KEY to the CSP-2015 Indian History Test 4 , 31.12.2014

KEY to the CSP-2015 Indian History Test 4 , 31.12.2014

1.	c	21.	b	41.	d	61.	b	81	a
2.	c	22.	c	42.	d	62.	c	82	c
3.	a	23.	d	43.	b	63.	c	83	a
4.	d	24.	d	44.	b	64.	a	84	a
5.	c	25.	a	45.	b	65.	c	85	b
6.	c	26.	d	46.	d	66.	c	86	c
7.	b	27.	c	47.	d	67.	b	87	c
8.	a	28.	b	48.	c	68.	d	88	d
9.	c	29.	c	49.	c	69.	c	89	b
10.	a	30.	a	50.	b	70.	c	90	c
11.	c	31.	b	51.	b	71	d	91	c
12.	a	32.	d	52.	b	72	c	92	d
13.	b	33.	a	53.	d	73	c	93	b
14.	d	34.	a	54.	c	74	a	94	b
15.	d	35.	b	55.	a	75	c	95	b
16.	b	36.	c	56.	b	76	b	96	a
17.	c	37.	a	57.	d	77	b	97	d
18.	a	38.	c	58.	d	78	d	98	c
19.	c	39.	a	59.	d	79	a	99	b
20.	b	40.	c	60.	a	80	a	100	a

Explanation:

1 and 3. Paiks Rebellion:

The Paik / Paika Rebellion was an armed rebellion against the British East India Company's rule in Odisha in 1817 under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mohapatra Bhramarabar Ray.

ü  The Paiks were the traditional landed militia of Odisha and enjoyed rent free land tenures for their military service on a hereditary basis from the king of Khurda.

ü  The important cause for rebellion in Khurda in 1817 was the land revenue policy of British in which the British taken away the rent free service land in the settlement by Major Fletcher as their services were not needed. The Paiks were also subjected to extortion and oppression at the hands of the company government and its servants. The land revenue policy of the British affected the zamindars as well as ryots.

ü  Raise of the salt price is another main cause for that great event. The common people that time were unable to buy the salt with heavy price.

ü  The depreciation and abolition of Cowrie currency were the causes of the popular discontent before the rebellion of 1817.

ü  This movement can be regarded as first mass based and one of the well-organized movements against the British. Jagabandhu was successful in projecting Lord Jagannath as the symbol of Oriya unity and spreading the rebellion across most of Odisha The tribals of Banapur and Ghumsur, common people and zamindars of Karipur, Mrichpur, Golra, Balarampur, Budnakera and Rupasa joined hands with Paiks and fought against British. 

ü  The impact of the rebellion of 1817 was far reaching. The heroic performance of Paiks during the time of great rebellion created national awareness among the common people. The movement was suppressed ruthlessly by the company's forces

4. Khasi rebellion [1829-32]:

The Khasi uprising took place in 1833 in the regions between the Khasi hills and Jaintia Hills, against a planned British Road in that area. The leader of this uprising was Tirath Singh. The Anglo-Khasi War was part of the independence struggle between the Khasi people and the British Empire between the years 1829-1833. The war started withTirot Sing’s  attack on a British garrison that disobeyed orders of this Khasi king to stop a road construction project through the Khasi Hills. The Khasis were defeated in this war and the British gained supremacy over these hills.

Khonds rebellion:

The Khond uprising included tribals from Ghumsar, China-ki-Medi, Kalahandi and Patna. The movement was led by Chakra Bisoi in the name of the young Raja. The main issue was the attempt by the government to suppress human sacrifice (mariah), introduction of new taxes by the British and the influx of zamindars and sahukars (moneylenders) into their areas, which was causing the tribals untold misery. The uprising was then joined by Savaras and some other militia clans led by Radhakrishna Dandasena. Chakra Bisoi disappeared in 1855.

