Why in the News?

• The government has asked WhatsApp to put its planned username feature on hold over concerns that it may increase impersonation, phishing, and online fraud.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• WhatsApp Username Feature
• News Summary (Govt’s Concerns, WhatsApp Response, Significance, etc.)

WhatsApp Username Feature

• WhatsApp has proposed a new username-based feature that would allow users to chat or receive messages without sharing their phone numbers.
• The feature is similar to systems already available on platforms like Telegram and Signal.
• Under the proposed model:

• Users can choose a unique username for their account.
• Other users can contact them using that username instead of their mobile number.
• The feature is meant to improve privacy, especially when interacting with new people.
• Users would still need a phone number to create and operate a WhatsApp account.

• According to WhatsApp, the idea is to let people communicate more privately in situations where sharing a phone number may feel unnecessary or intrusive.

News Summary

• The Union government has raised concerns over WhatsApp’s planned username feature and has asked the company not to roll it out for now.
• A notice has been sent asking the company to provide a detailed explanation within three days and to keep the feature on hold until further consultation is completed.
• Government’s Concerns: The government’s central concern is that the new system could make it easier for bad actors to misuse the platform for:

• Impersonation
• Phishing
• Online fraud
• Digital arrest scams
• Spam messaging

• Officials fear that users may create usernames that closely resemble those of:

• Public figures
• Government institutions
• Verified entities
• Known individuals and organisations

• This could make it difficult for ordinary users, especially those who are not digitally aware, to distinguish genuine accounts from fake ones.
• The concern becomes more serious because impersonation-linked scams are already being carried out through WhatsApp.
• The government believes that allowing contact through usernames, without showing phone numbers upfront, may give fraudsters another tool to mislead users.

WhatsApp’s Response

• WhatsApp has clarified that the feature is not yet live and will be introduced gradually later this year. The company has said it has built several safeguards into the feature.
• These include:

• Reserving high-profile usernames such as those of public figures, government entities, celebrities, and verified Meta accounts.
• Blocking lookalike derivatives of known names.
• Requiring users to know the exact username in order to contact someone.
• Showing useful account information when a first message is received, such as:
• Whether the sender is a new account?
• Whether they are already in the contact list?
• Whether they are part of common groups?
• Whether they are located in a different country?
• Limiting how many new people an account can contact.
• Blocking repeated attempts to guess a username key.
• Using systems to detect and remove common impersonation and abuse patterns.
• The company has also said that impersonation-related abuse will be taken seriously and that accounts violating the rules may lose their usernames or be banned entirely.

Wider Regulatory Context

• This is not the first time WhatsApp has come under government scrutiny.
• Earlier, the Department of Telecommunications had directed the platform to:

• Ensure users cannot access WhatsApp without the registered SIM being active on the device
• Log out WhatsApp Web users every six hours

• While the second direction was rolled back, the SIM-related requirement continues.
• The current development shows that digital platforms are increasingly being examined not just for privacy and encryption issues, but also for how new features could affect cyber safety, impersonation risks, and fraud prevention.

Significance

• The controversy highlights a larger policy challenge in digital governance: how to balance privacy-enhancing features with the need to prevent online abuse and cybercrime.
• On one side, username-based communication can reduce unnecessary exposure of personal phone numbers.
• On the other, if not designed carefully, it may create new risks of deception and identity misuse.
• The government’s intervention suggests that future platform features may face closer scrutiny if they are seen as likely to increase vulnerability for users.

Context:

• India's ambitious goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, alongside achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, requires unprecedented investment in infrastructure.
• While the first generation of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) transformed sectors such as airports, highways and ports, their financing structure was fundamentally flawed.
• Instead of abandoning PPPs, India should adopt a second-generation financing architecture centred on capital circulation, enabling continuous recycling of public and private capital. 

Need for a New Infrastructure Financing Model:

• India's infrastructure pipeline had expanded to over 13,000 projects worth nearly ₹185 lakh crore by March 2025, yet this represents only a fraction of future requirements.
• Massive investments are needed in renewable energy, power transmission networks, green hydrogen, climate-resilient urban infrastructure, and adaptation and decarbonisation projects.
• Achieving net-zero by 2070 is estimated to require investments exceeding $20 trillion. Such a scale cannot be financed solely through government expenditure or corporate balance sheets.

