The Hindu 3 Aug 2019 Free PDF Notes free download IAS UPSC
Demo Download Link Below
What to study?
• For prelims and mains: what are stucco sculptures and about Ikshvaku dynasty, recent findings.
• Why in news? Indian archaeologists recently unearthed a rare life-sized stucco sculpture from a Buddhist
site at Phanigiri in Suryapet, Telangana.
Key facts:
• It is the biggest stucco sculpture found so far in India. It is about 1.73 meters in height and 35 cm in width.
• It represents a Bodhisattva in Jathaka Chakra.
• It was created nearly 1,700 years ago by craftsmen at Phanigiri at peak of Ikshavaku dynasty.
Who is Bodhisattva?
• A bodhisattva is a Buddhist deity who has attained the highest level of enlightenment, but who delays their
entry into Paradise in order to help the earthbound. The bodhisattva, known in Sanskrit as Avalokiteśvara,
takes both male and female form and is associated with the qualities of mercy and compassion
The Ikshvaku dynasty:
• As per Puranic literature, it was founded by king Ikshvaku. It is also known as Sūryavaṁśa (the Solar dynasty).
• Important Personalities belonging to this dynasty includes: Lord Rama, Twenty-two out of twenty-four Jain
Tirthankara, and according to Buddhist texts, Prince Siddhartha also belonged to this dynasty.
• Sources: The Hindu.
2. SRI VEDANTA DESIKAN
What to study?
• For prelims: about Sri Vedanta Desikar- teachings, achievements and
literary works.
• For mains: significance and relevance of his teachings.
• Why in News? A postage stamp has been released to
commemorate 750th birth anniversary of Sri Vedanta Desikan and his
great philosopher’s life and highly valued work.
About Sri Vedanta Desikan:
• Sri Vedanta Desikan (1268–1369) was a Sri Vaishnava guru/philosopher
and one of the most brilliant stalwarts of Sri Vaishnavism in the post-
Ramanuja period.
• He was a poet, devotee, philosopher, and master-teacher (design).
• He was the disciple of Kidambi Appullar, also known as Aathreya
Ramanujachariar, who himself was of a master-disciple lineage that
began with Ramanuja.
• He is considered to be an avatar (incarnation) of the divine bell of Venkateswara of Tirumalai by the Vadakalai
sect of Sri Vaishnavite.
• Literary works: Sri Sthothra Nidhi, Sri Paduka Sahasram, Rahasya Granthams, Sri Desika Prabandham,
Kavyams.
• Honors: Sarvathanthra Swathanthrar, Kavitharkiga Simham, Vedanthachariar.
3. BASAVANNA
What to study?
• For prelims and mains: contributions of basavanna to Indian Literature and philosophy.
Context: Basava Jayanthi was observed on birthday of Basavanna, a Hindu Kannada poet of 12th century.
About Basavanna:
• Basavanna was a 12th-century philosopher, statesman, Kannada poet and a social reformer during the
reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka, India.
• Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas. Basavanna rejected
gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals.
• He introduced new public institutions such as the Anubhava Mantapa (or, the “hall of spiritual experience”),
which welcomed men and women from all socio-economic backgrounds to discuss spiritual and mundane
questions of life, in open.
• As a leader, he developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or “ardent, heroic
worshippers of Shiva”. This movement shared its roots in the ongoing Tamil Bhakti movement, particularly
the Shaiva Nayanars traditions, over the 7th- to 11th-century.
• Basava championed devotional worship that rejected temple worship and rituals led by Brahmins, and
replaced it with personalized direct worship of Shiva through practices such as individually worn icons and
symbols like a small linga.
• Basaveshwara is the first Kannadiga in whose honour a commemorative coin has been minted in
recognition of his social reforms.
• In November 2015, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi inaugurated the statue of Basaveshwara
along the bank of the river Thames at Lambeth in London.
Basavanna and Sharana movement:
• The Sharana movement he presided over attracted people from all castes, and like most strands of the
Bhakti movement, produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas, that unveiled the spiritual universe of the
Veerashaiva saints.
• The egalitarianism of Basavanna’s Sharana movement was too radical for its times.
• He set up the Anubhava Mandapa, where the Sharanas, drawn from different castes and communities,
gathered and engaged in learning and discussions.
• Sharanas challenged the final bastion of the caste order: they organised a wedding where the bridegroom
was from a lower caste, and the bride a Brahmin.
4. CHAR DHAM PILGRIMAGE
What to study?
• For prelims: bout Char Dham project and its geographical location.
• For mains: Significance of the project, environmental concerns, NGT and Supreme Court’s views.
Context: Chardham Yatra: Kedarnath portals open for public.
About Chardham project:
• The project involves developing and widening 900-km of national highways connecting the holy Hindu
pilgrimage sites of; Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri at an estimated cost of Rs.12,000 crores.
• The highway will be called Char Dham Mahamarg(Char Dham Highway) and the highway construction project
will be called as Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana (Char Dham Highway Development Project).
