UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 25-11-2020
iasparliament
November 25, 2020
Hoysala Lakshmi Devi Temple
Lakshmi Devi temple was built by the Hoysalas in the year 1114 CE during the rule of king Vishnuvardhana.
The building material is Chloritic schist, more commonly known as soapstone.
The temple does not stand on a jagati (platform), a feature which became popular in later Hoysala temples.
The temple is a Chatuskuta construction (4 shrine and tower) and the towers are in Kadamba nagara style.
The mantapa is open and square, the reason for the square plan is the presence of shrines on all four sides of the mantapa.
The main deity is Goddess Lakshmi whereas all Hoysala temples are dedicated to either Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and in some cases to Jains.
An archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument and is also among the monuments proposed for the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Recently, a Hoysala-era idol of Goddess Kali of the Lakshmi Devi Temple at Doddagaddavalli, Karnataka has been found damaged.
Hoysala Temple Architecture
It is the building style developed under the rule of the Hoysalas and is mostly concentrated in southern Karnataka.
Hoysala temples are sometimes called hybrid or vesara as their unique style seems neither completely dravida nor nagara, but somewhere in between.
They are easily distinguishable from other medieval temples by their highly original star-like ground-plans and a profusion of decorative carvings.
The temples, instead of consisting of a simple inner chamber with its pillared hall, contain multiple shrines grouped around a central pillared hall and laid out in the shape of an intricately-designed star.
The most characteristic feature of these temples is that they grow extremely complex with so many projecting angles emerging from the previously straightforward square temple.
The plan of these temples starts looking like a star, and is thus known as a stellate-plan.
Shaheedi Divas
Shaheedi Divas is the Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhism.
He was publicly killed in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for refusing to convert to Islam.
He was who sacrificed his life for the sake of people who did not even belong to his community.
Anandpur Sahib, the famous holy city and a global tourist attraction in the foothills of Himalayas, was founded by Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Guru Har Gobind christened Tyaga Mahal as Teg Bahadur after the latter showed immense courage in the Battle of Kartarpur in 1635 against the Mughals.
He showed the path of divinity to his disciples by teaching them to overcome greed, desire, ego and pain.
ATAL Academy
AICTE Training And Learning (ATAL) Academy was established in 2018, with following objectives
To set up an Academy which will plan and help in imparting quality technical education in the country.
To support technical institutions in fostering research, innovation and entrepreneurship through training.
To stress upon empowering technical teachers & technicians using Information & Communication Technology.
To utilize SWAYAM platform and other resource for the delivery of trainings.
Recently, the Union Education Minister inaugurated online AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy’s Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs).
It aims to train teachers of higher education institutions associated with All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), in 22 Indian states.
The online FDPs will be conducted according to the new National Education Policy (2020).
The London-based organization has recognized the FDPs as a world record, under which 1,000 online FDPs in over 100 emerging areas will benefit one lakh faculty members across premier institutions.
Willow Warbler
Recently, Willow Warbler has been sighted for the first time in the country at Punchakkari, Kerala.
It is one of the longest migrating small birds that breed throughout northern and temperate Europe.
The scientific name of Willow Warbler is Phylloscopus Trochilus.
It is usually seen in European and the Palearctic regions and migrates to sub-Saharan Africa during early winter.
It is found in wooded habitat which is from mixed forest to willow thickets in open country.
It is a bird of open woodlands with trees and ground cover for nesting, including most importantly birch, alder, and willow habitats.
It is listed as 'Least Concern' under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Striped Bubble-Nest Frog
Recently a group of scientists has reported a new genus of tree frog from the Andaman Islands called Striped Bubble-nest frog.
Striped Bubble-nest frog belongs to the genus of the Old World tree frog family Rhacophoridae.
This is the first report of a tree frog species from the Andaman Islands.
It has a small and slender body (2-3 cm long).
It lays Light green-coloured eggs in arboreal bubble-nests, Arboreal means living in trees or related trees.
They are also known as Asian Glass Frog or see through frogs.
While the general background coloration of most glass frogs is primarily lime green, the abdominal skin of some members of this family is translucent (allowing light to pass through).
The internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract, are visible through this translucent skin, hence the common name.
Bioluminescent Mushroom
Recently Researchers in North-East India has discovered a bioluminescent or light emitting variety of mushroom.
The new species is named as Roridomyces phyllostachydis.
The discovery is important because it was the first mushroom in the Roridomyces genus to be found in India.
It is the only member in its genus to have light emitting from its stipe or stalk.
It is now one among the 97 known species of bioluminescent fungi in the world.
It was first sighted in Meghalaya’s Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hills district and later at Krang Shuri in West Jaintia Hills district.
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.
Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence.
Bioluminescent organisms are usually found in the ocean environments, but they are also found on terrestrial environments.
The colour of the light emitted by the organism depends on their chemical properties.
In the case of fungi, the luminescence comes from the enzyme, luciferase.