Lessons from the First Generation of PPPs:

• The PPPs themselves did not fail; their financing model did.
• Core problem - Asset-liability mismatch: Infrastructure assets typically generate returns over 30–50 years, but many PPP projects were financed through bank loans with repayment periods of only 7–10 years.
• Consequently:
  • Debt servicing peaked during the early years when revenues were uncertain.
  • Following the Global Financial Crisis (2008) and domestic economic slowdown, project revenues declined while debt obligations remained fixed.
  • This led to rising Non-Performing Assets (NPAs), stressed infrastructure projects and declining investor confidence.
• Key takeaway: Long-term infrastructure was financed using short-term capital, creating systemic financial stress.

From Capital Scarcity to Capital Circulation:

• India's challenge today is not merely raising more capital but efficiently matching different sources of capital with different stages of project risk.
• Risk-based financing across the project lifecycle:
  • Different investors should finance projects according to their risk appetite.
  • Project stage (Appropriate investor):
    • Project preparation, land acquisition, construction (Government/public sector).
    • Operational and revenue-generating stage [Developers and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs)].
    • Mature, low-risk assets (Pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds).
  • This ensures that public capital is recycled instead of remaining locked in completed projects.

India's Existing Institutional Strengths:

• India has already developed important financing platforms, like,
  • Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs): Enable monetisation of operational infrastructure assets.
  • National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF): Has successfully attracted global institutional investors.
• However, these mechanisms need to function within a continuous capital recycling framework, where ownership and financing shift as project risks decline.

The Concept of Circular Finance with Continuous Capital Recycling:

• Working:
  • Government and developers finance project construction.
  • Once projects become operational and revenues stabilise, InvITs acquire these assets.
  • Governments and developers recover capital and reinvest it in new infrastructure.
  • Operational projects are refinanced through Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDFs).
  • Eventually, mature assets are financed by pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds, which seek stable long-term returns.
• Implication: This reduces financing costs while ensuring capital remains available for successive infrastructure projects.

Role of Financial Sector Reforms:

• Dynamic risk-based loan repricing:
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) must mandate dynamic risk-based repricing of infrastructure loans.
  • Currently, banks continue charging interest rates based on construction-stage risks even after projects become operational. This discourages refinancing and delays capital recycling.
  • Risk-based repricing would lower borrowing costs for de-risked projects and facilitate transfer of assets to long-term investors.
• Reviving infrastructure debt funds: Infrastructure Debt Funds should serve as intermediaries between operational infrastructure assets and institutional investors by -
  • Refinancing expensive bank loans.
  • Providing long-term, lower-cost capital.
  • Improving overall financial sustainability of infrastructure projects.

Why Capital Circulation Matters?

• Keeping public funds or bank capital locked indefinitely in mature infrastructure reduces the economy's capacity to finance new projects.
• A robust capital circulation framework would:
  • Improve efficiency in infrastructure financing.
  • Reduce pressure on public finances.
  • Lower the cost of capital.
  • Attract global long-term institutional investors.
  • Support sustainable infrastructure expansion while maintaining fiscal discipline.

Conclusion:

• India's infrastructure ambitions demand a shift from merely mobilising private capital to creating a financing ecosystem where capital circulation is as important as capital mobilisation in achieving the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
• Therefore, the second generation of PPPs must focus on risk-appropriate financing, refinancing, asset recycling and institutional participation.

Context

• As India aspires to achieve energy self-reliance by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070, the next phase of its energy transition requires a more integrated and coordinated approach to planning and governance.
• Recognising this need, the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) released a policy brief in May 2026 proposing a Unified National Energy Framework.
• The framework aims to integrate diverse energy resources, technologies, and institutions to achieve energy security, affordability, sustainability, and long-term economic growth.

