This year, in 2023, the theme for World Press Freedom Day is “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights”.

Celebrated every 3rd of May, this year’s theme for the Day will be “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights” (working title), signifying the enabling element of freedom of expression to enjoy and protect all other human rights. 

This anniversary edition of World Press Freedom Day will include a full day of activities at the UN Headquarters on 2nd May. Partners from the media, academia, and civil society are invited to organize events in New York and around the world centered on this year’s theme. 

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More than one billion people speak Chinese as their first language — that’s more than any other population in the world! UNESCO (part of the United Nations) first created Chinese Language Day in 2010 to celebrate Chinese as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. We’ve enjoyed it every year since April 20. The day also celebrates Cangjie, who invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago. Legend says that when Cangjie finished, the gods rained grain upon the earth.

The UN Department of Public Information established the day in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization. The 1st Chinese Language Day was celebrated in 2010 on the 12th of November, but since 2011 the date has been on the 20th of April. The day celebrates multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promotes equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization.

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The theme for 2023 is “Heritage Changes”.

The idea of celebrating World Heritage Day was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 and was later approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983. The date, April 18th, was chosen to commemorate the day when the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 1982.

The main aim of World Heritage Day is to promote awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage, such as historic buildings, monuments, and archaeological sites. The day also aims to encourage people to appreciate the diversity of the world’s heritage and to participate in the preservation and protection of these sites.

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The theme for the 2023 World Water Day is “accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crisis”

“On this World Water Day, UNESCO would like to recall the extent to which water, whose cycle is global, is permanently at odds with human boundaries. It is up to us to draw the necessary conclusions and to see it as what it is: a vital and common good of humanity, which must therefore be considered on the scale of humanity.”

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The theme of the 2023 International Mother Language Day, “Multilingual education a necessity to transform education” aligns with recommendations made during the Transforming Education Summit, where an emphasis was also placed on Indigenous people’s education and languages.

International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. The UN General Assembly welcomed the proclamation of the day in its resolution of 2002.

On 16 May 2007 the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/61/266 called upon Member States “to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world”. By the same resolution, the General Assembly proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of Languages, to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism and named the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to serve as the lead agency for the Year.

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February 6, early morning, as people in a town in Turkey and adjoining Syria were deep in sleep in the midst of a record breaking cold wave, the earth opened up. An earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale started flattening houses. As if that wasn’t enough, two more aftershocks, one measuring 7 and the other 6.8 virtually ground the cities to dust and rubble. The death toll in the two countries have crossed 10,000 as of writing this, making this one of the worst natural disasters in history and more bodies are being found amid the debris.

WHO said that up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake. The countries continue to receive international aid, including from India. India has sent rescue material plus a company of NDRF personnel to help in the massive rescue mission. As of writing this rescuers in Turkey and Syria battled bitter cold in a race against time to find survivors.

Tremors that inflicted more suffering on a border area, already plagued by conflict, left people on the streets, burning debris to try to stay warm as international aid began to arrive.

Survival stories

Some extraordinary survival tales emerge, including a newborn baby pulled alive from rubble in Syria, still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother who died in the quake. “We heard a voice while we were digging,” Khalil al-Suwadi, a relative, told agencies. “We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact) so we cut it and my cousin took her to hospital.”

The infant is the sole survivor of her immediate family, the rest of whom were killed in the rebel-held town of Jindayris.

Whole rows of buildings collapsed, leaving some of the heaviest devastation near the quake’s epicentre between the Turkish cities of Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras. The destruction led to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declaring a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces.

People in some of the hardest-hit areas said they felt they had been left to fend for themselves. “I can’t get my brother back from the ruins. I can’t get my nephew back. Look around here. There is no state official here, for God’s sake,” said Ali Sagiroglu in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras. “For two days we haven’t seen the state around here… Children are freezing from the cold,” he added.

A winter storm has compounded the misery by rendering many roads – some of them damaged by the quake – almost impassable, resulting in traffic jams that stretch for kilometres in some regions. The cold rain and snow are a risk both for people forced from their homes – who took refuge in mosques, schools or even bus shelters – and survivors buried under debris.

“It is now a race against time,” said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We have activated the WHO network of emergency medical teams to provide essential health care for the injured and most vulnerable,” he added.

