·       It was founded in 1569 by the great Mughal emperor Akbar, and from 1571 to 1585, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire.

·       The Mughal capital was moved to Delhi in 1586 because of Fatehpur Sikri’s inadequate water supply.

·       It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986.

Architecture:

·       The structures in Fatehpur Sikri combine elements of Persian, Indian, and Central Asian styles.

·       The structures are made primarily of red sandstone, which gives the city its distinctive appearance.

·       It is enclosed by an 11 km long fortification wall interspersed with numerous gateways.

Notable buildings in the complex include:

·       Jama Masjid: It is home to the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. It is known for its imposing structure, graceful arches, and intricately designed prayer hall.

·       Buland Darwaza: This colossal gateway, also known as the “Gate of Magnificence,” is an iconic monument of Fatehpur Sikri. It was built to commemorate Akbar’s victorious campaign in Gujarat and is a grand example of Mughal architecture.

·       Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Aam: These are two prominent buildings within the complex. The Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) was where Akbar held private meetings, while the Diwan-i-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) was for conducting public affairs.

·       Panch Mahal: This five-storied palace is a unique structure with open pavilions on each level. It served as a place for relaxation and entertainment.

·       The FMR was implemented in 2018 as part of the Central government’s Act East policy.

·       FMR is implemented by both governments for the people living along the IMB.

·       This helps locals to get more culturally assimilated with trans-border villages through weddings, celebrating common festivals together and trans-border trade.

·       It is a reflection of the physical, ethnic, linguistic, cultural and fraternal linkages among the trans-border villagers.

·       They can cross the border by producing a border pass with a one-year validity issued by the competent authority and can stay up to two weeks per visit.

·       It is the longest earthen dam in the world, about 16 miles and around 26 km in length.

History:

·       It is one of the first multipurpose projects by India after independence.

·       The construction began in 1948 and was completed in 1953.

·       It was built to control the flow of the Mahanadi River and manage the perennial problem of floods in the region.

·       The inauguration of the dam was done by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1957.

Purpose:

·       Irrigation facility to 1,08,385 hectares of Rabi crops and 1, 55,635 hectares of Kharif crops of Bolangir, Subarnapur, Bargarh and Sambalpur.

·       The capacity of power generation installed at Hirakud dam is 359.8 MW.

·       More than 436,000 hectors of land in the Mahanadi delta also get irrigated by the water which is released from the powerhouse.

·       The delta area in Cuttack and Puri district of an area of 9500 sq Km also gets flood protection because of the Hirakud Project.

Structure:

·       Granite, hard concrete and earth are the most used substances in building the dam.

·       Stretched from the Chandidungri hills on the right to the Lamdungri hills on the left the main structure of Hirakud Dam is about 4.8 km long.

·       About 83400 Sq. Km is the catchments area, and the dam is a composite structure of Concrete, Masonry and Earth.

·       The virus has been understood as a Bacteriophage, which means ‘bacteria eater’.

·       It infects halophilic bacteria (bacteria that inhabit environments with high salt concentrations) from the genus Halomonas. Such bacteria are generally found in deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

·       The virus is actually very genetically similar to its host and is a lysogenic phage, meaning that it inserts its genetic material into the bacteria but usually doesn’t kill it; instead, both virus and bacteria replicate at the same time.

What are Bacteriophages?

·       Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect and replicate in bacterial cells.

·       They also infect the single-celled prokaryotic organisms known as archaea.

·       They were discovered independently by Frederick W. Twort in Great Britain (1915) and Félix d’Hérelle in France (1917).

·       They are ubiquitous in the environment and are recognized as the most abundant biological agent on earth.

·       ‘Nadi Utsav’ is an attempt to document riverine culture, its tradition, rituals and water wisdom.

·       The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) under the Ministry of Culture has been organizing the ‘Nadi Utsav’ on a grand scale for the last few years.

·       The ‘Nadi Utsav’ commenced in 2018, with its inaugural event held in Nashik (Maharashtra) city situated on the banks of River Godavri.