• The roads will be widened from 12m to 24m and the project will involve construction of tunnels, bypasses,
bridges, subways and viaducts
Demo Download Link Below
What to study?
• For prelims and mains: what are stucco sculptures and about Ikshvaku dynasty, recent findings.
• Why in news? Indian archaeologists recently unearthed a rare life-sized stucco sculpture from a Buddhist
site at Phanigiri in Suryapet, Telangana.
Key facts:
• It is the biggest stucco sculpture found so far in India. It is about 1.73 meters in height and 35 cm in width.
• It represents a Bodhisattva in Jathaka Chakra.
• It was created nearly 1,700 years ago by craftsmen at Phanigiri at peak of Ikshavaku dynasty.
Who is Bodhisattva?
• A bodhisattva is a Buddhist deity who has attained the highest level of enlightenment, but who delays their
entry into Paradise in order to help the earthbound. The bodhisattva, known in Sanskrit as Avalokiteśvara,
takes both male and female form and is associated with the qualities of mercy and compassion
The Ikshvaku dynasty:
• As per Puranic literature, it was founded by king Ikshvaku. It is also known as Sūryavaṁśa (the Solar dynasty).
• Important Personalities belonging to this dynasty includes: Lord Rama, Twenty-two out of twenty-four Jain
Tirthankara, and according to Buddhist texts, Prince Siddhartha also belonged to this dynasty.
• Sources: The Hindu.
2. SRI VEDANTA DESIKAN
What to study?
• For prelims: about Sri Vedanta Desikar- teachings, achievements and
literary works.
• For mains: significance and relevance of his teachings.
• Why in News? A postage stamp has been released to
commemorate 750th birth anniversary of Sri Vedanta Desikan and his
great philosopher’s life and highly valued work.
About Sri Vedanta Desikan:
• Sri Vedanta Desikan (1268–1369) was a Sri Vaishnava guru/philosopher
and one of the most brilliant stalwarts of Sri Vaishnavism in the post-
Ramanuja period.
• He was a poet, devotee, philosopher, and master-teacher (design).
• He was the disciple of Kidambi Appullar, also known as Aathreya
Ramanujachariar, who himself was of a master-disciple lineage that
began with Ramanuja.
• He is considered to be an avatar (incarnation) of the divine bell of Venkateswara of Tirumalai by the Vadakalai
sect of Sri Vaishnavite.
• Literary works: Sri Sthothra Nidhi, Sri Paduka Sahasram, Rahasya Granthams, Sri Desika Prabandham,
Kavyams.
• Honors: Sarvathanthra Swathanthrar, Kavitharkiga Simham, Vedanthachariar.
3. BASAVANNA
What to study?
• For prelims and mains: contributions of basavanna to Indian Literature and philosophy.
Context: Basava Jayanthi was observed on birthday of Basavanna, a Hindu Kannada poet of 12th century.
About Basavanna:
• Basavanna was a 12th-century philosopher, statesman, Kannada poet and a social reformer during the
reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka, India.
• Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas. Basavanna rejected
gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals.
• He introduced new public institutions such as the Anubhava Mantapa (or, the “hall of spiritual experience”),
which welcomed men and women from all socio-economic backgrounds to discuss spiritual and mundane
questions of life, in open.
• As a leader, he developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or “ardent, heroic
worshippers of Shiva”. This movement shared its roots in the ongoing Tamil Bhakti movement, particularly
the Shaiva Nayanars traditions, over the 7th- to 11th-century.
• Basava championed devotional worship that rejected temple worship and rituals led by Brahmins, and
replaced it with personalized direct worship of Shiva through practices such as individually worn icons and
symbols like a small linga.
• Basaveshwara is the first Kannadiga in whose honour a commemorative coin has been minted in
recognition of his social reforms.
• In November 2015, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi inaugurated the statue of Basaveshwara
along the bank of the river Thames at Lambeth in London.
Basavanna and Sharana movement:
• The Sharana movement he presided over attracted people from all castes, and like most strands of the
Bhakti movement, produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas, that unveiled the spiritual universe of the
Veerashaiva saints.
• The egalitarianism of Basavanna’s Sharana movement was too radical for its times.
• He set up the Anubhava Mandapa, where the Sharanas, drawn from different castes and communities,
gathered and engaged in learning and discussions.
• Sharanas challenged the final bastion of the caste order: they organised a wedding where the bridegroom
was from a lower caste, and the bride a Brahmin.
4. CHAR DHAM PILGRIMAGE
What to study?
• For prelims: bout Char Dham project and its geographical location.
• For mains: Significance of the project, environmental concerns, NGT and Supreme Court’s views.
Context: Chardham Yatra: Kedarnath portals open for public.
About Chardham project:
• The project involves developing and widening 900-km of national highways connecting the holy Hindu
pilgrimage sites of; Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri at an estimated cost of Rs.12,000 crores.
• The highway will be called Char Dham Mahamarg(Char Dham Highway) and the highway construction project
will be called as Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana (Char Dham Highway Development Project).
• The roads will be widened from 12m to 24m and the project will involve construction of tunnels, bypasses,
bridges, subways and viaducts
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