Bihu Festival

Bohag Bihu is one of the most popular festivals of Assam and helds for celebrating the Assamese New year. Although the Assamese celebrate Bihu thrice in a year, the Bohag Bihu is the most anticipated one. The three Bihu’s are:

Bohag or Rongali Bihu

Kati or Kongali Bihu

Maagh or Bhogali Bihu

Kang Chingba

The festival of Kang Chingba is one of the biggest Hindu festivals celebrated in the State of Manipur. It is similar to the ‘Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra’ and draws many antecedents from the same. It is an 8-day long festival that is celebrated in the month of July every year.

Lui-Ngai-Ni Festival

Almost all branches of the Naga tribes celebrate this festival. It is celebrated all over in Nagaland and in some of the Naga inhabited parts of Manipur State too. The festival is celebrated after the end of the harvest season. It falls on the 15th of February every year. It is also rejoiced as the mark for seed-sowing season.

Solution: D

The hybridisation and incorporation of several styles was the hallmark of Chalukyan buildings. The most elaborate of all Chalukyan temples at Pattadakal made in the reign of Vikramaditya II (733-44) by his chief queen Loka Mahadevi is Virupaksha temple. Another important temple from this site is Papnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Group of Monuments at Pattadakal

Pattadakal, in Karnataka, represents the high point of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India. An impressive series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary, can be seen there. One masterpiece from the group stands out – the Temple of Virupaksha, built c. 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband’s victory over the kings from the South.

Solution: C

Chandra Shekhar Azad:

• 23rd July- Birth Anniversary.
• Born on July 23, 1906, at Bhavra, Alirajpur District in present-day Madhya Pradesh.
• He took part in non-cooperation movement when he was 15.
• After the suspension of the non-cooperation movement in 1922 by Gandhi, Azad joined Hindustan Republican Association (HRA).
• HRA was later reorganised as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) in 1928.
• Azad was involved in the 1925 Kakori Conspiracy.
• He died at Azad Park in Allahabad on 27th February 1931.
• Other cases Azad was involved in include the 1926 attempt to blow up the viceroy’s train, and the shooting of J P Saunders in 1928. Saunders was assassinated to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.

Solution: C

The Brihadisvara temple at Gangaikondacholapuram in the Perambalur district was built for Siva by Rajendra I (1012-1044 CE). The temple has sculptures of exceptional quality. The bronzes of Bhogasakti and Subrahmanya are masterpieces of Chola metal icons. The Saurapitha (Solar altar), the lotus altar with eight deities, is considered auspicious.

Sun Temple, Konârak

On the shores of the Bay of Bengal, bathed in the rays of the rising sun, the temple at Konarak is a monumental representation of the sun god Surya’s chariot; its 24 wheels are decorated with symbolic designs and it is led by a team of six horses. Built in the 13th century, it is one of India’s most famous Brahman sanctuaries.

Taj Mahal

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

Fatehpur Sikri

Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid.

Solution: A

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS):

• It is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
• It is a statutory body established in 1987.
• It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.
• The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.

Composition: As a corporate body, it has 25 members drawn from Central or State Governments, industry, scientific and research institutions, and consumer organisations.

Solution: C

Mathura School

The Mathura School flourished on the banks of the river Yamuna in the period between 1st and 3^rd centuries B.C. The sculptures of the Mathura School were influenced by the stories and imageries of all three religions of the time – Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. The images were modelled on the earlier Yaksha images found during the Mauryan period.

The Mathura School showed a striking use of symbolism in the images. The Hindu Gods were represented using their avayudhas. For example, Shiva is shown through linga and mukhalinga. Similarly, the halo around the head of Buddha is larger than in Gandhara School and decorated with geometrical patterns. Buddha is shown to be surrounded by two Bodhisattavas – Padmapani holding a lotus and Vajrapani holding a thunderbolt.

Mathura School

• It was developed indigenously and not influenced by external cultures.
• The sculptures of Mathura School were made using spotted red sandstone.
• Influence of all three religions of the time, i.e. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.
• Patronised by Kushana rulers.
• Buddha is shown in delighted mood with a smiling face. The body symbolizes mascularity, wearing tight dress. The face and head are shaven. Buddha is seated in padmasana with different mudras and his face reflects grace. A similar protuberance is shown on the head.

