In Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve, remarkable archaeological remains have been unraveled in an exploration made by ASI.
A tweet by Archaeological Survey of India says, “In an exploration 26 temples, 26 caves, 2 monasteries, 2 votive stupas, 24 inscriptions, 46 sculptures, other scattered remains & 19 water structure are recorded.”
“The time period of the findings covered the reigns of the kings Shri Bhimsena, Maharaja Pothasiri, Maharaja Bhattadeva. Places deciphered in the inscriptions are Kaushami, Mathura, Pavata (Parvata), Vejabharada and Sapatanaairikaa,” says second tweet of the thread.
“An ASI team covered nearly 170 sq km falling in the area of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve over months-long exploration of the region which was undertook for the first time since 1938.
The exploration was conducted by the Jabalpur Circle of ASI,” said the tweet further.
The Kumbhalgarh Festival is organised at the Kumbhalgarh fort situated to the north of Udaipur near the Aravali ranges, each year. The 15th century architectural marvel delights travellers with the three-day Kumbhalgarh Festival.
The festivities here are divided into two: day, and night. The daytime witnesses folk performances made by traditional artistes, as well as competitions such as turban tying and henna pattern making. When the sun sets, the festival paves the way for an impressive explosion of lights, sounds, colours, and dances.
The Festival is a grand tribute to Maharana Kumbha.
One of the shows that are very special to Kumbhalgarh fort is the puppet show. Also, there is a huge open call for artists who want to narrate their stories, dramas, and artistic skills.
On the second day, people notice the involvement of visitors in the activities of the Kumbhalgarh fort. The Kumbhalgarh fort has become a popular venue for artists to showcase their skills. Whether it is a Sufi song or a traditional folk song of Rajasthan, you will find both thriving here while the Kumbhalgarh form shines in its glory.
When the sight fixes on the background of the Kumbhalgarh fort with classical folk dance and songs, it mesmerises the whole serene.
Kumbhalgarh fort is basically one of the hill forts in Rajasthan. The fort was later declared a UNESCO world heritage site, which was an honour for the people of Rajasthan. The fort is situated in Rajsamand, which is quite near Udaipur.
Ambaji is a famous pilgrimage place of Gujarat in India which is situated on the border of States of Gujarat and Rajasthan near Abu Road, in the Danta Taluka of Banaskantha District. This is the principal shrine of a goddess worshiped since the pre-Vedic period. She is often referred to as Arasuri Amba, named after the location of the temple in the Arasur hills, near the source of the Saraswati river at the south-western end of the Aravali mountain range.
Let’s read about its three distinguished fact:
1. The temple is located near the origin of the famous Vedic virgin river Saraswati, on the hills of Arasur Parvat in Ambica forest , towards south-west side to old hills of Arvalli, at the altitude of about 480 meters, at about 1600 feet high from sea level.
2. It is in fact one of the fifty one (51) ancient Shakti Piths, the main Centre of Cosmic Power in India.
3. In the holy temple of “Arasuri Ambaji”, there is no image or statue of goddess. The holy “Shree Visa Yantra” is worshiped as the main deity. No one can see the Yantra with naked eye. The photography of the Yantra is prohibited. The inner sanctum of the temple has silver-plated doors.
4. The priests decorate the upper portion of the gokh (niche in the wall) in such a way that it looks like an idol of a goddess from a distance.
5. The original seat of Ambaji mata is on Gabbar hilltop in the town. A large number of devotees visit the temple every year specially on Purnima days.
6. At a short distance from the Ambaji temple is a large rectangular kund, with steps on all its four sides, called Mansarovar.
Akash Ambani, Chairman, Jio has been named to the TIME100 NEXT — TIME’s list of the world’s rising stars.
TIME100 Next highlights 100 emerging leaders who shape the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, health, science and activism, and more.
Ambani is the only Indian to feature in the list.
