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Pig's heads are often used in Thai blessing ceremonies, such as a new business venture or building a house. They will accompany other food and drink items, including rice whisky, as offerings to locality spirits.
Pig's heads are often used in Thai blessing ceremonies, such as a new business venture or building a house. They will accompany other food and drink items, including rice whisky, as offerings to locality spirits.
Kutch (often spelled Kachch) is the northwestern part of the Indian state of Gujarat, divided from the main part of the state by the Arabian Sea and a stretch of salt marshes. To its north lies the Pakistani province of Sind. The name Kutch is said to be derived from the Kachelas, a sub-caste of the <i>lohar</i> (blacksmiths’) or <i>soni</i> (goldsmiths’) castes.
The Jain's sacred site of Shatrunjaya contains hundreds of Palitana temples built mostly between the 11th Century and 16th Century CE. The Shatrunjaya Hills were sanctified when Rishabha, the first <i>tirthankara</i> (omniscient Teaching God) of Jainism, gave his first sermon in the temple on the hill top. The ancient history of the hills is also traced to Pundarika Swami, a chief Ganadhara and grandson of Rishabha, who attained salvation here. His shrine located opposite to the main Adinath temple, built by his son Bharata, is also worshiped by pilgrims.
The Jain's sacred site of Shatrunjaya contains hundreds of Palitana temples built mostly between the 11th Century and 16th Century CE. The Shatrunjaya Hills were sanctified when Rishabha, the first <i>tirthankara</i> (omniscient Teaching God) of Jainism, gave his first sermon in the temple on the hill top. The ancient history of the hills is also traced to Pundarika Swami, a chief Ganadhara and grandson of Rishabha, who attained salvation here. His shrine located opposite to the main Adinath temple, built by his son Bharata, is also worshiped by pilgrims.
Giotto di Bondone (1266/7 – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence in the late Middle Ages. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Renaissance.
The Kala Bhairav or Black Bhairav is a 3m-high statue depicting a sword-wielding, terror-inducing manifestation of Shiva trampling on some unfortunate victim. Local lore has it that the image was found on the Nagarjun mountain on the western rim of the Kathmandu Valley and brought to its current place by King Pratapa Malla.<br/><br/> Once the image was set up in Durbar Square, royal courtiers had to swear oaths of allegiance in front of it and witnesses in criminal cases had to testify in its presence. It was believed that anybody telling lies in front of Kala Bhairav would immediately die. Kala Bhairav also demanded blood sacrifices and until today numerous animals are slaughtered in front of the figure during the festival of Dassain.<br/><br/> Bhairava sometimes known as Kala Bhairava, is a Hindu deity, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation. He originated in Hindu mythology and is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike. He is worshipped in Nepal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Palmistry is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palm reading, or chirology. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those who practice palmistry are generally called palmists, palm readers, hand readers, hand analysts, or chirologists.<br/><br/> Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Queen Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India. 1860.<br/><br/> Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era.<br/><br/> Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British Conservative politician, writer and aristocrat who twice served as Prime Minister. He played a central role in the creation of the modern Conservative Party, defining its policies and its broad outreach.<br/><br/> Disraeli is remembered for his influential voice in world affairs, his political battles with the Liberal leader William Ewart Gladstone, and his one-nation conservatism or 'Tory democracy'. He made the Conservatives the party most identified with the glory and power of the British Empire. He remains, as of 2015, the only British Prime Minister of Jewish (Sephardic) birth.
Shamash (Akkadian: Samas, 'Sun') was a native Mesopotamian deity and the Sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hebrew pantheons. <br/><br/> Shamash was the god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu. Akkadian <i>samas</i> is cognate to Syriac <i>semsa</i>, Hebrew <i>semes</i> and Arabic <i>sams</i>, 'sun'.
