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Saturday, December 4, 2010

AIRCRAFT USED 3000 YEARS AGO IN THE NAME VIMANA -MISSED LINK

A vimana is a mythological flying machine, described in the ancient mythology of India. References to these flying machines are commonplace in ancient Indian texts, even describing their use in warfare. As well as being able to fly within Earth's atmosphere, vimanas were also said to be able to travel into space and travel submerged underwater.
Descriptions in the Vedas and later Indian literature detail vimanas of various shapes and sizes:
  • In the Vedas: the Sun and Indra and several other Vedic deities are transported by flying wheeled chariots pulled by animals, usually horses (but the Vedic god Pusan's chariot is pulled by goats).
  • The "agnihotra-vimana" with two engines. (Agni means fire in Sanskrit.)
  • The "gaja-vimana" with more engines. (Gaja means elephant in Sanskrit.)
  • Other types named after the kingfisher, ibis, and other animals.
The word comes from Sanskrit and seems to be vi-mana = 'apart' or 'having been measured". The word also means a part of a Hindu temple. The meaning of the word likely changed in this sequence:
  • An area of land measured out and set apart to be used for sacred purposes.
  • Temple
  • A god's palace
  • In the Ramayana: the demon-lord Ravana's flying palace called Pushpaka.
  • In later Indian writings: other flying vehicles, and sometimes as a poetic word for ordinary ground vehicles.
In some modern Indian languages, the word vimana means ordinary real aircraft.
The Buddhist book Vimanavatthu (Pali for "Vimana Stories") uses the word "vimana" with a different meaning: "a small piece of text used as the inspiration for a Buddhist sermon".


Many researchers into the UFO enigma tend to overlook a very important fact. While it assumed that most flying saucers are of alien, or perhaps Governmental Military origin, another possible origin of UFOs is ancient India and Atlantis.
What we know about ancient Indian flying vehicles comes from ancient Indian sources; written texts that have come down to us through the centuries. There is no doubt that most of these texts are authentic; many are the well known ancient Indian Epics themselves, and there are literally hundreds of them. Most of them have not even been translated into English yet from the old Sanskrit.
The Indian Emperor Ashoka started a "Secret Society of the Nine Unknown Men": great Indian scientists who were supposed to catalogue the many sciences. Ashoka kept their work secret because he was afraid that the advanced science catalogued by these men, culled from ancient Indian sources, would be used for the evil purpose of war, which Ashoka was strongly against, having been converted to Buddhism after defeating a rival army in a bloody battle.
Sanskrit texts are filled with references to gods who fought battles in the sky using Vimanas equipped with weapons as deadly as any we can deploy in these more enlightened times. For example, there is a passage in the Ramayana which reads:
"The Puspaka car that resembles the Sun and belongs to my brother was brought by the powerful Ravan; that aerial and excellent car going everywhere at will .... that car resembling a bright cloud in the sky."
".. and the King [Rama] got in, and the excellent car at the command of the Raghira, rose up into the higher atmosphere."
In the Mahabharatra, an ancient Indian poem of enormous length, we learn that an individual named Asura Maya had a Vimana measuring twelve cubits in circumference, with four strong wheels. The poem is a veritable gold mine of information relating to conflicts between gods who settled their differences apparently using weapons as lethal as the ones we are capable of deploying. Apart from 'blazing missiles', the poem records the use of other deadly weapons. 'Indra's Dart' operated via a circular 'reflector'. When switched on, it produced a 'shaft of light' which, when focused on any target, immediately 'consumed it with its power'. In one particular exchange, the hero, Krishna, is pursuing his enemy, Salva, in the sky, when Salva's Vimana, the Saubha is made invisible in some way. Undeterred, Krishna immediately fires off a special weapon: 'I quickly laid on an arrow, which killed by seeking out sound'. Many other terrible weapons are described, quite matter of factly, in the Mahabharata, but the most fearsome of all is the one used against the Vrishis. The narrative records:
"Gurkha flying in his swift and powerful Vimana hurled against the three cities of the Vrishis and Andhakas a single projectile charged with all the power of the Universe. An incandescent column of smoke and fire, as brilliant as ten thousands suns, rose in all its splendour. It was the unknown weapon, the Iron Thunderbolt, a gigantic messaenger of death which reduced to ashes the entire race of the Vrishnis and Andhakas."
It is important to note, that these kinds of records are not isolated. They can be cross-correlated with similiar reports in other ancient civilizations. The after-affects of this Iron Thunderbolt have an ominously recognizable ring. Apparently, those killed by it were so burnt that their corpses were unidentifiable. The survivors fared little etter, as it caused their hair and nails to fall out.
Perhaps the most disturbing and challenging, information about these allegedly mythical Vimanas in the ancient records is that there are some matter-of-fact records, describing how to build one. In their way, the instructions are quite precise.
In the Sanskrit Samarangana Sutradhara, it is written:
"Strong and durable must the body of the Vimana be made, like a great flying bird of light material. Inside one must put the mercury engine with its iron heating apparatus underneath. By means of the power latent in the mecrcury which sets the driving whirlwind in motion, a man sitting inside may travel a great distance in the sky. The movements of the Vimana are such that it can vertically ascend, vertically descend, move slanting forwards and backwards. With the help of the machines human beings can fly in the air and heavenly beings can come down to earth."
The Hakatha (Laws of the Babylonians) states quite unambiguously: "The privilege of operating a flying machine is great. The knowledge of flight is among the most ancient of our inheritances. A gift from 'those from upon high'. We received it from them as a means of saving many lives."









More fantastic still is the information given in the ancient Chaldean work, The Sifrala, which contains over one hundred pages of technical details on building a flying machine. It contains words which translate as graphite rod, copper coils, crystal indicator, vibrating spheres, stable angles, etc.

