Prelim Bits 27-05-2019

Orchha Monuments

• The architectural heritage of Orchha have been included in UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites following a proposal sent by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the U.N. body.
• Orchha is a town in Madhya Pradesh which depict peculiar style of the Bundela dynasty.
• Orchha is situated on the banks of the Betwa River, it was built by King Rudra Pratap Singh of Bundela dynasty in the 16th century.
• The ancient town is famous for its Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha fort complex, Raja Mahal among others.
• Orchha is also famous for its two elevated minaret called Saavan and Bhadon and its four palaces Jahangir Palace, Raj Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Rai Praveen Mahal and for its concept of open bungalows, stone work windows, animal statues depicting the culture of Bundelkhand.
• It is the only place in India where Lord Ram is worshipped as a king with a dedicated temple in his name called Sri Ram Raja Mandir.

Bundela Dynasty

• The Bundelas are a Rajput clan of central India, the families belonging to this clan ruled several small states in the Bundelkhand region from the 16th century.
• Bundelkhand is a hilly region of central India divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lying in the MP.
• Jhansi is the largest city in Bundelkhand and is a major cultural, educational, transport and economic hub.
• The Bundela architecture has Mughal influence since the two dynasties were very close.
• The famous King of Bundela dynasty Veer Singh Dev was a close friend of Mughal emperor Jahangir and fought wars as Akbar’s aid.

Kailash Mansarovar

• UNESCO has included the Indian part of Kailash Mansarovar in its tentative list of world heritage sites.
• Kailash Mansarovar is in the mixed category of the list, both as a natural as well as a cultural heritage.
• Covering an area of 6,836 sq km within India, the area is flanked in the east by Nepal and bordered by China on the north.
• The Indian site is part of the larger landscape of 31,000 sq km referred to as the 'Kailash Sacred Landscape' constituting the Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in the remote south-western portion of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and adjacent districts in the far-western region of Nepal.
• Both China and Nepal have proposed the landscape as a world heritage site to UNESCO.
• The Indian portion of the landscape in the State of Uttarakhand comprises four major watersheds viz. the Panar-Saryu, the Saryu-Ramganga, the Gori-Kali and the Dhauli-Kali.

UNESCO Tentative List

• A tentative list is an inventory of properties which a state party considers to be cultural and/or natural heritage of outstanding universal value, and therefore suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List.
• A position on a country’s tentative list does not automatically tender that site with world heritage status.
• The tentative list simply provides a tool for planning and advocacy of a nation’s outstanding natural and cultural heritage, and assists the World Heritage Committee to assess the context from which a country’s particular nominations are made.
• According to the rules, to be a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, the heritage or any historical site first has to be on the tentative list.
• After it makes to the tentative list, another proposal is sent to the UNESCO for World Heritage Site recognition.

Bonda Tribes

• Odisha’s endangered Bonda tribe are classified as one of India’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• They are known for their distinctive cultural traditions, the Bondas are divided into two groups:

1. Lower Bondas - who live in south Odisha’s Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
2. Upper Bondas - who live in the hilly terrains of the remote villages in the district.

• According to the 2011 census, there are 12,231 Bondas and they speak Remo, one of the Mundari group of languages spoken by Munda peoples in India.

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

• The PVTGs are the marginalized section of the Scheduled tribes of India.
• They are a section who are relatively isolated, educationally and socio-economically backward, living in a habitat far away from amenities.
• PVTG is not a Constitutional category, nor are these constitutionally recognized communities.
• It is a government of India classification created with the purpose of enabling improvement in the conditions of certain communities with particularly low development
• The criteria followed for determination of PVTGs are as under:

1. A pre-agriculture level of technology;
2. A stagnant or declining population;
3. Extremely low literacy; and
4. A subsistence level of economy.

Scheduled Tribe

• The term ‘scheduled tribe’ is primarily an administrative and constitutional concept.
• Article 366 (25) of the Constitution of India refers to Scheduled Tribes as those communities, who are scheduled in accordance with Article 342 of the Constitution.
• The essential characteristics laid down by the Lokur Committee, for a community to be identified as Scheduled Tribes are

1. Primitive traits;

2. Distinctive culture;

3. Shyness of contact with the community at large;

4. Geographical isolation; and

5. Backwardness – social and economic

Source: The Hindu, Business Line