Solution: B

Khajuraho School:

In the central part of India, the Chandela rulers developed a distinct style of temple making of their own – known as Khajuraho school or Chandel school.

The features of the temples here include:

• In these temples, both the interior and exterior walls were lavishly decorated with carvings.
• The sculptures were generally erotic in their themes and drew inspiration from Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra.
• The temples were made of sandstone.
• The temples had three chambers – garbhagriha, mandapa and ardha-mandapa. Some temples had a vestibular entrance to the garbhagriha known as
• The temples were generally north or east facing.
• Panchayatan style of temple making was followed. Even the subsidiary shrines had rekha prasad shikharas. This created an impression of a mountain range.
• The temples were built on relatively high platform and belong to Hindu as well as Jain religion.

Example: Kandariya Mahadeva temple, Lakshman

temple at Khajuraho, etc.

Solution: C

Mont Blanc mountain range:

Why in News?

• A melting glacier at Europe’s Mont Blanc mountain range recently disentombed Indian newspapers buried there for 54 years –- some of them carrying headlines such as “India’s First Woman Prime Minister”, referring to Indira Gandhi’s election win in 1966.
• The newspapers are among the remains of Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707 plane that on January 24, 1966, crashed into Mont Blanc.
• Among the 177 dead was Homi Bhabha, the founding leader of India’s nuclear programme.

Location:

• Mont Blanc is the second-highest mountain in Europe after Mount Elbrus.
• It is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe.
• The mountain stands in a range called the Graian Alps, between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Savoie and Haute-Savoie, France.
• Its epithet the “Roof of Europe”.
• It is also known as White Mountain in French.
• The border between Italy and France passes through the summit of Mont Blanc, making it both French and Italian.

Solution: C

The Jain temples at Mount Abu were constructed by Vimal Shah. Notable for a simplistic exterior in contrast with the exuberant marble interiors, their rich sculptural decoration with deep undercutting creates a lace-like appearance. The temple is famous for its unique patterns on every ceiling, and the graceful bracket figures along the domed ceilings. The great Jain pilgrimage site in the Shatrunjay hills near Palitana in Kathiawar, Gujarat, is imposing with scores of temples clustered together.

Solution: D

Godhan Nyay Yojana:

• To be launched by Chhattisgarh government.
• Govt to procure cow dung at Rs 2/- per kg from livestock owners.
• Repurposing procured cow dung into Vermicompost and other eco-friendly items.
• Selling vermicompost at Rs 8/- per kg to the farmers to promote organic farming.

Solution: D

Most of the information about Nalanda is based on the records of Xuan Zang—previously spelt as ‘Hsuan-tsang’— which states that the foundation of a monastery was laid by Kumargupta I in the fifth century CE; and this was carried forward by the later monarchs who built up a fantastic university here. There is evidence that all three Buddhist doctrines— Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana—were taught here and monks made their way to Nalanda and its neighbouring sites of Bodhgaya and Kurkihar from China, Tibet and Central Asia in the north, and Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and various other countries from the south-eastern parts of Asia. Monks and pilgrims would take back small sculptures and illustrated

manuscripts from here to their own countries. Buddhist monasteries like Nalanda, thus, were prolific centres of art production that had a decisive impact on the arts of all Buddhist countries in Asia.

The sculptural art of Nalanda, in stucco, stone and bronze, developed out of a heavy dependence on the Buddhist Gupta art of Sarnath. By the ninth century a synthesis occurred between the Sarnath Gupta idiom, the local Bihar tradition, and that of central India, leading to the formation of the Nalanda school of sculpture characterised by distinctive facial features, body forms and treatment of clothing and jewellery. The characteristic features of Nalanda art, distinguished by its consistently high quality of workmanship, are that the precisely executed sculptures have an ordered appearance with little effect of crowding. Sculptures are also usually not flat in relief but are depicted in three-dimensional forms. The back slabs of the sculptures are detailed and the ornamentations delicate.

