Agra Fort

• India is home to 21 World Heritage sites and Agra Fort is one among them. 
• This culturally and architecturally important monument was completed in 1573. Originally, it was a brick fort known as Badalgarh. 
• When the Moghul ruler Akbar made Agra his capital, he had the ruined fort rebuilt in red sandstone brought from Rajasthan. 
• It was here that the famous diamond Koh-i-noor was found amidst hidden treasure. 
• It is believed that some 1,444,000 builders worked on it for eight years. Within its 2.5 km-long enclosure walls, it houses many palaces, two mosques, gardens and audience halls. Some 500 buildings inspired by Bengali and Gujarati architecture were built in the fort. These were later demolished by Shah Jahan who built his white marble palaces. Today, it stands imperially overlooking the majestic Taj Mahal.

Other heritage sites in India

http://fp.thesalmons.org/lynn/wh-india.html

Bihu Dance

• Bihu is a folk dance from the state of Assam in northeast India. 
• It is usually performed during the harvest festival of Bihu. Both men and women dance to traditional Assamese music. 
• The origin of this lively dance is uncertain but it was officially taken note of when King Rudra Singha invited Bihu dancers to perform on the occasion of Rongali Bihu sometime around 1694.

Chhau dance

• Chhau dance is indigenous to the states of Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand. 
• A mask dance, it was originally performed during the tribal harvesting festival. The tradition was continued in Orissa where in the 18th and 19th century, rulers took a keen interest in promoting and developing the dance. 
• It is basically a martial dance and themes include depiction of characters from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Over the years, other themes have been included. There are three recognized styles of this dance form – Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj. But today it’s the Mayurbhanj style which is more popular.

Kalbelia dance

• Kalbelia dance is integral to the culture of Kalbelia tribe of Rajasthan. 
• The tribe’s main occupation is catching snakes and trading snake venom, and that’s why the movements and even the black dress is remnisicent of snakes. 
• Women perform the dance while the men take care of the music. Local and traditional musical instruments such as ‘dufli’, ‘been’ , ‘morchang’ and ‘dholak’ are used to create a rhythm on which the dancers perform. The beauty of the dance lies in the fact that as the music progresses, it gets faster and so do the movements of the dancer.

Garba

• Garba is the traditional folk dance from Gujarat which is performed during the nine-day long festival of Navratri. 
• The word is derived from ‘garbha deep’ and it means an earthern lamp in the sanctum of a temple. 
• Traditionally, Garba is performed in a circle around a lit lamp or photos of different avatars of Goddess Shakti.
• Modern-day Garba is heavily influenced by ‘raas’, a dance which is traditionally performed by men. 
• Today, the merger of two sees both men and women dance together. Women wear ‘chaniya choli’ while men are dressed in kafni pyjamas, short kurta and a colourful turban. 
• Garba is hugely popular today across the world, with competitions and Garba nights an annual feature during Navratri.

Kathakali

• Kathakali is a highly stylized classical India dance-drama from the state of Kerala.
•  It is known for its elaborate make-up and costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements. 
• It is usually a group presentation where dancers assume roles from either the Ramayana or Mahabharata. 
• This dance form dates back to the 17th century and shares similarities with some older forms prevalent in Kerala then such as Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam and Ashtapadiyattam. 
• The present day dance form has developed over the years and today, the International Centre for Kathakali, New Delhi is busy modernizing, popularizing and propagating it. 
• The dance is performed by only men. A traditional performance begins in the evening and continues through the night, ending at dawn, when good overcome evil.

Mohiniyattam (Mohiniattam)

• Mohiniyattam (Mohiniattam) from Kerala in south India derives its name from two words, ‘mohini’, meaning enchantress and ‘attam’, graceful dance. 
• So it basically means the dance of the enchantress and hence, is performed only by women. 
• Mythology has it that once Lord Vishnu disguised as Mohini to lure the asuras (demons) away from amrit (nectar of immortality) which surfaced during the churning of the ocean. 
• In another story, Lord Vishnu appeared as Mohini to save Lord Shiva from the demon Bhamasura. 
• While mention of the dance can be found in ancient texts, Mohiniattam got a new lease of life in 19th century in the court of the enlightened ruler of Travancore, Swathi Thirunal. He promoted the study of the dance and composed many musical arrangements as a background for the dancers. 
• Malayalam poet Vallathol, who set up Kerala Kalamandalam in 1930, also played an important role in reviving the dance form.