Oraons rebellion:

The basic rationale behind the movement was that land was a gift of God and that no one had the right to interfere with the tribals’ right over land. A “no-rent campaign” was therefore launched against the diku landowners, as the tribals were unable to redress their grievances through legal procedures. Thus , the leader of the movement, Jatra advocated that his followers stop the payment of rents to landlords. With the increasing domination of dikus over the Oraons a perception developed that the colonial state had failed to protect them against their adversaries. Hence the Oraons came to search for an alternative political authority of their own. So, economic grievances gave way to the dream of an independent tribal polity. By 1916 the movement had spread among the migrant Oraon coolies employed in the tea gardens of Jalpaiguri. The official reports of the survey and settlement operations in the Chhotanagpur region during the years show that the Oraons who lived in Western Chhotanagpur had to pay rent at a much higher rate than their Munda counterparts in the east. They also had to meet the excessive demands for unpaid labour from their diku (exploitative non-tribal) landlords. They were further forced to act as forest beaters during hunting and had to carry the baggage of the local police for a mere pittance. All these had given rise to widespread discontent among the Oraons. The Tana Bhagat movement (in this name the Oraon Movement was popularly called) continued to spread throughout 1918. In 1919 Tana activity acquired a new momentum under the leadership of Sibu Oraon and Maya Oraon. Sibu withdrew the restrictions on food, drink and conduct earlier imposed by Jatra and declared that Tanas were equal to the Hindus and Muslims. From 1921 the Tana Bhagat movement entered a new phase as fresh injunctions were added to the Tana tenets. 

7, 8 and 9: It was princely palace residence of Osman Ali Khan, VII located at New Dehli. It was designed by eminent British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Spread over 8.77 acres, and built in the shape of a butterfly, an amalgam of the Mughal and European architecture. The entrance hall of the palace, a dome with an entrance hall beneath with symmetrical wings at fifty-five degree angle, is the outstanding feature.

With the exception of the Viceroy’s House, it was the largest and grandest of all palaces built in Delhi by Edwin Lutyens during 1921-1931. The Nizam’s sons disliked the building, finding it too western in style for their taste and were seldom used.

Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for the Last Nizam, after most important princely rulers in British India were inducted into Chamber of Princes in 1919, and were to attend the Chambers meetings in Delhi. It was the largest and most expensive palace at that time. It was constructed by Babukhan Properties.

 After Indian independence in 1947, the palace was given to the Indian Government by the Nizam. It is currently used by the GOI for banquets and meetings for visiting foreign dignitaries. It has also been a venue for joint press conferences and major government events. The Jaipur and Jodhpur Houses were not designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.  

11. The India Gate, originally called the All India War Memorial, is a war memorial located astride the Rajpath, on the eastern edge of the ‘ceremonial axis’ of New Delhi, formerly called Kingsway. India gate is a memorial to 82,000 soldiers of the undivided Indian Army who died in the period 1914–21 in the World War I, in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, Persia, East Africa and elsewhere in the Near and the Far East, and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. 13,300 servicemen's names, including some soldiers and officers from the United Kingdom, are inscribed on the gate. The India Gate, even though a war memorial, evokes the architectural style of the triumphal arch like the  Arch of Constantine, outside the Colosseum in Rome, and is often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Gateway of India in Bombay. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

In 1971, following the Bangladesh Liberation war, a small simple structure, consisting of a black marble plinth, with reversed rifle, capped by war helmet, bounded by four eternal flames, was built beneath the soaring Memorial Archway. This structure, called Amar Jawan Jyoti, or the Flame of the Immortal Soldier, since 1971 has served as India’s Tombe of un-known Soldier.

It is customary for the President and the Prime Minister, as well as visiting Guests of State, to pay homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti, on occasions of State ceremonies.

India Gate stands surrounded by lush, green gardens and is flanked by the clean waters of a lake. India Gate serves as the venue of the Republic Day parade, which takes place on 26th January every year.

12. During 1857 mutiny, the leader who led the movement was General bakht Khan and at Bihar by Kunwar Singh. Hence, option “a” is correct.

21. The Komagata Maru Tragedy 1914

From 1900 onwards there was continuous flow of Sikhs from India to Canada and US. The circumstances were not in favor of Indian / Sikh immigrants and they were subject to all kinds of racial / political / procedural discriminations. One of the main incidences was Komagata Maru Incidence, which was one of the first Indian challenge to colonist British beyond the pacific Coast.

