Union Minister of Mines Pralhad Joshi had last year informed the Lok Sabha that Bihar holds the highest share of India's gold reserves. In a written reply, he had said that Bihar has 222.885 million tonnes of gold metal, which amounts to 44 per cent of the total gold reserves in the country.

IIT Madras, Indian Railways collaborate to develop India’s first Indigenous hyperloop

IIT Madras and the Indian Railways have announced a collaboration as a part of which they will develop India’s first indigenous hyperloop. In addition to this, they will also help set-up a Centre of Excellence for Hyperloop Technologies in India.

As a part of collaboration, the Indian Railways will provide manufacturing assistance and an estimated financial suppory of Rs 8.34 crores. This project will not only provide a faster and low-cost alternative to traditional commutation but it will also prove to be a major step in making India Carbon Neutral.

Indians knew the use of iron 4200 years ago: Excavations in Tamil Nadu show

The Iron Age in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu stretches back 4,200 years, according to iron implements discovered during excavations in a small hamlet named Mayiladumparai, potentially making it the oldest in India for the time being.

State of the World’s Birds Report 2022

In the recently released State of the World’s Birds Report by Birdlife International, environmentalists have reported that expanding human footprint on the natural world and climate change is one of the major reasons of population decline of birds.

Approximately 48 per cent of extant bird species worldwide (5,245) are known or suspected to be undergoing population declines, compared with 39 per cent (4,295) with stable trends, 6 per cent (676) showing increasing populations trends, and 7 per cent (778) with unknown trends. Threatened species are concentrated in the tropics, which host the richest avian diversity.

NASA's InSight Mars lander running out of power

The InSight lander is losing power because of all the dust on its solar panels. NASA said on May 17 that it will keep using the spacecraft’s seismometer to register marsquakes until the power peters out, likely in July. Then flight controllers will monitor InSight until the end of this year, before calling everything off.

NASA's two other functioning spacecraft on the Martian surface — rovers Curiosity and Perseverance — are still going strong thanks to nuclear power. 

Mysterious Metal Balls Fall From Space In Gujarat

Locals of three villages of Anand district in Gujarat rushed out of their homes after they heard a loud thud that shook the ground. They saw ‘meteorite’ like objects crashing onto the ground that fell from space. 

Around 4.45 pm on May 12, the first large, black metal ball, weighing around five kg, fell in Bhalej, and thereafter in Khambholaj and Rampura — all located within 15 kilometers from each other.
Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar took charge as the 25th chief election commissioner (CEC) on Sunday and the first major task before him will be to hold the president and the vice president elections, which are due shortly.

Rajiv Kumar Appointed 25th Chief Election Commissioner of India

President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday appointed Rajiv Kumar, the senior-most Election Commissioner, as the new Chief Election Commissioner.

A retired Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of the 1984 Jharkhand cadre, he replaced Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa in August 2020. Kumar served as the union finance secretary from September 2017 to February 2020. He was then appointed as Chairperson of the Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Historic Sawa Lake disappears from Iraqi map

Lake Sawa, located in Muthanna governorate in southern Iraq, has completely dried up, and so this unique water spot that was located in the middle of the arid desert for thousands of years has disappeared.

The name of this lake was mentioned in history books and religious novels, some of which mention that its waters raged on the day of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. Iraqis call the salty lake the Pearl of the South, and its water contains minerals used for medicinal purposes.

GRSE launches Fast Patrol Vessel, ICGS Kamla Devi

The Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, which has built and delivered over 100 ships to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard and the 1st shipyard in the country to have exported a warship,GRSE has already completed construction of five ships of this series well within schedule. HThese ships are used for anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations at sea.

These ships are equipped with 03 nos Main Engines with advanced control systems, Water Jet units and an ‘Integrated Bridge System’ integrating all Communication and Navigation Systems. These ships are also fitted with 40/60 Gun as main armament and will also have improved habitability features with fully air-conditioned modular accommodation for 35 personnel.