The "Nine Unknown Men" wrote a total of nine books, presumably one each. Book number was "The Secrets of Gravitation!" This book, known to historians, but not actually seen by them dealt chiefly with "gravity control." It is presumably still around somewhere, kept in a secret library in India, Tibet or elsewhere (perhaps even in North America somewhere). One can certainly understand Ashoka's reasoning for wanting to keep such knowledge a secret, assuming it exists. if the Nazis had such weapons at their disposal during World War Ii. Ashoka was also aware devastating wars using such advanced vehicles and other "futuristic weapons" that had destroyed the ancient Indian "Rama Empire" several thousand years before.
Only a few years ago, the Chinese discovered some Sanskrit documents in Lhasa, Tibet and sent them to the University of Chandrigarh to be translated. Dr. Ruth Reyna of the University said recently that the documents contain directions for building interstellar spaceships!
Their method of propulsion, she said, was "anti-gravitational" and was based upon a system analogous to that of "laghima," the unknown power of the ego existing in man's physiological makeup, "a centrifugal force strong enough to counteract all gravitational pull." According to Hindu Yogis, it is this "laghima" which enables a person to levitate.
Dr. Reyna said that on board these machines, which were called "Astras" by the text, the ancient Indians could have sent a detachment of men onto any planet, according to the document, which is thought to be thousands of years old. The manuscripts were also said to reveal the secret of "antima"; "the cap of invisibility" and "garima"; "how to become as heavy as a mountain of lead."
Naturally, Indian scientists did not take the texts very seriously, but then became more positive about the value of them when the Chinese announced that they were including certain parts of the data for study in their space program! This was one of the first instances of a government admitting to be researching anti-gravity.
The manuscripts did not say definitely that interplanetary travel was ever made but did mention, of all things, a planned trip to the Moon, though it is not clear whether this trip was actually carried out. However, one of the great Indian epics, the Ramayana, does have a highly detailed story in it of a trip to the moon in a Vimana (or "Astra"), and in fact details a battle on the moon with an "Asvin" (or Atlantean" airship.
This is but a small bit of recent evidence of anti-gravity and aerospace technology used by Indians. To really understand the technology, we must go much further back in time.
The so-called "Rama Empire" of Northern India and Pakistan developed at least fifteen thousand years ago on the Indian sub-continent and was a nation of many large, sophisticated cities, many of which are still to be found in the deserts of Pakistan, northern, and western India. Rama existed, apparently, parallel to the Atlantean civilization in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, and was ruled by "enlightened Priest-Kings" who governed the cities, The seven greatest capital cities of Rama were known in classical Hindu texts as "The Seven Rishi Cities."
According to ancient Indian texts, the people had flying machines which were called "Vimanas." The ancient Indian epic describes a Vimana as a double-deck, circular aircraft with portholes and a dome, much as we would imagine a flying saucer.
It flew with the "speed of the wind" and gave forth a "melodious sound." There were at least four different types of Vimanas; some saucer shaped, others like long cylinders ("cigar shaped airships"). The ancient Indian texts on Vimanas are so numerous, it would take volumes to relate what they had to say. The ancient Indians, who manufactured these ships themselves, wrote entire flight manuals on the control of the various types of Vimanas, many of which are still in existence, and some have even been translated into English.
The Samara Sutradhara is a scientific treatise dealing with every possible angle of air travel in a Vimana. There are 230 stanzas dealing with the construction, take-off, cruising for thousand of miles, normal and forced landings, and even possible collisions with birds. In 1875, the Vaimanika Sastra, a fourth century B.C. text written by Bharadvajy the Wise, using even older texts as his source, was rediscovered in a temple in India. It dealt with the operation of Vimanas and included information on the steering, precautions for long flights, protection of the airships from storms and lightening and how to switch the drive to "solar energy" from a free energy source which sounds like "anti-gravity."
The Vaimanika Sastra (or Vymaanika-Shaastra) has eight chapters with diagrams, describing three types of aircraft, including apparatuses that could neither catch on fire nor break. It also mentions 31 essential parts of these vehicles and 16 materials from which they are constructed, which absorb light and heat; for which reason they were considered suitable for the construction of Vimanas. This document has been translated into English and is available by writing the publisher: VYMAANIDASHAASTRA AERONAUTICS by Maharishi Bharadwaaja, translated into English and edited, printed and published by Mr. G. R. Josyer, Mysore, India, 1979 (sorry, no street address). Mr. Josyer is the director of the International Academy of Sanskrit Investigation located in Mysore.

