Khairul Manzil Mosque, Delhi

                                    Khairul Manazil, opposite Purana Qila, Delhi. Image credit 

Located opposite the Purana Qila in Delhi, Khairul Manzil mosque was built in 1561 by Maham Anga, the foster mother of the Mughal emperor Akabr. She was the mother of powerful Mughal noble Adham Khan who was killed by Akbar in Agra in 1562.

Meaning ‘the most auspicious of houses’ in Persian, Khair-ul-Manazil mosque on the Mathura road is Delhi’s first mosque built by the Mughals. 

The arch in the middle of the prayer chamber contains the inscription that says that the mosque was built by Maham Anga.

Fifth Siddha Day celebrated

Fifth Siddha Day was celebrated by Union Ministry of Ayush on 23rd December. 

Siddha system of medicine is one of the oldest codified traditions of healthcare originated in the Indian sub-continent with many intricate, novel therapeutic interventions and treatment modalities. 

Siddha system of medicine is one of the oldest codified traditions of healthcare originated in the Indian sub-continent.

The Siddha system is still being practised in the southern parts of India.

Ayush Ministry observes Siddha Day on eve of Siddhar Agathiya’s  birthday every year. Siddhar Agathiya is the father of Siddha Medicine. The day is observed in the Tamil month of Margazhi. 

Hindi translation of Sangam text Tolkappiyam released

Union Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar has released the Hindi translation of Tolkāppiyam, a unique work on grammar and poetics. 

A part of the corpus of Sangam literature, Tolkappiyam is the most ancient extant Tamil grammar text and the oldest extant long work of Tamil literature.

Tolkappiyam was written by Tolkappiyar during the Sangam period. According to some Tamil tradition places Tolkappiyam in the mythical second Sangam (great literary assembly), variously in 1st millennium BCE or earlier.

Tamil writing systems dates back to 250 BCE and Tamil Sangam poetry contains 2381 poems in Tamil composed by 473 poets, some 102 anonymous. Most scholars suggest the historical Sangam literature era spanned from c. 300 BCE to 600 CE to be among the finest of world literature.

Though it is reasonable to believe that the ancient Tamil itself had a long poetic tradition and a large body of literature, only a grammatical treatise in verse called Tolkāppiyam, the eight anthologies (Ettuttokai) and Ten Songs (Pattuppattu) have survived the ravages of time.

Ettuttokai consists of Nattrinai, Kuruntokai, Aignkurunuru, Pathittrupattu, Paripādal, Kalittokai, Akananuru and Purananuru.

A unique work on grammar and poetics, Tolkappiyam deals with Ezhuttu (letter), Col (word) and Porul (subject matter).

Almost all levels of the human language from the spoken to the most poetic lie within the purview of Tolkappiyar’s analysis as he treats in exquisitely poetic and epigrammatic statements on phonology, morphology, syntax, rhetoric, prosody and poetics.

Kolkata’s Durga Puja Gets UNESCO heritage status

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added Kolkata's Durga Puja to its 'Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.' 

The decision was taken during the sixteenth session of the of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by Punchi Nilame Meegaswatte, Secretary General of the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO.

Durga Puja is an annual festival marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga. In West Bengal Bengal the festival is celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga’s killing of demon Mahishasur and is called the Durga Puja. Huge pandals are set-up housing the idols of Goddess Durga and her four children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya. 

India now has 14 intangible cultural heritage elements on the UNESCO list. Other Indian entries that were previously inscribed include Ramlila (2008), Yoga (2016) and Kumbh Mela (2017).

In 2017, the Kumbh Mela was accorded this recognition. Yoga was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016, traditional brass and copper craft of Punjab in 2014, Manipur's Sankirtana ritual singing in 2013 and the dance forms of Chhau, Kalbelia and Mudiyettu in 2010.

The preparations for Durga Puja start well in advance but things really hot up when the idols of Goddess Durga and her four children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya finally arrives and are installed in the pandals.