Vishnu (Sanskrit विष्णु Viṣṇu) is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God.<br/><br/> The Vishnu Sahasranama declares Vishnu as Paramatma (supreme soul) and Parameshwara (supreme God). It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called 'Preserver of the Universe'.<br/><br/> In the Puranas, Vishnu is described as having the divine colour of water filled clouds, four-armed, holding a lotus, mace, conch (shankha) and chakra (wheel). Vishnu is also described in the Bhagavad Gita as having a 'Universal Form' (Vishvarupa) which is beyond the ordinary limits of human perception or imagination.
Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, meaning 'auspicious one') is a major Hindu deity, and is the Destroyer or Transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine.<br/><br/> Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power, he lives a life of a sage at Mount Kailash. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God and has five important works: creator, preserver, destroyer, concealer, and revealer (to bless).
The Jain's sacred site of Shatrunjaya contains hundreds of Palitana temples built mostly between the 11th Century and 16th Century CE. The Shatrunjaya Hills were sanctified when Rishabha, the first <i>tirthankara</i> (omniscient Teaching God) of Jainism, gave his first sermon in the temple on the hill top. The ancient history of the hills is also traced to Pundarika Swami, a chief Ganadhara and grandson of Rishabha, who attained salvation here. His shrine located opposite to the main Adinath temple, built by his son Bharata, is also worshiped by pilgrims.
Istanbul's Hagia Sophia (Greek) or Ayasofya (Turkish) was originally constructed as a main Eastern Orthodox church and served in this role from 537 CE until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 (except between 1204 and 1261 when it was converted by the Fourth Crusaders to a Roman Catholic cathedral).<br/><br/> When the Ottoman Turks under Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque and Christian relics and art were either removed or plastered over. It remained a mosque for almost 500 years, before being converted into a museum between 1931 and 1935.<br/><br/> Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and influenced the design of numerous mosques in what is now Istanbul.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
The Jain's sacred site of Shatrunjaya contains hundreds of Palitana temples built mostly between the 11th Century and 16th Century CE. The Shatrunjaya Hills were sanctified when Rishabha, the first <i>tirthankara</i> (omniscient Teaching God) of Jainism, gave his first sermon in the temple on the hill top. The ancient history of the hills is also traced to Pundarika Swami, a chief Ganadhara and grandson of Rishabha, who attained salvation here. His shrine located opposite to the main Adinath temple, built by his son Bharata, is also worshiped by pilgrims.
Inle Lake at 116 sq km (44.9 sq miles) is shallow, long, crystal clear and calm. Here the Intha people live, hemmed in on both sides by tall hills. The Intha men are famous for rowing standing up, using one leg, whilst fishing with tall, conical traps for Inle carp and the other, smaller fish with which the lake swarms.<br/><br/> The Intha women, champion market gardeners, use the fertile soil around the lake, as well as floating islands made of water hyacinths and mud, to grow cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbages, beans and aubergines. Inle is a simple place, but a place of plenty - both restful and sublime.
The Miao are a linguistically and culturally related group of people recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups.<br/><br/> Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component sub-groups, which include (with some variant spellings) Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho (Qho) Xiong. The Miao live primarily in southern China, in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong, and Hubei.<br/><br/> Some members of the Miao sub-groups, most notably Hmong people, have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia (northern Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand). Following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975, a large group of Hmong refugees resettled in several Western nations (United States, France, Australia, and elsewhere.)
The Miao are a linguistically and culturally related group of people recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups.<br/><br/> Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component sub-groups, which include (with some variant spellings) Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho (Qho) Xiong. The Miao live primarily in southern China, in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong, and Hubei.<br/><br/> Some members of the Miao sub-groups, most notably Hmong people, have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia (northern Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand). Following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975, a large group of Hmong refugees resettled in several Western nations (United States, France, Australia, and elsewhere.)