Manipuri dance

• What we know today of Manipuri dance, one of many classical Indian dances, is thanks to Rabindranath Tagore. 
• In 1919, when he saw a performance of this dance in Sylhet (Bangladesh), he was so impressed that he invited the well-known exponent Guru Budhimantra Singh to Shantiniketan. 
• Later many other gurus came to teach this dance to Tagore’s students and also help him in choreographing many of his dance dramas.
•  Tagore made great efforts to bring the dance out of its place of origin, Manipur, in northeast India. 
• The cult of Radha and Krishna, particularly the ‘raslila’, is central to the theme of the dance. Unlike other classical dances, Manipuri dancers don’t wear ‘ghungroos’ or strike hard on the ground. 
• The movements are subtle and graceful. However, in the masculine tandava mode, the male dancer pirouettes in spirals in space or on knees on the ground.

Kuchipudi

• Kuchipudi is the name of a classical Indian dance and a small village in Andhra Pradesh, where this dance originated. 
• Known for its graceful movements and strong narrative, Kuchipudi was historically performed as a dance drama with several dancers taking different roles. 
• Today, it is performed either solo or as a group presentation. Legend has it that a devotee of Lord Vishnu, Siddhendra yogi, once dreamt of Krishna and his consorts, Rukmini and Satyabhama. Later, he searched for dancers to enact the dream and he found them in the village Kuchelapuram, which was later called Kuchipudi. 
• Since then every family of the village ritually offers at least one male member to be trained as an actor-dancer.

Kathak

• Kathak originated from Uttar Pradesh and traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient India who were called ‘kathaks’, Sanskrit for storytellers. 
• The dance form has traces of temple and ritual dances and later in the 16th century even borrowed from Persian and Central Asian dances. 
• The Bhakti movement, too, majorly influenced the dance when it was used to tell stories of Radha and Krishna and childhood exploits of Krishna. 
• Dancers usually belong to one of the three ‘gharanas’ – Benaras, Jaipur and Lucknow. The Nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah, was a great patron of dance and during his reign, the form developed prominently. 
• The world came to know of this dance form in the 20th century through Kalka Prasad Maharaj. His sons further developed the form. Some famous dancers are Birju Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Shovana Narayan, Uma Sharma and Kumudini Lakhiya.

Indus Valley civilisation seal found in Pakistan

• Punjab University archaeologists claim to have unearthed a seal of Indus Valley Civilisation vintage from the Cholistan desert of South Punjab that borders Rajasthan.
• According to a report in The Dawn newspaper, the seal in steatite material with the carved figure of ibex and two pictographs was discovered during a survey of different sites near the Derawar Fort along the ancient bed of the Hakra river. The seal is more or less square-shaped and slightly broken from the right side but the image of the ibex is intact.
• The seal is said to date back to 2500-2000 B.C. and, according to the chairman of Punjab University's Archaeology Department, Farzand Masih, is different from Harappan seals. This, according to him, could be reflective of a regional influence and possibly even a separate identity in the Harappan domain.
• The seal was discovered during the Sui-Vihar Excavations and Archaeological Reconnaissance of Southern Punjab — a project funded by UNESCO to explore sites along the Hakra river. The project aimed at learning more about Buddhist influence in this region which has its own distinctive features as opposed to the Gandhara school of art further north. The team also conducted excavations at Sui-Vihar which is billed as the only existing example of Sankhya doctrines in Pakistan.

Plan panel approves flood control plan for Majuli

• The Planning Commission has given its investment clearance for a 116-crore rupees flood and erosion control project in Majuli, the world's largest river island, in Assam.
• The scheme is aimed to ensure economic development and social upliflment of the local population after reconstruction of roads and bridges usually destroyed during floods.
• The tribal population, which is about 70 per cent of total population, would be the main beneficiary in terms of economic social development.
• Majuli is the largest fresh water mid-river deltaic island in the world. It is situated in the upper reaches of the river Brahmaputra in Assam.
• The island, with a population of around 1.6 lakh, is a major abode of Assamese Vashnavite culture and also a biodiversty hotspot.

India grants US univ $1.5 mn to establish Vivekananda Chair

• India will provide USD 1.5 million grant to the prestigious University of Chicago to establish a Vivekananda Chair for Indian studies, as part of initiatives to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the 19th century luminary.

Padma Awards Announced

The President of India has approved the conferment of Padma Awards-2012.