“The scion of Indian industrialist royalty, Akash Ambani was always expected to rise in business. But he has been putting in hard work. Ambani was promoted in June to chairman of Jio, India’s largest telecom company, with over 426 million subscribers, after being controversially handed a board seat at just 22. He’s since played a key role landing multibillion dollar investments from Google and Facebook. If he handles Jio well, he may be given a crack at larger chunks of the family’s conglomerate,” said the profile in Time 100 Next.
The Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar flagged off a team of eight persons from (BMVSS) going to Syria to set up an on-the-spot artificial limb (Jaipur Foot) fitment camp. The team will be setting up a camp in Damascus, Syria to provide 600 artificial limbs to amputees in 42 ensuing days.
Lauding the efforts of BMVSS, Dhankhar said the organisation, by popularising the Jaipur Foot around the world and providing their services free of cost, has demonstrated India’s civilisational ethos of sharing and caring. He said that, as with their other initiatives, the latest effort will also generate enormous good-will for India.
Dhankhar complimented the team for their courage to take up the mission in Syria and wished them all success in their endeavours. He also interacted with the team from BMVSS, led by its founder, Shri D.R. Mehta and some of its beneficiaries using the Jaipur foot.
It is notable that the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited one such centre of BMVSS in Philippines in 2017, and the former Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a fitment camp of BMVSS in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019.
The Centre has announced the appointment of Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
In a statement, the ministry of defence said the retired Lt General will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs.
In a career spanning over nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the northeast, the statement read.
“Govt of India appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who will also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs,” the defence ministry statement read.
Government appoints Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from date of his assumption of charge and until further ordershttps://t.co/91FyOMvjA4
Association of Tourism Service Providers of Bengal, the largest travel association of the West Bengal, celebrated the World Tourism Day on 27th September 2022 at Kolkata Press Club. This year, the theme was ‘Rethink Tourism’.
The veterans of the industry said, “The players have suffered a lot in the last two years in the Corona Pandemic. Now, we are starting to work in a new way with new hope, modern technology and new ideas to build up our industry, with the help of digital marketing & digital transformation.”
In earlier years, we celebrated World Tourism Day with some social activities like complimentary tours of old age home’s people and orphan children’s day.
This year to represent our objective, we have organised a programme of Chau Dance, followed by national anthem and Lighting lamp. The Event was inaugurated by Dr Saumitra Mohan- IAS, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Govt of West Bengal, Snehasis Sur, president, Kolkata Press Club and JP Shaw – Ex-Regional Director, indiatourism – Kolkata.
This year, we started our ceremony with Chow dance, which represented our revered and adored Mother Durga destroying Corona in the form of Asuras. Before Durga Puja, we prayed that everyone should be well, said industry leaders.
The press note of the association said,
“Through this program, we are raising our appeal to both the central and state governments to develop the infrastructure or the tourism sector so that our society can be more sound to the economic and financial enrichment.
# We appeal to the Central and State Govt. to promote new destinations like home stays in remote destinations for the purpose of developing their economic conditions and creating employment opportunities.
# Our objective is to always take care of the ecological balance of the environment. We always keep a close eye on tourist. while they are in the forest to ensure that the greenery is not damaged.
# We also warn tourists not to litter forest areas and roads by throwing their trash.
II We continue to make a heartfelt appeal to the Central and State Government. to organise a “SELF IMPROVEMENT SKILLS PROGRAM” so that we can better serve local and foreign tourists.
Our request to all state governments is that they extend their hands and support to encourage private tourism in order to boost employment and the economy.
Our appeal is to all the social media, visual media, and print media to encourage our sector to create a new horizon of tourism in India, it said.
The Lata Mangeshkar Chowk was inaugurated in Ayodhya on Wednesday.
This chowk comes as a gift to her fans.
A 40-foot-long Veena has been installed at the crossing as a key attraction which weighs around 14 tonnes.
The Veena has been designed by an artist named Ram Sutar in two months.
Along with the inauguration ceremony, there will be an exhibition of Lata Mangeskar’s paintings in Ram Katha Park.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressed the masses through a video message during the event.
