Where is the famous Martand temple located?
Martand temple is located in the Anantnag district of the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, about 60 kms away from Srinagar. Dedicated to the Sun God, the temple represents the pinnacle of Kashmiri architecture and craftsmanship.
Martand (Sanskrit for Surya) temple was built in the 8th century CE by the great Kashmiri king, Lalitaditya Muktapida. Archaeological evidence points to the foundations of the temple dating back to the 4th century CE indicating that there has been continuous construction activity at the site. King Lalitaditya Muktapida is credited with building the temple in its final form.
The Martand temple has been built at a very unique location – it is built on a high plateau, from where the entire Kashmir valley can be seen for about 100 miles. The temple has a unique architecture blending local Kashmiri traditions with Gandhara, Gupta, Syrian-Byzantine and Chinese forms of architecture. The temple has one central edifice with 84 pillars around it. Based on accounts from the Rajatarangini and later archaeological sources, it has been identified that the roof of the temple was pyramidal with the inner chamber (the sanctum sanctorum) being the tallest at around 75 feet.
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| Sadly, the magnificent temple of Martand was destroyed on the orders of Sikander Miri in the 15th century CE. It is said that it took Sikander and his men a full year to bring the edifice of the temple down. When they could not break down the columns by hand, they relied on burning timber within the complex and letting the heat of the fire bring down the ceiling. |
Where do the Eastern and Western Ghats meet?
The Eastern and Western Ghats are mountain ranges along the Eastern and Western coast of India respectively. While the Eastern Ghats run parallel to the Bay of Bengal, the Western Ghats run parallel to the Arabian Sea.
The two mountain ranges meet at the Biligiriranga hills, usually called the BR hills. BR hills is located at the border between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is a biodiversity hotspot, acting as a conduit for gene flow between the species in this area.
Wildlife
BR hills is home to a wide variety of animals, the most common of them being the Indian elephant. There is also a thriving tiger population and the area is covered under the Project Tiger programme. Other animals who call this forest home include different varieties of deer, Indian Gaur, flying squirrel, wild dogs, sloth bears and leopards.
The hills are also a bird watchers paradise, with many birds migrating to the forest in the winter months. There are estimated to be more than 200 different varieties of bird s in BR hills. Commonly seen birds include different varieties of owls, eagles, woodpeckers, Orioles, thrushes and flycatchers.
Tribals
The Soligas are the native tribal residents in BR hills. They speak their own language, Sholaga, which is related to Kannada and Tamil. Soligas earn their livelihood by agriculture as well as selling forest produce such as honey, medicinal plants and wild turmeric. These tribals live in close harmony with nature and are often engaged by the forest department for conservation activities and act as the first line of defence against poachers.
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| The word Biligiri means “white hill” in Kannada. It refers to the color of the hill on which the temple of Lord Ranganathaswamy is located. The wildlife sanctuary also derives its name from the teample – Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary – or BRT Wildlife Sanctuary in short. |
Which body conducts civil service exams in India?
Civil servants are employees who make up the executive arm of the government. They are responsible for the day to day running of the government, ensuring that all schemes and policies are executed appropriately as well as representing the country in international fora. The three most prestigious civil services are
- Indian Foreign Service (IFS) – members of this branch are responsible for managing India’s international relations and are assigned to Indian embassies and consulates around the world
- Indian Administrative Service (IAS) – members of this branch are responsible for administrative activities across all districts and states within the country. IAS officers become district collectors and secretaries to government departments.
- Indian Police Service (IPS) – members of this branch are responsible for ensuring internal security and law & order. IPS officers become Superintendent, Commissioners of police as well as run Intelligence Bureau, India’s internal intelligence wing.
Getting recruited to the civil services is very prestigious. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Exam (CSE) in India every year. The exam has two parts – preliminaries and mains. Those who pass the preliminaries advance to the CSE mains and those who pass the mains are called for interviews before selection.
CSE is one of India’s most competitive exams with nearly a million candidates appearing for the preliminaries. Results are usually announced in the month of May every year.
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The history of civil services in India can be traced back to the great Mauryan empire. The Mauryans had civil servants assigned to each province in the empire and they were responsible for delivering justice and ensuring peace. This was based on Chanakya’s Arthashastra which lays down rules on how the government should be organized. |
