Saturday, December 24, 2016
GK SERIES FOR SSC,IAS,PCS,HAS,HCS AND OTHER COMPETITIVE EXAMS (HISTORY-20)
GK SERIES FOR SSC,IAS,PCS,HAS,HCS
AND OTHER COMPETITIVE EXAMS
(HISTORY-20)
MUGHAL-3
ART, ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURE UNDER THE MUGHALS
The
Mughal Age is called as the “Second Classical Age”, the first being the Gupta
Age in northern India. Three most important aspects of cultural developments
during the Mughal period were:
1)
The
Mughal culture was largely secular and aristocratic.
2)
In
the growth and enrichment of this culture, people from different parts of India
and outside contributed equally, and
3)
The
cultural norms which the Mughals introduced in India in the field of
architecture, painting, music etc. deeply influenced the future course of
Indian culture during the subsequent centuries.
Architecture:
·
The
history of Mughal architecture begins with Babur, who have undertaken many
building projects at Agra, Dholpur, Gwalior and other places. He built two
mosques, one at Kabulibagh in Panipat and other at Sambhal in Rohilkhand.
·
In
the early years of Humayun’s reign, he built a city at Delhi, called the Din-panah
(World Refuge). The mausoleum of Humayun in Delhi heralded the new movement. In
spirit, the structure of Humayun’s tomb stands as an example of synthesis of
two great building traditions of Asia, namely the Persian and the Indian. It
was built by his widow Haji Begum.
·
Thus,
the contribution of both Babur and Humayun to the growth of Mughal architecture
is almost negligible.
GK SERIES FOR SSC,IAS,PCS,HAS,HCS AND OTHER COMPETITIVE EXAMS (HISTORY-19)
GK SERIES FOR SSC,IAS,PCS,HAS,HCS
AND OTHER COMPETITIVE EXAMS
(HISTORY-19)
MUGHAL-2
Jahangir(1605 - 27):
·
He issued Twelve ‘Edicts’ or
‘Ordinances’ for the general welfare and better government of the country.
·
Established Zanjir-i-Adal
(Chain of justice) at Agra fort for justice seekers.
·
Rebellion by prince Khusrau
(Jahangir’s son) at Lahore (1606). Jahangir personally suppressed the
rebellion. The fifth Sikh Guru Arjun Dev ji, with whom the rebel prince had
stayed at Tarn Taran and also received his blessings, was at first fined by the
government, but as he refused to pay the fine he was sentenced to death.
·
The first military
expedition undertaken by Jahangir was against Rana Amar Singh, son of Rana
Patap of Mewar. The Mughal expeditions sent against Mewar in 1606 and 1608-09
proved indecisive, but in 1613-14 the campaign led by prince Khurram proved
decisive and Rana Amar Singh came to terms with the Mughals in 1615. Jahangir
offered most liberal terms to Mewar and thus ended a long drawn out struggle
between Mewar and the Mughals.
·
He pursued his father’s plan
of territorial expansion beyond the Narmada. The first target was a
half-conquered Sultanate of Ahmadnagar.
·
The greatest failure of
Jahangir’s reign was the loss of Kandahar to Persia. Shah Abbas of Persia
(15871629), outwardly professing friendship towards the Mughals, captured
Kandahar in 1622. The loss of Kandahar greatly affected the Mughal prestige in
Central Asia.
·
Jahangir married young widow
Mihar-un-nisa (widow of Sher Afghan),
daughter of a Persian Mirza Ghiyas Beg and conferred on her the title of Nur Mahal (Light of the Place) which
was later changed to Nur Jahan. In 1613, she was promoted to the status of
padshah Begum, coins were struck in her name and on all farmans her name was
attached to the imperial signature.
·
Nur Jahan’s influence
secured high positions for her father who got the title Itimad-ud-daulah and
her brother, Asaf Khan. A year after her own marriage, Asaf Khan’s Mumtaz
Mahal, was married to Khurram, the ablest of Jahangir’s sons.
·
In 1620, Nur Jahan married
Ladli Begum (her daughter by Sher Afghan) to Jahangir’s youngest son Shahryar
and supported the cause of her son-in-law Shahryar as heir apparent to the
throne, while her brother Asaf Khan supported his son-in-law Khurram (who had
already been conferred the title of Shah Jahan).
·
Jahangir also married
Manmati or Jodha Bai, daughter of Raja Jagat Singh of Marwar.
·
Many of the events of the
period, such as Khusrau’s murder, Mahavat Khan’s coup and Salim’s rebellion,
were all results of this factional politics.
·
Jahangir’s court was visited
by two representatives of King James I
of England, namely, Captain Hawkins (1608-11) and Sir Thoms Roe(1615- 19) and
as a result of the efforts of Thomas Roe English factories were established at
Surat, Agra, Ahmedabad and Broach.