To honour the late playback singer, PM Modi said that he was happy to announce a chowk in Ayodhya which has been named after Mangeshkar
Remembering Lata Didi on her birth anniversary. There is so much that I recall…the innumerable interactions in which she would shower so much affection. I am glad that today, a Chowk in Ayodhya will be named after her. It is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Indian icons.
The Ranakpur Jawai Bandh festival is one of the beautiful festivals of Rajasthan which celebrates the presence of ancient yet mesmerising temples.
The festival is vibrant, and it blends well with the theme of the land. The department of tourism plays a major role in the arrangement and organises the whole festival. Thus, it is one of the festivals that is rooted in its meaning.
Jawai Bandh is one of the biggest and most supportive dams in Rajasthan. The dam was built to prevent the land from major flooding. Later, it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions. And the annual Ranakpur Jawai Bandh Festival garnered more tourist footfall here.
The festival is scheduled to take place this year from December 21st to December 22nd.
The land of Ranakpur is well known as the divine city of Rajasthan. The place has some of the most marvellous temples, such as the Jain temple and the Sun Temple, which add a perfect blend of divinity and greenery to the land.
During the festival of Ranakpur Jawai Bandh, the place looks more serene, and the beauty of all these ancient temples carries with it the festival. There are many activities which add more beauty to the festival. Those activities are traditionally inspired and have a hint of Rajasthan heritage. Plus, there are activities that promote health, such as yoga. Yoga is one of the activities that have attracted many tourists. Plus, the hot air balloon ride.
Thus, if you want to visit one of the most ancient temples in India at its best, visit the beautiful festival of Ranakpur Jawai Bandh.
Jaipur Literature Festival is the world’s most charismatic literary show which will be coming back in Jaipur in 2023.
The Teamwork Arts, the Festival producer, announced the dates for its 16th edition, setting them between19 – 23 January 2023 at Hotel Clarks, Amer, Jaipur.
In 2023, the literary extravaganza will showcase a plethora of themes and writers curated specially for its loyal community of audiences from across the world, offering an immersive experience of literature, discourse, musical performances, art installations, merchandise, local cuisine and more.
The Festival will offer a representation of all Indian national languages and multiple foreign languages with sessions spread across 5 venues with over 250 speakers.
The first list of 25 speakers released includes winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature Abdulrazak Gurnah; noted Sahitya Akademi awardee, Hindi poet, translator and writer of Aienasaaz, Anamika; acclaimed author of the recent Nomads: The Wanderers Who Shaped Our World, Anthony Sattin; DSC Prize shortlisted and the prestigious Gratiaen Prize nominated Sri Lankan author Ashok Ferrey; one of India’s highest-selling English fiction writers Ashwin Sanghi; gifted Nagawriter Avinuo Kire whose latest novel isWhere the Cobbled Path Leads,; the first mixed-race woman author to win the Booker Prize for her Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo; the two-time Booker Prize shortlisted Chigozie Obioma; translator of the International Booker winner novel Ret Samadhi/Tomb of Sand, Daisy Rockwell; celebrated Indian actress, director and writer Deepti Naval.
The list continues with Booker Prize winning British novelist Howard Jacobson; Mumbai-based poet, novelist, short story writer, translator &well-known journalist Jerry Pinto; author of the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award long-listed book Intimacies, Katie Kitamura; distinguished mathematics professor and author of The Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math, Manil Suri; Prize-winning author of the bestselling books The Written World and The Language of Thieves, Martin Puchner; Turkish-American author, academic, and literary critic Merve Emre; 2022 Booker Prize shortlisted author of Glory, NoViolet Bulawayo; Indian writer, blogger and translator Rana Safvi; Booker-nominated American-Canadian author, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest Ruth Ozeki.
JLF 2023: Festival to feature author of bestselling books
The Festival will also feature author of the bestselling Empireland: How Imperialism Has Been Shaped Modern Britain which inspired Channel 4’s Empire State of Mind, Sathnam Sanghera; Booker-shortlisted author of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan Karunatilaka; winner of the 2019 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar Award, Tanuj Solanki; author of the New York Times Editors’ Choice book The Immortal King Rao, Vauhini Vara; American historian and academic Vincent Brown; well-known Indian journalist who became the youngest editor in the history of Indian journalism Vir Sanghvi.
