Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i A TO Z INDIA

The Cholas initially occupied present Tanjore and Trincnopoly districts with of South India and, up to the eight century A.D. the Chola kingdom was very small. However, the Cholas rose to prominence when in 850 their ruler Vijayalaya defeated the Pallavas and snatched Tanjore from them, making it the capital of the Chola kingdom. Aditya Chola dynasty defeated the last Pallava ruler in 987 A.D.and the Cholas later captured Madurai from the Pandyas who had controlled the lower tip of the peninsula from early times. Rajaraja (985-1014) extended Chola domination throughout South India and Sri Lanka, and challenged the Chalukyas who had controlled the north-eastern Deccan. His son Rajendra Chola conquered the Andaman and Nicobar islands and advanced past the Ganges up to Bengal, assuming the title of "Gangaikonda" (the…

By Salil Saroj Legislative Officer New Delhi e-mail: salilmumtaz@gmail.com After India attained freedom, the dream of the Constitution makers was to evolve such a viable model of governance that would best serve the nation keeping the primacy of the people as central. It is the farsightedness and visionary leadership of the Founding Fathers of the Constitution which has bestowed the country with an outstanding Constitution that has worked as a beacon for the nation over the last seven decades. The country greatly owes the success of the democratic system to the robust edifice and institutional framework that the Constitution of India has laid down. Our Constitution is a resolve to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic Republic. It is, in fact, a promise to the people for securing…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government emphasizes on AmritKaal, they have laid the foundation of 'New India', 'Strong India', which will be realized in 2047, the hundredth year of its independence. The recently presented budget underlines the 'AmritKaal' in the best possible way. The strategies and plans of the government are also being made keeping the same in the Centre. But it is a big irony that the entire opposition is in the dark about AmritKaal. The responsible role of the opposition is being expected in making the AmritKaal nectar, but this is not going to happen, as it has repeatedly exposed its direction lessness, this has become clear in the budget session. What kind of politics is this, what kind of demonstration of the responsibilities of the opposition,…

The temple is facing towards east with a Mahadvara. The temple stands on a raised platform (Jagati), a feature common to many Hoysala temples. The platform provides ample space for the devotess to circumbulate the temple. The temple is constructed in trikutachala style, consisting of three shrines, one each on north, south and west. The western shrine houses Sridhara, northern shrine houses Lakshmi Narasimha and southern shrine houses Venugopala. The shrine housing Lakshmi Narasimha is given prominence here. The western shrine connects to the navaranga via vestibule while the other two shrines connects directly to the navaranga. The navaranga is preceded by an open mukha mandapa. All the three shrines are square in plan. The central shrine (western shrine) is the most prominent one. This shrine has an antrala (vestibule)…

There’s something about staying in a tea garden that ushers in an amazing sense of tranquillity within. Perhaps it’s the mountain air laden with the essence of orchids, cherries and rhododendrons. Perhaps it’s the evenly manicured bushes of tea that sprawls for greenish miles bookended by snow-clad peaks of the mighty Himalaya. Or perhaps it’s the copious cups of tea – laden with anti-oxidants and flavonoids - that you are compelled to drink, to live up to your reputation of holidaying in a tea estate. Or as in Temi’s case, you just feel privileged to sip your oolongs in Sikkim’s only tea estate, that too with views of the mighty Kanchenjunga above and the turquoise Teesta river below. While Darjeeling in neighbouring West Bengal takes away most of the tea-time…

Vajrapāṇi, Min Mahāyāna Buddhist mythology, one of the celestial bodhisattvas (“Buddhas-to-be”), the manifestation of the self-born Buddha Akṣobhya. Vajrapāṇi (Sanskrit: Thunderbolt-Bearer) is believed to be the protector of the nāgas (half-man, half-serpent deities) and sometimes assumes the shape of a bird in order to deceive their traditional enemy, the hawklike Garuḍa. Because of his association with the rain-controlling nāgas and with the Hindu god of rain, Indra, he is invoked in times of drought. Vajrapani, the “holder of a thunderbolt” (vajra), shares his origins with the Vedic deity Indra, god of storms. Early in Buddhist iconography, the thunderbolt scepter assumed an independent meaning associated with clarity of pure thought leading to enlightenment. Like Indra he holds the thunderbolt and is coloured dark blue or white. His statues are often found…