Dalongdong Baoan Temple (Chinese: 大龍峒保安宮; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tōa-lông-pōng pó-an kiong) also known as the Taipei Baoan Temple (Chinese: 臺北保安宮) is a Taiwanese folk religion temple built in the Datong district of Taipei, Taiwan.<br/><br/>The present temple was originally built by clan members in the Tong'an District (同安) who immigrated to Taipei in the early 19th century and gave the temple the name Bao'an (保安) in order to 'protect those of tong'an' (保佑同安).<br/><br/>The temple construction commenced in 1804 and replaced a previously existing wooden shrine from 1742 in Dalongdong.
The Tea Horse Road (Cha Ma Dao) was a network of mule caravan paths winding through the mountains of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet in Southwest China. It is also sometimes referred to as the Southern Silk Road and Ancient Tea and Horse Road. From around a thousand years ago, the Ancient Tea Route was a trade link from Yunnan, one of the first tea-producing regions, to India via Burma, to Tibet, and to central China via Sichuan Province.<br/><br/> In addition to tea, the mule caravans carried salt. It is believed that it was through this trading network that tea (typically tea bricks) first spread across China and Asia from its presumed origins in Pu'er county, near Simao Prefecture in Yunnan.
Mughal painting is a particular style of South Asian painting, generally confined to miniatures either as book illustrations or as single works to be kept in albums, which emerged from Persian miniature painting, with Indian Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist influences, and developed largely in the court of the Mughal Empire (16th - 19th centuries), and later spread to other Indian courts, both Muslim and Hindu, and later Sikh.
Mughal painting is a particular style of South Asian painting, generally confined to miniatures either as book illustrations or as single works to be kept in albums, which emerged from Persian miniature painting, with Indian Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist influences, and developed largely in the court of the Mughal Empire (16th - 19th centuries), and later spread to other Indian courts, both Muslim and Hindu, and later Sikh.
Every late May or June, near the beginning of the Rainy Season, two little-known but archaic rituals are held in the environs of Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. These are the related Pu Sae and Ya Sae ceremonies, which are believed to pre-date the introduction of Buddhism to Northern Thailand. The traditions which they encompass similarly pre-date Thai and even Mon settlement in the area, and are associated with the Lawa, the earliest-known inhabitants of Chiang Mai.<br/><br/> According to tradition, Pu Sae and Ya Sae are the guardian spirits of Chiang Mai. Together with their son, Sudeva Rikshi, they wander the slopes of Doi Suthep (Suthep Mountain), where they are attended by six lesser spirits. Although they are now thought of as 'giants', in their lifetimes Pu Sae and Ya Sae were almost certainly Lawa, the indigenous inhabitants of the region before the establishment of the Mon Kingdom of Haripunjaya (Lamphun), and whilst the Thai still lived mainly in South China.<br/><br/> Legend has it that Pu Sae, Ya Sae and their son were cannibals, who took great delight in human flesh. Once, when the Buddha was travelling in these regions, he passed through the area inhabited by the three cannibals. The fierce family followed his trail, intending to make a meal of him. Whilst meditating at Ban Panghai, Tambon Saluang, Mae Rim, the Buddha became aware of their intentions, and stamped on a boulder which to this day bears his footprint, and has become a shrine.
In later Egyptian mythology, Ra-Horakhty was more of a title or manifestation than a composite deity. It may be translated as 'Ra (who is) Horus of the Horizons'.<br/><br/> Ra-Horakhty was intended to link Horakhty (as a sunrise-oriented aspect of Horus) to Ra. It has been suggested that Ra-Horakhty simply refers to the sun's journey from horizon to horizon as Ra, or that it means to show Ra as a symbolic deity of hope and rebirth.
The British conquest of Burma began in 1824 in response to a Burmese attempt to invade India. By 1886, and after two further wars, Britain had incorporated the entire country into the British Raj. To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in Indians and Chinese, who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day Rangoon and Mandalay have large ethnic Indian populations. Railways and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous Insein Prison, then as now used for political prisoners.<br/><br/> Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s. Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma finally gained independence from Britain on January 4, 1948.