The death toll will be extraordinary after the dust settles. According to WHO, not only up to 23 million people could be affected, but over 20,000 could have died.

Appeal for help

The Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid as President Bashar al-Assad’s government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international relief efforts.

Washington and the European Commission said that humanitarian programmes supported by them were responding to the destruction in Syria. The UN’s cultural agency UNESCO also said it was ready to provide assistance after two sites listed on its World Heritage list in Syria and Turkey sustained damage.

In addition to the damage to Aleppo’s old city and the fortress in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, UNESCO said at least three other World Heritage sites could be affected.

Much of the quake-hit area of northern Syria has already been decimated by years of war and aerial bombardment by Syrian and Russian forces that destroyed homes, hospitals and clinics.

Residents in the quake-devastated town of Jandairis in northern Syria used their bare hands and pickaxes to search for survivors.

The Syrian health ministry reported damage across the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russia is leasing a naval facility. Even before the tragedy, buildings in Aleppo – Syria’s pre-war commercial hub – often collapsed due to the dilapidated infrastructure.

Following the earthquake, prisoners mutinied at a jail holding mostly Islamic State group members in northwestern Syria, with at least 20 escaping, a source at the facility told agencies.

Active earthquake zone

Turkey is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. The country’s last 7.8-magnitude tremor was in 1939, when 33,000 died in the eastern Erzincan province. The Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999, when more than 17,000 people died.

Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16 million people filled with rickety homes.

Rescue efforts

Rescue efforts continued on February 9, driving up the death toll to over 15,000 as more bodies were found in the rubble on the fourth day of search operations. Tens of thousands are believed to be injured. President Tayyip Erdogan has admitted there were problems with his government’s initial response to a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey, amid anger from those left destitute and frustrated over the slow arrival of rescue teams.

Turkish officials say some 13.5 million people were affected in an area spanning roughly 450 km from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east. In Syria, people were killed as far south as Hama, 250 km from the epicentre. Some who died in Turkey were refugees from Syria’s war.

Indian help

Meanwhile, as a part of India’s ‘Operation Dosth’, the sixth plane carrying rescue personnel, essentials and medical equipment for earthquake relief efforts reached Turkey on Thursday. The sixth flight carried more rescue teams, dog squads, and essential medicines for the quake-hit country.

The sixth C17 plane flight carries more rescue teams, dog squads, and essential medicines for the quake- hit country.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, “The sixth #OperationDost flight reaches Turkiye. More search and rescue teams, dog squads, essential search & access equipment, medicines and medical equipment ready for deployment in the relief efforts.” On his official Twitter handle, the EAM posted pictures of a field hospital in Turkey where medical experts are preparing to treat emergencies.

“The sixth @IAF_MCC aircraft leaves for Turkiye with the remaining component of the field hospital. This includes 54 members of the Indian Army medical team as well as medical and other equipment to establish the facility,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Turkey has called India a “dost” for its generosity for providing funds to the country after the earthquake caused massive destruction.

Ambassador of Turkey to India Firat Sunel thanked New Delhi and said, “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

“Dost” is a common word in Turkish and Hindi… We have a Turkish proverb: “Dost kara gunde belli olur” (a friend in need is a friend indeed). Thank you very much India,” said the Ambassador.

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The Kailasa temple of Ellora and its adjacent caves and temples for a World Heritage Site, but technologically it is also a wonder. It has still not been found how such an array of brilliant temples could be carved out of sheer rock, digging downwards.

Ellora is situated about 15 miles north-west of Aurangabad. It is known to the world for its wonderful cave temples in the hills which are about a mile to its east. These cave temples, which were long concealed from view by the engulfing jungle, are now among India’s top tourist destinations that few visitors are likely to skip. They are officially listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

These caves were carved out of the vertical basalt cliffs of the Sahyadri Hills. Out of the 34 rock cut structures that are numbered, Buddhist settlements can be found in caves 1 through 12, Brahminical structures 13 through 29, and Jaina caves 30 through 34. Cave 16 is the Kailasa temple of Ellora, which is the largest monolithic rock structure in the world.