India's Energy Transition: Achievements and Emerging Challenges

• Major Achievements
  • India has made significant progress in improving energy accessibility and sustainability through several landmark initiatives, including:
    • Saubhagya Scheme, which achieved near-universal household electrification.
    • Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which expanded access to clean cooking fuel for millions of households.
    • Rapid expansion of renewable energy capacity from approximately 40 GW in 2015 to nearly 260 GW by 2025, making India one of the world's fastest-growing renewable energy markets.
• Emerging Challenges
  • Despite these successes, India's energy sector faces several structural challenges:
    • Rising energy demand due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth.
    • Continued dependence on imported crude oil and natural gas.
    • Balancing multiple priorities, including energy security, affordability, sustainability, and economic competitiveness.
    • Increasing complexity arising from the integration of conventional and renewable energy sources.

Need for an Integrated National Energy Framework

• The INSA policy brief argues that India's evolving energy landscape requires a holistic approach rather than fragmented sector-specific policies.
• An integrated framework seeks to:
  • Coordinate planning across all energy sources.
  • Improve collaboration among various institutions and stakeholders.
  • Integrate generation, transmission, storage, distribution, and emerging technologies.
  • Ensure long-term policy consistency.
  • Enhance energy resilience while supporting sustainable development.
• By viewing the energy sector as a single interconnected system, the framework aims to optimize resource utilization and improve policy effectiveness.

The Four Pillars of the Proposed Energy Framework

• Adequacy: Ensuring Reliable Energy Supply
• Adequacy focuses on maintaining a secure and diversified energy supply capable of meeting India's growing energy demand.
• Key strategies include:
  • Diversification of conventional and renewable energy sources.
  • Modernization of energy infrastructure.
  • Expansion of energy storage systems.
  • Adoption of digital technologies for efficient grid management.
  • Strengthening national energy resilience and reducing long-term vulnerabilities.
• Access: Providing Reliable and Equitable Energy
• Building upon India's achievements in electrification and clean cooking fuel access, this pillar emphasizes universal access to quality energy services.
• Priority areas include:
  • Improving last-mile connectivity.
  • Enhancing reliability and quality of electricity supply.
  • Expanding decentralized and off-grid renewable energy solutions.
  • Ensuring equitable access for rural and remote communities.
• Affordability: Making Energy Economically Accessible
• A successful energy transition must remain financially sustainable for consumers and industries alike. The framework promotes:
  • Innovative financing mechanisms.
  • Efficient and competitive energy markets.
  • Consumer protection measures.
  • Cost-effective deployment of clean energy technologies.
  • Inclusive economic growth without imposing excessive financial burdens.
• Appropriate Sustainability: A Context-Specific Approach
• Unlike a one-size-fits-all sustainability model, the framework advocates an approach tailored to India's developmental priorities and resource availability. This includes:
  • Region-specific transition strategies.
  • Support for local communities.
  • Workforce reskilling and employment generation.
  • Environmentally responsible development aligned with socio-economic realities.
  • The concept recognizes that sustainability must complement, not hinder, India's development goals.

Phased Roadmap for Energy Transition

• Short-Term Priorities
• Immediate focus areas include:
  • Strengthening energy infrastructure.
  • Accelerating renewable energy deployment.
  • Promoting emerging technologies such as green hydrogen.
  • Establishing institutional mechanisms for better coordination.
• Long-Term Priorities
• Over time, emphasis will shift toward:
  • Greater integration of low-carbon technologies.
  • Increased use of bio-resources.
  • Development of resilient and interconnected energy systems.
  • Continuous technological innovation and digitalisation.

Conclusion

• India's energy transition extends beyond increasing renewable energy capacity; it seeks to build an integrated, resilient, affordable, and sustainable energy system capable of supporting future economic growth and environmental commitments.
• The Unified National Energy Framework proposed by the Indian National Science Academy provides a comprehensive roadmap by emphasizing the four pillars of adequacy, access, affordability, and appropriate sustainability.
• Through coordinated planning, technological innovation, and inclusive governance, India can strengthen its energy security, reduce import dependence, and successfully achieve its long-term goals of energy self-reliance by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070.

