Category Social Sciences

On which river bank is the Taj Mahal situated?

 The Taj Mahal was built on the banks of the river Yamuna, between 1631 and 1643, by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Arjumand Banu Begum, who was also known by the title Mumtaz Mahal. 

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.

The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), Humayun’s Tomb which inspired the Charbagh gardens and hasht-behesht (architecture) plan of the site, Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj), and Shah Jahan’s own Jama Masjid in Delhi. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement.

 

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Which is the last Indian State the Himalayan River Ganges enters before flowing into Bangladesh and eventually into the Bay of Bengal?

 West Bengal is the last Indian state that the Ganges enters, and, after it flows into Bangladesh, the Mahananda River joins it from the north. In West Bengal in India, as well as in Bangladesh, the Ganges is locally called the Padma. The westernmost distributaries of the delta are the Bhagirathi and the Hugli (Hooghly) rivers, on the east bank of which stands the huge metropolis of Kolkata (Calcutta). The Hugli itself is joined by two tributaries flowing in from the west, the Damodar and the Rupnarayan. As the Ganges passes from West Bengal into Bangladesh, a number of distributaries branch off to the south into the river’s vast delta. In Bangladesh the Ganges is joined by the mighty Brahmaputra (which is called the Jamuna in Bangladesh) near Goalundo Ghat. The combined stream, there called the Padma, joins with the Meghna River above Chandpur. The waters then flow through the delta region to the Bay of Bengal via innumerable channels, the largest of which is known as the Meghna estuary.

The rivers in the West Bengal area are sluggish; little water passes down them to the sea. In the Bangladeshi delta region, the rivers are broad and active, carrying plentiful water and connected by innumerable creeks. During the rains (June to October) the greater part of the region is flooded to a depth of 3 or more feet (at least 1 metre), leaving the villages and homesteads, which are built on artificially raised land, isolated above the floodwaters. Communication between settlements during that season can be accomplished only by boat.

 

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What is the history of INS Viraat?

The Royal Navy

Before serving the Indian Navy, Viraat served Britain’s Royal Navy as HMS (Her Majesty’s ship) Hermes. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy in November 1959. During her service with the British, Viraat operated three fixed-wing planes and a chopper.

She belonged to the Centaur class of light fleet carriers of the Royal Navy which were in use since the Second World War. She played a major role in the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982. Three years after that war, she was decommissioned by the Royal Navy.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy was looking for a second aircraft carrier for its fleet along with the INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in 1961. After much research and deliberation, the Indian Navy zeroed in on the HMS Hermes and announced its purchase in 1986. Hermes underwent a major refit and modernisation at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth, England before finally being commissioned into the Indian Navy in May 1987.

Service with the Indian Navy

Viraat played a major role in India’s naval defence. She operated one British-made Sea Harrier, a fixed- wing aircraft, and three helicopters. She played a pivotal role in the Sri Lankan Peacekeeping operation in 1989 dubbed Operation Jupiter, and was affiliated with the Indian Army in 1990. Viraat was also deployed during Operation Parakram in 2001 02. Following the terror attack on the Indian parliament. She played a major role in calibrating the flying activities from the carrier, which proved helpful during the induction of INS Vikramaditya, currently the sole aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.

Decommissioning by the Indian Navy

As years passed, the cost of operating and maintaining INS Viraat became too high for the Indian Navy, which announced its decision to decommission the Grand Old Lady in 2015.

After all the prerequisite processes for decommissioning at the Kochi shipyard were completed, the Grand Old Lady was decommissioned finally on March 6, 2017, at a ceremony in Mumbai,

At the time of her decommissioning, Viraat had spent nearly 2252 days at sea sailing nearly 11 lakh km. The aircraft she carried clocked more than 22,600 flying hours. Since 1987, Viraat has been the Flagship of the Indian Navy. And in her 30 years of service. 22 captains have commanded the ship.

What the future holds

Due to her rich history, many Indian states and conservationists wished to preserve Viraat as a museum. Many crowdfunding initiatives were undertaken in a bid to preserve Viraat. However, none of the efforts proved successful An expert panel was called to study Viraat condition and determine the feasibility of converting the ship into a museum. The panel stated that the cost of converting the ship into a museum would be too high to manage, and that the ship would last only ten years, given the age of its ferrous metal. Post this, even the Centre abandoned plans to convert the ship into a museum and decided to auction it to be dismantled and recycled at Alang, the world’s largest ship-breaking yard. The ship was bought by the Shree Ram Group for a sum of Rs. 38.54 crore at an auction in July 2020. On September 19, Viraat made her final journey from Mumbai to Alang. She reached Alang on September 22. As a last-ditch effort to preserve the iconic warship, Envitech Marine Consultants Pvt Ltd, A Mumbai based shipping company, decided to buy the ship from the Shree Ram Group to convert it into a museum. To do so, the company would first need a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Defence. The company has stated that the Goa government is ready to help in its endeavour and allow the ship to be beaches in its waters.

As of October 9, 2020, Envitech is yet to obtain a NOC from the defence ministry.

 

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What are famous skyscrapers?

Superman may be able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, but most people are amazed when they see them from the ground. Skyscrapers first appeared during the late 1800’s in Chicago and New York, U.S.A. Builders could fit more offices in one area by building upward. The 10-storey Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built from 1884 to 1885, was the first skyscraper with a metal frame.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s, German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became famous for his glass and steel skyscrapers. His most famous structure in the Seagram Building in New York City, U.S.A. This skyscraper has bronze walls and bronze-coloured windows.

 

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What are National Monuments?

Around the world, thousands of buildings, statues, and parks helps us remember the past and honour people who made a difference in the world. These places are called national monuments.

One of the world’s famous monuments is the Statute of Liberty in New York Harbor, U.S.A. This majestic copper sculpture of a woman holding a torch towers 46 metres. A stairway inside the statue lets visitors look through Liberty’s crown. For immigrants who enter the U.S.A. through New York Harbor, the statue is a symbol of freedom and opportunity. The statue was a gift from France to the U.S.A. in 1885.

At Dinosaur National Monument in the U.S.A., tourists can see fossils of prehistoric reptiles. This national monument in Colorado and Utah also has canyons cut by the Green and Yampa rivers.

One of the greatest battles ever won by the British navy is remembered with a huge statue of Admiral Horaito Nelson in Trafalgar Square in London, England. Nelson was killed in the battle, but his statue has become one of the world’s famous landmarks.

In the centre of Hiroshima, Japan, a huge sculpture stands near the ruins of a building destroyed during a nuclear bomb attack. The ruined building, and the sculpture, known as the Atomic Bomb Dome, a part of Peace Memorial Park. The monument serves as a reminder of the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city during World War II.

 

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Where do leaders work?

Many people work in tall skyscrapers, small office buildings, or tiny shops. And people who run governments often work in places that are works of art that look powerful or grand. The buildings in which they work might be gleaming while mansions, majestic palaces, or buildings tucked behind the walls of a fortress. Here are some famous government buildings around the world.

The government of Andorra, one of the world’s smallest countries, meets in the House of Valleys.

The White House, in Washington, D.C., is the home and the office of the president of the U.S.A.

Both houses of the Indian parliament meet in the Parliament House in New Delhi.

The Kremlin, in Moscow, is an old fort. It contains many of Russia’s government buildings.

The British government meets in the Houses of Parliament in London, England.

 

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