Thursday, November 26, 2009

Religion of Rai

Historians today are convinced that a widespread cultural conflict took place in the eastern Himalayan region between the indigenous inhabitants – called the Kirat – and the Tibetan migrant population, reaching a climax during the 18th and 19th centuries. Another wave of political and cultural conflict, between Gorkhali
GorkhaliGorkhali was a Nepali language-language weekly newspaper published in Varanasi, India. It began publication in 1919. Devi Prasad Sapkota was the editor of the newspaper.... and Kirat ideals, surfaced in the Kirat region of present-day Nepal during the last quarter of the 18th century. A collection of manuscripts from the 18th and 19th centuries, till now unpublished and unstudied by historians, have made possible a new understanding of this conflict. These historical sources are among those collected by Brian Houghton Hodgson
Brian Houghton HodgsonBrian Houghton Hodgson was an earlynatural history and ethnologist working in British India and Nepal where hewas an England civil servant.... – a British diplomat and self-trained Orientalist appointed to the Kathmandu
KathmanduKathmandu is the Capital and the largest metropolis city of Nepal. The city is situated in Kathmandu Valley that also contains two other cities - Patan, Nepal and Bhaktapur.... court during the second quarter of the 19th century – and his principal research aide, the Newar
NewarThe Newa are the Indigenous peoples of Asia people of Nepal Kathmandu Valley. Newars are a linguistic community with Tibeto-Burman and Indo ethnictiy/race, bound together by a common language.... scholar Khardar Jitmohan.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

God's Location

Armstrong, a British journalist and former nun, guides us along one of the most elusive and fascinating quests of all time--the search for God. Like all beloved historians, Armstrong entertains us with deft storytelling, astounding research, and makes us feel a greater appreciation for the present because we better understand our past. Be warned: A History of God is not a tidy linear history. Rather, we learn that the definition of God is constantly being repeated, altered, discarded, and resurrected through the ages, responding to its followers' practical concerns rather than to mystical mandates. Armstrong also shows us how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have overlapped and influenced one another, gently challenging the secularist history of each of these religions. --Gail Hudson

History of God


A History of God is a best-selling book by Karen Armstrong. It details the history of the three great monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Also included in the book are Buddhism and Hinduism. The evolution of the idea of God is traced from its ancient roots in the Middle EastThe documentary hypothesis (DH) (sometimes called the Wellhausen hypothesis, after Julius Wellhausen, though he did not invent it), holds that the Pentateuch (the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses) was derived from originally independent, parallel and complete narratives, which were subsequently combined into the current form by a series of redactors (editors). The number of these is usually set at four distinct schools, but this is not an essential part of the hypothesis. up to the present day

Monday, November 23, 2009

Great Wall

The Chinese were already familiar with the techniques of wall-building by the time of the Spring and Autumn Period, which began around the 8th century BC. During the Warring States Period from the 5th century BC to 221 BC, the states of Qi, Yan and Zhao all constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. Built to withstand the attack of small arms such as swords and spears, these walls were made mostly by stamping earth and gravel between board frames. Qin Shi Huang conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty. Intending to impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, he ordered the destruction of the wall sections that divided his empire along the former state borders. To protect the empire against intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall to connect the remaining fortifications alLinkong the empire's new northern frontier. Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin Dynasty walls. Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain today. Later, the Han, Sui, Northern and Jin dynasties all repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall at great cost to defend themselves against northern invaders.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Culture of Himalayas


Why does one wander about in the hills? Why does one trudge up steep slopes only to descend to a point where another formidable ascent stares mockingly? Why does one shiver endlessly in a thin sleeping bag, most inappropriate for the place or the time, only to wake up to further misery as the late night rain finally creeps through the tent floor and creates a dreadful little puddle near your head? And why does one so lovingly plan another trek after having curse and howled through the previous one and questioned one's sanity sixteen times a day?H i s t o r y o f H i m a l a y a sEtymologically Himalaya means "abode of snow" in sanskrit {from hima "snow", and aalaya "abode"}. The correct name for the range is Himalaya, though the plural Himalayas is often used. The Himalaya stretch across five nations Pakistan, China, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. It is the source of two of the world's major river systems — the Indus Basin and the Ganga-Brahmaputra Basin. An estimated 750 million people live in the watershed area of the Himalayan rivers, which also includes Bangladesh.G e o g r a p h y o f H i m a l a y a sStarting Point Begin your exploration with a introduction to the Himalayas. Himalayan Lands Explore the unique geography, culture, wildlife and history of the Himalayas lands of India, Nepal and Tibet. The Himalayan range runs for about 2400 km, from Nanga Parbat in the west to Namche Barwa in the east.

