Prelims in Focus, an IAS Abhiyan Initiative to quickly navigate through the important facts, current affairs, static portion to enrich aspirant’s knowledge base along with conceptual clarity. Our Prelims in Focus initiative will surely be an added advantage for UPSC Prelims Examinations. This initiative will help the aspirants to focus to the main points of a topic quickly at the same time. In this initiative, we will cover 10-15 important facts on a daily basis. Click here to Join our Telegram Channel to read these articles.  We will continue our Monthly Pre-Bits Flash Liner along with this initiative. 

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Prelims in Focus-Part-31

1. Architectural heritage of Bundi
   __________
   1) Garh (Fort): Taragarh

   2) Garh Mahal (Royal Palace)
   ➖Bhoj Mahal➖Chattar Mahal➖Ummed Mahal

   3) Baori (Step well)
   ➖Khoj Darwaja ki Baori➖Bhawaldi Baori

   4) Kund (Stepped tank)
   ➖Dhabhai ji ka Kund➖Nagar Kund & Sagar Kund➖Rani Kund

   5) Sagar mahal (Lake Palace)
   ➖Moti Mahal➖Sukh Mahal➖Shikar Burj

2. Taragarh Fort
   _____________
   ➖Constructed by Rao raja Bair Singh in 1354.
   ➖In the centre of the fort is located Bhim Bhurj on which was once mounted a particularly large cannon called Garbh Gunjam, or ‘Thunder from the Womb’.
   ➖With its curved roofs topping pavilions, excess of temple columns and elephant and lotus motifs, the palace is a tribute to Rajput style. ➖The fort includes Hazari Darwaza, Haathi Pol, Nau Dhaan, Ratan Daulatkhana, Darikhana, Ratan Niawas, Chatra mahal, Badal Mahal & Moti Mahal.
3. Bundi: Architectural Heritage of a Forgotten Rajput Capital
   ________________
   ➖Also known as City of stepwalls, blue city and also as Chotti Kashi.

   ➖In ancient times, the area around Bundi was apparently inhabited by various local tribes, of which the Parihar Tribes,

   ➖Temples constructed in early phase of Bundi’s growth were is classical Nagara style

   ➖Absence of monumentality in their scale is a distinctive feature of temples

   ➖Best example of medieval Indian city exhibiting water harvesting methods adopted at settlement level as well as finest examples of water architecture.

   ➖Raniji ki Baori, also known as ‘Queen’s Stepwell’, is a famous stepwell built in 1699 by Rani Nathavati Ji

4. Echinops Sahyadricus (Sahyadri globe thistle)
   _________
   ➖New plant species
   ➖Discovered by India and Italy in Rajgad Fort area
   ➖Located in the Sahyadri hills in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra
   ➖Under the genus Echinops (spiny thistle) and an erect branched flowering herb with stout stems, is endemic to western Maharashtra
   ➖Found only on a few open hilltops in the northern Western Ghats
   ➖Grows mostly on open mountain slopes from 800 to 1400 metres (m) above sea level
   ➖Similar to other species found in the country such as Indian globe thistle (Echinops echinatus) and the great globe thistle (Echinops sphaerocephalus)
   _________
   Note: In India, Echinops are distributed across the Himalayas and neighbouring areas, while a species is endemic to Rajasthan. The new species is endemic to Maharashtra. However, the Usnakantaka (Echinops echinatus Roxb) is found across Indian sub-continent, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Myanmar in dry open scrublands.
5. Three new odonate species of Reedtail damselflies (Protosticta species) were discovered from across three states in the southern Western Ghats.
6. A tiny and colourful fish species inhabiting streams and water rich in oxygen, Schistura, a freshwater loach, was discovered from the Sahyadris.
7. The Academic Association
   ______
   ➖Established in 1828 under the guidance of Derozio

   Arranged discussions on subjects such as:

   ➖Free will, free ordination, fate, faith, the sacredness of truth, the high duty of cultivating virtue, and the meanness of vice, the nobility of patriotism, the attributes of God, and the arguments for and against the existence of the deity.

8. The Society for the Acquisition of General Knowledge
   _________
   ➖Established on 20 February 1838.

   ➖200 members in 1843.

   ➖Trachand Chakrabarti was its president, Ramgopal Ghosh its vice president and Peary Chand Mitra its president.

   ➖Elected David Hare as honorary visitor.

9. The Academic Association and The Society for the Acquisition of General Knowledge of the Young Bengal group were forerunners of later organisations such as the Landholders’ Society, British India Society, and British Indian Association with all of which the Young Bengal group had links.

10. Belmont Forum
    ________
    ➖Created in 2009, is a high level group of the world’s major and emerging funders of global environmental change research and international science councils

    ➖Provides an opportunity to identify study and deliver international environmental research priorities, for the society, in an accelerated way through trans­national research collaboration between natural and social scientists and alignment of international resources

    ➖India is a member

    ➖Ministry of Earth Science (MoES), represents India in the Belmont Forum since 2012