Solution: A

Nayaka School:

The Nayaka school of architecture flourished under the Nayaka rulers in the period between 16th centuries and 18th centuries A.D. It was also knows as Madurai school. It was architecturally similar to the Dravidian style, but much larger in scope. It also has Islamic influence. Some of the unique features are:

• Presence of Prakarms or huge corridors in the portico, around the garbhagriha, along with roofed ambulatory passageways.
• The gopurams built under the Nayaka rulers were some of the largest gopurams. The Meenakshi temple in Madurai has the tallest gopuram in the world. The art of gopuram reached its climax in the Nayaka style.
• The temple structure was filled with intricate carvings.

Example: Meenakshi temple, Madurai, etc.

Solution: C

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund:

• It is a new pan India Central Sector Scheme.
• The scheme shall provide a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.
• The duration of the Scheme shall be from FY2020 to FY2029 (10 years).

Eligibility:

Under the scheme, Rs. One Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Marketing Cooperative Societies, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), SHGs, Farmers, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Startups etc.

Solution: A

Hoysala Art:

In the region of Karnataka near Mysore, the temples built under the Hoysala rulers developed a distinct style of their own known as the Hoysala School of art.

It developed in the period from 1050-1300 A.D with the prominent seats being Belur, Halebid and Sringeri.

Some of the features of the architecture are:

• Multiple shrines were built around a central pillared hall.
• Unlike the crucified ground plan of the Panchayatan style, the shrines led out in the shape of an intricately designed star. This was known as the Stellate
• Soft sope stone (Chorite schist) was the main building material.
• Massive emphasis was laid on the decoration of the temple through sculptures. Both the interior and exterior walls, even the jewelries worn by the deities were intricately carved.
• All the chambers had Shikharas which were interconnected by an arrangement of horizontal lines and mouldings. This resolved the tower into an orderly succession of tires.
• The temples were built on an upraised platform known as Jagati, which was about 1 metre high.
• The walls and stairs of the temple followed a zigzag

Example: Hoyasaleswara temple at Halebid,

Vijayanarayana temple at Belur.

Solution: C

The World Population Prospects 2019 is published by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, provides a comprehensive overview of global demographic patterns and prospects. The study concluded that the world’s population could reach its peak around the end of the current century, at a level of nearly 11 billion.

The world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050.

Solution: C

Saga Dawa

It is mostly celebrated in the Buddhist communities living in the State of Sikkim. It is celebrated on the full moon day that falls in the middle of the Tibetan lunar month called the Saga Dawa. This day is considered to be a very auspicious day for the Tibetan community. This falls between May and June and this month is called the Saga Dawa or the ‘Month of merits’.

The festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death (parinirvana) of the Buddha.

Solution: D

Chittorgarh, famous for its Rajput chivalry and pride, was home to Chhatari Rajputs. It is believed that Chittorgarh was gifted to Bappa Rawal as a part of dowry when he married the Solanki princess in the 8th century.

Bappa Rawal was the founder of Sisodia dynasty. Bappa and his descendants ruled the place till the 16th century.

In the 15th century, the place was ruled by Maurya Rajputs and remained a capital of Mewar till 1568 AD. The Mewars then shifted their capital to Udaipur.

The famous Chittorgarh fort was built by the Maurya rulers in the 7th century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fort was attacked thrice by different rulers but it didn’t lose its impregnability.

It is believed that in 1303 AD, Allaudin Khilji attacked Chittorgarh because he was attracted towards Rani Padmini. Rani Padmini didn’t accept Khilji’s offer and preferred to die and performed Johar.

In 1535 AD, Bahadur Shah attacked the place and in 1567 AD, Emperor Akbar won the battle against Maharana Pratap.

Solution: A
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.

This sub-regional organization came into being on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.

It constitutes seven Member States: five deriving from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand.

Solution: A

The Moatsu is a festival celebrated by Ao People of Nagaland. This is a festival of community bonding celebrated in May for 3 days. As a celebration, the villagers express their friendship for each other by exchanging gifts, making new friends, feasting, bon fire etc.

Moatsü is celebrated in the first week of May every year. Various rituals are performed during this period. The Aos observe Moatsü Mong after the sowing is done.

Solution: B

Chandrayan II is India’s second lunar exploration mission after Chandrayaan-1. It is developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the mission was launched from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 22 July 2019 to the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III).

