'Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar': Launched At Qutub Minar Delhi

Union Minister of State for Culture, Law & Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal launched the virtual portal of Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar at Qutub Minar in New Delhi on 27 July 2023. Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar is a virtual museum that culturally maps over 6.5 lakh villages of India.

The launch of the virtual platform of  Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar will integrate the information regarding villages and is a very positive way for expressing India’s cultural heritage and village life.

About Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar

• Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar (MGMD) is a component of the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), set up by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India undertaken as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM).

• The cultural mapping covers several domains covering geographic, developmental and cultural profile including village stories, traditional knowledge and wisdom traditions, customs, ornaments, food, fairs and festivals, rituals, village gods and goddesses, physical and historical landmarks, architecture, places of worship, art forms – oral, visual, performed and crafted.

About Qutub Minar

• Qutbu'd-Din Aibak laid the foundation of Minar in 1199 AD  for the use of the muazzin ( Muslim official of a mosque who summons the faithful to prayer) to give calls for prayer and completed by Shamsu'd-Din Iltutmish (1211-36 AD). 

• It is named after Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki a 13th century sufi saint, because Iltutmish was a devotee of his.

• Allaudin Khilji added a massive ceremonial gateway (Alai Darwaza) south of the Qutb Minar, and also added a Madarsa (place of learning).

• Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was built by Qutbu'd-Din Aibak in 1198 AD.

• Qutb-Minar built in red and buff sandstone. It has a height of 72.5m.