🌟 Welcome December with Focus and Balance! 🌟

With exams fast approaching, it’s time to do more than just hit the books. Equip yourself with proven techniques to improve sleep, manage screen time, and conquer procrastination. These essential skills will sharpen your focus, boost productivity, and set the right mindset for success.

📝 Register here https://forms.gle/XN5eHpZAndXt5M9V9 to secure your spot to elevate your preparation—mentally and academically. Invitations and confirmations will be shared via email and WhatsApp.

Let’s make this December count! 🚀

Kantara movie director is coming up with this film...❤️❤️❤️

I rarely share non history related content here. But just listen to what these commentators/scholars are saying:

Sushant Sarin: "What Pakistanis tried to do in 1971, Bangladeshis are pretty much managing to do that on their own in 2024."

Tilak Devasher: "It will not take long for Bangladesh to become a Talibanized radicalised Islamic society, like another Afghanistan. May be just a couple of months..."

Both these sentences sent chills through my bones. We are definitely looking at challenges of huge proportion in future, which will last generations. At this moment we can just imagine but that imagination is coming true pretty fast with each passing day.

https://youtu.be/WiYA10Af-XA?si=Q0Be-hghYXKjvslL

We are announcing our History Bulletin. It is out.

https://youtu.be/IbZ-LBv112s

🎬 Gear up for our second movie screening!

Open to All – Watch Inside Out 2 (2024) at LevelUp IAS!

👉 Register Here: https://bit.ly/LevelUp_FREE_Movie

Date: 1st December | Time: 5 PM
📍 Location: LevelUp IAS, Karol Bagh
LevelUp IAS, Karol Bagh Centre (https://maps.app.goo.gl/tNGTrbR4KmxBa6um8) 2nd Floor, 45 Pusa Road, Opp. Metro Pillar 128, Karol Bagh

Inside Out 2 (2024) is the much-anticipated sequel that takes us back into Riley’s mind as she navigates the rollercoaster of teenage life. This time, new emotions join the team, adding depth and humor to the journey of understanding feelings and mental health.

Perfect for UPSC aspirants, the screening will be followed by an insightful discussion on how these themes connect to mental well-being and UPSC preparation.

Invite your friends too!

📞 For queries, call: 08045248491 / 7041021151

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_k6r5iyfR1/?igsh=dm9kMnB0ZjA3bWM0

It is so true. I was just telling it the other day in the class. Our houses were always painted in many vibrant, bright colours. That was our culture. But now we have lost colours, become so plain and boring.

✅Register for the FREE STRATEGY and ORIENTATION session for UPSC Prelims 2025 here👇
https://forms.gle/jVRwH85rv8dy7BUr7

💻Watch video by Santosh sir:
https://youtu.be/hEZkjQk3QTM?si=eJVbbDfUm3HXCyyN

Sri Dalada Maligawa

Today afternoon I visited the The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple at Kandy, Srilanka. It is one of the holiest places of Buddhism in Lanka. However, the building housing it is not very old, it was constructed hardly a few centuries ago.

Notwithstanding, there is a long story of the chain of custody of Buddha's tooth relic. How it kept on changing hands from Khema to some Odiya King then finally it reached Srilanka. The role of Dantha and Hemamala, the Odiyan royals, who took it from India to Srilanka in the 4th century, sometime during the beginning of the Gupta era, is well remembered in this respect. The reason for this transfer is cited to be local rivalry, both political and religious.

Interestingly, after reaching Srilanka the story doesn't end. It rather takes a new lease of life. Many new episodes were added to it. The most recent episodes in the life of the tooth relic are from British era who added some new content to it. Its worth reading from it's very scratch.

This entire story/history/myth is very central to the identity of Srilanka Budhhism and Buddhists here. Everyone knows about it. Its a popular story. As recent as in 2014, there was even a movie on this named Siri Daladagamanaya.

Visit for Photos:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCWqj75NDia/?igsh=ZW5ldmh5OGRlYmhm

Dambulla Cave Temple

The day started with another 600 steps hillock climb. There are 5 caves with many large and small painted Buddha murtis. The cave walls are all painted.

The era to which it belongs to spans from 100 BCE (Sangama period for our rederence, or specifically, pre-Christian period) to 1700 CE (Maratha period for our reference again).

It was originally constructed by the king Walagamba. He was the king of Anuradhapura in north srilanka. But invasion from South India Tamil kings led to his flight from his capital. He went to further south in Lanka and came to this area. When he reconquered his capital in Anuradhapura, he constructed this place.

If we take our reference, the caves belong to the time when Satavahanas started excavating Ajanta and Shakas started funding Kanheri. Exactly at the time when Satavahana and Shakas were fighting to control the Roman trade in Deccan, the king Walagamba accepted Buddbism and used it to consolidate his own power in Srilanka.

What I find wonderful is that we see spread of Buddhism to Andhra coast and Sri Lanka in this period. While Tamilnadu was sandwiched by these two areas, we see least impact of Buddhism in Sangam Literature, which has much more traces of Hinduism. And all these areas were not isolated but had frequent intercourse. This to me seems like a puzzle.

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This place also a unesco world heritage site. Well protected. There is not a single foodshop in a near vicinity and the entire hill is clean. Both Sigiriya and Dambulla are some of the cleanest historic sites that I have so far seen in Indian subcontinent.

Visit for Photos:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCVttPHyUAZ/?igsh=MXR5YmZsazMxd3Nieg==