Culture of World

What a fascinating cultural heritage and abundance of cultural features can be found around our globe and hDrop in and discover the charm, the flair and the beauty of different countries and cultures, admire cultural historical sights and see how people's traditions and religions gave the countries their unmiIt's me to the left having a rest with Beduins in the Tunisian desert. Want to see more of our exciting trips? Please choose any country and follow the next keys on the pages - thus you'll get to know the countries best. Virtual tours with a multitude of photos, fitting sounds, personal comments and useful links will get you vivid impressions as well as interesting information and ideas for your own travel plans. Enjoy your trip and come back soon stakable face.ow many miracles and wonders of nature are awaiting us!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Old Religion

While superstitions and magical thinking refer to nonscientific causal reasoning, applied to specific things or actions, a religion is a more complex system about general or ultimate things, involving morality, history and community. Because religions may include and exploit certain superstitions or make use of magical thinking, while mixing them with broader considerations, the division between superstition and religious faith is hard to specify and subjective. Religious believers have often seen other religions as superstition Likewise, some atheists, agnostics, deists, and skeptics regard religious belief as superstition. Religious practices are most likely to be labeled "superstitious" by outsiders when they include belief in extraordinary events (miracles), an afterlife, supernatural interventions, apparitions or the efficacy of prayer, charms, incantations, the meaningfulness of omens, and prognostications.
Greek and Roman pagans, who modeled their relations with the gods on political and social terms scorned the man who constantly trembled with fear at the thought of the gods, as a slave feared a cruel and capricious master. Such fear of the gods (deisidaimonia) was what the Romans meant by superstitio (Veyne 1987, p 211). Early Christianity was outlawed as a superstitio Iudaica, a "Jewish superstition", by Domitian in the 80s AD, and by AD 425, Theodosius II outlawed

Sunday, November 15, 2009

History

Paleolithic human settlements have been discovered at excavations in several cave sites in the Western Plains region and the South-western face of the Central Hills region. Anthropologists believe that some discovered burial rites and certain decorative artifacts exhibit similarities between the first inhabitants of the island and the early inhabitants of Southern India. Recent bioanthropological studies have however dismissed these links, and have placed the origin of the people to the northern parts of India[citation needed One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayana, which described the emperor Ravana as monarch of the powerful kingdom of Lanka, which was created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma for Kubera, the treasurer of the Gods.English historian James Emerson Tennent also theorized Galle, a southern city in Sri Lanka, was the ancient seaport of Tarshish from which King Solomon is said to have drawn ivory, peacocks and other valuables. The main written accounts of the country's history are the Buddhist chronicles of Mahavansa and Dipavamsa

Lord Shiva

LegendsThere are many legends describing as to how the temple of Lord Pashupatinath came to existence here. Some of them are narrated below:-The Cow LegendLegend says that Lord Shiva once took the form of an antelope and sported unkown in the forest on Bagmati river's east bank. The gods later caught up with him, and grabbing him by the horn, forced him to resume his divine form. The broken horn was worshipped as a linga but overtime it was buried and lost. Centuries later an astonished herdsmen found one of his cows showering the earth with milk. Digging deep at the site, he discovered the divine linga of Pashupatinath.The Linchchhavi Legend According to Gopalraj Vamsavali, the oldest ever chronicle in Nepal, this temple was built by Supus Padeva, a Linchchhavi King, who according to the stone inscription erected by Jayadeva 11 in the courtyard of Pashupatinath in 753 AD, happened to be the ruler 39 generations before Manadeva (464-505 AD).The Devalaya LegendAnother chronicle states that Pashupatinath Temple was in the form of Linga shaped Devalaya before Supus Padeva constructed a five storey temple of Pashupatinath in this place. As the time passed, the need for reparing and renovating this temple arose. It is learnt that this temple was reconsturcted by a mediaeval King named Shivadeva (1099-1126 AD). It was renovated by Ananta Malla adding a roof to it.Festivals» Pashupati area is regarded as one of the most important places of pilgrimages for the followers of Hinduism. Thousands of devotees from within and outside the country come to pay homage to Pashupatinath every day. And on special occasions like Ekadasi, Sankranti, Mahashivratri, Teej Akshaya, Rakshabandhan, Grahana (eclipse), Poornima (Full moon day) the whole atmosphere turns festive and mirthful as people congregate here in a far greater number.» During the Shivaratri (also spelled Shivratri) festival Pashupatinath temple is lit with ghee lamps throughout the night and the temple remains open all night. Thousands of devotees take ritual baths in the Bagmati river on the day of the festival and observe a fast for the whole day. Hundreds of sadhus (sages) from different parts of Nepal and India come here on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri.


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