·
He was buried at Lahore.
Shah Jahan(1628-58):
·
At the time of Jahangir’s
death in October 1627, Shah Jahan was in the Deccan. At Lahore, Nur Jahan
proclaimed Shahryar as the emperor, while Asaf Khan put Dawar Baksh, son of
Khusrau, on the throne as a temporary arrangement till the return of Shah Jahan.
·
Shah Jahan arrived at Agra
in February 1628, Dawar Baksh was deposed and Asaf Khan defeated. He captures
and blinded Shahryar.
·
The first three years of
Shah Jahan’s reign were disturbed by the rebellions of the Bundela Chief Juhar
Singh and of Khan Jhan Lodi. He ousted the Portuguese from Hugli in 1931and
occupied it.
·
After the death of her
beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal in 1631, he built Taj Mahal at Agra in her memory.
·
In 1632, the Nizam Shahi
kingdom of Ahmadnagar was finally annexed to the Mughal Empire.
·
In 1636-37, Shah Jahan
himself arrived in the Deccan and after a show of strength forced Bijapur and
Golcunda to accept the Mughal suzerainty and pay annual tribute.
·
In 1636, Aurangzeb, son of
Shah Jahan, was appointed the Mughal viceroy in the Deccan. The territories in
his charge were divided into four subahs:
a. Khandesh
with its capital at Burhampur and stronghold at Asirgarh,
b. Berar
with its capital at Eclichpur,
c. Telengana
with its capital at Nanded, and
d. Ahmadnagar.
·
No attempt was made to
recapture Kandhar till 1638. The opportunity, however, came in 1639, when Ali
Mardan Khan, the disgruntled Persian Governor of Kandahar, delivered the fort to
the Mughals without fighting.
·
Similarly, taking advantage
of internal rebellions in Balkh and Badakhshan and the unpopularity of the
ruler of these states, Shah Jahan sent an expedition under his son Murad in
1646 and the Mughal army occupied both these states.
·
Shah Abbas II of Persia once
again captured Kandahar from the Mughals in 1649. Subsequently, Shah Jahan sent
three expeditions to recover Kandahar, but all proved to be miserable failures.
·
The second term of Aurangazeb’s
viceroyalty in the Deccan began in 1653 and continued till 1658. He secured the
service of a very comptent revenue administrator named Murshid Quli Khan whom
he appointed as his diwan.
·
For purpose of revenue
administration Murshid Quli Khan divided the Mughal subahs into ‘lowlands’ and
‘highland’.
·
Todarmal’s zabti system of
survey and assessment was also extended to the Deccan with some changes suited
to the local conditions. These measures led to improvement in agriculture and
increase in the revenue in a few years.
·
In 1656, Aurangzeb planned
to annex Golconda. In this task Mir Jumla (whose actual name was Muhammad
Sayyid), wazir of Golconda, also colluded. In February 1656, Aurangzeb laid
siege of Golconda.
·
In 1657, the Adil Shahi
kingdom of Bijapur was attacked, and on the intervention of Shah Jahan and Dara
Shikoh peace was made with Bijapur too.
·
Meanwhile, Shah Jahan fell
ill and a war of succession seemed imminent. At the time of Shah Jahan’s
sickness in September 1657, his eldest son Dara was at his bedside in Agra;
Shuja was governor in Bengal; Aurangzeb was viceroy in the Deccan. The youngest
Murad was governor in Gujarat.
·
In the closing weeks of
1657, when Shah Jahan was on the way to full recovery, Shuja crowned himself in
Bengal. Murad did the same in Gujarat and then formed an alliance with
Aurangzeb who was already marching towards Agra. In February 1658, the forces
of Murad joined him near Ujjain. The imperial forces sent to contain the
combined forces of Murad and Aurangzeb were defeated in the battle of Dharmat,
near Ujjain. After Dharmat, Aurangzeb marched towards Agra and in the ensuing
battle at Sumugarh, near Agra, the Mughal forces under Dara were decisively
defeated and he fled from Agra.
·
In June 1658, the fort of
Agra also surrendered and Shah Jahan was made a prisoner. The echo of the war
of succession continued till 1661 and in between 1658 and 1661 all the
remaining sons of Shah Jahan were killed or excuted.
·
Shah Jahan passed the
remaining years of his life in captivity. He was buried in Taj Mahal.
·
Three most important factors
responsible for the war of succession were:
a. Shah
Jahan’s partisan attitude towards Dara,
b. old
rivalry between Dara and Aurangzeb, and
c. Dara
and Aurangzeb led two factions of the Mughal court, Dara representing
liberalism and Aurangzeb the conservative elements.
·
Mughal architecture under
him reached its zenith. A large trade developed between India and Western Asia
and Europe, which greatly contributed to the travelers.