Odisha’s Oldest Fortified Settlement 

The Asurgarh fortified settlement, which was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, has been ascertained to be the oldest among the major fortified settlements in the State. It dates back to the ninth century BC.

A total number of 417 antiquities have been retrieved from the site. Beads of coral, lapis lazuli, carnelian, glass, jasper, garnet, shell, agate, milky quartz, terracotta, kaolin, and soft stone, and circular discs made out of potsherds and stone, form the richest collection among the antiquities.

Indian Navy gets second large survey vessel with state of the Art Hydrographic Equipments 

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd launched the Survey Vessel (Large) on May 26, 2022. The Indian Navy's hydrographic and oceanographic survey capabilities will be enhanced by all four survey vessels. The 110m long ships will be equipped with state-of-the-art hydrographic technology and have a displacement of roughly 3,400 tonnes, according to the statement.

Scientists Discover 4500-year-old World's Largest Plant Off Western Coast

                                                                             Chand Bardai

He was declared the king of Ajmer. At that time, he shifted from Gujarat to Rajasthan.

At the age of 11, Prithviraj Chauhan had to scatter his father's ashes and handle the throne alongside his mother and court ministers. He had extended a kingdom from Sthanvishvara in the north to Mewar in the south. Along with the kingdom's Chief Minister and Karpura Devi's uncle, young Prithviraj started extending his empire from Ajmer to the whole of India. It was after 3 years of his coronation that he started handling the administration of his kingdom in 1180 CE. 

After Raja Someshwara's death, the coronation of Prithviraj Chauhan started prickling in his own family. Someshwara's brother, Vigraharaja IV's Nagarjun, was not happy with Prithviraj on the throne of Ajmer. He revolted against the same by getting hold of the fort at Gudapura, only to be suppressed by the new mighty king of Ajmer. Slowly, all the small rulers started integrating under the Chahaman dynasty, and they won over those who didn’t want to shake hands with Prithviraj. Among the rivals, one of them was Kannauj's Gahadavalas. Kannauj's king, Jayachand, wanted to capture the Rajput king and his kingdoms and that is why he tried to own ‘Rajsuya Yagya’.

According to this Yaga, a king gets the title of an emperor and his kingdom starts seeing him as a God. But Prithviraj disagreed with this plan of Jayachand. He refused to accept him as his to-be-emperor and that is why a rift was created between both of them. 

All this while, Afghanistan's Mohammad Ghori had captured Multan in 1178 CE and had attempted to invade the Chalukya kingdom that extended from Gujarat and the northern part of Rajasthan. The Chalukya kingdom defeated Ghori, but after some years, they captured Peshawar, Sindh, and Punjab, residing in the west of the Chahamana kingdom, and were successful in making their military base camp from Ghazna, Afghanistan to Punjab. Ghori's increasing terrorism had reached Prithviraj's court in the form of an ambassador. He wanted to shake hands with Prithviraj Chauhan, but he recognised his evil intentions, and Prithviraj Chauhan refused this offer. In 1190 CE, Ghori captured Bhatinda, which was a major part of Prithviraj's kingdom. As the number of violent invasions increased, Prithviraj's Delhi representative appealed to the king himself to fight this evil.Ghori kidnapped Bhatinda and handed it over to Tulak's Qazi, Zia-ud-din.When Mohammad Ghori was giving Bhatinda.

This news reached Prithviraj Chauhan, so he formed an army and marched in that direction.

Both armies battled each other in Thanesar's Taraori. In this battle, Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Mohammad Ghori, and once again, after 13 months, he was in control of Bhatinda. Ghori was taken to the capital, Pithoragarh, and he was kept in jail there. He had only one way to escape from there, which was to beg for mercy in front of Prithviraj Chauhan, and this is exactly what he did. Even when Chand Bardai refused, Prithviraj Chauhan released him with a heavy heart just to see him attack his territory again and again.