Gurdit Singh, a Sikh from a small village in Punjab was a son of a small time farmer near Amritsar. The farmers were struggling with the problems and due to difficulty in getting their livelihood; father of Gurdit Singh left Punjab and went to Malaysia. He became a small time contractor over there. In 1885, Gurdit Singh joined him.

Gurdit Singh established a steamship company in Malaysia and leased a Japanese steamship Komagata Maru. This ship left Hong Kong in 1914 to Canada.

Those days the authorities in Canada had established a “Continuous Passage Act” to stop the immigrants particularly from India and they called them “brown Invasions“. The continuous immigration of Indians, particularly Sikhs had already irked the Canadian natives and authorities. It was a fear that Indians would take their jobs. The “Continuous Passage Act” was a bizarre law, which required that the immigrants must travel Nonstop to their country of the birth. At that time there was no direct ship from India. The journey of the Komagata Maru was set to circumvent this law.

Komagata Maru sailed from Hong Kong to Vancouver in 1914, aboard 376 passengers including 240 Sikhs, 24 Muslims and 12 Hindus. The ship arrived on 23 May 1914 at Vancouver. The Canadian authorities refused to allow the passengers to go ashore. Gurdit Singh was pressurized to pay the charter dues in one go. He said he would do so after selling the cargo but the ship was not allowed to unload its cargo.

The Indians in Vancouver agitated for the release of the ship. There was no sympathy shown by the Viceroy of India. After a bit confrontation, finally 24 passengers were admitted and the ship was forced back to India. Necessary arrangements were done by the Indian community over there for the return journey. The Komagata Maru docked at Hooghly’s Budge Budge harbor. The news of the Canadian adventures had already reached India and the British took the passengers as rebels. The ship was searched. The Sikhs were herded in a special train to send them to Punjab. Some of them refused and protested. The police opened fire on the procession carrying the Holy book “Guru Granth Sahib” killing 18 people. 200 people were herded in jails. Gurdit Singh escaped the Police and he surrendered in 1921, after 7 years.

Komagata Maru

The Komagata Maru was a Japanese steamship that sailed from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Canada via Japan in May, 1914. It was carrying 376 passengers who were immigrants from Punjab, India. Of these, only 24 were granted admittance in Canada when the ship docked in Vancouver. At that time, Canada had laws restricting entry of migrants of Asian origin. Following a two month stalemate, the ship and its 352 passengers were escorted out of the dock by the Canadian military and forced to sail back to India.

The ship returned to Calcutta on 27 September and was stopped by the British. The passengers were put under guard and the ship was allowed to dock in Budge Budge, Calcutta. The British believed that the passengers were law breakers and political agitators. When the police sought to arrest the persons it viewed as leaders of the group, there was resistance and a riot ensued. The police fired shots and 19 passengers were killed. Baba Gurdit Singh, who was one of the persons the British wanted to arrest, escaped with some other persons. Most of the remaining passengers were either arrested or sent back to Punjab. Baba Gurdit Singh later surrendered to the police.

Legacy

In 1951, the Indian government erected a monument at Budge Budge to commemorate the massacre that occurred there.  A host of actions have been taken by the Canadians also to mark the incident. A plaque commemorating the 80^th anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru steamship was placed at the Vancouver harbour in 1994. A monument in remembrance of the incident was unveiled in 2012 in Vancouver. A stamp commemorating the centenary anniversary of the steamship was released by Canada Post in May, 2014.

Government Apology

In 2008, the Canadian PM, Stephen Harper, officially apologized for the Komagata Maru incident on behalf of the Canadian government. A resolution calling for the same had been earlier passed by the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (the province where Vancouver is situated).

Centenary Commemoration of Komagata Maru Incident begins

The commencement of the yearlong celebration commemorating the completion of 100 years after the Komagat Maru incident was undertaken by the Ministry of Culture in New Delhi.

Inaugural Function

Three granddaughters of Baba Gurdit Singh, the hero of the incident, were honored at the function inaugurating the beginning of the celebrations. A set of commemorative coins of Rs. 5 and Rs.100 denominations were also released.