·
Two Frenchmen, Bernier and
Travenier and an Italian adventurer Manucci, the author of the Storio Dor
Mogor, visited his court.
Friday, December 23, 2016
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 23rd DEC 2016
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 23rd DEC 2016
(Daily News India)
Shared By: WWW.DailyGk.IN
1. NAJEEB JUNG:
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF DELHI RESIGNED
i. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has submitted his resignation
to the Government of India.
ii. According to a statement released by his office, Jung, who was the
13th Vice-Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia university, would be returning
to academics.
2.
SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARD ANNOUNCED
i. Sahitya Akademi announced the Sahitya Akademi Awards for the year
2016 in 24 languages.
ii. Mumbai-based writer Jerry Pinto, Tamil author Vannadhasan, Hindi
writer Nasira Sharma are among 24 others declared the winners.
iii. Among the winners are eight book of poetry, seven books of short
stories, five novels, two on criticism, one of essays and one play.
iv. The books were chosen on the basis of recommendations made by a jury
of three in the languages concerned and approved by its executive board.
3. GIRIJA
VAIDYANATHAN : CHIEF SECRETARY OF TAMIL NADU
i. Girija Vaidyanathan has been appointed as Chief Secretary of Tamil
Nadu in place of P. Rama Mohana Rao.
ii. Ms.Vaidyanathan will also hold full additional charge of Vigilance
Commissioner and Commissioner for Administrative Reforms.
4.
GUJARAT GOVT ANNOUNCES AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE POLICY-2016
i. Gujarat government has announced Aerospace and Defence Policy-2016 to
attract investment into fields of aerospace and defence design.
ii. Under the policy, investors will be entitled to get 100 %
reimbursement on stamp duty and registration charges paid for purchase, lease
or mortgage of land meant for setting up the facility in the areas of Aerospace
and Defence.
5. INDIA
SURPASSES UNITED KINGDOM TO BECOME 5TH LARGEST ECONOMY
i. As per the report published in Forbes magazine, India has overtaken
the United Kingdom in terms of the size of the economy.
ii. With this major shift in world economy, India has now become the 5th
largest country in terms of the size of
the economy after the United States, China, Japan and Germany.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 21 Dec. 2016
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 21 DEC. 2016
1.
As per a Union Cabinet decision, the Indian Enterprise Development
Services will be created in the Ministry of
a) Human Resources Development
b)
Commerce and Industry
c)
Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises
d)
Heavy Industries
ANS -C
2. Which Queen’s last letter to India has
been put up on display at an Indian Museum?
a) Elizabeth II
b)
Victoria
c)
Diana
d)
Margrethe II
ANS -B
3. Which reigning monarch has decided to
step down as the patron of some of the charity organisations by the end of
2016?
a)
Emperor Akihito
b)
Queen Elizabeth II
c) King Philippe
d)
Queen Margrethe II
ANS -B
4. Which telecom company has paired up with
SBI to launch a mobile app in Assam to facilitate cashless transactions?
a)
BSNL
b) Vodafone India
c) Reliance
Jio
d) Airtel
ANS -A
5. India’s first cashless bazaar recently
came up in which of the following states?
a) Haryana
b)
Punjab
c) Assam
d)
Chhattisgarh
ANS -D
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 20 Dec. 2016
CURRENT AFFAIRS Quiz - 20 Dec
1. What is India’s rank in the Global Wind
Power Installed Capacity index?
a) First
b) Second
c) Fourth
d) Fifth
ANS : C
2. A rainbow-headed snake was recently
discovered by the scientists in which of the following regions?
a) Brazil's Atlantic Forest
b) Greater
Mekong
c) Madagascar
d) Western
Ghats
ANS : B
3. The United Nations Security Council voted
to deploy UN observers to monitor evacuations in which of the following Syrian
cities?
a) Palmyra
b) Aleppo
c) Damascus
d) Homs
ANS : B
4. Identify the Tamil poet whose statue was
recently inaugurated on the bank of River Ganga in Haridwar.
a) Thiruvalluvar
b) Nakkirar
c) Mamulanar
d) Agastya
ANS : A
5. Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar was recently
appointed as the Chief Justice of India by the President Pranab Mukherjee.
Justice Kehar is the
a) 43rd
Chief Justice of India
b) 45th Chief Justice of India
c) 44th
Chief Justice of India
d) 42nd Chief Justice of India
ANS : C
6. Senate of which country has passed a
resolution seeking withdrawal of its biggest currency notes?
a) Yemen
b) Pakistan
c) Bangladesh
d) Afghanistan
ANS : B
7. A huge dead zone has been discovered
recently in one of the major water bodies. Which among the following is the
water body?
a) South China Sea
b) Bay
of Bengal
c) Arabian
Sea
d) Indian Ocean
ANS : B
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 22nd DEC 2016
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 22nd DEC 2016
(Daily News India)
Shared By: WWW.DailyGk.IN
1. INDIA
AND KYRGYZSTAN SIGNED 6 AGREEMENTS
i. India and Kyrgyzstan have signed 6 agreements to boost bilateral
cooperation.
ii. The agreements were signed in New Delhi during the State visit of
Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambaye.
