DHOLAVIRA

➤ Dholavira is a Harappan city located in Kachchh District of Gujarat. It was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist Dr. R.S. Bisht.

➤ The walled city consists of a fortified citadel or the upper town, middle town and a lower town.

➤ A series of reservoirs are found to the east and south of the Citadel.

STRATEGIC LOCATION

➤ It is the only Harappan site located on the Tropic of Cancer.

➤ Unlike other Harappan towns normally located near rivers and perennial sources of water, the location of Dholavira is on the island of Khadir bet, in the Great Rann of Kutch, which facilitated internal as well as external trade with Magan (modern Oman) and Mesopotamia.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS

➤ World's earliest signboard with 10 large stone inscriptions, carved in Indus Valley script.

➤ Remains of a copper smelter indicate Harappans living in Dholavira knew metallurgy.

➤ Near the ancient city is a fossil park where wood fossils are preserved.

UNIQUE WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

➤ One of the noticeable features of the Dholavira was the complex water management system through many channels and reservoirs, the earliest found anywhere in the world.

➤ All these reservoirs were made completely of stone.

➤ The inhabitants of Dholavira created 16 or more reservoirs for the effective water supply to the city.

GROUP OF MONUMENTS OF PATTADAKAL

➤ The group of monuments at Pattadakal is remarkable series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary in northern Karnataka.

➤ Designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

➤ In this group of temples, the Virupaksha Temple, built c. 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's (King Vikramaditya II) victory over the Pallava kings from the south, is considered the most outstanding architectural edifice (this is different from the Virupaksha Temple at Hampi.)

➤ These are a remarkable combination of temples built by the Chalukya Dynasty in the 6th-8th century at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal. The latter city was known as the "Crown Rubies".

➤ The temples represent a remarkable fusion of the architectural features of northern (Nagara) and southern (Dravida) India.

➤ Within the heritage complex of Pattadakal are 8 temples dedicated to Shiva, a 9th shaivite sanctuary called the Papanatha Temple and a Jain Narayana temple.

HILL FORTS OF RAJASTHAN - UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

The North Western Indian State of Rajasthan has over one hundred fortifications on hills and mountainous terrain.

Six Hill Forts spread across Rajasthan state in northern India, have been clustered as a series and designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These Rajput forts in the Aravalli Range were built and enhanced between the 5th-18th centuries CE by several Rajput kings of different kingdoms.

These six hill forts are :

1⃣ Chittor Fort at Chittorgarh

2⃣ Kumbhalgarh Fort at Kumbhalgarh

3⃣ Ranthambore Fort at Sawai Madhopur

4⃣ Gagron Fort at Jhalawar

5⃣ Amer Fort at Jaipur

6⃣ Jaisalmer Fort at Jaisalmer

Some of these forts have defensive fortification wall up to 20 km long, still surviving urban centers and still in use water harvesting mechanism.

KUMBHALGARH FORT

● Kumbhalgarh, also known as the Great Wall of India, is a Mewar fortress in Aravalli Hills, in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan.

● It is the second-longest wall of the world, after the Great Wall of China.

● It is a World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. It was built during the 15th century by Rana Kumbha.

● In 2013, Kumbhalgarh Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

● The fort is among the largest fort complexes in the world and the second largest fort in India after Chittor Fort.

● Kumbhalgarh Fort was the birthplace of Maharana Pratap.

Ramlila (not Raslila) is included in the list.

UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of India List (13)

1) Buddhist Chanting
2) Kalbelia
3) Chhau Dance
4) Koodiyattam
5) Kumbh Mela
6) Mudiyettu
7) Navroz
8) Ramlila
9) Ramman
10) Sankirtana
11) Traditional Brass and Copper Craft of Utensil Making
12) Vedic Chanting
13) Yoga

In the monasteries and villages of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Buddhist lamas (priests) chant sacred texts representing the spirit, philosophy and teachings of the Buddha. Chanting is undertaken for the spiritual and moral well-being of the people, for purification and peace of mind, to invoke the blessings of various deities. The chanting is performed in groups, either sitting indoors or accompanied by a dance in monastery courtyards or private houses. ⁣
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🔖 The Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2012.⁣

💡Did you know?⁣⁣⁣
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The craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, a city in the State of Punjab, constitutes the traditional technique of manufacturing brass and copper utensils.⁣ ⁣The metals used – copper, brass and certain alloys – are believed to be beneficial for health. The process of manufacturing is transmitted orally from father to son. ⁣⁣
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🔖 It was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014.⁣⁣ ⁣
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🌍 SDG 11 Focuses on Sustainable Cities and Communities.
🌍 Target 11.4 aims to "strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage".⁣⁣⁣

💡Did you know? ⁣
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Sankirtana practices centre on the temple, where performers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through song and dance. ⁣In a typical performance, two drummers and about ten singer-dancers perform in a hall or domestic courtyard encircled by seated devotees.⁣
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🔖 The practise was inscribed in 2013 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. ⁣
⁣
🌍 SDG 11 Focuses on Sustainable Cities and Communities⁣
🌍 Target 11.4 aims to "strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage".⁣