If successful, India will be the 4th country ever to soft land on the lunar surface after USA, Russia and China.

The primary objective of Chandrayaan-2 is to demonstrate the ability to soft-land on the lunar surface and operate a robotic rover on the surface. Scientific goals include studies of lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, the lunar exosphere, and signatures of hydroxyl and water ice.

Solution: B

The Sheesh Mahal or the ‘Palace of Mirrors’ in Patiala (Punjab) was built by Maharaja Narinder Singh (1845-1862) behind the main Moti Bagh Palace. The Palace was built in a forest with terraces, gardens, fountains and an artificial lake. The lake has two watchtowers in the north and the south, and is connected to the Banasar Ghar, a repository for stuffed animals. The Sheesh Mahal, which was a residential palace, has a suspension bridge that is a copy of the Lakshman Jhoola at Rishikesh.

Maharaja Narinder Singh was known to be a great patron of art and literature. He engaged great painters from Kangra and Rajasthan to paint the walls of the Sheesh Mahal with a variety of images pertaining to literature, mythology and legends. Their works depict the vision in the poetry of Keshav, Surdas and Bihari. The paintings also portray Raga-Ragni, Nayak-Nayika and Bara-masa in Rajasthani style. The walls and ceilings of the Sheesh Mahal are rich in floral designs and its interior is a kaleidoscope of images and multi-coloured lights. Amongst the Sheesh Mahal’s most highly recommended displays are a series of Kangra-style miniatures depicting the Geet Govind, an epic poem by Jaidev. The Sheesh Mahal draws its name from the exquisitely designed glass and mirror work, which covers an entire section of the palace.

Solution: D

Situated in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, this World Heritage site comprises the three great 11th and 12th century Chola Temples: the Brihadisvara temples of Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholisvaram, and the Airatesvara temple at Darasuram. The three Chola temples in India are exemplary production in the Dravidian style of temple architecture.

The Brihadisvara temples are situated at Thanjavur, the ancient capital of the Chola kings. King Rajaraja Chola constructed the Brihadisvara Temple in 10th century A.D., designed by the famous architect Sama Varma. The Cholas were great patrons of art, during their reign, as a result, the most magnificent temples and exquisite bronze icons were created in South India.

The other two temples, Gangaikondacholisvaram and Airatesvara were also built in the age of Cholas and testify their brilliant achievements in architecture, sculpture, painting, and bronze casting.

The great Temple of Tanjore (Thanjavur) was built between 1003 and 1010 in the reign of the King Rajaraja, of the Chola Empire which stretched all over South India and the neighbouring islands. Surrounded by two rectangular enclosures, the Brihadisvara Temple (built from blocks of granite and, in part, from bricks) is crowned with a pyramidal 13-storey tower, the vimana, standing 61 m high and topped with a bulb-shaped monolith. The walls of the temple are covered with rich sculptural decoration.

https://knowindia.gov.in/culture-and-heritage/monuments/chola-temples.php

Solution: C

In a historic referendum, the Irish people have voted by a landslide to repeal the 8th amendment to the country’s constitution, allowing the government to legislate for abortion.

The vote illustrates the monumental shift in attitudes towards women’s rights in Ireland. It’s also testament to the power of a grassroots mobilised campaign which enabled women to share 35 years worth of experiences of pregnancy under the 8th amendment.

Solution: B

The Apatanis, who inhabit a tranquil pine clad valley called Ziro at the core of Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh, are famous for their unique practice of wet rice cultivation. They are also known for their sustainable agricultural practices and the agricultural cycles govern their everyday lives. The agricultural festival of Dree is the highlight in this cycle.

Losoong also called Namsoong by the Lepchas is the Sikkimese New Year. The festival of Lossong is mostly celebrated in the month of December every year with traditional gaiety and colour both by the Lepchas and Bhutias. Certain competitions are also held in traditional skills, such as, archery and bouts of merry making go on for days.

The annual Nongkrem Dance Festival will be celebrated in Meghalaya with young Khasi men and women swaying to traditional folk music to appease goddess Ka Blei Synshar, in the hope of a rich bumper harvest.

Solution: C