There seems to be no doubt that Vimanas were powered by some sort of "anti-gravity." Vimanas took off vertically, and were capable of hovering in the sky, like a modern helicopter or dirigible. Bharadvajy the Wise refers to no less than 70 authorities and 10 experts of air travel in antiquity. These sources are now lost.
Vimanas were kept in a Vimana Griha, a kind of hanger, and were sometimes said to be propelled by a yellowish-white liquid, and sometimes by some sort of mercury compound, though writers seem confused in this matter. It is most likely that the later writers on Vimanas, wrote as observers and from earlier texts, and were understandably confused on the principle of their propulsion. The "yellowish-white liquid" sounds suspiciously like gasoline, and perhaps Vimanas had a number of different propulsion sources, including combustion engines and even "pulse-jet" engines. It is interesting to note, that the Nazis developed the first practical pulse-jet engines for their V-8 rocket "buzz bombs." Hitler and the Nazi staff were exceptionally interested in ancient India and Tibet and sent expeditions to both these places yearly, starting in the 30's, in order to gather esoteric evidence that they did so, and perhaps it was from these people that the Nazis gained some of their scientific information!
According to the Dronaparva, part of the Mahabarata, and the Ramayana, one Vimana described was shaped like a sphere and born along at great speed on a mighty wind generated by mercury. It moved like a UFO, going up, down, backwards and forewards as the pilot desired. In another Indian source, the Samar, Vimanas were "iron machines, well-knit and smooth, with a charge of mercury that shot out of the back in the form of a roaring flame." Another work called the Samaranganasutradhara describes how the vehicles were constructed. It is possible that mercury did have something to do with the propulsion, or more possibly, with the guidance system. Curiously, Soviet scientists have discovered what they call "age-old instruments used in navigating cosmic vehicles" in caves in Turkestan and the Gobi Desert. The "devices" are hemispherical objects of glass or porcelain, ending in a cone with a drop of mercury inside.
It is evident that ancient Indians flew around in these vehicles, all over Asia, to Atlantis presumably; and even, apparently, to South America. Writing found at Mohenjodaro in Pakistan (presumed to be one of the "Seven Rishi Cities of the Rama Empire") and still undeciphered, has also been found in one other place in the world: Easter Island! Writing on Easter Island, called Rongo-Rongo writing, is also undeciphered, and is uncannily similar to the Mohenjodaro script. Was Easter Island an air base for the Rama Empire's Vimana route? (At the Mohenjo-Daro Vimana-drome, as the passenger walks down the concourse, he hears the sweet, melodic sound of the announcer over the loudspeaker,
"Rama Airways flight number seven for Bali, Easter Island, Nazca, and Atlantis is now ready for boarding. Passengers please proceed to gate number..") in Tibet, no small distance, and speaks of the "fiery chariot" thusly: "Bhima flew along in his car, resplendent as the sun and loud as thunder... The flying chariot shone like a flame in the night sky of summer ... it swept by like a comet... It was as if two suns were shining. Then the chariot rose up and all the heaven brightened."
In the Mahavira of Bhavabhuti, a Jain text of the eighth century culled from older texts and traditions, we read:
"An aerial chariot, the Pushpaka, conveys many people to the capital of Ayodhya. The sky is full of stupendous flying-machines, dark as night, but picked out by lights with a yellowish glare"
The Vedas, ancient Hindu poems, thought to be the oldest of all the Indian texts, describe Vimanas of various shapes and sizes: the "ahnihotra-vimana" with two engines, the "elephant-vimana" with more engines, and other types named after the kingfisher, ibis and other animals.
Unfortunately, Vimanas, like most scientific discoveries, were ultimately used for war. Atlanteans used their flying machines, "Vailixi," a similar type of aircraft, to literally try and subjugate the world, it would seem, if Indian texts are to be believed. The Atlanteans, known as "Asvins" in the Indian writings, were apparently even more advanced technologically than the Indians, and certainly of a more war-like temperment. Although no ancient texts on Atlantean Vailixi are known to exist, some information has come down through esoteric, "occult" sources which describe their flying machines. Similar, if not identical to Vimanas, Vailixi were generally "cigar shaped" and had the capability of maneuvering underwater as well as in the atmosphere or even outer space. Other vehicles, like Vimanas, were saucer shaped, and could apparently also be submerged.
According to Eklal Kueshana, author of "The Ultimate Frontier," in an article he wrote in 1966, Vailixi were first developed in Atlantis 20,000 years ago, and the most common ones are "saucer-shaped of generally trapezoidal cross-section with three hemispherical engine pods on the underside." "They use a mechanical antigravity device driven by engines developing approximately 80,000 horse power."
The Ramayana, Mahabarata and other texts speak of the hideous war that took place, some ten or twelve thousand years ago between Atlantis and Rama using weapons of destruction that could not be imagined by readers until the second half of this century.
The ancient Mahabharata, one of the sources on Vimanas, goes on to tell the awesome destructiveness of the war:
"...(the weapon was) a single projectile
charged with all the power of the Universe.
An incandescent column of smoke and flame
As bright as the thousand suns rose in all its splendor... 

An iron thunderbolt,
A gigantic messenger of death,
Which reduced to ashes
The entire race of the Vrishnis
And the Andhakas.

... the corpses were so burned
As to be unrecognizable.
The hair and nails fell out;
Pottery broke without apparent cause,
And the birds turned white.

... After a few hours
All foodstuffs were infected...
... to escape from this fire
The soldiers threw themselves in streams
To wash themselves and their equipment..."

It would seem that the Mahabharata is describing an atomic war! References like this one are not isolated; but battles, using a fantastic array of weapons and aerial vehicles are common in all the epic Indian books. One even describes a Vimana-Vailix battle on the Moon! The above section very accurately describes what an atomic explosion would look like and the effects of the radioactivity on the population. Jumping into water is the only respite.
When the Rishi City of Mohenjodaro was excavated by archeologists in the last century, they found skeletons just lying in the streets, some of them holding hands, as if some great doom had suddenly overtaken them. These skeletons are among the most radioactive ever found, on a par with those found at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ancient cities whose brick and stone walls have literally been vitrified, that is-fused together, can be found in India, Ireland, Scotland, France, Turkey and other places. There is no logical explanation for the vitrification of stone forts and cities, except from an atomic blast. Furthermore, at Mohenjo-Daro, a well planned city laid on a grid, with a plumbing system superior to those used in Pakistan and India today, the streets were littered with "black lumps of glass." These globs of glass were discovered to be clay pots that had melted under intense heat!
With the cataclysmic sinking of Atlantis and the wiping out of Rama with atomic weapons, the world collapsed into a "stone age" of sorts, and modern history picks up a few thousand years later. Yet, it would seem that not all the Vimanas and Vailixi of Rama and Atlantis were gone. Built to last for thousands of of years, many of them would still be in use, as evidenced by Ashoka's "Nine Unknown Men" and the Lhasa manuscript.
That secret societies or "Brotherhoods" of exceptional, "enlightened" human beings would have preserved these inventions and the knowledge of science, history, etc., does not seem surprising. Many well known historical personages including Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Krishna, Zoroaster, Mahavira, Quetzalcoatl, Akhenaton, Moses, and more recent inventors and of course many other people who will probably remain anonymous, were probably members of such a secret organization.
It is interesting to note that when Alexander the Great invaded India more than two thousand years ago, his historians chronicled that at one point they were attacked by "flying, fiery shields" that dove at his army and frightened the cavalry. These "flying saucers" did not use any atomic bombs or beam weapons on Alexander's army however, perhaps out of benevolence, and Alexander went on to conquer India.
It has been suggested by many writers that these "Brotherhoods" keep some of their Vimanas and Vailixi in secret caverns in Tibet or some other place is Central Asia, and the Lop Nor Desert in western China is known to be the center of a great UFO mystery. Perhaps it is here that many of the airships are still kept, in underground bases much as the Americans, British and Soviets have built around the world in the past few decades.
Still, not all UFO activity can be accounted for by old Vimanas making trips to the Moon for some reason. Undoubtedly, some are from the Military Governments of the world, and possibly even from other planets. Of course, many UFO sightings are "swamp, gas, clouds, hoaxes, and hallucinations, while there is considerable evidence that many UFO sightings, especially "kidnappings" and the like, are the result of what is generally called "telepathic hypnosis." One common thread that often runs between "Alien kidnappings," "sex with aliens," and other "close encounters of a third kind" is a buzzing in the ears just before the encounter. According to many well informed people, this is a sure sign of telepathic hypnosis."