Celebrations

A National Implementation Committee has been constituted by the central government to finalise and decide on the programmes to be undertaken in the one year span. The programmes are believed to include national and international conference, publications, development of digital archives, making of movies and documentaries etc. An International Seminar titled ‘Komagata Maru: Context, Significance and Legacy’ is one of the proposals being considered. A week long function in Vancouver is also being planned. Efforts are being made to honour the descendants of the Indians involved in the incident and the Canadians who helped the cause financially or legally.

19. Velankanni is a holy town situated on the shores of Bay of Bengal in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. This town is home to a significant Roman Catholic Shrine dedicated to God in the name of “Our Lady of Good Health” and the church is called “Brasilica of Our Lady of Good Health”. It is one of the most visited pilgrim centers in India. Annually, 20 million pilgrims flock to the shrine from all over India and abroad, out which an estimated 3 million people visit the shrine during its annual festival from 29 August to 8 September. The 11-day annual festival concludes with the celebration of the “Feast of the Nativity of Mary” on 8 September. The unique feature of this Roman Catholic Church is the Gothic style of architecture.  The church is an imposing building with inspiring architecture. While the buildings have been painted white roof of the church is made by the tiles with striking red in contrast to the colour of the walls.  The status of Brasilica has been extended to the church located in this town.

Velankanni has also been declared a holy city by the Pope. This shrine is considered as the divine city and it has been proved for centuries. Velankanni is fondly known as the 'Lourdes of the East'. "[Lourdes is the very famous Marian Shrine of Europe in France]. The shrine is a great combination of international, multicultural, and religious harmony. There is an interesting practice here that pilgrims offer candles to the mother to cure themselves. Candles are in shape of the respective ailment- a heart in case of cardiac complications and lungs in case of tuberculosis and so on.

24. Odhisa’s Sun Temple gets ASI’s Adarsh Monument tag:

Sun Temple at Konark, Odhisa has been the coveted with “Adarsh Monument tag” by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). By awarding this monument Adarsh Monument tag, Central government gives them special attention in order to boost international tourism.

Under Adarsh Smarak Yojana, ASI provides amenities of international standards like washrooms, drinking water, signs, cafeteria, audiovisual centres, Wi-Fi connectivity, interpretation centres and encroachment-free areas around these monuments.

Konark SunTemple: It is a 13th century temple of Odisha, built by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. It is also known as Black Pagoda. It’s a World Heritage Site. It is considered as architectural marvel for which Odisha, best known worldwide.

Additional Information:

Along with Sun Temple, three other monuments of eastern India were given Adarsh Monument tag. They are

ü  Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

ü  Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar.

ü  Rang Ghar in Sibsagar (Sivasagar) district of Assam.

At present, 25 out of 3,680 protected monuments in India have been selected under the Adarsh Smarak Yojana. It includes monuments like Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, Qutab Minar and Red Fort which have highest number of tourists visiting them.

25. People from 11 countries take part in First Buddha Heritage Walk in Bihar

People from 11 countries have taken part in First Buddha Heritage Walk in Bihar. In this heritage walk over 500 pilgrims from 11 countries walked through a 13-km-long forest trail.

·         They walked through the trail which Lord Gautam Buddha had taken to reach Rajgir from Bodh Gaya around 2,543 years ago. As per scholars, this well documented route is among such several routes taken by Buddha during his 45 years of preaching in various parts of India.It passes through lush green forest, hills and valleys and several ancient Stupas can be seen in the along the route. It is also believed that Bimibsara (emperor of the Magadha Empire from 542 BC till 492 BC) took Lord Buddha to Venu Van near Rajgir on this route and offered him place to stay as a gift. Buddha had stayed there during his visit.

It was organized by Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC).

Buddhist monks from Japan, China, South Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, and India took part in it.

26. Tamu Lhochhar festival being observed in Nepal on 30th December

Tamu Lhochhar festival is being observed on 30th December with gaiety and full fervor in Nepal which marks new year among different communities.

It is the biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism and generally being observed by the Gurungs at different places in Nepal including in the Kathmandu Valley.

The people of Tamang, Sherpa, Gurung, Magar, Thakali, Jirel, Nesyangwa, Bhote, Dura and Lepcha communities and others celebrates this festival.