Did you know? ⁣⁣
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Mudiyettu is a ritualistic art form of Kerala based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika.⁣ The dance is performed in bhadrakali temples, between February and May after the harvesting season. ⁣
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🔖 The art form was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.⁣

Did you know?⁣
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Chhau dance is a tradition from eastern India that enacts episodes from epics including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, local folklore and abstract themes. Its 3 distinct styles hail from the regions of Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj, the first two using masks. Chhau is taught to male dancers from families of traditional artists or from local communities. The dance is performed at night in an open space. ⁣
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🔖 The Chhau Dance was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010.⁣

Did you know?
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Once professional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways. Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them with instruments. Transmitted from generation to generation, the songs and dances form part of an oral tradition for which no texts or training manuals exist.⁣
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🔖 The Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2010.⁣
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WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN GUJARAT

There are 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Gujarat :

1⃣ Historic city of Ahmedabad
2⃣ Rani ki Vav, Patan
3⃣ Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
4⃣ Dholavira

In Pic : Wooden Havelis in the Pols of Ahmedabad

THE HISTORIC CITY OF AHMEDABAD

● More than 600 year old Walled City of Ahmedabad founded by Ahmed Shah was declared India’s first World Heritage City in 2017.

● The 5.5 km walled city area with approximate population of 4 lakh living in centuries-old wooden havelis in around 600 "pols" or neighbourhoods is regarded as living heritage.

● Ahmedabad was also an epicenter of Mahatma Gandhi's legacy of non-violent freedom struggle.

CHAMPANER-PAVAGARH ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK, GUJARAT

● It is situated in the Panchmahal district in Gujarat, India.

● It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004 as a cultural site.

● It is a concentration of largely unexcavated archaeological, historic and living cultural heritage properties, which includes prehistoric (chalcolithic) sites, a hill fortress of an early Hindu capital, and remains of the 16th-century capital of the state of Gujarat.

● The site is the only complete and unchanged Islamic pre-Mughal city.

RANI-KI-VAV, PATAN (GUJARAT)

● In 2014, UNESCO recognised 'Rani ki Vav', an 11th century stepwell in Patan, Gujarat as a World Heritage Site.

● A vav is a stepwell. The stepwells are a distinctive form of water storage systems in India subcontinent since 3rd millennium BC.

● Built on the banks of the Saraswati River.

● Rani ki Vav was built by Rani Udayamati as a memorial to her husband, the 11th century-king Bhima I of the Chalukya or Solanki dynasty, who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat.

● It is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality; with thousands of sculptures having religious, mythological and secular imagery.

According to UNESCO, Rani Ki Vav displays the "height of craftsmen's ability in stepwell construction".

RANI-KI-VAV, PATAN (GUJARAT)

● In 2014, UNESCO recognised 'Rani ki Vav', an 11th century stepwell in Patan, Gujarat as a World Heritage Site.

● A vav is a stepwell. The stepwells are a distinctive form of water storage systems in India subcontinent since 3rd millennium BC.

● Built on the banks of the Saraswati River.

● Rani ki Vav was built by Rani Udayamati as a memorial to her husband, the 11th century-king Bhima I of the Chalukya or Solanki dynasty, who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat.

● It is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality; with thousands of sculptures having religious, mythological and secular imagery.

According to UNESCO, Rani Ki Vav displays the "height of craftsmen's ability in stepwell construction".

SALLEKHANA OR SANTHARA

Sallekhana, also known as santhara or samadhi-marana is the religious practice of voluntarily fasting unto death by gradually reducing the intake of food and liquids.

It is viewed in Jainism as the thinning of human passions and the body and another means of destroying rebirth-influencing karma, by withdrawing all physical and mental activities.

It is not considered as a suicide by Jaina scholars because it is not an act of passion, nor does it deploy poisons or weapons.

After the sallekhana vow, the ritual preparation and practice can extend into years.

Sallekhana is a vow available to both Jaina ascetics and householders. It was observed by both men and women, including queens, in Jain history.

However, in the modern era, death through sallekhana has been a relatively uncommon event.

There is debate about the practice from a right to life and a freedom of religion viewpoint.

In 2015, the Rajasthan High Court banned the practice, considering it suicide.

Later that year, the Supreme Court of India stayed the decision of the Rajasthan High Court and lifted the ban on sallekhana.

PUTUL NACH

Putul Nach is the traditional rod puppet form of West Bengal.

This form of puppetry is now almost extinct.

In Nadia district of West Bengal, the rod-puppets used to be of human size like the Bunraku puppets of Japan.

The Bengal rod-puppets, which still survive are about 3-4 feet in height and are costumed like the actors of Jatra, a traditional theatre form prevalent in the State.