this is india

Facts about India:
Who is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems?
Vinod Khosla
Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today’s computers run on it)?
Vinod Dahm
Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world’s No.1 web based email program)?
Sabeer Bhatia
Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?
Arun Netravalli
Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard?
Rajiv Gupta
Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?
Sanjay Tejwrika
Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?
Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta and Rana Talwar.
We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even
faring better than the whites and the natives.
There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,
38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are Indians.
99% of WIPRO employees are Indians.
You may know some of the following facts. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.
01. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
02. India invented the Number system. Aryabhatta invented ‘zero.’
03. The world’s first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
04. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
05. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
06. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
07. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word “Navigation” is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
08. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan’s works dates to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.
09. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 1053.
10. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
13. Chess was invented in India.
14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like caesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India.
5. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilisation).
16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
Quotes about India:
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made. – Albert Einstein.
India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition. – Mark Twain.
If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India. – French scholar Romain Rolland.
India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border. – Hu Shih. (Former Chinese ambassador to USA)
ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS.
The only country culturally accept all the cultures around the world.
The only country along with whose culture is accepted by most of the countries (Yoga, Meditation, Buddhism, Ayurveda, etc. are gifts of India to the mankind).
Indian culture has since ages imparted a lot of knowledge to this world and is still maintaining the tradition…
I am proud to be an Indian and will forever strive to maintain the heritage of the country…….

JESUS WAS MENTIONED IN VEDAS

Christ in Ancient Vedas
When Christ was born in Palestine it was informed the wise men of the east, the non-Jewish world. Not only at His birth even before that, the plan of salvation through the sacrificial death of Christ was revealed in the ancient Vedas, the Hindu religious books. When the ancient sages wrote about the sacrifice of Prajapati (God), quite unknowingly they were portraying the Lord Jesus Christ as the way of salvation.
Prajapati’s Sacrifice as described in the Vedas
The Vedas are a collection of Hindu religious books written before the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The literal meaning of the word is the Lord of all creation. He is the Creator. Therefore, the Prajapati’s Sacrifice means the Sacrifice of God Himself. There are several verses in the Vedas in connection with this. Let me quote one of them from the Tandyamahabrahmana in its second part, chapter 7:
“Prajapatirddevebhyam
Atmanam yajnam krtva prayacchat”
(Having done a self-sacrifice, Prajapati, the Lord of all creation, offered Himself for gods.)
This concept of self-sacrifice is very significant. Normally, God is supposed to receive sacrifices and offerings; but here the victim of sacrifice is God Himself.
The opinions of the Hindu Scholars
Among the Hindu scholars we cannot see any unanimous opinion about the Prajapati-sacrifice. According to some scholars this sacrifice has not yet been done on this earth, yet others hold that it is only a model of a perfect sacrifice, which is already done in heaven. H. Aguilar, one of the Sanskrit scholars of India, writes in his book, The Sacrifice in the Rg Veda, as follows:
“Taken in its totality, the myth of the Purusa/Prajapati is not unworthy of the Christian conception of the redemptive incarnation of the logos (Word = Jesus) by means of ‘kenosis’ (emptying), leaving out the question whether they (Christians) can be homologated (in agreement) or not” (The Sacrifice in the Rg Veda, Page 69. Bharatiya Vidya Prakasam, Delhi. India. 1976).
We can agree to the opinion of the Sanskrit scholar when we understand the sacrificial nature of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for the remission of the sin of mankind. The Holy Bible always explains the death of Jesus Christ as sacrifice. This concept of sacrifice involves love, self-denial, covenant, bloodshed and burning. It is the greatest manifestation of love. Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this, that one laid down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Some Important Features of the Prajapati’s Sacrifice fulfilled in Jesus
(1) The meaning of the word ‘Prajapati’ (the Lord of all creation) is fulfilled only in Jesus.
According to the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ is the creator of the world: “All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1: 3). About Him it is also written: “Thou Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands” (Hebrews 1: 10). Jesus is the real Prajapati – the Lord of all creation.
(2) According to the Vedas, Prajapati is called Purusa, the Man of perfection. (Purusasukta, Rg Veda 10: 90: 1-16). Christ refers to Himself ‘Son of Man” (Matt.20:28).
(3) The definitions of ‘Purusa’ in Vedic literature are meaningful only when they applied to Jesus.
Definition #1 is quoted from ‘Yajur Veda’ 32:4: “Purvoh jatah Purusah” which means one who is born in the beginning. Well, Jesus has no beginning. He is eternal. Still Jesus is called the first born in the Bible: “He is the image of invisible God, the first born of all creation” (Colossians 2: 15).
Definition # 2 “Purnatvad Purusah” means the One who is perfection is Purusah is also fulfilled in Jesus. When all men of the world are imperfect beings, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man is the one and the only perfect Man in this world.
Definition #3: “Sa yat purvo asmat sarvasmat sarvan papmana ausat tasmat Purusah (He who burns out sin before all is Purusa” (Brhadaranykoponisad 1.4.1). The Chandogyopanisad 1.6. 6-7 says: This man is above all sin and one who worships Him and follows Him also raise himself above sins.”
Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners from their sins. At the same time He was above from sins. He is the one and the only sinless Man in this world. According to the Vedas the victim of the Purusa-Prajapati’s sacrifice should be blameless. It is completely fulfilled in Jesus.
(4) The Sacrificial Man should be closely tied to the sacrificial pillar (Sathapathabrahmana 3.7.3.1). Christ was closely nailed to the cross, the sacrificial pillar.
(5) The blood of the Sacrificial Man should be shed, according to the Vedas. Fulfilled in Jesus’ crucifixion.
(6) The Sacrificial Man should return to life after the sacrifice. (Brhadaranykopanisad 3.9.28.4,5). Fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

LIVE LONGER AND STAY YOUNG FOR EVER


KEEP ON SMILING
Survey: How does smiling helps people live longer?


