CURRENT-AFFAIRS

• Archaeologists have recently unearthed two superimposed temples within the ancient megacity of Girsu in Iraq.
• Girsu, a prominent city of the Sumer civilization, was initially discovered in the 19th century through excavations led by the French archaeologist Ernest de Sarzec, beginning in the 1880s. This discovery was pivotal as it introduced the world to the existence of the Sumerian civilization, unveiling some of the most significant monuments of Mesopotamian art and architecture.

The Sumer civilization, flourishing from approximately 4100 to 1750 BCE in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), consisted of city-states rather than a unified political entity. Each city-state, governed by its own king, contributed to the advancement of technology and culture. The Sumerians were pioneers in various fields, including time measurement, writing (creating the earliest known writing system), and urban development (constructing the first known cities and establishing early legal codes).

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• According to a scientific survey report by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the current structure at the Bhojshala complex incorporates remnants from an earlier temple that once stood at the site.
• Key details about Bhojshala complex:
  • Located in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, the Bhojshala complex was originally constructed in 1034 AD by Raja Bhoja (1000-1055 A.D.), the prominent ruler of the Paramara dynasty.
  • Initially serving as a university, it attracted students from various regions who came to study disciplines such as music, Sanskrit, astronomy, yoga, Ayurveda, and philosophy.
  • Historical events include attacks on the complex: first by Alauddin Khilji in 1305 AD and later by Mehmudshah Khilji II in 1514 AD, who attempted to convert it into a dargah and encroached upon the Saraswati Temple land to build the 'Kamal Moulana' Makbara.
  • Notable inscriptions within the complex include hymns in the Prakrit language depicting the Karmavatar (crocodile incarnation) of Vishnu, as well as Sarpabandha pillar inscriptions detailing aspects of Sanskrit grammar.
  • Designated a monument of national importance in 1951 under the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Declaration of National Importance) Act, 1951.
  • Currently protected by ASI under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

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• Recently, the Tamil Nadu government unveiled a statue honoring Iyothee Thass Pandithar, a pioneering figure in Dalit rights and anti-caste activism, at Gandhi Mandapam in Chennai.
• About Iyothee Thass Pandithar:
  • Born on May 20, 1845, in the Madras presidency, Iyothee Thass was a staunch advocate against caste discrimination and a practitioner of Siddha medicine.
  • During the 1870s, he organized tribal communities such as the Todas and others from the Nilgiri Hills, galvanizing them into a significant force in the freedom movement.
  • In 1876, he founded the Advaidananda Sabha and collaborated with Rev. John Rathina to publish the influential magazine, Dravida Pandian.
  • In 1891, Iyothee Thass co-established the Dravida Mahajana Sabha alongside Rettamalai Srinivasan, furthering his commitment to social reform.
  • He was instrumental in founding the Sakya Buddhist Society, also known as the Indian Buddhist Association, in Madras in 1898, with branches across South India.
  • To support the activities of the society, he initiated the publication of the weekly magazine, Tamizhan, in 1907.

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• Recently, the Prime Minister commemorated the birth anniversary of Chandra Shekhar Azad.
• About Chandra Shekhar Azad:
  • Chandra Shekhar Azad was a revered figure in India's struggle for independence.
  • Born as Chandra Shekhar Tiwari on July 23, 1906, in Bhavra village, Madhya Pradesh, Azad embraced the spirit of revolution from a young age.
  • His determination to fight for India's freedom was ignited early on, and at just 15 years old, he joined Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement.
  • Azad was disheartened by Gandhi's decision to suspend the movement following the violent incident at Chauri Chaura in February 1922.
  • He became an active member of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), which later evolved into the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) under his leadership.
  • Azad collaborated closely with fellow revolutionaries, including the iconic Bhagat Singh, in their quest to overthrow British colonial rule.
  • His strategic brilliance was evident in significant acts of resistance such as the Kakori Train Robbery (1926), the attempt on the Viceroy's train (1926), and the killing of Saunders in Lahore (1928) as retaliation for Lala Lajpat Rai's death.
  • Azad's courage and leadership made him a symbol of defiance against the British authorities, living a fugitive life to evade capture.
  • In a dramatic standoff with British police at Alfred Park, Allahabad, in January 1931, Azad fought fiercely but ultimately chose to take his own life rather than be apprehended, declaring he would never be caught alive.

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• Archaeologists recently unearthed Vattezhuthu scripts along with eight Tamil inscriptions at the ancient Thalikiswarar temple, which dates back over 1100 years in Tirupur district, Tamil Nadu.
• Vattezhuthu, also known as Vatteluttu, was a prominent syllabic script used in southern India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and Sri Lanka for writing Tamil and Malayalam languages. The term Vatteluttu is believed to denote meanings such as 'rounded script', 'northern script', or 'chiseled script'. It emerged in stone inscriptions across southern India around the 4th century AD and likely evolved from the Tamil-Brahmi script, a variant of Brahmi used for Old Tamil from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD.
• In Tamil Nadu, Vatteluttu was prevalent until the 9th century, while in Kerala, its usage extended until the 15th century. Over time, Vatteluttu transformed into the Malayalam script, incorporating elements from the Grantha script. Additionally, it gave rise to the Koleluttu script, which persisted in Kerala until the 19th century, notably among Christian and Muslim communities.
• This discovery at the Thalikiswarar temple provides valuable insights into the linguistic and cultural history of the region, shedding light on the evolution of writing systems in ancient South India.