Context

• The 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis tested India's ability to withstand a major disruption in global energy supplies.
• The country's effective response demonstrated that energy security depends not only on diplomatic engagement or diversified imports but also on indigenous scientific capability, technological self-reliance, and robust industrial institutions.
• While India successfully managed the immediate crisis, achieving long-term resilience requires reducing dependence on imported fuels through domestic technological innovation.

India's Successful Crisis Management

• Refinery Flexibility and Technical Capability
  • India's response was built on decades of investment in research and development, process engineering, metallurgy, and workforce training.
  • Modern refineries developed the flexibility to process crude oil with different density, sulphur, and viscosity characteristics from multiple suppliers, including the Americas, West Africa, Russia, and West Asia.
  • Within weeks of the disruption, non-Hormuz crude sourcing increased from 55% to 70%.
  • Engineers rapidly adjusted refinery operations, optimized production processes, and maintained product quality without disrupting fuel supplies.
  • During the LPG shortage, domestic refinery output increased from 35 to 54 thousand metric tonnes per day, reflecting India's strong technical capability, engineering expertise, and accumulated institutional knowledge.
• Indigenous Capability as Strategic Insurance
  • The crisis highlighted that lasting national resilience is built on scientific capability and human capital rather than temporary geopolitical arrangements.
  • Investments in research and industrial expertise enabled India to absorb external shocks with confidence.
  • However, although crude imports can be diversified, LPG imports remain concentrated among a limited number of exporting countries, leaving a significant structural vulnerability.

From Crisis Management to Structural Reform

• Strengthening long-term energy security requires replacing imported fuels with domestic alternatives.
• Dimethyl Ether (DME), produced through coal gasification, is chemically similar to LPG and can be blended into existing cylinders and pipelines without major infrastructure changes.
• With abundant coal reserves, India possesses a significant comparative advantage. The Bureau of Indian Standards has approved blending up to 20% DME with LPG.
• Such blending could replace ~6.3 million tonnes of LPG imports annually and save nearly ₹34,000 crore in foreign exchange, while enhancing strategic autonomy and reducing exposure to global supply disruptions.

The Way Forward: Innovation Ecosystem and Policy Support

• An effective innovation ecosystem requires collaboration among research institutions, government, and industry.
• Indigenous DME technology developed by the CSIR's National Chemical Laboratory and its rapid scaling through the Centre for High Technology illustrate how scientific research can be transformed into strategic national capability.
• Recognising this potential, the Union Cabinet approved a ₹37,500 crore coal gasification programme targeting 100 million tonnes annually by 2030.
• The scheme provides financial incentives, long-term coal linkages, and policy certainty for industrial investment.
• However, challenges such as high-ash coal, limited gasification capacity, and the need for greater technical expertise require sustained investment, industrial discipline, and continuous technological advancement. 

Conclusion

• The Hormuz crisis demonstrated that indigenous capability is India's most reliable safeguard against global energy disruptions.
• Decades of investment in science, engineering, and industrial capacity enabled the country to manage an immediate crisis effectively.
• Applying the same commitment to coal gasification and DME production can reduce import dependence, strengthen energy resilience, promote innovation, and enhance India's long-term economic security and strategic independence.

Why in news?

Speaking at a business conference in London, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal questioned the methodologies of sovereign rating agencies, saying they have been "unfair to India."

He contrasted this with praise for one agency — CareEdge Ratings — for being "objective." This is not the first time India has raised this concern, and it has revived the debate over how the country is rated.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• What Do Rating Agencies Measure?
• The Key Distinction: Ability vs. Willingness to Repay
• How India Has Been Rated So Far?
• India's Core Objections
• Why CareEdge Ratings Is Favoured?

What Do Rating Agencies Measure?

• India is rated by seven international sovereign credit rating agencies: S&P, Moody's, Morningstar DBRS, Fitch, the Japanese Credit Rating Agency (JCRA), Rating and Investment Information (R&I), and CareEdge Ratings.
• The three most widely accepted globally are S&P, Fitch, and Moody's.
• Their core job is to measure an entity's ability and willingness to repay its debt. The entity can be a company, a municipal corporation, a state, or — in the case of sovereign ratings — a national government.
• How the scale works: Ratings use an alphabet scale. Fitch and S&P use AAA as the highest (Moody's uses Aaa), descending through AA+, AA, AA-, A+, A, A-, then into the 'B' ratings, down to D, which means the entity is in default.
• Why ratings matter: They determine the interest rate at which an entity can borrow. A AAA rating implies no default risk and the lowest borrowing costs. The lower the rating, the higher the perceived risk — and the higher the interest rate demanded to offset it.