The wider you grin and the deeper your laughter lines, the more likely you are to have a long existence. Broader smiles and wrinkles around your eyes point to a positive outlook on life which translates to better long-term health.

It has long been thought that a happy disposition can impact on life expectancy, and the recent study by experts at Wayne University in Michigan, America, seems to back this.

They came to their conclusions by studying 230 pictures of major league baseball players printed in the 1952 baseball register.

Each picture came with a listing of the player's vital statistics, including age, weight, height and marital status. Researchers then ranked to players according to their smiles and laughter lines, spanning from none at all, to partial and then those with a full blown toothy grin and crinkled eyes.

They then compared the chart to the lifespan of each player to reach their conclusions. Of the 184 players who had since died, those in the "no smile" section lived an average of 72.9 years while the "partial smile" group lived to around the age of 75.

Those with the widest grins lived an average of 79.9 years – a full seven more years than their glum colleagues. The study also found that putting on a false smile did not work, as only those who looked genuinely happy had the extra life expectancy.
   

The most appealing secrets for staying young tend to lie in exercising, active social life, adopting a positive attitude, monitored diets, being helpful and maybe even involvement in theological practices. In other words, the more active you are the more likely are you to live happily and healthy.
We, mortals can live happier, healthier and longer with a light twist of sport and dancing. People in their 50s or above who actively engage in sporting activities are more alert and mentally agile. Thus, sport plays a fundamental role in sustaining good healthy at an advanced age.
In a survey of 100 U.S. Family physicians, conducted by msnbc.com sought to identify what doctors suggested to be the secret for being healthy. Most doctors suggested, exercise to be the prime factor for healthy aging. There was a total of 39 percent of the doctors who tipped exercise. Moreover, scientific data proves that more frequent aerobic “exercises” have many health benefits. It helps to fight diabetes, alleviate stress lower blood pressure and improve mental agility.

Twenty-six percent of the physicians tipped “Not Smoking” as a fundamental key for healthy aging. A total of 21 percent allocated healthy diet as the secret for longevity. However, only 9 percent of the medical practitioners said that “Staying Social” would facilitate aging. There has been “research published” suggesting that late retirement can actually prevent degenerative brain problems such as Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, social life is, indeed, a critical determinant for a healthy lifestyle.
Another, factor maybe not often mentioned but certainly true is the benefit of being optimistic. There have been various “studies suggesting” that being optimistic can help one to live longer and more importantly with less risk of chronic diseases.
There are those who consider that vitamins, herbal teas and check-ups are futile in the quest to defy aging. The best mean is to continue your life has it is and stop considering to the advent of aging. Thus, living every day as well as possible and ignoring that you are getting older can also be a convenient trick to be happy and healthier.
There are people with attitudes that are contagious. Individual suffering from depression can likely drag you down. It is important to socialise with young and dynamic people who are happy and enjoy life. Some other generic secrets are to stay away from the sun, and to consume natural food that has not been excessively processed. Processed food should be consumed in very low quantities or as a special one-month occasion.
A comprehensive list to summarise some of the secrets to stay young, happy and healthy are:
1. Proper Diet
2. Exercise – Walking, regular aerobic exercise, weight training and/or dancing
3. Social interaction – preferably with young and enthusiastic people
4. Be active – and have fun – positive attitude.
5. Willingness to learn and engage in new practices; like travelling abroad or joining social communities

Beware of Depressive Individuals
One of the common secrets for happiness is to avoid negative people. These people can bring degenerative precursors of aging. They are also likely to hinder one to implement the known secret for staying young, healthy and happy. They will ruin social interaction, prevent positive attitude and will act as a barrier for willingness to engage in new practices.
Survey: How does smiling helps people live longer?

13 April 2010 [12:37] - Today.Az
The wider you grin and the deeper your laughter lines, the more likely you are to have a long existence. Broader smiles and wrinkles around your eyes point to a positive outlook on life which translates to better long-term health.

It has long been thought that a happy disposition can impact on life expectancy, and the recent study by experts at Wayne University in Michigan, America, seems to back this.

They came to their conclusions by studying 230 pictures of major league baseball players printed in the 1952 baseball register.

Each picture came with a listing of the player's vital statistics, including age, weight, height and marital status. Researchers then ranked to players according to their smiles and laughter lines, spanning from none at all, to partial and then those with a full blown toothy grin and crinkled eyes.

They then compared the chart to the lifespan of each player to reach their conclusions. Of the 184 players who had since died, those in the "no smile" section lived an average of 72.9 years while the "partial smile" group lived to around the age of 75.

Those with the widest grins lived an average of 79.9 years – a full seven more years than their glum colleagues. The study also found that putting on a false smile did not work, as only those who looked genuinely happy had the extra life expectancy
.


Which blood type live longer of people?
There is no evidence that the United States is used in the draft when the knowledge about the blood type of psychology, to select suitable persons to act as leaders. Japan has long said that the implementation of this approach. In any case, study or continue to add and calculation, and obtained exciting but surprising conclusion.
Mathematicians and doctors StevenM.Weissberg and well-known fitness expert Joseph Christiano on a survey of 5,000 people come to the interesting data. One of the problems, people with different blood type is the average life expectancy there is difference?
You think? Four blood types among those who have the strongest kind of blood, and it has the longest life expectancy?
American life expectancy was 76 years. This figure is doomed. And it is delightful, because only a few people obviously live longer, on the contrary others have long passed away.
Have the longest life expectancy of people are blood type O people, the average life expectancy of these people almost 87 years. They are a nightmare for pension division. The high life expectancy had not surprising, because these people physically strong, have the will, the relative balance between psychological and carefree.
B blood type, or to keep calm and composed, even if they are blood type O people than 10 years, died early. They are stubborn, persistent and everything too.
Life expectancy 10 years less then the AB blood type, an average of 70 years.
The average live the shortest person who is blood type A, only 62 years old. In psychologists view, this is actually expected, because the A blood type thin-skinned and very sensitive, they will have for themselves and people around to worry about. Unfortunately, this often cause an excessive burden on the heart, or even wear.

