• The Hoysalas of Karnatka grew to prominence in South India with the waning of Chola and Pandya power.
• The temples at Belur, Halebid and Somnathpuram were famous.
• All the given statements describe this temple architecture.
• The Hoysaleshvara temple (Lord of the Hoysalas) at Halebid in Karnataka was built in dark schist stone by the Hoysala King in 1150.
• They are sometimes called hybrid or vesara as their unique style seems neither completely dravida nor nagara.

• All these terms related to settlement.
• Qasbah – A small town in the countryside, often the seat of a local notable.
• Ganj -  A small fixed market.
• Both Qasbah and Ganj dealt in cloth, fruit, vegetables and milk products. They provided for noble families and the army.
• Pet – A Tamil word meaning settlement
• Puram – Used to denote a village.

1. 500 BCE – Ashtadhyayi of Panini, a work on Sanskrit grammar
2. 200 BCE – 200 CE – Tamil Sangam Literature
3. 300 CE – Natyashastra of Bharata, a work on dramaturgy in Sanskrit
4. 400 – 500 CE – Compilation of Jaina works in Prakrit  at Vallabi.

• Recently, the State Department of Archaeology, Chennai has identified 250 cairn-circles from the Kodumanal excavation site in Tamil Nadu.
• Cairn-circles are the prehistoric stone row which is a linear arrangement of parallel megalithic standing stones.
• Menhir - Monolithic Pillar-like stones erected/planted vertically into the ground in memory of the dead.
• Cists are stone enclosures buried under the earth

• The world’s oldest known cave painting was discovered in the limestone cave of Leang Tedongnge of Indonesia.

• The painting made using red ochre pigment depicts a wild boar endemic to the Sulawesi island of Indonesia.
• The painting of the Sulawesi warty pig seems to be the world’s oldest surviving representational image of an animal.
• It was dated using a method called U-series isotope analysis.
• This analysis uses calcium carbonate deposits, also called ‘cave popcorn’, that form naturally on the cave wall surface to determine its age.
• It is dated that the minimum age of the painting to be around 45,500 years, which means the painting was made before this.

• Researchers have discovered fossils of the earliest known living animal, 550-million-year-old ‘Dickinsonia’ in the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka.
• The fossils were found in the roof of the ‘Auditorium Cave’ at Bhimbetka.
• These are the only Dickinsonia fossils available in the country, and are similar to those seen in southern Australia.
• Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and Ukraine.

• The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur by March 2022 under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM).
• It is a Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes and is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia.
• It is a source of providing a cultural identity to Mongolia.
• In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha in particular.
• It has been translated from Tibetan and is written in classical Mongolian.

• It is a mythology-based theatrical performance to convey spiritualism in the Vaishnav mould.
• It is a presentation of the Ankia Naat of Assam.
• It was created by the saint Srimanta Sankaradeva five centuries ago.
• In Bhaona cultural glimpses of Assam, Bengal Orissa, Mathura and Brindavan can be seen.
• The Sutradhaar, or narrator begins the story, first in Sanskrit and then in either Brajboli or Assamese.
• [Brajboli or Brajavali is a literary language developed by Sankardeva that was limited to theatrical usage.]

Nirmal Toys -They are exclusively made in Nirmal town in Adilabad district of Telangana

1. It is beautiful assimilation of Indian and Mughal art – used Ajanta floral and combines with Mughal miniature.
2. The artisans are called Naqqash, they came from Rajasthan in 17th Century.

Toys of Andhra Pradesh –

1. Kondapalli Toys – Also Known as Bommala Koluvu and its style is a mix of Islamic and Rajasthani art.
2. Etikoppakka Bommalu – Received its GI tag in 2017 and also known as Turned wood Lacquer craft.
3. Channapatna Toys – It is a famous toy from the State of Karnataka and it received GI tag.

• The toys have ensured that innovation and being eco-friendly become the hallmark of this locally known Gombegala Ooru (toy-town)
• The Hereditary artists are known as ‘Chitragars”.
• The wood, primarily used was ‘ivory wood, though rose and Sandalwood were also used.

• A Reclining Buddha statue or image represents the Buddha during his last illness, about to enter Parinirvana (483 BC), the stage of great salvation after death that can only be attained by enlightened souls.
• This popular iconographic depiction shows that all beings can be awakened and be released from the cycle of death and rebirth.
• It was first depicted in Gandhara art, which began in the period between 50 BC and 75 AD and peaked during the Kushana period from the 1st to 5th centuries AD.
• The World’s largest Reclining Buddha is the 600-foot Winsein Tawya Buddha built in 1992 in Mawlamyine, Myanmar.
• India’s largest Reclining Buddha to be installed at the Buddha International Welfare Mission temple, Bodh Gaya was delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.

• Ekamravan Kshetra or Lingaraj Temple was built in 11th century AD, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is the largest temple of Bhubaneswar.
• It is believed to have been built by the Somvanshi King Yayati I.
• It is built in red stone and is a classic example of Kalinga style of architecture.

• Ramappa Temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva. The presiding deity here is Ramalingeswara Swamy.
• The temple is neither named after the presiding deity, Rudreshwara, nor the general who commissioned the project, but, uniquely in India, after the sculptor who built it.     
• The temple is located at the foothills of a forested area, close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu, a Kakatiya-built water reservoir.
• The temple rests on a foundation that uses sandbox technology, with red sandstone and black basalt used to construct the main temple.
• It uses light bricks used for the gopuram or cupola which are called “floating bricks”.
• It stands on a 6-ft high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.

The Monuments of Sanchi is written by John Marshall and Alfred Foucher in the year 1914.

Binodini Dasi (1863-1941)

• She is a pioneering figure in Bengali theatre in the late 19th and early 20th century.
• She worked closely with the dramatist and director Girish Chandra Ghosh (1844-1912).
• She was one of the prime movers behind the setting up of the Star Theatre (1883) in Calcutta.
• She serialised her autobiography Amar Katha (My Story) between 1910 and 1913.

• Ajivikas have often been described as fatalists, those who believe that everything is predetermined.
• Ashoka patronised the Lomas Rishi Cave carved at Barabar hills near Gaya in Bihar.

• The teachings of Mahavira were recorded by his disciples which were often in the form of stories. One of which is a Prakrit text known as the “Uttaradhyayana Sutta”.

• In Sutta Pitaka, conversation between King Ajatasattu, sonand successor of King Bimbisara of Magadha and the Buddha is narrated.
• Its sections are Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya .Khuddaka Nikaya.
• He posed the following question to many leading Indian spiritual teachers: What is the benefit of living a contemplative life? After being dissatisfied with the answers provided by these other teachers, the king posed this question to the Buddha whose answer motivated the king to become a lay follower of the Buddha.

• Therigatha is an unique Buddhist text, part of the Sutta Pitaka, is a collection of verses composed by Bhikkunis.
• It provides an insight into women’s social and spiritual experiences.

• Tholpavakkothu is a shadow leather puppet theatre form, popular in the Palakkad and neighbouring regions.
• It is preserved as a family tradition by the Pulavars.
• For the first time, the famous shadow leather puppets will be shown with the help of robots.
• The first such robotic leather puppet was installed at the Palakkad District Heritage Museum.

Except Kot Diji and Ganweriwala, all other sites are located near the coast

Source : Themes in Indian History - Part I

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