prelims current affairs for 9 November 2025

by Vajiram & Ravi - 9 November 2025

Vajiram & Ravi provides Daily prelims current affairs for 9 November 2025, tailored for aspirants. We cover all relevant news and events crucial for the exam, ensuring you stay updated & well-prepared.

Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (PSHP)

November 9, 2025
Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (PSHP)

Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project Latest News

The Environment Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee recently expressed concern that the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (PSHP) could cause 'enormous damage to biodiversity in Western Ghats'.

About Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project

  • It is a PSHP proposed on the Sharavathi River in Shivamogga district Karnataka.
  • It is designed to generate 2,000 MW of electricity.
  • The project involves building a pumped storage power plant between two existing reservoirs, Talakalale Dam and Gerusoppa Dam.
  • It plans to use the Talakalale dam as the upper reservoir and the Gerusoppa dam as the lower reservoir. 
  • Water will be pumped uphill during off-peak hours and released downhill to generate electricity during peak demand.
  • Modelled on the lines of Telangana’s Kaleshwaram project, it also aims to supply drinking water to Bengaluru. 
  • Five tunnels and eight pumping stations are critical parts of the plan.
  • The project falls within the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to the endangered lion-tailed macaque, hornbills, king cobras, and numerous endemic plant species of the Western Ghats.

Key Facts about Sharavathi River

  • It is a river in the western Karnataka state.
  • It is one of the few rivers in India, which flows in the west direction. 
  • A large part of the river basin lies in the Western Ghats.
  • Course: Rising in the Western Ghats, it flows in a northwesterly direction and empties into the Arabian Sea at Honnavar near the Uttara Kannada district.
  • Total Length: 128 km
  • The river basin covers 2,985 sq.km.
  • On its way, the Sharavathi forms the Jog Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in India, where the river falls from a height of 253 m. 
  • Diverse geological features mark the river’s course, including rocky outcrops, fertile plains, and deep gorges.
  • Major Tributaries: Nandihole, Haridravathi, Mavinahole, Hilkunji, Yennehole, Hurlihole, and Nagodihole.

Source: IT

Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project FAQs

Q1: The proposed Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (PSHP) is located in which Indian state?

Ans: Karnataka

Q2: What is the designed power generation capacity of the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project?

Ans: 2,000 MW

Q3: The Sharavathi PSHP involves building a pumped storage system between which two existing reservoirs?

Ans: Talakalale Dam and Gerusoppa Dam

Q4: How does a pumped storage hydroelectric system generally operate?

Ans: It pumps water uphill during off-peak hours and releases it downhill to generate electricity during peak demand.

Piprahwa Gems

November 9, 2025
Piprahwa Gems

Piprahwa Relics Latest News

A portion of the holy Piprahwa Relics of Lord Buddha, brought from India, were on Saturday enshrined at Thimpu's prominent monastery, Tashichhodzong, considered the seat of Bhutan’s highest spiritual and political institutions.

About Piprahwa Relics

  • The Piprahwa Relics are a collection of sacred artifacts discovered in 1898 at the Piprahwa Stupa in Uttar Pradesh, India. 
  • It is the site believed to be associated with ancient Kapilavastu, the homeland of Gautama Buddha.
  • These relics are of immense archaeological and religious importance, as they are believed to be associated with Lord Buddha himself.
  • These relics, unearthed by British colonial engineer William Claxton Peppé in 1898, include bone fragments believed to be those of Lord Buddha, along with crystal caskets, gold ornaments, gemstones, and a sandstone coffer.
  • An inscription in Brahmi script on one of the caskets links the relics directly to the Sakya clan, to which Buddha belonged, indicating that these remains were enshrined by his followers around the third century BC. 
  • The British crown claimed Peppé’s find under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act, with the bones and ash presented to the Buddhist monarch King Chulalongkorn of Siam. 
  • Most of the 1,800 gems went to what is now the Indian Museum in Kolkata, while Peppé was permitted to retain approximately a fifth of them.
  • Piprahwa Relics are classified as ‘AA’ antiquities under Indian law, prohibiting their removal or sale.
  • Further excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India between 1971 and 1977 uncovered additional steatite caskets containing 22 sacred bone relics, which are now preserved at the National Museum in New Delhi.
  • A part of the Piprahwa Relics was passed down for generations in the Peppé family. 
    • These were put up for auction in Hong Kong in May 2025.
    • However, it was successfully repatriated back to India through a public-private collaboration between the Government and the Godrej Industries Group.

Source: DH

Piprahwa Relics FAQs

Q1: Where were the Piprahwa Relics discovered?

Ans: Piprahwa Stupa, Uttar Pradesh

Q2: The Piprahwa site is believed to be associated with which ancient city?

Ans: Kapilavastu

Q3: Who discovered the Piprahwa Relics in 1898?

Ans: William Claxton Peppé

Q4: The Piprahwa Relics are associated with whom?

Ans: Lord Buddha

Q5: What did the 1898 Piprahwa discovery include?

Ans: Bone fragments believed to be those of Lord Buddha, along with crystal caskets, gold ornaments, gemstones, and a sandstone coffer.

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