Historically, there have been only two battles between Mohammad Ghori and Prithviraj Chauhan. According to Chand Bardai's poems, there were a total of 17 attacks that Mohammad Ghori made on Prithviraj Chauhan. When Kannauj's princess heard about these brave episodes of Prithviraj Chauhan, at that time, both her heart and mind were captured. One day, Prithviraj's court painter showed Kannauj's princess his painting, and after returning from there, he showed Sanyogita's painting to Prithviraj, and this is how they fell in love. But, this blossoming love story wasn't accepted by the princess's father. Do you remember Raja Jayachand, who wanted to do ‘Rajsuya Yagya'?
Chand Bardai stated in Prithviraj Raso that his marriage was the reason for his downfall. He had become so enamoured with his wife, Sanyogita, that he had lost interest in state issues. In a conflict, Mohammad Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, but he couldn't defeat the patriot within him since, even in Ghori's prison, Prithviraj refused to kneel in front of Mohammad Ghori, and when this happened, he was beaten with hot iron. Chand Bardai was imprisoned in Afghanistan when he travelled there to meet his king.

Yes, the one Prithviraj refused to recognise as his future Emperor.Sanyogita was Jayachand's daughter. When Jayachand got to know of this blooming love for Sanyogita at that time, he organised Sanyogita's Swayamwar just to humiliate Prithviraj Chauhan. Many noble kings had come to Kannauj to ask for Sanyogita's hand, but Prithviraj Chauhan wasn't invited to this. If this humiliation wasn't enough, Jayachand kept a statue of Prithviraj Chauhan outside his court just to indicate that he was his doorman. When Sanyogita got to know that Prithviraj wasn't called for the Swayamwar, at that time she wrote a letter in which she said that she had already accepted herself as the wife of Prithviraj Chauhan. After reading this letter, Prithviraj Chauhan went toward Kannauj. 

Everyone was surprised when, as the Swayamwar began, Sanyogita seized the varmala and hurried towards the entrance, leaving all the great kings behind, because the one who held her heart was standing at the door in the guise of a statue. But she had no idea that the real Prithviraj Chauhan was hiding behind the monument. Jayachand was challenged by Prithviraj to steal his daughter, who was now his wife. After hearing this, Jayachand became enraged, but he couldn't do anything because Prithviraj Chauhan's entire army was present.

"Dushman ki dushman dost hota hai," says the narrator. This is a line we've all heard before.

And this is exactly what Jayachand did with Prithviraj Chauhan. He went and shook hands with Mohammad Ghori, who had been defeated by Prithviraj Chauhan 16 times. Mohammad Ghori took this as an opportunity to attack Prithviraj Chauhan for the 17th time, thinking that this would be the final one. Ghori was provided with military support by Jayachand and with Turkish soldiers. Ghori again came to Taraori, where Prithviraj Chauhan and his army were waiting for him. They lost this war, and he is now a prisoner in Ghor, Afghanistan.

One day, Chand Bardai heard the soldiers there say that Mohammad Ghori was planning to organise a game of "Tirandaaji" in his court. Taking advantage of this, Bardai told Sultan Ghori that Prithviraj Chauhan would also take part in this game. Ghori couldn't stop laughing because he couldn't believe a blind king who had been turned into a prisoner could shoot arrows. But he had no idea that Prithviraj Chauhan was a sound-focused archer rather than an ordinary one. On the day of the game, Chand Bardai requested Ghori to give the order for aiming the arrow. Ghori took pride in this, not knowing what lay ahead.

Just as Ghori gave the order to shoot the arrow, at that time, to take revenge for his defeat, Prithviraj Chauhan shot the arrow right at Mohammad Ghori, and Mohammad Ghori was dead at exactly the place where he said to shoot the arrow from. After that, Chand Bardai and Prithviraj Chauhan attacked themselves and saved themselves from dying at the hands of their enemies. And in such a way, ends Chand Bardai's poem "Prithviraj Raso". But, many scholars say that if Chand Bardai and Prithviraj Chauhan died together, then how did Chand Bardai end his Prithviraj Raso?

Many people also say that Chand Bardai's son witnessed this whole event and he was the one who completed it. But this version, with its beautiful storytelling and political, military, and social-economic structure, is very popular in India. And it is being passed on from one generation to another.