★★★★★ 4.5/5
Prelims: Pallava period
Mains: General studies I – Indian Culture – Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Why in the News ?
A team of archaeological researchers has discovered an eighth-century Kotravai sculpture, an artefact that dates back to the Pallava period, near Ulundurpet.
Source: The New Indian Express
Key Facts 🗝️
- The idol is depicted with eight hands, indicating its origin in the eighth century during the Pallava period.
- The sculpture depicts various elements such as chakkara, sword, bell, and abhaya mudra in the right hands
- Kotravai is portrayed standing on the head of a buffalo, with two guards on each side
About:
Pallava Dynasty :
- Emergence: The Pallavas rose to power during the reign of Mahendravarman and Narasimhavarman-I.
- Region: The Pallavas established their authority over south Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu, with the capital at Kanchi.
- Kanchi: Under them became an important temple town and a centre of trade and commerce.
- Society & Culture:
- The social composition in the Pallava period witnessed the growing effects of Aryan culture.
- Because of this impact, a leading position was assigned to the Brahmins both in status and in the grant of lands.
- Aryanization was visible in the field of education.
- There were three types of places during this time:
- Ur: Peasants lived here and it was headed by a headman who collected and paid the taxes to the government.
- Sabha: THese were the land granted to the Brahmins, also called as Agrahara villages. These were tax-free.
- Nagaram: Merchants and traders resided at this place.
- Religion:
- Pallavas were the followers of Hinduism and made gifts of land to gods and Brahmins.
- In contact with the frequent customs, some rulers performed the Aswamedha and other Vedic sacrifices.
- The Chinese monk Xuanzang who visited India during the power of Narasimhavarman I reported that there were 100 Buddhist monasteries, and 80 temples in Kanchipuram.
- Architecture:
- The beautiful Pallava architecture can be divided into four styles:
- Mahendra style (600-625 AD).
- Mammala style (625-674 AD).
- Rajasimha and Nadivarman style (674-800 AD).
- Aparajita style (early 9th century).
- The Pallava era witnessed a transformation from rock-cut to free-standing temples.
- Mahendravarman was an explorer in rock-cut architecture. Mandagapattu temple was the first rock-cut temple developed by him.
- Narasimhaverman II also known as Rajasimha built the famous Kanchi Kailashnath Temple during the late 7th century AD.
- The Shore Temple was also built by Narasimhaverman II. It is the oldest temple in South India. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
- The Vaikuntha Perumal at Kanchipuram was built by Nandivarman II.
- The Dravidian type of architecture started with the Pallava reign.
- The beautiful Pallava architecture can be divided into four styles:
★★★★★ 5/5
Prelims: Environment (species), Spur-winged lapwing, warangal lake, Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
Mains: General Studies III – Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
Why in News
Birdwatching team from Telangana spotted the spur-winged lapwing which is the rare bird in India.
Source: TH
About
Spur-winged lapwing :
- Scientific name: vanellus spinosus
- Native: North Africa, Middle-East, Mediterranean region.
- IUCN: Least Concern (LC)
- Some population of the birds is resident while some are migratory.
- The spur-winged lapwing is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies.
- This species has a preference for marshes and similar freshwater wetland habitats. The food of the spur-winged lapwing is insects and other invertebrates, which are picked from the ground.
Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.
- independent international treaty developed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme Convention on Migratory Species.
- HQ – The Hague
- The agreement focuses on bird species that depend on wetlands for at least part of their lifecycle and cross international borders in their migration patterns. It currently covers 254 species.
- Effective from 1999
UPSC CSE Exams Corner
Prelims: PYQ related to Topic:
Which of the following is not a bird?
(a) Golden Mahseer
(b) Indian Nightjar
(c) Spoonbill
(d) White Ibis
Ans : a. Golden Mahseer
Explaination :
- Golden Mahseer is a species of cyprinid fish. Mahseer roughly translates as mahi – fish and sher – tiger, and hence is also referred as tiger among fish. It is a large cyprinid and known to be the toughest among the fresh water sport fish.
- The Indian nightjar species are nocturnal birds with long pointed wings and short legs.
- Spoonbill is any member of six species of long-legged wading birds that constitute the subfamily Plataleinae of the family Threskiornithidae (order Ciconiiformes), which also includes the ibises. Spoonbills are found in estuaries, saltwater bayous, and lakes.
- White Ibises are large wading birds with football-shaped bodies. They are found in freshwater marshes, coastal estuaries, mangroves, flooded pastures, mudflats, and swamps.
★★★★★ 5/5
Prelims: Environment – reports and agencies, IPCC, global stocktake, Paris Agreement
Mains: General studies III– Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
Why in the News ?
Three reports from the IPCC’s sixth assessment cycle (AR6) were published in 2021-2022. These documents examine the consequences, adaptation, and vulnerability as well as the mitigation aspects of climate change.
Source: TH
📌 FYI on Prelims:
- Till now IPCC has released 6 assessment reports.
- The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) warned that the time to limit the rise of the world’s average surface temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius from the pre-industrial era — as agreed in the Paris Agreement.
- To assess the world’s progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, UNFCCC countries conduct a ‘global stocktake’ (GST) every five years.
About:
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) :
- IPCC Change is a United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
- It was created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Objective: To provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
- Research: The IPCC does not conduct its own research. Thousands of people from all over the world voluntarily contribute to the work of the IPCC.
Reports:
- The IPCC prepares comprehensive Assessment Reports about knowledge on climate change, its causes, potential impacts and response options.
- Since its inception in 1988, the IPCC has had six assessment cycles and delivered six Assessment Reports, the most comprehensive scientific reports about climate change produced worldwide.