Padma Vibhushan

1.Shri K G Subramanyan-Art-Painting & Sculpture-West Bengal
2.Late Shri Mario De Miranda-Art-Cartoonist-Goa*
3.Late (Dr.)Bhupen Hazarika-Art- Vocal Music-Assam*
4.Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti-Medicine - Orthopedics-Maharashtra
5.Shri T V Rajeswar-Civil Service-Delhi

Padma Bhushan

Smt. Shabana Azmi
Art - Cinema
Maharashtra

Shri Khaled Choudhury
Art - Theatre
West Bengal

Shri Jatin Das
Art - Painting
Delhi

Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta
Art - Instrumental Music - Sarod
West Bengal

Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol alias Dharmendra
Art - Cinema
Maharashtra

Dr. Trippunithwra Viswanathan Gopalkrishnan
Art - Classical vocal and instrumental music
Tamil Nadu

Ms. Mira Nair
Art - Cinema
Delhi

Shri M.S. Gopalakrishnan
Art - Instrumental Music-Violin
Tamil Nadu

Shri Anish Kapoor
Art - Sculpture
UK*

Shri Satya Narayan Goenka
Social Work
Maharashtra

Dr. (Judge) Patibandla Chandrasekhar Rao
Public Affairs
Germany*

Shri George Yong-Boon Yeo
Public Affairs
Singapore*

Prof. Shashikumar Chitre
Science and Engineering
Maharashtra

Dr. M S Raghunathan
Science and Engineering
Maharashtra

Shri Subbiah Murugappa Vellayan
Trade and Industry
Tamil Nadu

Shri Balasubramanian Muthuraman
Trade and Industry
Maharashtra

Dr. Suresh H. Advani
Medicine - Oncology
Maharashtra

Dr. Noshir H Wadia
Medicine-Neurology
Maharashtra

Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty
Medicine-Cardiology
Karnataka

Prof. (Dr.) Shantaram Balwant Mujumdar
Literature and Education
Maharashtra

Prof. Vidya Dehejia
Literature and Education
USA*

Prof. Arvind Panagariya
Literature and Education
USA*

Dr. Jose Pereira
Literature and Education
USA*

Dr. Homi K. Bhabha
Literature and Education
UK *

Shri N Vittal
Civil Service
Kerala

Shri Mata Prasad
Civil Service
Uttar Pradesh

Shri Ronen Sen
Civil Service
West Bengal

Padma Shri

Shri Vanraj Bhatia
Art - Music
Maharashtra

Shri Zia Fariduddin Dagar
Art - Music - vocal
Maharashtra

Smt. Nameirakpam Ibemni Devi
Art - Music- Khongjom Parba
Manipur

Shri Ramachandra Subraya Hegde Chittani
Art - Yakshagana dance drama
Karnataka

Shri Moti Lal Kemmu
Art - Playwright
Jammu and Kashmir

Shri Shahid Parvez Khan
Art - Instrumental Music-Sitar
Maharashtra

Shri Mohan Lal Kumhar
Art - Terracotta
Rajasthan

Shri Sakar Khan Manganiar
Art - Rajasthani Folk Music
Rajasthan

Smt. Joy Michael
Art - Theatre
Delhi

Dr. Minati Mishra
Art - Indian Classical Dance-Odissi.
Orissa

Shri Natesan Muthuswamy
Art - Theatre.
Tamil Nadu

Smt. R. Nagarathnamma
Art - Theatre
Karnataka

Shri Kalamandalm Sivan Nambootiri
Art - Indian Classical Dance- Kutiyattam
Kerala

Smt. Yamunabai Waikar
Art - Indian Folk Music-Lavani.
Maharashtra

Shri Satish Alekar
Art - Playwright
Maharashtra

Pandit Gopal Prasad Dubey
Art - Chhau dance and choreography
Jharkhand

Shri Ramakant Gundecha #
Art - Indian Classical Music- Vocal
Madhya Pradesh
Shri Umakant Gundecha #
Art - Indian Classical Music- Vocal
Madhya Pradesh