The Kailasa temple is 300 feet long and 175 feet wide, and it is carved out of a scarp that is over 100 feet high. Contrary to many other ancient rock structures, this temple complex was built (carved out) from top to bottom rather than bottom to top. The job was done with no better tools than chisels and hammers. Scaffolds were not used at all. Due to the size of the excavation and the splendour of the design, this cave is an unrivalled masterpiece of Indian architecture.

A common theory is that the Kailasa temple originally had a thick layer of white plaster on it that made it resemble the holy Kailash mountain, hence the name. Scholars do claim that the entire temple was in fact painted and plastered, which is why it was also known as the Rang Mahal, or painted palace. Some fragments of the old fresco paintings can still be seen on the porch roof of the upper temple. However, it’s still not clear how much of the surface was painted white.

Another perspective is to see the Kailasa temple as an allegory of Kailash mountain, which is said to be the abode of Shiva.

It is also said that the magnificent three dimensional sculpture of Ravana Anugraha Murti on the southern side of the main temple might be the reason that the temple was given the name Kailasa. In the murti, Ravana is depicted as multi-armed, shaking Mount Kailash, where Shiva is shown seated in repose. The ego of Ravana is shown being trampled by just the pressure of the toe of Shiva.

HISTORY

While the construction surrounding this magnificent architecture is still a mystery, historians believe that it dates back to 756 to 773 CE and was built by Rachtrakuta king Krishna I. Although, no details about the ruler have been documented anywhere and thus hasn’t been found to date.

However, what is known is the fact that the architecture of the temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva represents the top of Mount Kailash, the Himalayas which is also considered to be his abode. Not just this, but the method construction of the cave too was something that separates this temple from others.

Kailasa Temple was constructed upside down and since there were no cranes, the army of men with hammers and chisels made their way vertically into 200,000 tonnes of rock. Standing at almost three storeys tall, the main temple complex, Shikhara is a sight to behold. With individual shrines, large statues and free-standing pillars, the artisans added intricate designs and sculpture details as they descended from one storey to another.

Carved from an enormous single rock, The Kailasha has stone carvings that depict various Hindu deities like Lord Shiva (to whom this temple is dedicated), Lord Vishnu and the panels in this temple even show the devotees of these gods. At the base of the temple, one can see the carved elements that appear to carry the load of the temple on their backs.

Kailasa temple: The Architecture

The construction of Kailasa temple as discussed by scholars consisted of excavating out of the hillside three huge trenches at right angles, cut down vertically to the level of the base of the hill. This operation outlined the shape of the courtyard and at the same time left standing in the middle a large isolated mass or “island” of rock, over 200 ft long, 100 ft wide, and 100 ft high at its apex.

According to an architectural calculation, one and-a-half to two million cubic feet of rock was removed by digging these trenches. Since it would be nearly impossible to lift stones out of a trench that deep (without cranes), scholars speculate that they may have chosen the simplest method, which involved having the sculptors chisel the rock from top to bottom so that boulders removed from the area surrounding the main shrine could be rolled down the mountainside by supporting work crews.

The puzzle remains as to where the many tonnes of the stones that were removed went. Also, the rocks would need to have been discarded somewhere, but one cannot find any evidence of rocks being piled up nearby. We still don’t have any trustworthy sources to talk about where the rocks went or how they were used.

Extraterrestrial theory

According to pseudoscience books, there are countless hidden passageways beneath places like Ellora that once housed energy machines and other ancient technology. It is said these extraterrestrial machines may have been used to build the enormous temple of Kailasa. There are also mainstream discussions about mythological technology that had the ability to vaporise rocks. However, there are no reliable sources supporting any of these hypotheses.

Inside the temple

A two-storey Gopuram is located at the entrance. On the sides of the entrances are sculptures of gods revered by Shaivites and Vaishnavites. Two interior courtyards are visible from the entrance, each bordered by a columned arcade.

Each courtyard in the north and the south has a huge, single rock with a life-size elephant carved into it. The Rashtrakuta kings were known to have won several battles with their elephant brigade, making elephants one of their favourite animals. The presence of elephant sculptures in the temple might have represented the strength and prosperity of Rashtrakuta kings.