But the A-type blood for other blood type fortune telling life is shorter, there is a completely different reason. Peter doctors and naturopathic physicians. J. Dada Mo, MD, found that a specific food and the antagonistic relationship between blood type. In his writings described a person with problems with the food, because the impact of diet by blood type.
He believes that blood type O and A blood type is the primary difference is that the digestion of meat food products: O-type blood people need meat, and well absorbed; while blood type A person can not properly digest meat, relatively greater need of food grains and vegetables. The underlying reason is the different amount of gastric acid secretion: O blood type acid enough, so digestion of meat is just a piece of cake. Unfortunately, today's recipes are almost all meat on fast food: kebabs, burgers, grilled sausages and steak, that for blood type A people and their digestive system that is fragile, is like poison. Wrong eating habits so that these people seriously weakened, and shortened life expectancy.
Let us look at the situation in Japan. This country who have blood type A has the longest life expectancy, higher than all other countries. Answers is that they can properly treat diet. Basically, the Japanese eat a lot of fish, rice and soybean, and green tea as their baby, like the Bavarian beer treat them as people. This diet is conducive to blood type A people. Who wants to live longer, you have a reasonable arrangement according to blood type diet.
TIPS
1.Eat Super Food
If you want to keep young and healthy, then the advice from researchers are: Eat Super Food! Super Food is food you make from fresh ingredients; berries, fruit and vegetables, salmon and other fat fish, bird and game, nuts, red wine and green tea.
2.Give your lungs a challenge
Frequent exercise increases lung capacity with up to 25 per cent.
3.Put the cigarette out
If you smoke: put it out now!
4.Become aware of your breath
Breathe with your stomach - ideally is 12-14 deep breaths per minute.
5.Keep your weight
It is a burden for your joints to carry too many kilos
6.Eat breakfast
A good and fibre healthy breakfast.
7.Build up musculature
A study of men between 60-72 years show that they have doubled the muscle strength by frequent exercise in 12 weeks.
8.Enjoy your sex life
Scottish researchers have proved that regular sex - three to four times a week - releases substances from your brain which slows down aging.
9.Check your posture
You can better our posture through exercise as yoga or Pilates.
10.Fill up the oil
The best oil for the body is fat fish, walnuts and linseeds.
11.Check for rust treatment
The best treatment for your body is green tea, nuts, berries, fruit and green vegetables, dark chocolate, red wine, red meat and Soya.
12.Stay away from bad diets
Milk, plus fat fish is important to maintain healthy and strong bones.
13.Enjoy the sun
The body needs sun to produce vitamin D, some researchers recommend you take a few minutes under a sun bed frequently in the winter.
14.Drink water
Drink at least eight glasses of clean water a day. Check your urine - It should be clear. If it is yellow, then that indicates that you do not drink enough.
15.Go for a walk
Frequent walk reduces the risk of developing osteoporoses.
16.Strengthen your heart
Eat food that is rich on vitamin B, magnesium and Zink, as meat, fish, egg and milk. Other protective food is carrots, cabbage, avocado, nuts, garlic and wholemeal.
17.Watch your blood pressure
Remember salt, overweight and stress increases the risk of high blood pressure, while exercise, a healthy diet and distension reduces it.
18.Check the heart
Go to your doctor for a yearly check up.
19.Don't stress
People who stress have three times as much risk of developing heart illnesses at a young age, according to American study.
20.Use sun cream
It is important to use sun cream with a high UVA factor. And remember that sun cream is fresh, so invest in a new one for each new season.
21.Reduce sugar intake
If you have to have something sweet, then dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa beans is preferred.
22.Have your beauty sleep
You should sleep a minimum of seven hours a night.
23.Give the skin nutrition
Use a lotion that contains vitamin A, C and E. From the inside nourish your skin by eating fruit, berries and vegetables, salmon and tuna and drink green tea and red wine.
24.Prioritize your body's need
Divide 24hours in three eight hours batches, one for work, one for recreation and one for rest.
25.Plan your day
Think and plan today for tomorrow. Shop food for several days ahead and plan food preparation, meals and exercise.
26.Look after your teeth
Brush your teeth twice a day and avoid too much coffee, tea and red wine. Use dental floss daily.
27.Keep in shape
Your body is not made to doze off on the sofa! Get up and out to be active.
28.Think positive
The expert's advice is that you every day thinks of something you are grateful for. It creates positively which makes you happy and younger.
29.Mental maintenance
According to a Swedish study you increase the risk of dementia with 30% if you spend too much time in front of the television.
Enjoy a young and healthy life!
Top Ten Tips to Stay Young and Happy - Naturally

1. Throw out unimportant numbers such as age, weight and height. Who cares? It is time to let the doctor worry about them as that is why they are paid.

2. Mix with only cheerful, happy people and avoid keeping friends with grouches who only pull you down.

3. Continue learning and discovering. The world is your oyster so choose to always move forward. Find hobbies that you absolutely love such as computer, crafts, gardening, writing or dancing. Never allow the body or the brain be idle. As the saying goes, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Take pleasure in the simple things in life. Revel in the dawn of each new day, take time to smell the roses.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until your eyes water and you gasp for breath.

6. There will be times when tears happen. Be sure to endure, grieve, and then move on. The only person who is with you your entire life is yourself. So be alive while you are alive.

7. Find peace and serenity. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies. Your home is your castle and it is your refuge. Make of it what you want.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, seek help. Know that many problems can be resolved by learning how to control your thoughts and emotions, so always keep a positive mind.

9. Be grateful for what you have and share the kindness. The art of forgiveness may be difficult at times, but learning to forgive and love yourself will enable you to move forward with peace and share your love with the world.

10. Finally, tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

It's worth remembering that life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

The importance of following the ten tips above will allow you to let go, be free and enjoy every day on your journey through life. It is time to grow old dis-gracefully - with a smile on your face, a bounce in your step, love in your heart, and with the knowledge that you have not wasted one precious second of your time on this earth. Don't wait until it's too late to begin.

Coaching is always available should you need a helping hand to take the first and then necessary steps to achieve the life you desire.

Be happy. Make your life successful and abundant. You can discover how to awaken and achieve the God or Goddess that is in you, regardless of your age.

