- Efforts are being made to get UNESCO to declare the ongoing annual ‘Paruveta utsavam’ (mock hunting festival), as an ‘intangible cultural heritage’.
- Festival starts annually on Makarasankranthi at Sri Narasimha Swamy temple, Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh and lasts for about 40 to 45 days.
- Ahobilam is situated amidst Nallamala Forest in Eastern Ghats, and is the centre of worship of Narasimha, the lion-headed avatar of Lord Vishnu.
- It is one of 108 Divya Desams (Temples of Shri Vishnu).
- Casualties reported during Hori Habba raise concerns about animal and human safety.
- Hori Habba also known as Hatti Habba, is a bull-taming rural sport held in Karnataka.
- Other Animal Sports in India
- Jallikattu: Bull-taming sport held during Pongal in Tamilnadu.
- Kambala: A traditional buffalo race from coastal Karnataka.
- Rooster fight (Cockfight): It is associated with gambling in many states including Andhra Pradesh.
- Bulbul fights: Held in Assam during Magh Bihu.
- Bullock Cart Race: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu etc.
- Two persons from Kutia Kondh Tribe attended Republic Day parade in New Delhi as special guests.
- About Kutia Kondh (Kutia Kandha)
- They are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) from Odisha.
- Currently, 75 tribes are given status of PVTGs in India, of which Odisha houses the most number of them (13).
- Society and culture:
- Families are mostly nuclear and patriarchal in character.
- Kondhs worship nature.
- Known for their buffalo sacrifice ritual, called "Kedu" to worship their “Earth Goddess".
- Agriculture:
- Shifting cultivation, or slash-and-burn agriculture.
- Kondhs call it dongar chaas or podu chaas.
- They are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) from Odisha.
- Stones bearing 11th century Grantham inscriptions and 16th century Tamil inscriptions were discovered near Kangayam in Tamil Nadu.
- Grantha is the script used in Tamil Nadu for writing the Prakrit and Sanskrit language.
- Grantha script traces its roots to Pallava period with Mahendravarman’s Tiruchirappalli rock cut cave and other cave temple inscriptions.
- Other Grantha inscriptions include Narsimhan’s Mamallapuram, Kanchi Kailasnatha temple inscriptions, Pandyan Nedunjadaiyan's Anaimalai inscription and inscriptions of Cholas of Thanjavur.
Tags:
- The 58th Jnanpith Award for the year 2023 has been awarded to Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya ji for Sanskrit and Shri Gulzar for Urdu.
- Jnanpith Award
- Instituted in 1961, the Award has been given by Bharatiya Jnanpith annually since 1965 for outstanding contributions to Indian literature.
- Bharatiya Jnanpith, formally established in 1944, is one of the premier literary organizations and publication houses in India.
- Recognized as the highest literary award.
- Conferred for literature in Indian languages and English.
- Presented by Presidents, Prime Ministers and international celebrities.
- Instituted in 1961, the Award has been given by Bharatiya Jnanpith annually since 1965 for outstanding contributions to Indian literature.