- The current report, 6th Assessment Report, is divided into three segments i.e. its three Working Groups and a Synthesis Report.
- The three working group reports have already been published.
Assessment report (AR) :
- It integrates the main findings of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) based on contributions from the three Working Groups, and the three Special Reports.
- Current Status of Climate Change –
- Global surface temperature was 1.09°C higher in 2011–2020 than 1850–1900.
- There is a larger increase over land (1.59°C) than over the ocean (0.88°C).
- In 2019, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were higher than at any time in at least 2 million years.
- Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide were higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years.
- Global mean sea level increased by 0.20 m between 1901 and 2018.
- Although overall agricultural productivity has increased, climate change has slowed this growth over the past 50 years globally.
- Future Climate Change –
- In the near term (2021-2040), global warming is more likely than not to reach 1.5°C even under the very low GHG emission scenario.
- Compound heatwaves and droughts are projected to become more frequent, including concurrent events across multiple locations.
- Due to relative sea level rise, current 1-in-100 year extreme sea level events are projected to occur at least annually in more than half of all tide gauge locations by 2100 under all considered scenarios.
- Assessment Report 7: In Turkey, the Bureau agreed to produce the full assessment and synthesis reports, the methodology reports, and a special report.
- Global Stocktake:
- To assess the world’s progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, UNFCCC countries conduct a ‘global stocktake’ (GST) every five years.
- The GST is a mechanism to measure collective progress, identify gaps, and chart a better course of climate action.
About Paris Agreement
- It replaced the Kyoto Protocol, an earlier agreement to deal with climate change.
- It is a landmark agreement as it brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, for the first time.
- It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, in December 2015 and entered into force in November 2016.
- Aim:The agreement seeks to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industry levels.
- Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs):
- To achieve the targets under the agreement, the member countries have to submit the targets themselves, which they believe would lead to substantial progress towards reaching the Paris temperature goal.
- Initially, these targets are called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
- They are converted to NDCs when the country ratifies the agreement.
- To achieve the targets under the agreement, the member countries have to submit the targets themselves, which they believe would lead to substantial progress towards reaching the Paris temperature goal.
★★★★★ 4.5/5
Prelims: Culture (festivals-tribes)
Keywords to be focused – Koya Tribe, Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary
Mains: General Studies I– Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Key Facts 🗝️
- Medaram Jatara is the second-largest fair/festival of India. (Kumbh-Mela is largest festival in India)
- It is celebrated by the second-largest Tribal Community of Telangana, the Koya tribe.
- It was declared a State Festival in 1998.
- Ministry of Tribal Affairs grants various funds for activities related to the festival.
- Sammakka and saralamma are revered for their revolt against 12th century kakatiya dynasty levy taxes during drought period.
About
- Medaram Jatara is known as Sammakka Saralamma Jatara festival
- It is a tribal festival honoring the fight of a mother and daughter, Sammakka and Saralamma, with the reigning rulers against an unjust law.
- It is celebrated in the state of Telangana. It begins at Medaram in Tadvai Mandal in Warangal district.
- Medaram is a place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya, the largest surviving forest belt in the region.
- It is celebrated once in two years in the month of “Magha” (February) on the full moon day, last time celebrated in 2022
- People offer bangaram/gold (jaggery) of a quantity equal to their weight to the goddesses and take holy bath in river Jampanna Vagu, a tributary to River Godavari.
Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary
- It is a part of the Dandakaranya forests of Mulugu district, Telangana.
- Godavari River passes through the sanctuary.
- It is inhabited by the Koya tribes.
Koya Tribe –
- Largest adivasi tribe of Telangana and listed as Scheduled Tribe in Telangana.
- Habitat: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Godavari river is their main lifeline for socio-eco survival.
- They are settled agriculturist , grow jowar, bajra and millets
- Language : Koya dialect
★★★★★ 5/5
Prelims: Environment –National Parks, Tiger Reserves, Kanha Tiger Reserve, Kanha National Park
Mains: General Studies 3- Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
Why in News
A male tiger from the Kanha Tiger Reserve has been relocated to Mukundpur tiger safari
Key Facts 🗝️
- Barasingha is flagship species of Kanha National Park.
- It is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh.
About
Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR)/ Kanha National Park
- Part of Kanha National park (Largest in MP), made Tiger Reserve in 1973
- Location: Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, Maikal range of Satpuras.
- The forest is depicted in the famous novel by Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book.
- first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha”
- Flora: mixture of sal and other mixed forest trees interspersed with meadows.
- Forests are tropical moist dry deciduous type and of a completely different nature with bamboo on slopes
- Fauna:
- Royal Bengal Tiger, leopards, the sloth bear and Indian wild dog.
- The Park is respected globally for saving the Barasingha from near extinction.
Barasingha (Swamp Deer)
- Habitat – open forests and grasslands of India and Nepal, now restricted to isolated and scattered locations in Nepal, Assam and the northern areas of India.
- Food – wetland plants and herbaceous plants which are common in this deer’s natural habitat.
- Currently Extinct in both Bangladesh, and in Pakistan
- Conservation status
- IUCN – Vulnerable
- CITES – Appendix I
- The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – Schedule I
Source: TOI
UPSC CSE Exams Corner
Prelims: PYQ related to Topic
Q. Which one of the following protected areas is well-known for the conservation of a sub-species of the Indian swamp deer (Barasinga) that thrives well in hard ground and is exclusively graminivorous ?
A) Kanha National Park
B) Manas National Park
C) Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary
D) Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary
Ans : a. Kanha National Park