The Key Distinction: Ability vs. Willingness to Repay

• This is the conceptual heart of the dispute. The two metrics are very different:
  • Ability to repay is largely quantitative — backed by hard numbers that show whether a country can service its debt.
  • Willingness to repay is largely qualitative — it relies on opinion and judgement rather than hard data.
• This distinction underpins India's entire grievance.

How India Has Been Rated So Far?

• For years, India has been rated at the lowest rung of investment grade — just a grade or two above "junk" status (the point at which lenders stop lending for fear of default).
• Strikingly, these ratings went unchanged for over a decade, and in some cases nearly two decades.
• Recent upgrades have come, but slowly:
• 
• Even after these upgrades, India remains only just above junk grade.

India's Core Objections

• Despite the upgrades, the government argues the ratings do not reflect reality. The agencies "haven't recognised the India growth story, the strong India fundamentals and the sovereign capabilities."
• The issue has even featured in official documents. The Economic Survey 2020-21 devoted an entire chapter to it. Its key arguments:
  • It was the first time the world's fifth-largest economy had been assigned such a low rating.
  • India's macroeconomic fundamentals are strong — more than enough to demonstrate its ability to repay.
  • On willingness, India has never defaulted on its sovereign debt despite several crises — which should be strong proof of its willingness to pay.
• The central allegation: Global agencies rely too heavily on qualitative metrics rather than quantitative ones. These qualitative judgements are often based on the opinions of a small group of experts, making them subjective and prone to skewing the overall rating.
• Meanwhile, quantitative metrics — where India performs relatively well — are given comparatively lower weightage.

Why CareEdge Ratings Is Favoured?

• CareEdge stands apart for two reasons:
  • It is the first sovereign rating agency headquartered in India, so the perception is that it can better capture the ground realities of India's economy.
  • More importantly, its stated methodology gives primary importance to quantitative factors — precisely the metrics on which India scores well, and precisely the fix India has been demanding of the global agencies.

Conclusion

• India's dispute with global rating agencies boils down to a single argument: that ratings lean too much on subjective, opinion-based qualitative judgements and too little on hard quantitative data, where India performs well.
• With strong fundamentals, a clean record of never defaulting, and status as the world's fifth-largest economy, New Delhi feels its persistent ranking just above junk grade is unjustified.
• The recent upgrades by S&P, Moody's, R&I and others suggest some movement, but the deeper concern remains — that the methodology itself needs reform.
• The government's endorsement of the India-headquartered, quantitatively-driven CareEdge signals the kind of approach it believes would rate India more fairly.

Why in news?

• The government has notified a new set of rules recently under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. These are the:
  • Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Principal Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026
  • Telecommunications (Authorisation for Captive Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026
  • Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Miscellaneous Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026
• The rules mark a shift in India's telecom regulatory framework, though much of the implementation remains incomplete.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• The Big Picture: What the Parent Act Does?
• The Key Shift: From "Licence" to "Authorisation"
• Greater Powers for the Government
• The Unfinished Business: Satellite Internet and Starlink
• Why the New Telecom Regime Is Not Fully Ready Yet?

The Big Picture: What the Parent Act Does?

• The main objective of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 is to simplify and replace the much-amended, colonial-era Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 (along with other laws like the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933).
• Importantly, for telecom operators and ordinary users, there are not many operational changes on the ground.
• The exercise is largely about modernising and consolidating the legal framework rather than altering day-to-day services.

The Key Shift: From "Licence" to "Authorisation"

• The central change in the newly notified rules is a move away from the old licensing framework to an authorisation regime.
  • The term "licence" is replaced with "authorisation."
• The paperwork that telecom operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must complete is simplified and modified.
• Anti-spam enforcement is added as an obligation under the parent Act.
• Operators have flexibility in the transition: telcos and ISPs can migrate to the new authorisation regime now, or wait until their existing licences expire and then apply afresh.

