रायगड उत्खननात सापडले ‘यंत्रराज’

रायगड उत्खननात सापडले ‘यंत्रराज’; रायगडाच्या बांधकामामागे खगोलशास्त्राचा आधार असल्याचा पुरावा
खगोलशास्त्रीय साक्ष! रायगडाच्या इतिहासात नवा ठसा
दुर्गराज रायगडाच्या वास्तूशैलीमागे शास्त्रीय विचार आणि खगोलशास्त्राचा वापर झाला होता, याचे महत्त्वपूर्ण पुरावे आता प्रत्यक्षात सापडले आहेत! रायगडावरील पुरातत्त्व उत्खननामध्ये प्राचीन ‘यंत्रराज’ – सौम्ययंत्र (Astrolabe) हे खगोलशास्त्रीय उपकरण सापडले आहे.
हे उपकरण भारतीय पुरातत्त्व विभाग आणि रायगड विकास प्राधिकरण यांच्या संयुक्त उत्खननात कुशावर्त तलावाच्या वरील भागात सापडले. सौम्ययंत्र हे प्राचीन काळी ग्रह-ताऱ्यांचा अभ्यास, दिशांचा वेध घेणे आणि वेळ मोजणे यासाठी वापरले जाणारे अत्यंत महत्त्वाचे साधन आहे.
या उपकरणावर कोरलेली ‘मुख’ आणि ‘पूंछ’ ही अक्षरे तसेच साप/कासवासारखे आकृतीचित्र, यावरून उत्तर-दक्षिण दिशा समजून बांधकामाच्या नियोजनात त्याचा वापर झाला असण्याची दाट शक्यता आहे. यंत्रराजाचा वापर करून रायगडाच्या वास्तुविशेषांचे नियोजन खगोलशास्त्रीय निकषांवर आधारित होते, हे या शोधातून स्पष्ट होते.
मागील तीन-चार वर्षांपासून सुरू असलेल्या उत्खनन कार्यामध्ये रोपवे स्टेशनपासून कुशावर्त तलाव, बाजारपेठ, जगदीश्वर मंदिर परिसरातील सुमारे १०–१२ ठिकाणांवर उत्खनन करण्यात आले असून, हे नवे साधन त्या कार्यातून उजेडात आले आहे.
हा सापडलेला अमूल्य ठेवा केवळ रायगडाच्या ऐतिहासिक महत्त्वात भर घालणारा नाही, तर भारतीय खगोलशास्त्र आणि वास्तुशास्त्राच्या प्रगततेचा वस्तुपाठ ठरतो.

World's oldest civilizations

This map highlights the locations of some of the world's oldest civilizations, which emerged in river valleys and laid the foundation for human societies. These ancient civilizations flourished due to the availability of fertile land and water sources, enabling agriculture, trade, and early urban settlements.

1. Egypt (Nile Valley) – The Egyptian civilization, one of the oldest and most enduring, developed along the Nile River. Known for its pyramids, hieroglyphic writing, and advanced administrative systems, it thrived for millennia.

2. Mesopotamia (Tigris-Euphrates Valley) – Often referred to as the "Cradle of Civilization," Mesopotamia saw the rise of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. It was the birthplace of writing (cuneiform), early laws (Hammurabi’s Code), and major advancements in science and governance.

3. Harappan Civilization (Indus-Saraswati Valley) – Also known as the Indus Valley Civilization, it was characterized by advanced urban planning, drainage systems, and trade networks. Major cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro showcase their sophisticated infrastructure.

4. China (Huang Ho Valley) – The early Chinese civilization emerged along the Yellow River (Huang He). It saw the development of early dynastic rule, silk production, and early writing systems, forming the basis for one of the longest continuous cultures in history.

These civilizations played a crucial role in shaping modern cultures, governance, and technological advancements.

हा कॅमेरा सापडला तर ?

१९५३ साली एडमंड हिलरी आणि तेनसिंग नोर्के यांनी एव्हरेस्ट सर केले.ओपण फार पूर्वी म्हणजे १९२४ साली ब्रिटिश गिर्यारोहक जॉर्ज मॅलोरी आणि अँड्र्यू आयर्विन यांनी माउंट एव्हरेस्ट वर चढाई केली होती. दुर्दैवाने या मोहिमे दरम्यान हिमवादळात सापडून त्यांचा मृत्यू झाला.नोंदीनुसार या चढाईवर जाण्यापूर्वी जॉर्जने सोबत कॅमेरा सुद्धा नेला होता.जगाच्या दृष्टीने एव्हरेस्ट काबीज करणारा पहिला वीर एडमंड हिलरी असला तरी जॉर्जचा कॅमेरा सापडला तर कदाचित हिलरीचा क्रमांक दुसरा ठरू शकतो.कॅमेरामध्ये एव्हरेस्टच्या शिखरावरून घेतलेले फोटो मिळू शकतात.१९९९ मध्ये जॉर्ज मॅलोरीचे मृत शरीर सापडले पण त्याचा कॅमेरा सापडला नाही. कदाचित कॅमेरा आयर्विनसोबत असू शकतो पण आयर्विनचा मृतदेह अद्याप सापडला नाही.एव्हरेस्ट काबीज करणारा पहिला वीर कोण याचे गूढ अद्यापही कायम आहे आणि त्या एका कॅमेराच्या माध्यमातून ते समजू शकते म्हणून तो कॅमेरा आता अत्यंत मूल्यवान ठरला आहे.सोबतच्या फोटोत डावीकडून चौथा-जॉर्ज मॅलोरी

Luddites

In 1811, under the cover of darkness, a few men snuck into a textile mill.

