Hoysala Lakshmi Devi Temple
- Lakshmi Devi temple was built by the Hoysalas in the year 1114 CE during the rule of king Vishnuvardhana.
- The building material is Chloritic schist, more commonly known as soapstone.
- The temple does not stand on a jagati (platform), a feature which became popular in later Hoysala temples.
- The temple is a Chatuskuta construction (4 shrine and tower) and the towers are in Kadamba nagara style.
- The mantapa is open and square, the reason for the square plan is the presence of shrines on all four sides of the mantapa.
- The main deity is Goddess Lakshmi whereas all Hoysala temples are dedicated to either Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and in some cases to Jains.
- An archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument and is also among the monuments proposed for the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Recently, a Hoysala-era idol of Goddess Kali of the Lakshmi Devi Temple at Doddagaddavalli, Karnataka has been found damaged.
Hoysala Temple Architecture
- It is the building style developed under the rule of the Hoysalas and is mostly concentrated in southern Karnataka.
- Hoysala temples are sometimes called hybrid or vesara as their unique style seems neither completely dravida nor nagara, but somewhere in between.
- They are easily distinguishable from other medieval temples by their highly original star-like ground-plans and a profusion of decorative carvings.
- The temples, instead of consisting of a simple inner chamber with its pillared hall, contain multiple shrines grouped around a central pillared hall and laid out in the shape of an intricately-designed star.
- The most characteristic feature of these temples is that they grow extremely complex with so many projecting angles emerging from the previously straightforward square temple.
- The plan of these temples starts looking like a star, and is thus known as a stellate-plan.
Shaheedi Divas
- Shaheedi Divas is the Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhism.
- He was publicly killed in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for refusing to convert to Islam.
- He was who sacrificed his life for the sake of people who did not even belong to his community.
- Anandpur Sahib, the famous holy city and a global tourist attraction in the foothills of Himalayas, was founded by Guru Tegh Bahadur.
- Guru Har Gobind christened Tyaga Mahal as Teg Bahadur after the latter showed immense courage in the Battle of Kartarpur in 1635 against the Mughals.
- He showed the path of divinity to his disciples by teaching them to overcome greed, desire, ego and pain.
ATAL Academy
- AICTE Training And Learning (ATAL) Academy was established in 2018, with following objectives
- To set up an Academy which will plan and help in imparting quality technical education in the country.
- To support technical institutions in fostering research, innovation and entrepreneurship through training.
- To stress upon empowering technical teachers & technicians using Information & Communication Technology.
- To utilize SWAYAM platform and other resource for the delivery of trainings.
- Recently, the Union Education Minister inaugurated online AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy’s Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs).
- It aims to train teachers of higher education institutions associated with All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), in 22 Indian states.
- The online FDPs will be conducted according to the new National Education Policy (2020).
- The London-based organization has recognized the FDPs as a world record, under which 1,000 online FDPs in over 100 emerging areas will benefit one lakh faculty members across premier institutions.
Willow Warbler
- Recently, Willow Warbler has been sighted for the first time in the country at Punchakkari, Kerala.
- It is one of the longest migrating small birds that breed throughout northern and temperate Europe.
- The scientific name of Willow Warbler is Phylloscopus Trochilus.
- It is usually seen in European and the Palearctic regions and migrates to sub-Saharan Africa during early winter.
- It is found in wooded habitat which is from mixed forest to willow thickets in open country.
- It is a bird of open woodlands with trees and ground cover for nesting, including most importantly birch, alder, and willow habitats.
- It is listed as 'Least Concern' under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Striped Bubble-Nest Frog
- Recently a group of scientists has reported a new genus of tree frog from the Andaman Islands called Striped Bubble-nest frog.
- Striped Bubble-nest frog belongs to the genus of the Old World tree frog family Rhacophoridae.
- This is the first report of a tree frog species from the Andaman Islands.
- It has a small and slender body (2-3 cm long).
- It lays Light green-coloured eggs in arboreal bubble-nests, Arboreal means living in trees or related trees.
- They are also known as Asian Glass Frog or see through frogs.
- While the general background coloration of most glass frogs is primarily lime green, the abdominal skin of some members of this family is translucent (allowing light to pass through).
- The internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract, are visible through this translucent skin, hence the common name.
Bioluminescent Mushroom
- Recently Researchers in North-East India has discovered a bioluminescent or light emitting variety of mushroom.
- The new species is named as Roridomyces phyllostachydis.
- The discovery is important because it was the first mushroom in the Roridomyces genus to be found in India.
- It is the only member in its genus to have light emitting from its stipe or stalk.
- It is now one among the 97 known species of bioluminescent fungi in the world.
- It was first sighted in Meghalaya’s Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hills district and later at Krang Shuri in West Jaintia Hills district.
Bioluminescence
- Bioluminescence is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.
- Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence.
- Bioluminescent organisms are usually found in the ocean environments, but they are also found on terrestrial environments.
- The colour of the light emitted by the organism depends on their chemical properties.
- In the case of fungi, the luminescence comes from the enzyme, luciferase.
Source: Indian Express, PIB, AIR News, the Hindu