The worship of Goddess Durga starts on the inaugural day of Mahalaya. The next ten days are marked by prayers, dancing, merrymaking, ethnic clothing and meeting the neighbours. The Vijayadasmi day marks the end of the puja festivities. The beautifully decorated deities being carried in splendid processions with attractive backdrops, and the frenzied processions dancing to the beat of drums and music are a treat to watch. 

Centre refuses to accept Paika revolution as first war of independence

The Centre has recently refused to accept Paika rebellion as the first war of independence. In 2017, the Odisha Government demanded that the Odisha rebellion be declared as the first war of independence. Currently, the Revolt of 1857, known variously as First War of Independence and Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 is called the first war of independence against British Rule. The Revolt of 1857 shook the very foundation of the British Empire in India.

Paika Rebellion took place from 1817 to 1825 in Odisha.

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What is the Paika Rebellion?

The Paikas were a warrior class who were given rent-free lands by the Gajapat kings in Odisha in lieu of the military services they would render to the Kingdom of Khurda.

.In 1804, the King of Khurda, Raja Mukunda Deva, who was dethroned by the British in the previous year, organized a rebellion against the British with the help of his Paiks. However, the rebellion ended in a fiasco and the British confiscated his entire territory.

As the new land revenue settlements of the British came into force the Paikas lost their estates. The oppression of the British in the following years caused a resentment among the Paikas who under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar confronted the British on April 2, 1817. Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar was the military chief of the King of Khurda. 

All government buildings in Banapur in Khurda districts were set on fire and the British treasury was looted. Many policemen lost their lives.

The revolt was ultimately suppressed with brutality by the British. Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar [Bidyadhar Mohapatra] surrendered to the British in 1825 and died while still in jail in 1829. 

Delhi’s Nizamuddin Basti conservation project wins two UNESCO awards

The UNESCO has conferred two awards for conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti in Delhi. 

The Nizamuddin Basti has received two awards at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation this year. The conservation initiative at Nizamuddin area has bagged the prestigious Award of Excellence and another award in the Special Recognition for Sustainable Development category. 

Conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti are being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation and the Dargah Committee and resident community groups of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti since 2007.

Nizamuddin Basti Project encompasses restoration of over 20 historic monuments clustered around the 14th century mausoleum of the revered Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the most prominent Sufi saint of the Chisti order.

• The Nizamuddin area consists of Humayun Tomb and the 16th century Batashewala Tomb-Garden Complex and tomb of 16th century poet Rahim (Khan I Khanan) and the Mughal-period caravanserai of Azimganj Serai. These regions were segregated and damaged. They were also renewed by the Nizamuddin Basti Project.

• The project was started in 2007 by the Aga Kahn Trust for Culture, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Objectives of Nizamuddin Basti Project

• The Nizamuddin Basti Project is an Urban Renewal Project. It successfully unified the segregated zones of the seven-century old settlement of the Nizamuddin Basti and its surrounding 70 acres.

• It integrated socio – economic development, conservation and environmental development objectives in these areas.

• It unified three major sites namely Sundar Nursery, Nizamuddin Basti and Humayun Tomb.

Humayun Tomb

A brilliant example of early Mughal architecture, Humayun Tomb was commissioned by his first wife Bega Begum or Haji Begum. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993. Since then, it has undergone extensive restoration work. The tomb is placed in the centre of a thirty-acre garden called “Char Bagh”. The last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was captured by the British in Humayun Tomb in 1857.

Mattancherry Palace

                            Mattancherry palace at night/ Image Source

The Mattancherry Palace in Cochin in the Indian state of Kerala is a magnificent two -story building with its vividly executed vibrant murals.  

Also known as the Dutch Palace, the palace was originally built in the 16th century by the Portuguese who presented the palace to the ruler of Kochi with a view to ease the tension caused due to the plunder of Palluruthi temple by the Portuguese. 

When Cochin fell to the Dutch in 1663 AD, the palace came under their control who gave this beautiful architecture a makeover.