Tag: general knowledge

A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin (e.g. a town, region or a country) and possess qualities, attributes or a reputation that are due to that origin. A GI right enables those who have the right to use the indication to prevent its use by a third party whose product does not conform to the applicable standards. Darjeeling Tea was the first Indian product to get the geographical indication tag. In 2004, the famous beverage got the recognition.

The earliest reference to the art of puppetry is found in Tamil classic Silappadikaaram written around the 1st or 2nd cent B.C. It was written by Jain-poet, Ilango Adigal. The excavation sites at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro have yielded puppets with sockets attached to them, which suggest the presence of puppetry as an art form then.

The Kalpasutra and Kalakacharya –Katha are two popular Jaina texts illustrated with paintings. Kalpasutra is a manual of Hindu religious practice, a number of which emerged within the different schools of the Veda. It mainly explains in detail the varied rituals, sacrifices, judicial laws and the religious and cultural obligations.

Pankhida - sung by peasants in Rajasthan.

Musti Yundha is unarmed martial art of the oldest city of India “Varanasi“. Techniques used in this martial art are punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes. The martial art is related to other forms of martial arts found in other parts of the Indian cultural sphere including Muay Thai in Thailand, Muay Lao in Laos, Pradal Serey in Cambodia and Lethwei in Myanmar.

The Sun temple at Konark was built by NarasimhadevaI, the Eastern Ganga ruler in the 13th century A.D. It is also known as Black Pagoda. In the temple, a large sculpture of a female Jhanj player is found. The temple is an example of Nagara style of temple architecture.

The Bahamini Kingdom was founded by Allaudin Bahman Shah with its capital at Gulbarga. Mahmud Gawan divided the kingdom into eight provinces or tarafs. By the year 1526, the Bahamini kingdom got divided into Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Berar, Golkonda and Bidar.

The ancient Tamils of south India developed a highly evolved system of music. The members of Carnatic music trinity are Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. They were born at Tiruvarur between the years 1750 A.D. to 1850 A.D. is an era of dynamic development in Carnatic music. They were contemporaries of Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner and Haydn.