The sikhara (vimana) rises 96 feet above the court beneath it and is octagonal, which is a typical feature of Dravidian architecture. Around the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is a small antarala (antechamber), which is joined by a large sabha-mandapa (Mandapa is a pillared hall). It has an ardha-mandapa on the sides and an agra-mandapa at the front. The nandi-mandapa is carved in between the gopura and the agra-mandapa of the shrine, and all the three parts are joined by a sort of rock cut bridge.

The adhishtana, or plinth of the main temple, contains a row of enormous, nearly life-size sculptures of elephants that appear to be carrying the entire weight of the structure.

Behind the temple

In addition to its magnificent architectural features, the complex also has cosmological aspects. The architectural design of the temple complex is viewed by some scholars as a journey from the material to the spiritual, from the earthly to the celestial, and from matter to mind.

The Gopuram, or entrance gate, serves as the main point of entry and symbolises the passage from the human world to the sacred. As one moves from one mandapa to the next, the size, volume, and space of the hall get smaller and the light gets dimmer, which signifies that  there are fewer distractions and one is getting closer to the sacred world.

The atman, the fundamental components of the human spirit, essence of the individual, the conscious energy, is thought to be independent and complete in itself while also being a component of the brahman, the grand scheme of the cosmos, unchanging universal spirit or consciousness that underlies all things.

Similarly, the elements of Kailasa temple are seen to be complete in themselves and are connected to one another in such a seamless way that they appear to be a single complex. Therefore, the entirety of the Kailasa temple symbolises the brahman and the cosmos, while its individual parts symbolise the atman.

The Kailash temple of Ellora is a place where both architectural genius and the philosophy of spiritualism coexist. There is a consensus that no later Indian dynasty was able to create a structure as majestic as the Kailasa temple in Ellora. The attempt of the Jainas to achieve a similar feat, though on a smaller scale, ended in an incomplete excavation at Cave 30, which earned for itself the name Chhota Kailasa.

Not only was building the temple challenging, but it was also nearly impossible to destroy it. Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, once attempted to destroy the temple and put its virtues to the test. Medieval sources assert that as a result, most of the paintings were destroyed and the carvings suffered significant damage. The caves, however, are still standing.

World’s largest monolithic structure

Locally known as ‘Verul Leni’, Ellora Caves are well-known for its largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great Kailasa Temple. The Great Kailasa is a freestanding, multi-storied temple complex dedicated to Lord Shiva. The speciality of this 1300 year’s old architectural marvel is that it is carved out of a single volcanic basaltic rock of the Charanandri hills and is considered as the largest monolithic piece of art in India as well as in the world.

Even the sculptures at this enigmatic temple are carved from the same piece of rock as the rest of the temple. The temple architecture shows traces of Pallava and Chalukya styles. Attracting a huge number of tourists across the globe from centuries, it is one of the must visit places in Ellora during your Aurangabad Tour.

Top to bottom

The architecture of Kailasa Temple is notable for its vertical excavation, the work started at the top and moved downwards, rolling down the large boulders split from the mountain using rod drills. One can see the drill marks on the surrounding walls that are still visible. A megalith carved out of a single rock, the Kailasa Temple is the only structure in the world that is carved from the top to bottom. Every single design and measurement was planned very accurately as once its cut there was no chance to change it by adding any extra stone or piece of rock. Legend has it that nearly 200,000 tonnes of rock was removed to construct this monolithic structure.

Built in 18 years

Constructed by Rashtrakuta king Krishna I in 756-773 CE, the Kailasa Temple, prominent of all the Caves in Ellora, has fascinated researchers and tourists for centuries. Archaeologists had calculated that it would have taken more than a hundred years to finish the temple construction. But, in reality it took only 18 years to complete it. The rock cut temple was cut in U shape about 50 metres in the back, and about 2,00,000 tonnes of rock was scooped out of a vertical basalt cliff in the Charanandri Hills to form the magnificent temple.

Everyone is trying to understand how the temple was built, cut out of the rocks, by using ancient traditional methods without using any modern technology within that short period of time.

