• 10 Apr 2024

Haryana Governor Visits Srinagar’s Vachar Nag Temple

Why in News?

Recently, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya visited the ancient Vachar (Vichar) Nag Shiva temple in Srinagar and joined Kashmiri Pandits in a special puja on the occasion of Navreh, the Kashmiri New Year.

Key Points

• During the visit, he released a special calendar to commemorate 5,100 years of the ‘Saptarishi system’.
• The Vachar (Vichar) Nag temple was closed in the 1990s when Pandits left the Valley in the wake of rising militancy.

Navreh

• It is celebrated on the first day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Chaitra (March–April) in the Kashmiri Hindu calendar.
• It is the Sanskrit word ‘Nav-Varsha’ from which the word ‘Navreh’ has been derived.
• Kashmiri Pandits dedicate the Navreh festival to their Goddess Sharika and pay homage to her during the festival.

Shakti - Festival of Music and Dance

Why in News?

To rejuvenate the Temple Traditions in the country Sangeet Natak Akademi, under the series of Kala Pravah, is organising the festival under the title ‘Shakti a festival of music and dance’ during the holy Navaratri from 9th April 2024.

Key Points

• The inauguration of the Shakti festival will begin from the Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati and this will be continued at Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangada, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura Sundari, Udaipur, Tripura, Ambaji Temple, Banaskantha, Gujarat, Jai Durga Shaktipeeth, Deoghar, Jharkhand and it will be concluded on 17th April, 2024 at Shaktipeeth Maa Harsidhi Temple, Jaisinghpur, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Sangeet Natak Akademi

• It is India's national academy for music, dance and drama.
• It was created by a resolution of the (then) Ministry of Education, Government of India, in 1952 with Dr P.V. Rajamannar as its first Chairman.
• It is presently an Autonomous Body of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and is fully funded by the Government for implementation of its schemes and programmes.
• It has been working towards the preservation, research, promotion and rejuvenation of performing art forms of the country expressed in the form of music, dance, drama, folk and tribal art forms and other allied art forms of the country.

First Edition of the Ujjain Trade Fair

Why in News?

Recently, the first edition of the Ujjain trade fair concluded with more than 23,700 vehicles sold in over a month making a business of over Rs 1,200 crore.

Key Points

• According to the Ujjain Regional Transport Office (RTO), tax rebate and revenues on vehicles sold in the 40-day long Ujjain trade fair stood at more than Rs 125 crore.
  • It is higher by over 20% from the tax exemptions offered in the Gwalior mela concluded in February 2024.
• The state government had offered a 50% discount in the lifetime motor vehicle tax rate on the sale of non-transport vehicles and light transport vehicles in the Ujjain Vikram Trade Fair.
  • Non-transport light motor vehicles are for personal use like a car, while light transport motor vehicles are used for carrying passengers and goods.

Gudi Padwa

Why in News?

Recently, people celebrated the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa symbolising the commencement of the Hindu New Year with joy and religious fervour.

Key Points

• Devotees also embarked on the nine-day Chaitra Shukla Pratipada:
  • It marks the beginning of the new year of the Vikram Samvat also known as the Vedic [Hindu] calendar.
  • Vikram Samvat is based on the day when the emperor Vikramaditya defeated Sakas, invaded Ujjain and called for a new era.
  • Under his supervision, astronomers formed a new calendar based on the luni-solar system that is still followed in the northern regions of India.
  • It is the first day during the waxing phase (in which the visible side of the moon is getting bigger every night) of the moon in the Chaitra (first month of Hindu calendar).

Gudi Padwa and Ugadi

• The people of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka celebrate the New Year as Ugadi while Maharashtra and Goa mark the day's celebrations with Gudi Padwa.
• The common practice in the celebrations of both the festivals is the festive food that is prepared with a mix of sweet and bitter.
• A famous concoction served is jaggery (sweet) and neem (bitter), called bevu-bella in the South, signifying that life brings both happiness and sorrows.
• Gudi is a doll prepared in Maharashtrian homes.
  • A bamboo stick is adorned with green or red brocade to make the gudi. This gudi is placed prominently in the house or outside a window/ door for all to see.
• For Ugadi, doors in homes are adorned with mango leaf decorations called toranalu or Torana in Kannada.

Government Disbursed Funds for Underprivileged Kids Education

Why in News?

Recently, the state government, under the Right of Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act, 2009, has disbursed funds exceeding Rs 250 crore for the education expenses of more than 3.25 lakh underprivileged children attending private schools.

Key Points

• Each child from the disadvantaged and weaker sections enrolled in private schools under the RTE will receive a monthly budget allocation of Rs 450.
• This initiative aims to support the educational needs of these children and ensure their access to quality education.
• In adherence to RTE Act, aspirations of 35,666 students, the highest number hailing from Lucknow district have been realized as they pursue their studies in private schools.
• In addition to covering the fees, the government also provides Rs 5,000 annually per child for educational materials like books, notebooks, and uniforms.

Educational Initiatives by UP Government

• Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya Yojana: This initiative launched to provide free education to children of construction workers employed in the informal sector. Under this scheme, two children of registered workers between the ages of 6 and 16 receive free residential education in dedicated schools.
• Mahadevi Verma Shramik Pustak Kraya Dhan Yojana (MVSPKDPY): Launched in 2022, is a commendable initiative aimed at empowering daughters of construction workers.
• SC/ST Pre Matric Scholarship: This scholarship program recognises the importance of education in empowering students from marginalised communities and aims to bridge the financial gap that might otherwise hinder their academic progress.

Allahabad High Court to Hear Plea for Mathura Mosque Removal

Why in News?

The Allahabad high court has fixed a date for hearing a plea regarding the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura , which stands adjacent to the Krishna Janmasthan temple.

Key Points

• The suits filed by Bhagwan Shrikrishna Virajman at Katra Keshav Dev Khewat and 17 others claim that the mosque was built on 13.37-acre land of Katra Keshav Deo temple.
• History of the Disputed Land:
  • Raja Veer Singh Bundela of Orchha had also built a temple on the same premises in 1618 and the mosque was built by Aurangzeb in 1670 on the site of an earlier temple.
  • The Krishna Janmasthan temple in Mathura is believed to have been built around 2,000 years ago, in the 1st century CE.
  • A survey has been ordered due to demands by Hindu representatives for complete ownership of the premises where the Keshava Deva temple was destroyed on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1670.
    • The area was regarded as nazul land — non-agricultural state land owned by the Marathas, and then the British.
  • The temple was originally built in 1618 during the reign of Jahangir and was patronized by Aurangzeb’s brother and rival, Dara Shukoh.
  • In 1815, the Raja of Benaras purchased the 13.77-acre land from the East India Company.
  • Later, the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust was established.
    • The trust acquired ownership rights over the temple, and in 1951.
    • The 13.77-acre land was placed under the trust with the condition that it would never be sold or pledged.
    • In 1956, the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Sewa Sangh was set up to manage the affairs of the temple.
    • In 1968, an agreement was signed between the Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh and the Shahi Idgah Masjid Trust, where the temple authority conceded a portion of the land to the Idgah as part of the settlement.
  • The current dispute involves temple petitioners seeking possession of the entire piece of land.