Current Affairs - Art/Culture/Heritage

The city of Varanasi has been nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital during the period 2022-2023 at the 22nd Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022.

India’s Defence Minister recently visited Tran Quoc Pagoda, a revered Buddhist temple in Hanoi city of Vietnam.

• This pagoda is an example of age-old civilisational and people-to-people linkages between the two countries.

During the recent ‘Quad’ Summit in Japan, Indian Prime Minister presented gifts that carry India’s rich cultural heritage.

On the occasion of Buddha Purnima (16 May 2022), Union Minister of Tourism & Culture inaugurated various amenities at ancient Kanheri Caves.

About Kanheri Caves

• The Kanheri caves comprise of more than 110 different rock-cut monolithic excavations and one of the largest single excavations in the country.

Iron implements unearthed from excavations at Mayiladumparai in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district have revealed that the Iron Age in Tamil Nadu dates back 4,200 years, potentially making it the oldest in India, for now.

• Previously, the Iron Age burial site of Adichanallur in southern Tamil Nadu dated between 1000 BCE and 600 BCE.