The Gurung community mark this festival as Tamu Lhochhar while the Tamangs and other communities celebrate it as Sonam Lhochhar on the first day of waxing moon in the Nepali month Magh. While Sherpas and Bhotes celebrate it as Gyalpo Lhochhar.

On this day, the junior members of the community and family receive blessings from seniors and greet each other wishing for good health, happiness and prosperity.

People of these communities who are living and working abroad also celebrate this festival with exchanging New Year greetings and joy.

Losar festival beings in Ladakh

The festival of Losar has begun in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. 10 day long festival began with illumination of religious and residential places.

This festival marks the beginning of New Year in Ladakh and it is an important social and religious celebration in Ladakh. Losar is Tibetan word for ‘new year’.

Traditional Celebrations of festival:

·         Following tradition, people from Ladakh visit graveyards of ancestor family members and pray for peace for the departed soul.

·         Special food items during the festival are prepared to mark the occasion. People visit each other for exchange of Losar greetings.

In India, Losar is also celebrated by Yolmo, Sherpa, Tamang, Gurung, and Bhutia communities residing in different regions in the country.

3 day Flamingo Festival begins near Pulicat Lake in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh

3 day Flamingo Festival has begun at the famous brackish water of Lake Pulicat in Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary located at Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. It will be hosted in Doravari Satram mandal, in Nellore district.

This festival provides a unique opportunity for people, particularly ornithologists, environmentalists, bird watchers, forest and tourism officials

·         To study the bio-diversity of Pulicat and Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary

·         To initiate measure to conserve the bio-zones for future generations in this area.

It also promotes eco-tourism in the district. In this three day festival, several cultural and entertainment programmes will take place.

Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary

·         The Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, considered one of the biggest habitats for some hundreds of pelicans and other birds.

·         It is located about 20 km north of the Pulicat Lake on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border.

·         This sanctuary spread in an area about 459 hectares.

·         Every year from October to March, different species of migratory birds, roosting migrants and some rare and endangered species from various parts of the world visit the habitat.

·         This sanctuary plays important role in nesting of various birds especially migratory birds.

·         Birds found in this sanctuary are: Flamingos, Pelicans, Siberian Storks, Open Billed Storks, Night Herons, Egrets, Little Cormorant, Golden Backed Wood Pecker, Spotted and Ring Doves, King Fishers, Painted Storks, White Necked Storks, Spoon Bills and other species of birds.

·         The villagers in area nearby to this sanctuary treat the migratory birds with affection and provide protection to them.

·          

·         29. Warangal, otherwise called as “Ekasilanagaram” [city carved out of single stone] is a tri-city, formed of Warangal proper, Hanumakonda and Kazipet.   Construction of Warangal Fort began in 1199 CE during the period of Ganapathi Deva and was completed in 1261 AD by his daughter Rudrama Devi.  Huge stone gateways called Kakatiya Toranas are the main attractions in the fort. This fort is surrounded by a gigantic mud wall standing 20 feet tall which has two layers, the second layer is completely made up of granite. There are around 45 pillars which spread in area over 19 km of radius; these pillars are circled around a temple called Swayambhudevi Aalayam which means temple of Mother Earth. Thousand Pillar Temple dates from 1163 CE and was constructed under the orders of Rudradeva of the Kakatiya dynasty. This temple is in shape of star and contains three shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. There is a rock carved Nandi which connects these three shrines. The sculptural beauty of this temple is a reminiscent of Kakatiyan heritage.

45. Badruddin Tyabji is from Indian National Congress.

65. The Badami cave temples are a complex of temples located at Badami, a town in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. They are considered an example of India rock cut architecture, especially, Badami Chalukya architecture. Badami or Vatapi, the capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka from middle of 6th until the middle of 8th centuries There are 4 rock cut temples at Badami belong to Hindu and Jain religion. The fifth one was naturally made cave, where the statue of Buddha was carved. Cave 1 is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Cave 2 and 3 to Lord Vishnu and the 4^th one belonged to Jain religion. These cave temples have features of both Nagara and Dravidian styles of architecture. The uniqueness of these temples is that inscriptions are appearing in Kannada script. 

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