Morang District

Morang District ( ) is located in Province No. 1 in eastern Nepal. It is an Outer Terai district. It borders with Bihar, India to the South, Jhapa to the East, Dhankuta and Panchthar to the North, and Sunsari to the west. Morang has one metropolitan city (Biratnagar), eight municipalities and eight rural municipalities. The total area of Morang is . The lowest elevation point is 60 meters and the highest is 2410 meters above sea level.  The headquarters of Morang is connected by Koshi National Highway to the east–west Mahendra National Highway at Itahari, Sunsari, and Morang is also connected to the Hill parts of the eastern region of Nepal. Morang is the core industrial sector for the eastern region of Nepal.
Geography and climate.
Morang lies in the Outer Terai, or plains, of Eastern Nepal. Most of the land is taken up by rice and jute cultivation, though areas of sal forest remain along the northern part of the district where the plains meet the hills.
Demographics.
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Morang District had a population of 965,370. Of these, 27.6% spoke Nepali, 33.6% Maithili, 5.9% Tharu, 3.8% Rajbanshi, 3.7% Limbu, 3.2% Urdu, 2.0% Santali, 1.9% Tamang, 1.9% Angika, 1.9% Magar, 1.5% Newari, 1.3% Bhujel, 1.1% Dhimal, 0.9% Bantawa, 0.8% Bhojpuri, 0.7% Tajpuriya, 0.6% Hindi, 0.6% Uranw/Urau, 0.6% Rajasthani, 0.5% Gurung and 0.5% Chamling as their first language.
43.9% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 2.9% Hindi, 2.2% Maithili, 0.8% Bantawa, 0.8% Tharu and 0.6% Rajbanshi as their second language.
Economy.
Most of the district is rural, though it is also home to Biratnagar, the second largest city in Nepal after Kathmandu, capital city of the Country. It is the industrial capital of Nepal. Morang has the highest numbers of industries and factories, multinational brands. Other emerging towns include Urlabari, Biratchowk, Belbari, khorsane Pathari and Rangeli. It has the largest industrial area in the whole country, expanding from Rani Mills Area to Duhabi River. Biratnagar Jute Mills, Arihant and Dhanawat Matches are among the nation's oldest industries.
Education.
Morang district is home to the historic Morang Campus (Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus, Biratnagar), Sukuna Multiple Campus (Sundar Haraicha Municipality), Urlabari Multiple Campus, Pathari Multiple Campus, and several other institutions of higher learning. Sukuna Multiple Campus has around 5000 students situated at Sunderharaincha of Morang district. Purbanchal University in Biratnagar offers graduate level courses in many disciplines of Science, Arts and Liberal Sciences. At present, the University has broadly identified Industry-Technology, Agriculture-Forestry, Environment- Rural-Cultural Subsistence and Sustainable Development as specific areas of “Academic Excellence”. It has affiliated private in all the parts of Nepal.
Politics.
Morang has been a hotbed of political activity throughout Nepal's recent history producing political stalwarts such as Matrika Prasad Koirala, BP Koirala, Madan Bhandari, Girija Prasad Koirala, Man Mohan Adhikari, Sushil Koirala, Bharat Mohan Adhikari as well as the present time leaders like Shekhar Koirala, Upendra Yadav, etc.
The district currently sends nine members to the national legislature.
Administrative divisions.
The district consists of one Metropolitan Cities, eight urban municipalities and eight rural municipalities. These are as follows:


