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Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh

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Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh is the finest Gupta temple that has come down to us in a relatively good state of preservation.  The temple is known for the carvings depicting Hindu Gods and mythological figures.  It is known as the earliest example of Panchayatana style of temple.  Dashavatara Temple was discovered by Captain Charles Strahan and was named so by Alexander Cunningham. It depicts the 10 avatara of Vishnu. 

Disappearance of Harappan Civilisation

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The disappearance of the Harrapan Civilisation, also known as Indus Valley Civilisation, is still shrouded in mystery. Leading explanations include warfare with the Aryans, a nomadic, Indo-European tribe.   While some say that frequent regular flood could have contributed to the civilisation’s collapse, another school of thought is of the opinion that an earthquake might be the real culprit. According to one theory by British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler, the Indus River Valley civilization was overthrown by the Aryans.  An Indo-Aryan Migration theory has found currency amongst various scholars who believe that the Harappan culture was assimilated during a widesperead migratorty movements of the Aryan people into northwest India. Though it is still not known whether it was the Aryan invasion, natural catastrophes, or something else that destroyed the Harrapan culture, but whatever it was, the end of the Harrapan civilisation was the end of a glorious chapter in the Indian History as

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

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You will be confronted by a symbol of Hindu India in the spiritually important Vishwanath Temple, the number-one attraction of Varanasi that draws hordes of pilgrims daily. The temple is one of the Dwadasa Jyotirlinga shrines or the 12 shrines enshrining Shiva in the form of a Jyotirlingam in the country. Built in 1776 Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore, the wonderful Vishwanath Temple is a big attraction in Varanasi. This sacred Hindu shrine attracts pilgrims from all over the world who come here to offer their prayers to Lord Siva, one of the Hindu Trinity of Gods. One of the 12 jyotirlinga sites, Vishwanath Temple is a pilgrimage site that every Hindu cherishes to visit.  In 1839, two domes of the Temple were covered by gold, donated by the great Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjeet Singh.

BRICS Expansion

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The five-member BRICS have invited six more nations to join the alliance on Thursday (August 24), The group owes its name to the initials of its five member states. They are Brazil, Russia, India, C hina, and South Africa. In its recent 15th  summit at Johannesburg in South Africa, BRICS has invited Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Their membership will begin in January. Approximately two dozen countries had formally applied to join the group, but there had to be consensus among its existing five members for candidate countries to be admitted. BRICS currently represents around 40% of the world’s population and more than a quarter of the world’s GDP. With the additions, it will represent almost half the world’s population, and will include three of the world’s biggest oil producers, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran. The formation of BRICS in 2009 was driven by the idea that the four emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China would be

Jamat Khana Masjid : One of Delhi’s Early Mosques

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Jamaat Khana Masjid, Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi / Image Credit   Jamat Khana Masjid in the Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah complex in Delhi is said to be built by Khizr Khan , eldest son of Khilji Sultan Sultan Alauddin Khilji. Also known as Khilji mosque, this 14th century mosque is a living mosque still in use for prayers.

History MCQs – Set 10 - Modern India

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Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut, May 20, 1498 Q.1. Renowned Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India in  _____. (a) 1490 (b) 1492 (c) 1496 (d) 1498 Q.2. To whom the statement “The soul of India lives in villages” has been attributed? (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Vinoba Bhave (c) Gopalakrishna Gokhale (d)     Lala Lajpat Rai Q.3. Who was the political guru of Mahatma Gandhi? (a) Gopal Krishna Gokhale (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (c) Dadabhai Naoroji (d) Pherozeshah Mehta Q.4. The first Governor-General of Bengal was________. (a) Warren Hastings (b) Robert Clive (c) Canning (d) William Bentinck Q.5. The last Governor-General and the first Viceroy of India under the British crown was (a) Lord Canning (b) Warren Hastings (c) William Bentinck (d) Lord Dalhousie Q.6. On what pretext, Lord Dalhousie annexed the state of Oudh to the British Empire in India? (a) Doctrine of Lapse (b) Policy of Subsidiary Alliance (c) Maladministation of

History MCQs – Set 9 - Modern India

Q.1. Who passed the Indian Universities Act? (a) Lord Dufferin (b) Lord Curzon (c) Lord Minto (d) Lord Hardinge Q.2. Who among the following is the founder of the “Azad Hind Fauj”? (a) Ras Behari Bose (b) Bhagat Singh (c) Motilal Nehru (d) Lala Har Dayal Q.3. Who is known as the “Father of Indian Unrest”? (a) Lala Lajpat Rai (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (c) Aurobindo Ghosh (d) Bipin Chandra pal Q.4. Who were the first to discover the sea route to India? (a) Portugal (b) Dutch (c) French (d) Danes  Q.5. The concept of Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution) was advocated by____.  (a) Acharya Vinoba Bhave (b) Mahatma Gandhi (c) Lokmanya tilak (d) Jai Prakash Narayan Q.6. When did the British Government set up Sadler University Commission for reforms in education? (a) 1917 (b) 1919 (c) 1921 (d) 1918 Q.7. Which one of the following places was associated with Acharya Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan Movement at the beginning of the movement? (a) Udaygiri (