Shri Anup Jalota
Art-Indian Classical Music- Vocal
Maharashtra

Shri Soman Nair Priyadarsan
Art - Cinema- Direction
Kerala

Shri Sunil Janah
Art-Photography
Assam


Ms. Laila Tyebji
Art-Handicrafts
Delhi

Shri Vijay Sharma
Art-Painting
Himachal Pradesh

Smt. Shamshad Begum
Social Work
Chattisgarh

Smt. Reeta Devi
Social Work
Delhi

Dr. P.K. Gopal
Social Work
Tamil Nadu

Smt. Phoolbasan Bai Yadav
Social Work
Chattisgarh

Dr. G. Muniratnam
Social Work
Andhra Pradesh

Shri Niranjan Pranshankar Pandya
Social Work
Maharashtra

Dr. Uma Tuli
Social Work
Delhi

Shri Sat Paul Varma
Social Work
Jammu and Kashmir

Smt.Binny Yanga
Social Work
Arunachal Pradesh

Shri Yezdi Hirji Malegam
Public Affairs
Maharashtra


Shri Pravin H. Parekh
Pubic Affairs
Delhi

Dr. V. Adimurthy
Science and Engineering
Kerala

Dr. Krishna Lal Chadha
Science and Engineering - Agriculture
Delhi

Prof. Virander Singh Chauhan
Science and Engineering
Delhi

Prof. Rameshwar Nath Koul Bamezai
Science and Engineering
Jammu and Kashmir

Dr. Vijaypal Singh
Science and Engineering - Agricultural Research
Uttar Pradesh

Dr. Lokesh Kumar Singhal
Science and Engineering
Punjab

Dr. Yagnaswami Sundara Rajan
Science and Engineering
Karnataka

Prof. Jagadish Shukla
Science and Engineering
USA*

Ms. Priya Paul
Trade and Industry
Delhi

Shri Shoji Shiba
Trade and Industry
Japan*

Shri Gopinath Pillai
Trade and Industry
Singapore*

Shri Arun Hastimal Firodia
Trade and Industry
Maharashtra

Dr. Swati A. Piramal
Trade and Industry
Maharashtra

Prof. Mahdi Hasan
Medicine-Anatomy
Uttar Pradesh

Dr. Viswanathan Mohan
Medicine - Diabetology
Tamil Nadu

Dr. J. Hareendran Nair
Medicine - Ayurveda
Kerala

Dr. Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan
Medicine - Geriatrics
Tamil Nadu

Dr. Jitendra Kumar Singh
Medicine - Oncology
Bihar

Dr. Shrinivas S. Vaishya
Medicine-Healthcare
Daman and Diu

Dr. Nitya Anand
Medicine - Drugs Research
Uttar Pradesh

Late Dr. Jugal Kishore
Medicine - Homoeopathy
Delhi *

Dr. Mukesh Batra
Medicine-Homeopathy
Maharashtra

Dr. Eberhard Fischer
Literature and Education
Switzerland*

Shri Kedar Gurung
Literature and Education
Sikkim

Shri Surjit Singh Patar
Literature and Education - Poetry
Punjab

Shri Vijay Dutt Shridhar
Literature and Education - Journalism
Madhya Pradesh

Shri Irwin Allan Sealy
Literature and Education
Uttarakhand

Ms. Geeta Dharmarajan
Literature and Education
Delhi

Prof. Sachchidanand Sahai
Literature and Education
Haryana

Smt. Pepita Seth
Literature and Education
Kerala

Dr. Ralte L. Thanmawia
Literature and Education
Mizoram

Shri Ajeet Bajaj
Sports - Skiing
Delhi

Smt. Jhulan Goswami
Sports - Women's Cricket
West Bengal

Shri Zafar Iqbal
Sports-Hockey
Uttar Pradesh

Shri Devendra Jhajrija
Sports - Athletics- Paralympics
Rajasthan

Shri Limba Ram
Sports - Archery
Rajasthan

Shri Syed Mohammed Arif
Sports - Badminton
Andhra Pradesh

Prof. Ravi Chaturvedi
Sports- Commentary
Delhi

Shri Prabhakar Vaidya
Sports-Physical Education
Maharashtra

Shri T. Venkatapathi Reddiar
Others-Horticulture
Puducherry

Dr. K. (Kota) Ullas Karanth
Others-Wildlife Conservation and Environment Protection
Karnataka

Shri K Paddayya
Others-Archaeology
Maharashtra

Shri Swapan Guha
Others-Ceramics
Rajasthan

Jallikattu

A victorious youth taking control of the bull in a Jallikattu at Alanganallur Madurai

Jallikattu or Manju Virattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations usually on Mattu Pongal day. This is one of the oldest living ancient sports seen in the modern era. Although it sounds similar to the Spanish running of the bulls, it is quite different. In Jallikattu, the bull is not killed and the 'matadors' are not supposed to use any weapon. It is held in the villages of Tamil Nadu as a part of the village festival. The festivals are held from January to July, every year.