They smashed and broke a few knitting machines. These machines were new and expensive.

They ran out before anybody could catch them.

The Luddite movement had begun.

The following night, many other men broke into textile mills, smashed and shattered machines, and ran out.

Ludd commanded them to do so. Ludd’s followers were called Luddites.



Textile mill owners were fed up. The UK government had brought in rules to catch these vandals. But it was not working.

Why were they doing this? What was their main goal?

Textile Industry in the UK: A Family Occupation

The UK’s textile industry was an economic powerhouse.

The UK exported textiles all over the world. At first, they started with wool and flax. But with time, as the British Empire grew across the world, they started sourcing cotton from other parts of the world.

Back then, textile manufacturing was an industry that worked out of people’s homes.

Textile manufacturers would source wool, flax, and cotton and supply them to different homes. The families would work together and make the textiles using their hands and tools.

Making textiles was a high-skilled job. New makers would first seek an apprenticeship. After mastering the skill under the watchful eyes of a mentor, they would move out to set up their own practice.

Even back then, the UK was one of the biggest exporters of textiles in the world.

It formed a portion of their economy, and they took the industry very seriously.

Industrial Revolution

Towards the end of the 1700s, the Industrial Revolution was setting in.

The steam engine had been invented and made more efficient. This efficiency improvement had led to incredible inventions such as the railway system, various kinds of factories, new tools, and much more.

It was a chain reaction — one invention led to efficiency improvements, more ideas, more inventions, more productivity, and on and on.

It also affected the textile industry.

New innovations meant that textile-making became easier and more automated. New machines were able to make much more textile in less time, and at a lower cost.

Highly-skilled textile workers were slowly losing their jobs to factory workers who operated textile machines.

These roles were more centered around the maintenance and upkeep of the machines.

As machines became better, more textile manufacturers switched to using machines inside textile mills.

This meant that a large section of skilled textile workers were left without a source of income.

It was around this time that Ludd became famous.

Ludd

The odd thing is, nobody truly knows who Ludd was.

There are some reports to indicate that Ludd was not really involved in this movement. It was an organic movement that caught on because many workers were without a job.

It was a movement that lacked leadership, but they all just assumed a man named Ludd was leading it since everybody else was also talking about him.

In 1811, the first machine was smashed.

The smashings spread, and skilled workers across the country broke into textile mills and smashed machines.

For the next few years, the movement grew and became more violent.

The workers killed a textile mill owner in anger. Soldiers trying to control the crowds killed a few workers. Rioting took place.

The UK government passed a few laws to criminalise the smashing and breaking of textile machines.

Textiles were an extremely important product that the UK government could not afford to compromise.

5 years later, the movement died down.

The textile machines continued to produce textiles, making cloth cheaper and more abundant.

The Luddites came to be known as the people who worked against technological progress.



Many argue that this was a false characterisation. These skilled workers were not against technology as such. They were protesting against their sudden unemployment and lack of income.

But the label stuck.

The word ‘Luddite’ became associated with being against technological progress.

Accustations

While the movement died, the word ‘Luddite’ never died.

In 2015, Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking won an award.

2015 Luddite Award.

This was not something they were particularly happy about.

The award was mocking them. It was a sarcasm.

People who are against technological progress and innovation are labeled Luddites.

Despite 200 years since the Luddite movement, the word refuses to die.

When the computer was born and became popular, some critics warned against it. They were called Luddites.

Likewise, something similar was observed when cars were invented and became popular. The critics back then were also called Luddites.

Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking had been warning the world against artificial intelligence and the danger it posed to human society.

Of course, 10 years later, this question is being asked by a lot more people.

AI Luddites

So, what does the Luddite movement teach us about the modern AI wave?

Well, there are lessons.

The textile industry moved on from skilled home-workers to factory wage earners.

The invention of these machines did kill many jobs. The cheaper textiles meant a lot more demand. The higher demand led to more textile factories, which eventually led to more workers being employed at factories.

But the nature of these workers was different. They were skilled in different skills – maintenance, running machines, etc.

They weren’t the same skilled as the folks working in homes had.

This argument is used by many – that technology creates more jobs than it kills (net-net).

Cars took away the jobs of many horse-cart operators. But the number of truck, bus, and cab drivers today is much higher than the number of horse-cart operators in the past.

