Art and Culture of India and Sanatana Dharma
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will mark the scheme’s third anniversary on September 17, 2026, in Kolkata, where beneficiaries from different traditional trades will participate alongside government institutions, banks, local bodies and organisations involved in implementing the programme.
The work is being carried out at Perikamana Illamparamba in the Kozhummal–Peralam area of Karivellur, where seven megalithic umbrella stones, locally known as kudakkals, have been identified.
Among the most notable objects is a Kirtimukh, the stylised protective face commonly incorporated into Indian temple architecture, particularly above entrances and architectural openings. Archaeologists have also identified the carved capital of a temple pillar and portions of a Dev Khostam or Devakoshta, an architectural feature associated with the placement of sacred images.
Debroy’s edition is a complete and unabridged English translation based on the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata. Extending across ten volumes, it brings together the central account of the Pandavas and Kauravas with the epic’s numerous philosophical discussions, genealogies, legends, political reflections and subsidiary narratives.
Modern Termez stands close to the Amu Darya in the Surkhandarya region of southern Uzbekistan, near the country’s border with Afghanistan. In antiquity, this region formed part of Bactria, a crossroads connecting the Indian subcontinent with Iran, Central Asia and the wider Silk Road.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo formally marked the commencement of the new excavation season during a visit to the site, where he inspected the trenches, archaeological remains and antiquities recovered during the first phase. The work is being undertaken by the Centre of Central Asian Studies at the University of Kashmir in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums.
Situated near Varanasi, Sarnath occupies a unique place in the history of Buddhism. It is traditionally identified as the location where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, setting in motion the teaching of the Dharma. The event is remembered as Dharmachakra Pravartana — the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma — and marked the beginning of the Buddhist Sangha.
Located on the left bank of the Swat River in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barikot is identified with ancient Bazira, also known in regional traditions as Vajirasthana. Archaeological evidence indicates human occupation in the area from at least the second millennium BCE, followed by successive Early Historic, Indo-Greek, Kushan, Kushano-Sasanian, later Hindu Shahi and early Islamic phases.
The discovery comes from Leilo Kaa, a rock shelter in the Chiphur area of Noklak district near the India-Myanmar frontier. A joint team from Nagaland University’s Department of History and Archaeology and the Government of Nagaland’s Department of Art and Culture conducted the first preliminary archaeological cave expedition in the district in March 2026. The wider survey identified and mapped five caves and four rock shelters across the rugged limestone terrain of the Naga Hills Ophiolite Belt.
The inscription was noticed after villagers cleared vegetation around the temple and alerted local researchers. Scholars associated with the Krishnagiri District Government Museum and historical research organisations subsequently examined the stone and identified it as a medieval merchant-guild inscription.