Namita Gokhale, writer, publisher, and Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, said,”As we prepare to welcome book-lovers to Jaipur in January, we are delighted to share some of the stellar names who will be joining us. From Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah to debut novelist Avinuo Kire, from International Booker Prize Winner Daisy Rockwell to the startlingly original Vauhini Vara, from Sahitya Akademi awardee Anamika to mathematician Manil Suri, from Chigozie Obioma, twice shortlisted for the Booker, to Shehan Karunatilaka, who is on this year’s list, this is a menu of delights for readers of all literary appetites and persuasions. And this is just a taster of the delights to come.”
Nobel, Booker, Pulitzer, Sahitya Academy, Women’s Prize n Baillie Gifford award winners coming
William Dalrymple, writer, historian and Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “This year we are proud to present a galaxy of some of the greatest writers on the planet: a fabulous array of Nobel, Booker, Pulitzer, Sahitya Academy, Women’s Prize and Baillie Gifford award winners, laureates and medallists.”
“This year we have so much to offer that I believe it to be the most cerebral, intellectually-stimulating and high-powered we’ve ever fielded. We import some of the world’s most admired novelists, including Abdulrazak Gurnah, Bernadine Evaristo, Ruth Ozeki, ShehanKarunatilaka, NoViolet Bulawayo and Katie Kitamura as well as arguably the world’s greatest authority on the history of slavery, Vincent Brown. Among the international authors appearing this year we present writers of genius as brilliantas Harvard critical polymath Martin Puchner and his Oxford and Yale counterpart, MerveEmre. We deeply delve into areas of world literature we have so far failed to explore; look in detail at the turmoil in the Ukraine, Russia and Iran; we explore a vast range of subjects from Neanderthals to Leonardo da Vinci; from the agonies of Partition to the Right to Sex. It’s an incredible line up- absolutely not to be missed,’ Dalrymple added.
JLF 2023: Greatest minds to come together
Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, who produce the Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “The Jaipur Literature Festival will feature some of the greatest minds of the contemporary world including Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, Booker Prize nominees and winners including Bernardine Evaristo, Howard Jacobson, Chigozie Obioma, NoViolet Bulawayo and celebrated Indian authors Ashwin Sanghi, Deepti Naval, Jerry Pinto and many more. This year will also focus in celebrating languages with a programme concentrated on Indian and world literature.”
The Festival will include its B2B arm, Jaipur BookMark (JBM), now in its 10th edition. JBM will continue to bring together a wide range of publishers, literary agents, writers, translators, translation agencies and booksellers from across the world and give them an opportunity to meet, talk business and listen to major global industry players.
The Jaipur Literature Festival sets literary conversations and dialogue against a cultural backdrop promoting India’s traditional heritage including curated art installations, cultural evenings and the Jaipur Music Stage, which runs parallel to the Festival.
JLF 2023: Registration and online edition
Registration and access to the Online Edition of the Festival will be free and open to all. Registration to the On-Ground Edition of the Festival will be available from INR 200 per day. Attendees can also purchase Friends of the Festival Packages, which offer a special experience of the Festival and take them on a compelling cultural journey.
JLF signature Morning and Evening Music sessions
In addition to enjoying the literary sessions, audiences will also get to savour the Festival’s signature Morning and Evening Music sessions with performances by leading artistes and virtuosos. The signature handmade and artisanal Festival merchandise and books by participating authors will be available both at the Festival Bazaar, the Festival Bookstore and online on the Jaipur Literature Festival’s official website.
The Festival will continue to remain committed to its core values: to serve as a democratic, non-aligned platform ensuring inclusivity and freedom of speech. The past 15 years have seen the iconic Festival transform into a global literary phenomenon having hosted nearly 5000 speakers and artists reaching out to over 200 million people globally. Hybrid versions of the Festival have enabled book-lovers from across continents access it.