Follow the tips to stay naturally happy and young. This good advice is for all men and women 40 yrs plus, who can always be, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS beyond forty, fifty and for-ever !!!

Monday, November 15, 2010

PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN.......READ ATLEAST ONCE AND KNOW ABOUT OUR POWER

The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

 The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus. 
 

The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 ( i.e 10 to the power of 53 ) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.  during the Vedic period.  Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12( 10 to the power of 12 ).

Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. ( a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).

Chess was invented in India.

Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.

The' place value system' and the 'decimal system' were developed in 100 BC in India.

The first six Mogul Emperor's of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.

The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ' 80-tonne ' piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD)  during the reign of Rajaraja Chola



India is.......the Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world AND one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10, 000 years old). 
The game of snakes & ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called  'Mokshapat.' The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time,  the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh.
Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.

 

India has the most post offices in the world !

The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people !.   

The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education. 

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The father of medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

Although modern images & descriptions of India often show poverty, India was one of the richest countries till the time of British in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth and was looking for route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

The art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh 6000 over years ago. The very word 'Navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.

Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. His calculations was - Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: ( 5th century ) 365.258756484 days. 

The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, which was long before the European mathematicians. 

Algebra, trigonometry and calculus also orignated from India.  Quadratic equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the

 Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. ( Source . Gemological Institute of America )

The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,  physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts. 

Sushruta is regarded as the father of surgery. Over  2600 years ago Sushrata & his team  conducted complicated surgeries like  cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones and also plastic surgery and brain surgeries. 


CAN WE CONTINUE THIS............. 