2. 9TH
WORLD CONFLUENCE OF HUMANITY, POWER AND SPIRITUALITY: NEW DELHI
i. The ninth edition of World Confluence of Humanity, Power and
Spirituality, organised by ASSOCHAM in association with SREI Foundation and
Times Foundation, introduced a fresh culture of ‘Spirituality @ Work’ through
its brand Sach Bharat, inspiring distinguished industrialists, business
leaders, industry captains and noted politicians to imbibe spirituality at
their respective work places and lives.
ii.The Confluence was inaugurated in the presence of ASSOCHAM President
Mr. Sunil Kanoria, Hon’ble President of
India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, and SREI Foundation Chairman Dr. Hari Prasad
Kanoria.
3. GOVT
ANNOUNCES RS 207 CRORE PROJECT FOR PROTECTION OF MAJULI ISLAND
i. Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Dr Jitendra
Singh has announced to provide 207 crore rupees for protection and development
of the world heritage island Majuli located in Assam.
4.
CHHATTISGARH CM LAUNCHES COUNTRY’S FIRST CASHLESS BAZAAR IN RAIPUR
i. Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh has launched India’s first cashless
bazaar in Raipur.
ii. This ‘Smart’ bazaar be composed of nearly Over 900 shops which are
providing the facilities of cashless payments using POS, UPI.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 21ST DEC 2016
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 21ST DEC 2016
(Daily News India)
Shared By: WWW.DailyGk.IN
1. EPFO
LOWERS INTEREST RATE ON EPF TO 8.65%
i. Employee's Provident Fund Organization decided to lower the interest
on EPF deposits for the current fiscal to 8.65%, from 8.8%.
ii.The Employees Provident Fund Organisation's apex decision-making
body, the Central Board of Trustees has
taken a decision to lower the interest rate.
2.
INDIA-NEPAL FOLK CRAFTS FESTIVAL STARTED IN KATHMANDU
i. The five-day India-Nepal Folk Crafts Festival 2016 begins in
Kathmandu, Nepal to promote cultural
exchanges between the two countries.
ii. The Main aim of the festival to promote crafts based bilateral
relations and enhance cultural exchanges between the artisans of two countries.
3. ANDY
MURRAY WINS 3RD BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
i. After claiming his second Wimbledon title and maiden ATP World Tour
Finals crown, Britain's world number one Andy Murray won third BBC Sports
Personality of the Year award.
ii. Murray previously won the award in 2013 and 2015.
4.
PRIYANKA CHOPRA: ASSAM TOURISM BRAND AMBASSADOR
i. Bollywood actress, Priyanka Chopra became the brand ambassador of Assam
state tourism.
ii. Priyanka Chopra will promote brand entity of "Awesome
Assam".
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 20TH DEC 2016
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 20TH DEC 2016
(Daily News India)
1. PM NARENDRA MODI UNVEILED FIRST EVER INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
SKILLS
i. PM Narendra Modi unveiled first ever Indian Institute of Skills
at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
ii. Modi also launched Kaushal Pradarshini to
portray major skill development initiatives of the Union Ministry of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship.
iii. The primary objective of the institute is to
empower India’s youth to be more employable and self-sustainable.
iv. The plan is to set up six such institutes
across the country in coming years.
About Kaushal Pradarshini
i. The objective is to provide quality education,
better skills and employment opportunities.
ii. National Mission for Skill Development was
launched in July 2015 to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by 2022.
2. JUSTICE J S KHEHAR
APPOINTED AS 44TH CJI
i. Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar was appointed as the 44th Chief Justice of
India.
ii. Justice Khehar will be the first
Chief Justice of India from the Sikh community.
3. UNION GOVERNMENT FORMS HIGH-LEVEL TASK FORCE ON INDUS WATER
TREATY
i. The Union government formed a high-level inter-ministerial task
force to look into all the strategic aspects of Indus Water Treaty with
Pakistan.
ii. This task force will be headed by
PM Narendra Modi's Principal Secretary Nripendra
Mishra.
4. KARUN NAIR BECAME
SECOND INDIAN TO SCORE TRIPLE CENTURY IN TESTS
i.
Indian cricketer Karun Nair scored triple century in first innings of
the fifth and final test-match against England.
ii. Nair became the second Indian
batsmen to score triple century in tests after Virendra Sehwag.