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• Recently, UNESCO added the mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty in Assam, known as 'Moidams', to its prestigious World Heritage List.
• About Ahom Dynasty:
  • The Ahom Dynasty (1228–1826), originally known as the Kingdom of Assam during medieval times, flourished in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam for nearly 600 years. It successfully resisted Mughal expansion into Northeast India, establishing its sovereignty over the region. Founded by Sukaphaa, a Shan prince from Mong Mao who crossed the Patkai Mountains into Assam, the dynasty exerted profound political and social influence.
  • Although referred to as the Ahom kingdom in colonial and subsequent eras, it was ethnically diverse, with the Ahom people constituting less than 10% of the population by its later years. The rulers were known as 'Chaopha' or 'Swargadeo' by their subjects.
  • During the 17th century, the Ahom kingdom faced multiple Mughal invasions. In 1662, the capital Garhgaon was briefly occupied by Mir Jumla, but the Mughals were decisively defeated by the Ahoms under Lachit Borphukan at the Battle of Saraighat in 1671. Borphukan's leadership in this battle is legendary, marking a significant victory that ultimately expelled Mughal influence from the region by 1682.
  • However, the kingdom later weakened due to internal conflicts and Burmese invasions, culminating in its fall after the First Anglo-Burmese War. In 1826, following the Treaty of Yandabo, control of the Ahom kingdom passed into the hands of the British East India Company.
  • The inclusion of 'Moidams' on the UNESCO World Heritage List recognizes the cultural and historical significance of the Ahom dynasty's burial customs and their enduring legacy in Assam's heritage.

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• Researchers in China have recently identified a new dinosaur species named Qianlong shouhu, alongside numerous unhatched eggs.
• About Qianlong shouhu:
  • Qianlong shouhu is classified within the sauropodomorph group, which includes both sauropods and their early ancestors.
  • This dinosaur roamed what is now China during the Early Jurassic period, approximately 200 to 193 million years ago.
  • The species name translates to "a dragon in Guizhou that guards its embryos."
  • It was a medium-sized sauropodomorph, measuring around 20 feet in length and estimated to weigh about 1 ton.
  • The eggs of Qianlong shouhu were elliptical and relatively small, with a possible leathery texture to their shells, offering significant evidence for the earliest known leathery eggs.
• What are Sauropods?
  • Sauropods were the predominant herbivores of the Jurassic era, known for their long necks, tails, and four-legged stance.
  • These dinosaurs were among the largest land animals ever, with some reaching lengths of 40 to 150 feet or more from head to tail.
  • Sauropods typically weighed between 20 and 70 tons, comparable to 10 to 35 elephants.
  • They featured relatively small skulls and brains, with upright limbs resembling those of elephants.
  • Sauropods were one of the most enduring dinosaur groups, surviving for about 104 million years across diverse global habitats.
  • Fossil remains and footprints of sauropods have been discovered on every continent except Antarctica.
  • While they were most abundant during the Jurassic period, sauropods persisted into the Upper Cretaceous, until many other dinosaur species faced extinction.

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• A microscopic examination of 700,000-year-old miniature human arm and dental fossils has resolved the debate over the origins of Homo floresiensis.
• Homo floresiensis is a species of small archaic humans that lived on the Indonesian island of Flores approximately 60,000 years ago. Commonly referred to as the "Hobbit," this species has been exclusively discovered on Flores.
• The fossils of H. floresiensis are dated to between 100,000 and 60,000 years ago, while stone tools associated with this species range from about 190,000 to 50,000 years old.
• Features:
  • Appearance: H. floresiensis individuals were about 3 feet 6 inches tall, had small brains, proportionally large teeth, forward-sloping shoulders, no chins, receding foreheads, and relatively large feet compared to their short legs.
  • Tools and Adaptations: Despite their small size and limited brain capacity, they created and used stone tools, hunted small elephants and large rodents, and dealt with predators such as giant Komodo dragons. They may also have used fire. Their small stature and reduced brain size may have been a result of island dwarfism, an evolutionary phenomenon caused by long-term isolation on a small island with limited resources and few predators.
  • Homo floresiensis is recognized as the smallest known species of the genus Homo, alongside the Stegodon elephant, which is also found on the island of Flores.