Larger in area than Parthenon in Greece

Kailash Temple is considered as one of the most remarkable cave temples in India due to its massive size, architecture and sculptural treatment. About 145 feet wide, 195 feet long and 90 feet high, Kailash Temple covers an area twice the size of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. With its gigantic sculpted monolithic main shrine in the centre, gopura and enclosure walls on both sides, the Kailash temple is one of the largest structures in India and in the world, rivaling even the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Intricate sculptures and carvings

Almost every inch of the interior structure contains intricate sculptures and carvings in Ellora Caves which display artistic richness and philosophy making the caves a major achievement of ancient Indian civilization. Among the most noteworthy are monolithic elephants and victory pillars at the entrance, the image of Nandi, four sculptures of lions standing in a circle on the roof of Mahamantapa, elephant sculptures at the base of the temple, which gives the viewer an impression that the whole structure is being supported on the backs of these beasts.

Furthermore, various intricately carved panels can be found in the Kailasa Temple like scenes from the two major Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana along with 10 panels depicting the different avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu. The most noteworthy of them is of demon king Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa.

Indestructible

Mughal King Aurangzeb who destroyed thousands of Hindu temples, also tried to destroy Kailasa temple. It is said that 1000 people were sent to destroy the temple in the year 1682. They worked for 3 years but they could break and disfigure a few statues only. Aurangzeb finally gave up on this task and realized that it was impossible to completely destroy the temple as the rock was simply too hard to demolish, even though artisans used only hammers, chisels and picks to construct it.

Where to Stay

Hotel Kailas: Starting price @Rs2599/

Set in serene gardens off National Highway 52, this informal hotel with views of the Ellora Caves temple complex is an 8-minute walk from Kailasa Temple.

Ellora Heritage Resort:Starting price @Rs1459/
Set 1 km from the monumental Ellora monastery-temple cave complex, this modest resort is 29 km from Aurangabad Train Station and 5 km from the scenic Bani Begum Mughal Garden.

How to Reach :
 By Road:

Aurangabad is the nearest city to Kailasa temple and it is well connected with them by road. From Aurangabad bus and taxi services are available to reach Kailasa temple. Aurangabad is also well connected by state transport buses from major cities of Maharashtra like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Satara, Kolhapur and Ahmednagar.

By Train:

Aurangabad is the nearest railway station to reach Kailasa temple which is situated around 30 kms from the temple. There are direct trains available from the major cities in Maharashtra; like Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, Nashik etc. to reach Aurangabad.

By Air:

Aurangabad airport is located at about 15 kms from the Kailasa temple and it is the closest airport to the Kailasa temple. Aurangabad airport is well connected to major cities of Maharashtra and India. One may fly to Aurangabad and reach Kailasa temple by any local transport.

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Education must be prioritized to accelerate progress towards all the Sustainable Development Goals against the backdrop of a global recession, growing inequalities and the climate crisis.UNESCO is dedicating this year’s International Day to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education. It is calling for the immediate lifting of the ban restricting their access to education.

Today, 244 million children and youth are out of school, and 771 million adults are illiterate. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable. It’s time to transform education.

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The World Heritage Day 2022 theme is ‘Heritage and Climate’ to promote conservation research and employ sustainable strategies to protect heritage sites.

Being a signatory to the World Heritage Convention, India undertakes various initiatives on World Heritage Day ( April 18) and World Heritage Week ( November 19-25) each year, to celebrate the spirit of the World Heritage Convention. Some of these initiatives include providing free admission at ticketed monuments, publishing books on World Heritage, involving youth and children through painting competitions and heritage walks, among others.

Entry for tourists will be free at all Archaeological Survey of India-protected monuments here on November 19 to mark the commencement of World Heritage Week. World Heritage Week is celebrated every year from November 19 to 25.

“Tourists — Indian and foreign nationals will get free entry at Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and other ASI-protected monuments on November 19,” ASI’s Superintending Archaeologist (Agra circle) Raj Kumar Patel said.

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The theme for the 2022 World Philosophy Day is ‘The Human of the Future’. UNESCO along with Le Fresnoy National Studio of Contemporary Arts has organized a symposium and exhibition.

The first celebration of World Philosophy Day took place in 2002. After it, UNESCO deemed it necessary to institutionalize the celebration of philosophical reflection around the world in 2005. Two years later, in 2007, UNESCO published a 726-page multilingual program and meeting document on the Records of the General Conference, 33rd session, Paris, 2005. It was to commemorate World Philosophy Day and emphasized its importance among young people and as a discipline. The UNESCO General Conference in 2005 aimed to popularize philosophy, especially in the teaching world by celebrating World Philosophy Day.

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