extra info
  1. India is about 1/3 the size of the United States, yet it is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of 1,166,079,217. India is the seventh largest country in the world, at 1.27 million square miles.g
  2. India is the largest democracy in the world.i
  3. The Kumbh Mela (or Grand Pitcher Festival) is a huge Hindu religious festival that takes place in India every 12 years. In 2001, 60 million people attended, breaking the record for the world’s biggest gathering. The mass of people was photographed from space by a satellite.c
  4. Many Indians find toilet paper repellent and consider it cleaner to splash water with the left hand in the appropriate direction. Consequently, the left hand is considered unclean and is never used for eating.f
  5. To avoid polluting the elements (fire, earth, water, air), followers of Zoroastrianism in India don’t bury their dead, but instead leave bodies in buildings called “Towers of Silence” for the vultures to pick clean. After the bones dry, they are swept into a central well.f
  6. rupee
    It is illegal for foreigners to import or export Indian currency (rupees)
  7. It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.f
  8. India leads the world with the most murders (32,719), with Russia taking second at 28,904 murders per year.j
  9. India has one of the world’s highest rates of abortion.e
  10. More than a million Indians are millionaires, yet most Indians live on less than two dollars a day. An estimated 35% of India’s population lives below the poverty line.l
  11. Cows can be found freely wandering the streets of India’s cities. They are considered sacred and will often wear a tilak, a Hindu symbol of good fortune. Cows are considered one of humankind’s seven mothers because she offers milk as does one’s natural mother.k
  12. Dancing is one of India’s most highly developed arts and was an integral part of worship in the inner shrines of every temple. It is notable for its expressive hand movements.f
  13. Rabies is endemic in India. Additionally, “Delhi Belly” or diarrhea is commonplace due to contaminated drinking water.f
  14. Many Indian wives will never say her husband’s name aloud, as it is a sign of disrespect. When addressing him, the wife will use several indirect references, such as “ji” or “look here” or “hello,” or even refer to him as the father of her child.f
  15. A widow is considered bad luck—otherwise, her husband wouldn’t have died. Elderly women in the village might call a widow “the one who ate her husband.” In some orthodox families, widows are not allowed near newlyweds or welcomed at social gatherings.b
  16. India is the birthplace of chess.l The original word for “chess” is the Sanskrit chaturanga, meaning “four members of an army”—which were mostly likely elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers.d
  17. The Indian flag has three horizontal bands of color: saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for truth and peace, and green for faith, fertility, and chivalry. An emblem of a wheel spinning used to be in the center of the white band, but when India gained independence, a Buddhist dharma chakra, or wheel of life, replaced the spinning wheel.m
  18. Khajuraho erotic sculptures
    Khajuraho’s exotic art may suggest that sex was a step for attaining ultimate liberation or moksha
  19. The temples of Khajuraho are famous for their erotic sculptures and are one of the most popular tourist attractions in India. Scholars still debate the purpose of such explicit portrayals of sexual intercourse, which sometimes involves animals.a
  20. The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. Roman emperors would wear delicate cotton from India that they would call “woven winds.” Mogul emperors called the fabrics “morning dew” and “cloth of running water.”i
  21. In ancient and medieval India, suttees, in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, were common.b
  22. The Himalayas—from the Sanskrit hima, meaning “snow,” and alaya, meaning “abode”—are found in the north of India. They extend 1,500 miles and are slowly growing taller, by almost an inch (2.5 cm) a year. Several ancient Indian monasteries are found nestled in the grandeur of these mountains.m
  23. India is the world’s largest producer of dried beans, such as kidney beans and chickpeas. It also leads the world in banana exports; Brazil is second.l
  24. In India, the fold and color of clothing are viewed as important markers of social classification. Additionally, women will be viewed as either a prostitute or a holy person depending on the manner in which she parts her hair.k
  25. With 150,000 post offices, India has the largest postal network in the world. However, it is not unusual for a letter to take two weeks to travel just 30 miles.f
  26. In India, grasping one’s ears signifies repentance or sincerity.f
  27. The Bengal tiger is India’s national animal. It was once ubiquitous throughout the country, but now there are fewer than 4,000 wild tigers left.m
  28. Indians hold prominent places both internationally and in the United States. For example, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems (Vinod Khosla), the creator of the Pentium chip (Vinod Dahm), the founder/creator of Hotmail (Sabeer Bhatia), and the GM of Hewlett-Packard (Rajiv Gupta) are all Indian.h
  29. Alexander the Great of Macedon (356-323 B.C.) was one of the first important figures to bring India into contact with the West. After his death, a link between Europe and the East would not be restored until Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) landed in Calicut, India, in 1498.l
  30. The British Raj, or British rule, lasted from 1858 to 1947 (although they had a strong presence in India since the 1700s). British influence is still seen in Indian architecture, education system, transportation, and politics. Many of India’s worst famines are associated with British rule in India.i
  31. Every major world religion is represented in India. Additionally, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all originated in India.f
  32. About 80% of Indians are Hindu. Muslims are the largest minority in India and form approximately 13% of the country’s population. In fact, India has the third largest population of Muslims in the world, after Indonesia and Pakistan.i
  33. India has the world’s largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai (known as the “City of Dreams”). The B in “Bollywood” comes from Bombay, the former name for Mumbai. Almost all Bollywood movies are musicals.l
  34. Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s largest city, with a population of 15 million. In 1661, British engineers built a causeway uniting all seven original islands of Bombay into a single landmass.l
  35. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) is known around the world as Mahatma, which is an honorific title meaning “Great Soul” in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit. He devoted his life to free India from British rule peacefully and based his campaign on civil disobedience. His birthday, October 2, is a national holiday. He was assassinated in 1948.m
  36. Lotus Temple
    The Lotus temple is one of the most visited temples in the world, with over 50 million visitors per year
  37. The lotus is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. The Bahá'í house of worship in Delhi, known as the “Lotus Temple,” is shaped like a lotus flower with 27 gigantic “petals” that are covered in marble.i
  38. The banyan, or Indian fig tree, is considered a symbol of immortality and is mentioned in many Indian myths and legends. This self-renewing plant is India’s national tree.m
  39. Marigold flowers are used as decoration for Hindu marriages and are a symbol of good fortune and happiness.i
  40. The official name of India is the Republic of India. The name “India” derives from the River Indus, which most likely is derived from the Sanskrit sindhu, meaning “river.” The official Sanskrit name of India is Bharat, after the legendary king in the epic Mahabharata.m
  41. Introduced by the British, cricket is India’s most popular sport. Hockey is considered the national sport, and the Indian field hockey team proudly won Olympic gold in 1928.i
  42. Indians made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry, and algebra. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C. The concept of zero as a number is also attributed to India.m
  43. The national fruit of India is the mango. The national bird is the peacock, which was initially bred for food.m
  44. Most historians agree that the first recorded account of plastic surgery is found in ancient Indian Sanskrit texts.b
  45. Hindi and English are the official languages of India. The government also recognizes 17 other languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu). Apart from these languages, about 1,652 dialects are spoken in the country.l
  46. India’s pastoral communities are largely dependent on dairy and have made India the largest milk-producing country in the world.l
  47. India has the world’s third largest road network at 1.9 million miles. It also has the world’s second largest rail network, which is the world’s largest civilian employer with 16 million workers.f
  48. Ganges
    Though the Ganges is one of the dirtiest rivers in the world, bathing in the river is thought to wash away one’s sins
  49. Rivers have played a vital role in India’s popular culture and folklore—they have been worshipped as goddesses because they bring water to an otherwise dry land. Bathing in the Ganges in particular is thought to take away a person’s sins. It is not unusual to spread a loved one’s ashes in the Ganges.f
  50. Raziya Sultana (1205-1240) was the first woman leader of India. She was considered a great leader, though she ruled for only three years before being murdered.b
  51. Most Indians rinse their hands, legs, and face before eating a meal. It is considered polite to eat with the right hand, and women eat after everyone is finished. Wasting food is considered a sin.i
  52. During the Vedic era in India, horse sacrifice sanctioned the sovereignty of the king.a
  53. It is traditional to wear white, not black, to a funeral in India. Widows will often wear white in contrast to the colorful clothes of married or single women.k
  54. All of India is under a single time zone.g
  55. On India’s Independence Day, August 15, 1947, the country was split into India and Pakistan. The partition displaced 1.27 million people and resulted in the death of several hundred thousand to a million people.g
  56. In recent years, Indian authors have made a mark on the world with such novels as Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses (1988), Vikram Seth’s Suitable Boy (1993), and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997).i
  57. India experiences six seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon, and winter monsoon.m
  58. India is the world’s largest tea producer, and tea (chai) is its most popular beverage.f
  59. Taj Mahal
    According to legend, to prevent the builders from ever replicating the beauty of the Taj Mahal, their hands were cut off
  60. The Taj Mahal (“crown palace”) was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666) for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). This architectural beauty has been called “marbled embroidery” for its intricate workmanship. It took 22,000 workmen 22 years to complete it.m
  61. The first and greatest civilization in ancient India developed around the valley of the Indus River (now Pakistan) around 3000 B.C. Called the Indus Valley civilization, this early empire was larger than any other empire, including Egypt and Mesopotamia.l
  62. After the great Indus Civilization collapsed in 2000 B.C., groups of Indo-Europeans called Aryans (“noble ones”) traveled to northwest India and reigned during what is called the Vedic age. Aryans spoke and imported Sanskrit into India, which is the mother of all European languages. The mingling of ideas from the Aryan and Indus Valley religions formed the basis of Hinduism, and the gods Shiva, Kali, and Brahma all have their roots in Aryan civilization. The Aryans also recorded the Vedas, the first Hindu scriptures, and introduced a caste system based on ethnicity and occupation.l
  63. Alexander the Great invaded India partly because he wanted to solve the mystery of the “ocean,” which he had been told was a huge, continuous sea that flowed in a circle around the land. When he reached the Indian Ocean, he sacrificed some bulls to Poseidon for leading him to his goal.m
  64. Greek sculpture strongly influenced many portrayals of Indian gods and goddess, particularly after the conquest of Alexander the Great around 330B.C. In fact, early Indian gods had Greek features and only later did distinct Indian styles emerge.m
  65. Chandragupta Maurya (340-290 B.C.), a leader in India who established the Mauryan Empire (321-185 B.C.), was guarded by a band of women on horseback.a
  66. When the first independent prime minister of India, pacifist Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), was featured in Vogue, his distinctive close fitting, single-breasted jacket briefly became an important fashion statement for the Mod movement in the West. Named the Nehru jacket, the prime minister’s coat was popularized by the Beatles and worn by such famous people as Johnny Carson (1925-2005) and Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990).n