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• Recently, an Indian politician faced obstruction while attempting to visit Batadrava Than, a revered site nestled in the Nagaon district of Assam.
• Batadrava Than, also known as Bordowa Than, holds profound significance for Assamese Vaishnavites, serving as a sanctuary of spirituality at the birthplace of the esteemed Vaishnavite reformer-saint, Srimanta Sankardeva. Sankardeva's legacy is deeply intertwined with this sacred complex, as he established the inaugural Kirtan Ghar in 1494 AD to propagate the neo-Vaishnavite faith during the fifteenth century in Assam, advocating the Ek Saran Naam Dharma.
• Enclosed within a brick wall with two entrances, Batadrava Than boasts various structures including the expansive Kirtan Ghar, initially constructed by Sankardeva himself using temporary materials. The campus encompasses the Manikut, dedicated to housing sacred texts and manuscripts, along with diverse facilities such as Natghar (Drama hall), Alohighar (Guest room), Sabhaghar (Assembly hall), Rabhaghar (Music room), Hatipukhuri, Aakashi Ganga, and the festive temple, Doul mandir. Additionally, a mini-museum showcases historical artifacts, attracting devotees annually during the grand festival of Doul Mohotsava (Holi).
• Sankardeva's teachings emphasized societal equality, transcending caste differences and orthodox rituals, while promoting devotion to Lord Krishna through congregational singing and listening of His name and deeds. His philosophy, centered on prayer and chanting, rejected idol worship in favor of a spiritual practice grounded in devotion, with a focus on the four components of deva (god), naam (prayers), bhakats (devotees), and guru (teacher).

• In Japan, a recently discovered fossil of a Mosasaur, an extinct apex predator from the Late Cretaceous period, has captured attention.
• About Mosasaur:
  • Mosasaurs (family Mosasauridae) were formidable, large predatory marine reptiles that roamed the world's oceans during the Late Cretaceous epoch, spanning from 90 to 66 million years ago.
  • These reptiles are closely related to snakes and monitor lizards, and they ranked among the largest marine creatures of their time and some of the largest predatory reptiles overall.
  • Features:
    • Mosasaur species varied in size, with some individuals exceeding lengths of 50 feet.
    • They possessed a sleek, snake-like body structure with a large skull, elongated snout, and sharp teeth.

• A recent study reveals that Denisovans not only inhabited but thrived in the challenging high-altitude environment of the Tibetan plateau for over 100,000 years.
• About Denisovans:
  • Denisovans are an extinct species of hominid closely related to modern humans, discovered relatively recently in 2010 from remains found in a Siberian cave.
  • They inhabited diverse environments ranging from the cold mountains of Siberia and Tibet to the tropical jungles of Southeast Asia during the last Ice Age.Genomic studies suggest Denisovans had a relatively small population with low genetic diversity, implying a potentially limited overall population size.

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• In Argentina, paleontologists have recently unearthed fossil fragments belonging to a newly discovered species of dinosaur known as Sidersaura marae.
• Sidersaura marae is classified as a sauropod dinosaur that thrived during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch, approximately 96 to 93 million years ago, in what is now the Patagonian region of South America. It is a member of the Rebbachisauridae family, a diverse group of sauropods known from fossil finds across South America, Africa, North America, Europe, and Asia.
• Rebbachisaurids are noted for their distinctive teeth, some of which resembled tooth batteries seen in hadrosaurs and ceratopsian dinosaurs. They played significant roles in Cretaceous ecosystems but disappeared around 90 million years ago during a mid-Cretaceous extinction event.
• Sidersaura marae stands out as one of the last known rebbachisaurids. It reached lengths of up to 20 meters, weighed an estimated 15 tons, and boasted an exceptionally long tail. Notably, the dinosaur's hemal arches—the bones in its tail—feature a unique star-shaped configuration, setting it apart from its relatives.
• Unlike other rebbachisaurids, Sidersaura marae exhibits robust skull bones and a distinct frontoparietal foramen—a hole in the skull's roof—that distinguishes it further within its family. These anatomical features provide valuable insights into the evolutionary diversity and adaptations of sauropod dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous period.

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• A newly identified dinosaur species, Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, has been discovered in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, dating back approximately 165 million years.
• About Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus:
• Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus is a newly recognized species of large theropod dinosaur found in the Middle Jurassic Balabansai formation in the northern region of the Fergana Depression, Kyrgyzstan. This dinosaur lived during the Callovian stage of the Jurassic period, roughly between 165 and 161 million years ago.
• The ancient predator measured between 7 and 8 meters in length and featured a distinctive protruding ‘eyebrow’ on the postorbital bone—a skull bone located behind the eye socket—suggesting the presence of a horn in this area.
• It is classified within the Metriacanthosauridae family, which comprises medium-to-large-sized allosauroid theropod dinosaurs. Members of this group are known for their high-arched skulls, elongated neural spines resembling plates, and slender hindlimbs.
• Theropod dinosaurs, a major group within the dinosaur family, include some of the most famous predators like Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus, as well as modern birds. Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus is notably the first large Jurassic predatory dinosaur discovered between Central Europe and East Asia.