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- Sabarimala is fully geared up for the Makaravilakku festival, with 5,000 police personnel deployed and reinforced security measures in place.
- About Makaravilakku:
- Makaravilakku is an important annual festival held at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
- It is observed on the day of Makara Sankranti.
- The festival marks the end of the annual pilgrimage season to the temple.
- On Makaravilakku day, the sacred Thiruvabharanam, the royal ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, are transported to the temple from the Pandalam Palace.
- A key feature of the festival is the appearance of a celestial light, known as the "Makarajyothi" or "Makaravilakku."
- This light is believed by many to be a divine manifestation of Lord Ayyappa.
- It is seen on the horizon of Ponnambalamedu hill, located near the Sabarimala Temple.
- However, there is no supernatural element to the Makaravilakku.
- Historically, the Malayaraya tribe performed a ritual at the temple in Ponnambalamedu.
- Today, the Travancore Devaswom Board oversees the proceedings, and traditional religious rituals continue to be followed.
- At Ponnambalamedu, a ritual Aarti is held, and the Makaravilakku light is seen as a result of camphor burning during the Aarti, visible three times from Sabarimala.
- The Makaravilakku festival lasts longer than the day of Makara Sankranti itself.
- It extends for seven days and concludes with a ritual called 'Guruthi,' a ceremony to honor the deities of the wilderness.
- Once the Guruthi is performed, no one remains at the temple.
- Fifteen fishermen from Tamil Nadu were reportedly detained near Diego Garcia, a part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), for allegedly crossing the maritime boundary in a recent incident.
- About Diego Garcia:
- Diego Garcia is a coral atoll, the largest and southernmost island of the Chagos Archipelago, located in the central Indian Ocean.
- It is a part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), making up more than half of the land area of the territory.
- Spanning 44 square kilometers, it features a V-shaped, sand-fringed cay approximately 24 km long, with a maximum width of about 11 km. Its lagoon is open at the northern end.
- The island was discovered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century and, for most of its history, was a dependency of Mauritius.
- In 1965, Diego Garcia was separated from Mauritius as part of the establishment of BIOT.
- In 1966, the UK leased Diego Garcia to the United States to establish an air and naval base. The construction of the defense facility led to the forced removal of the island’s inhabitants.
- Diego Garcia is now a key strategic and logistical support base for the United States in the Indian Ocean.
- In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that the UK’s separation of Diego Garcia from Mauritius and its continued control was unlawful, citing the ongoing claims of the Chagossian people.
- A non-binding 2019 UN General Assembly resolution also called on the UK to end its "colonial administration" of the Chagos Archipelago and return the islands to Mauritius.
- The Prime Minister will inaugurate 'Mission Mausam' during the 150th foundation day celebration of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
- About Mission Mausam:
- Mission Mausam is designed to enhance India's weather and climate science, research, and services, with the goal of transforming India into a 'Weather-ready and Climate-smart' nation.
- The ambitious initiative, with a budget of Rs 2,000 crore over two years, will primarily be implemented by the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting.
- This mission aims to improve forecasting accuracy, deliver near real-time localized weather forecasts, and foster research in weather management technologies.
- The mission will achieve its objectives through the development of advanced weather surveillance technologies and systems, including high-resolution atmospheric observations, next-generation radars and satellites, and high-performance computing resources.
- By harnessing these technologies, the program seeks to enhance data collection and analysis, improving the accuracy of forecasts both spatially and temporally, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change.
- Additionally, the mission will focus on enhancing understanding of weather and climate processes and providing air quality data, which will aid in long-term weather management and intervention strategies.
- It will also empower stakeholders, including citizens and last-mile users, to better prepare for extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change.