So, what does this say about AI and the automation it brings?

That is where it gets tricky.

We don’t know.

AI Luddites argue that AI is so good, it will not create more jobs. It will only destroy.

AI optimists counter that with examples of new jobs created during the computer revolution – and how computers created more jobs (net).

AI is very early in our world. So far, it’s hard to say what will happen.

There have been many tech layoffs that have been labelled as AI-caused. We don’t know yet. Many of them are cost-based layoffs that are being labelled as AI-caused.

Sometimes, the companies end up rehiring lots of people after firing them.

The fact of the matter is, we will know only in the long run. Not in the short run.

So far, most technology has proven to be good for society as a whole.

Being called a Luddite has been an insult so far – for nearly 200 years.

How will things turn out this time?

टाइटैनिक का थ्री-डी डिजिटल मॉडल

आप यकीन नहीं करेंगे, लेकिन अब टाइटैनिक का हर कोना साफ़-साफ़ दिखने लगा है! 1912 में अटलांटिक महासागर में डूबा यह जहाज़, जिसमें 1500 से ज़्यादा लोग सवार थे, अब पहले से कहीं ज़्यादा साफ़ और विस्तार से देखा जा सकता है।
नेशनल जियोग्राफिक ने टाइटैनिक के मलबे का अब तक का सबसे बारीक और सटीक थ्री-डी डिजिटल मॉडल जारी किया है।
ये स्कैन 2022 में मैगेलन नाम की एक कंपनी ने समुद्र की गहराई में जाकर तैयार किया था।
इसमें ‘रोमियो’ और ‘जूलियट’ नाम के दो रोबोट्स ने तीन हफ्तों तक काम करते हुए 7 लाख से ज़्यादा तस्वीरें खींचीं और लाखों लेज़र माप लिए, जिससे कुल 16 टेराबाइट्स का डेटा तैयार हुआ।
इस थ्री-डी स्कैन की खास बात ये है कि इसमें यात्रियों के छोड़े गए जूते, खिलौने और दूसरी चीज़ें भी साफ दिखाई देती हैं जैसे समय वहीं थम गया हो!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOWPGESQv5s

Amritsar in March 1947.

British Maj. T.J. Monaghan (left) and Pvt. H. Fara brother of the Inniskilling Regiment of Northern Ireland, walk through wreckage after riots destroyed parts of the Punjab suburb of Amritsar, India, in March 1947.

"ये ऐतिहासिक तस्वीर है जो मिडल ईस्ट की तक़दीर को हमेशा के लिए बदल देगी"

1. सीरिया वापस आ गया है — एक नार्मल मुल्क की तरह, बिना सैंक्शन्स के।
इतने सालों की जंग, बर्बादी और तनहाई के बाद अब सीरिया फिर से मेज़ पर बैठा है, बातचीत का हिस्सा है। उसपर से सारे सैंक्शन हटा लिए गए हैं, अब उसे कोई 'isolated state' नहीं कह सकता।
2. सऊदी अरब का लीडरशिप रोल फिर से एक्टिव हो गया है।
पूरे अरब वर्ल्ड को अब रियाद से direction मिल रहा है — चाहे वो political हो, religious या फिर diplomatic। सऊदी अब सिर्फ ऑइल का राजा नहीं, डिप्लोमेसी का भी बॉस है।
3. सऊदी और तुर्की का रिश्ता फिर से बहाल हो गया है।
पहले जो tensions थे, वो अब पीछे रह गए हैं। अब दोनों country मिलकर regional peace और economic collaboration की बात कर रहे हैं।
4. सऊदी और ईरान अब आमने-सामने नहीं, बल्कि साथ-साथ हैं।
ये वही दो मुल्क हैं जो पहले एक-दूसरे को eye to eye नहीं देख सकते थे। अब बात हो रही है — समझदारी, patience और mutual interest की।
5. इज़राइल अब अमेरिका का ‘region ka supervisor’ नहीं रहा।
पहले हर regional decision में वॉशिंगटन और तेल अवीव का हाथ होता था। अब गेम बदल गया है — decisions अब रियाद, तेहरान और अंकारा से निकल रहे हैं।
6. 2002 वाली Arab Peace Initiative दोबारा table पर है।
जो प्लान था कि अगर इज़राइल Palestine को proper statehood दे, तो अरब दुनिया उससे relation normalize कर सकती है — वो बात अब फिर से उठ रही है।
7. अब कोई Abraham Accord फिलिस्तीन राज्य को बनाए बिना possible नहीं है।
अब साफ मैसेज है — अगर Palestine को हक़ नहीं मिला, तो normalization का रास्ता बंद है।
Bottom line ये है: अब मिडल ईस्ट खुद अपने फैसले ले रहा है। Divide-and-rule का टाइम गया। अब cooperation, unity और dignity की politics वापस आ रही है।
ये सिर्फ एक तस्वीर नहीं — ये एक whole new chapter है, मिडल ईस्ट की हिस्ट्री में।