Greater Powers for the Government

• Along the way, the Act has expanded the Union government's powers.
• Notable examples include:
  • A broad definition of "telecommunication" that could be used to regulate messaging apps.
    • Though the government initially denied this intent, experts note that last year the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) attempted to make WhatsApp log out web users every six hours and "bind" every user to a SIM, as an anti-spam measure.
  • Renaming the Universal Service Obligation Fund (into which telcos pay to fund telecom infrastructure in remote, financially unviable areas) as the Digital Bharat Nidhi.
  • Power to seize telecom infrastructure on national security or war grounds.
  • A replacement for interception orders — despite pushback from industry and civil society, the government retained senior officials' powers to issue phone and internet tapping orders.

The Unfinished Business: Satellite Internet and Starlink

• Implementation is still incomplete, and satellite internet is the biggest grey area.
  • The Act recognises satellite internet, but the final rules removed explicit references to GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite) that were present in the draft rules.
  • Starlink, the world's largest satellite internet provider, still awaits approvals to launch in India.
  • The delay reportedly reflects the government's lingering concern about whether it can truly shut off Starlink, given how the service has been used in countries like Iran in defiance of local governments — a national security and controllability worry.

Why the New Telecom Regime Is Not Fully Ready Yet?

• Even though the rules have been notified, the system is not yet fully working on the ground. Notifying a rule is only the first step; the government still has to spell out many practical details before operators can actually function under the new regime.
• Legal analysts have pointed out that several of these details are still missing.
  • First is the "sound track-record" criterion. To get an authorisation, a telecom company is expected to have a good past record.
    • But the government has not yet defined what counts as a "sound" record — for example, whether past penalties, dues, or compliance failures would disqualify a company.
    • Without a clear yardstick, operators cannot be sure whether they will qualify.
  • Second are the exemption thresholds. Not every service or entity will need to go through the full authorisation process; smaller players or certain categories may be exempted.
    • But the government has not yet specified the size or nature of operations below which such exemptions apply.
    • Until this is fixed, companies do not know whether the rules even apply to them.
  • Third are the technical directions and detailed specifications — the fine print on how systems must be set up, what standards must be met, and how compliance will actually be carried out.

About Mount Erebus:

• It is a stratovolcano located on the western half of Ross Island, off the coast of Antarctica in the Ross Sea.
• It is the world’s southernmost active volcano.
• It is an intraplate volcano and belongs to the McMurdo Volcanic Group, located in the so-called Terror Rift, which is part of the West Antarctic Rift System.
• It is the second tallest volcano in Antarctica, after Mount Sidley.
• It is one of only two volcanoes on the continent that are considered to be active; Deception Island is the other.
• It is also one of only a few volcanoes in the world that contain an active lava lake.
• The lava lake in the summit crater has been active since at least 1972. Most eruptions are small and Strombolian in character, tossing bombs onto the crater rim.
• It is also the only known volcano that releases tiny crystals of pure gold into the atmosphere.

About Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar Temple:

• It is a Hindu temple located in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles.
• It is the only Hindu temple in Seychelles.
• The temple was built in 1992 by the Hindu community living in Seychelles, which constitutes around 2% of the population.
• The temple is dedicated to Lord Vinayagar (or Lord Ganesha), and is located in the heart of Victoria on Mahé Island.
• Architecture:
  • It looks very similar to the famous temples of Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India, with its vibrant and intricate Dravidian architecture.
  • Its most striking feature is the colourful gopuram, or entrance tower, which rises nearly 100 feet into the sky.
  • The tower is covered with beautifully carved statues of Hindu gods, goddesses, and mythological figures.
  • Every statue is painted in bright colours, making the temple stand out against the green hills.
  • At its centre is the garbha griha, or “womb chamber,” where the principal deity, Lord Vinayagar, is enshrined.
  • The temple also has a mandapam, an open hall used for religious ceremonies, prayers, and celebrations.