Neak Pean ('The entwined serpents') is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Preah Khan Baray built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. A baray is an artificial body of water.<br/><br/> The central pool represents the Himalayan Lake Anavatapta, located at the summit of the universe, which was believed to give birth to the four great rivers of the world. These four rivers are represented at Neak Pean by four gargoyle-like heads which, when opened, would permit water to flow from the main pool to the four smaller pools.
In ancient times Miran was a busy trading center on the southern part of the Silk Road, after the route split into two (the northern route and the southern route), as caravans of merchants sought to escape travel across the harsh wasteland of the desert (called by the Chinese 'The Sea of Death') and the Tarim Basin.<br/><br/> They went by going around its north or south rim. It was also a thriving center of Buddhism with many monasteries and stupas. Marc Aurel Stein was the first archaeologist to systematically study the ruins at Miran in 1907. The many artifacts found in Miran demonstrate the extensive and sophisticated trade connections these ancient towns had with places as far away as the Mediterranean Sea.<br/><br/> Archaeological evidence from Miran shows the influence of Buddhism on artistic work as early as the first century BCE. Early Buddhist sculptures and murals excavated from the site show stylistic similarities to the traditions of Central Asia and North India and other artistic aspects of the paintings found there suggest that Miran had a direct connection with Rome and its provinces.
Neak Pean ('The entwined serpents') is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Preah Khan Baray built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. A baray is an artificial body of water.<br/><br/> The central pool represents the Himalayan Lake Anavatapta, located at the summit of the universe, which was believed to give birth to the four great rivers of the world. These four rivers are represented at Neak Pean by four gargoyle-like heads which, when opened, would permit water to flow from the main pool to the four smaller pools.
Samurai is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class.<br/><br/> The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō. While they numbered less than ten percent of Japan's population, samurai teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.
In ancient times Miran was a busy trading center on the southern part of the Silk Road, after the route split into two (the northern route and the southern route), as caravans of merchants sought to escape travel across the harsh wasteland of the desert (called by the Chinese 'The Sea of Death') and the Tarim Basin. They went by going around its north or south rim. It was also a thriving center of Buddhism with many monasteries and stupas.<br/><br/> Marc Aurel Stein was the first archaeologist to systematically study the ruins at Miran in 1907. The many artifacts found in Miran demonstrate the extensive and sophisticated trade connections these ancient towns had with places as far away as the Mediterranean Sea.<br/><br/> Archaeological evidence from Miran shows the influence of Buddhism on artistic work as early as the first century BCE. Early Buddhist sculptures and murals excavated from the site show stylistic similarities to the traditions of Central Asia and North India and other artistic aspects of the paintings found there suggest that Miran had a direct connection with Rome and its provinces.
Neak Pean ('The entwined serpents') is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Preah Khan Baray built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. A baray is an artificial body of water.<br/><br/> The central pool represents the Himalayan Lake Anavatapta, located at the summit of the universe, which was believed to give birth to the four great rivers of the world. These four rivers are represented at Neak Pean by four gargoyle-like heads which, when opened, would permit water to flow from the main pool to the four smaller pools.
A ‘harem’ is not a bordello, seraglio or brothel, but refers to the women’s quarters, usually in a polygynous household, which are forbidden to men. It originated in the Near East and is typically associated in the Western world with the Ottoman Empire.<br/><br/> Female seclusion in Islam is emphasized to the extent that any unlawful breaking into that privacy is ḥarām ie, 'forbidden'. A Muslim harem does not necessarily consist solely of women with whom the head of the household has sexual relations (wives and concubines), but also their young offspring, other female relatives or odalisques, which are the concubines’ servants. The harem may either be a palatial complex, as in Romantic tales, in which case it includes staff (women and eunuchs), or simply their quarters, in the Ottoman tradition separated from the men's selamlık.<br/><br/> A hammam is a common bath house.
Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and kava, and is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for medicinal properties and as an antiseptic. The betel leaf is usually coated with lime, wrapped around the betel nut and chewed.
The Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh, (Mongolian: Судрын чуулган, Sudar-yn Chuulgan; Arabic: جامع التواريخ ‎; Persian: جامع‌التواریخ ), ('Compendium of Chronicles') or Universal History is an Iranian work of literature and history written by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani at the start of the 14th century.
The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.<br/><br/> The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field; the plough snagged on the figure, which was buried underground, and, to the farmer’s great surprise, the figure began to bleed. Budha means 'mud' and Nila-kantha is 'Blue Throat'; Budhanilkantha is regarded as a manifestation of Vishnu (not to be confused with a better known incarnation of Vishnu as Nilakantha).
The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.<br/><br/> The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field; the plough snagged on the figure, which was buried underground, and, to the farmer’s great surprise, the figure began to bleed. Budha means 'mud' and Nila-kantha is 'Blue Throat'; Budhanilkantha is regarded as a manifestation of Vishnu (not to be confused with a better known incarnation of Vishnu as Nilakantha).
The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.<br/><br/> The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field; the plough snagged on the figure, which was buried underground, and, to the farmer’s great surprise, the figure began to bleed. Budha means 'mud' and Nila-kantha is 'Blue Throat'; Budhanilkantha is regarded as a manifestation of Vishnu (not to be confused with a better known incarnation of Vishnu as Nilakantha).
The Kala Bhairav or Black Bhairav is a 3m-high statue depicting a sword-wielding, terror-inducing manifestation of Shiva trampling on some unfortunate victim. Local lore has it that the image was found on the Nagarjun mountain on the western rim of the Kathmandu Valley and brought to its current place by King Pratapa Malla.<br/><br/> Once the image was set up in Durbar Square, royal courtiers had to swear oaths of allegiance in front of it and witnesses in criminal cases had to testify in its presence. It was believed that anybody telling lies in front of Kala Bhairav would immediately die. Kala Bhairav also demanded blood sacrifices and until today numerous animals are slaughtered in front of the figure during the festival of Dassain.<br/><br/> Bhairava sometimes known as Kala Bhairava, is a Hindu deity, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation. He originated in Hindu mythology and is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike. He is worshipped in Nepal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
Ai-Khanoum or Ay Khanum ( 'Lady of the Moon' in Uzbek, probably the historical Alexandria on the Oxus, also possibly named Eucratidia), was founded in the 4th century BCE, following the conquests of Alexander the Great and was one of the primary cities of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom.<br/><br/> The city is located in Kunduz Province northern Afghanistan, at the confluence of the Oxus river (today's Amu Darya) and the Kokcha river. Ai Khanoum was one of the focal points of Hellenism in the East for nearly two centuries, until its destruction by nomadic invaders around 145 BCE about the time of the death of Eucratides.<br/><br/> The site was excavated through archaeological searches by a French mission under Paul Bernard between 1964 and 1978, as well as by Russian archaeologists. These researches had to be abandoned with the beginning of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, during which the site was looted and used as a battleground, leaving very little of the original material.
The Kizil Caves (also romanized Qizil Caves, spelling variant Qyzyl; Uyghur: Qizil Ming Öy; Chinese: 克孜尔千佛洞; pinyin: Kèzīěr Qiānfú Dòng; literally 'Kizil Cave of a Thousand Buddhas') are a set of 236 Buddhist rock-cut caves located near Kizil Township (克孜尔乡) in Baicheng County, Xinjiang, China. The site is located on the northern bank of the Muzat River 75 kilometres (by road) northwest of Kucha (Kuqa). This area was a commercial hub of the Silk Road.<br/><br/> The caves are said to be the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China, with development occurring between the 3rd and 8th centuries. Although the site has been both damaged and looted, at least 1000 square metres of wall paintings - mostly Jataka stories - remain.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.