Bhojpur District, Nepal

Bhojpur District ( ) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. The district's area is 1,507 km² with a population of 182,459 (2011). The administrative center is Bhojpur. It is surrounded by Dhankuta and Sankhuwasabha in the east, Khotang in the west, again Sankhuwasabha in north-east and Solukhumbu in the north-west and Udayapur in the South.
Etymology.
According to the DCC Bhojpur, this place was named after the "Betula utilis". "Betula utilis" was found here in large quantities. The Nepali name for "Betula utilis" is "Bhojpatra" (भोजपत्र).
"Bhojpur" is a combination of two words "Bhoj" and "Pur", Bhoj refers to Bhojpatra (Betula utilis) and "Pur refers to a place or city.
According to history, Prithvi Narayan Shah gave a big party after winning a battle in this place. The Meaning of "Bhojpur" means party and "Pur" meaning "buried". After the party the food was more than enough for them and they were unable to eat it all. After that the Nepali armies buried all their wasted food here. So the name became Bhojpur.
Geography and climate.
Classified as a Hill District, Bhojpur actually spans five of Nepal's eight climate zones. 3% of the district's area is below 300 meters elevation in the Lower Tropical zone and 31% is Upper Tropical from 300 to 1,000 meters. 50% of the land area belongs to the Subtropical Zone between 1,000 and 2,000 meters and 15% is Temperate (2,000 to 3,000 meters). 2% rises higher into the Subalpine Zone.
Divisions.
Bhojpur is divided into two urban and seven rural municipalities:
Demographics.
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Bhojpur District had a population of 182,459. Of these, 49.1% spoke Nepali, 19.6% Bantawa, 7.5% Tamang, 4.5% Newari, 3.4% Magar, 3.0% Dungmali, 2.4% Kulung, 2.0% Sampang, 1.5% Sherpa, 1.4% Rai, 1.2% Chamling and 0.7% Nachhiring as their first language.
48.5% of the population in the district spoke Nepali and 0.6% Bantawa as their second language.
53% of the population are female. Major ethnicities in the district are Rai (32%), Chhetri (20%), Tamang (9%), Newar (8%), Bahun (6%) and others (25%). The literacy rate is 69 percent.
2015 Nepal earthquake.
The district was affected by an earthquake on 25 April 2015.


S. A. Ganapathy

S.A. Ganapathy (1912 or 1917 - 4 May 1949) was a veteran of the communist underground resistance during Japanese occupation and postwar trade unionist in then Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia).
Personal life.
There is no evidence supporting the claim that Ganapathy was born in 1912 in Thambikkottai Keelakkadu Sundaram Village in Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, South India. However, High Commissioner of Malaya, Sir Henry Gurney stated in a telegram to Colonial Office dated 2 May 1949, that Ganapathy was born in 1917.
Ganapathy's father was Arumugam Thevar and his mother's name was Vairathaal. After losing both his parents to cholera, he and his brother Sarguna, lived with their sister Vairamal. Later, at the age of 10, they migrated to Singapore with his uncle and grandfather, Subramaniam Thevar.
Involvement in politics.
Ganapathy was involved in political activities and volunteered with the Indian National Army. He returned to India around 1946 to participate in the Inter-Asian Conference which was held from 26 March to 2 April 1947 at Old Fort, Delhi. The conference was hosted by Nehru who headed the provisional government of India. Mahatma Gandhi spoke at the closing event on 2 April 1947.
S.A. Ganapathy, the first president of the 300,000-strong Pan Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (PMFTU), was hanged by British authorities in Malaya on 4 May 1949 after being convicted for allegedly being in possession of firearms. Ganapathy was said to be on the way to the police to surrender his firearms, when he was arrested and sentenced to hang in Pudu Prison, Kuala Lumpur.
His close allies and mentor Guru Devan, Anthonysamy, Arumugam Thevar from Thambikkottai, Kittu Thevar of Thambikottai Marvakkadu and many others were deported to India.
Following Ganapathy's execution, a huge protest was staged in Tamil Nadu. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanithi wrote a poem titled "Kayertril Thongiya Ganapathi" in protesting the execution of Ganapathy.
S.A. Ganapathy was believed to have written to his cousin's husband, Ramu Thevar, about his death sentence and request his body to be cremated. Unfortunately due to the letter, Ramu was arrested on suspicion and was kept in detention in Pulau Jerejak for two months. After Ganapathy's death, Sargunan was deported to Tamil Nadu. His family members also moved to India.
A small monument was built by local communist party at Thambikkotai Vadakadu High Street for Ganapathy.To commemorate SA ganapathy, A social activist kept a Street name as Malaya ganapathi nagar in his native village keelakadu. brother, Sargunan, died in 2009 at Parakkalakottai Village, Pattukkottai Taluk, Tamil Nadu, S. India.


Nagavarma II

Nagavarma II (mid-11th or mid-12th century) was a Kannada language scholar and grammarian in the court of the Western Chalukya Empire that ruled from Basavakalyan, in modern Karnataka state, India. He was the earliest among the three most notable and authoritative grammarians of Old-Kannada language (Keshiraja of c. 1260 and Bhattakalanka Deva of c. 1604 being the other two). Nagavarma II's reputation stems from his notable contributions to various genres of Kannada literature including prosody, rhetoric, poetics, grammar and vocabulary. According to the scholar R. Narasimhacharya, Nagavarma II is unique in all of ancient Kannada literature, in this aspect. His writings are available and are considered standard authorities for the study of Kannada language and its growth.
Nagavarma II was honored with the title "poet laureate" ("Katakacharya") and "military teacher" ("Katakopadhyaya") by Chalukya King Jagadhekamalla. His most famous works are "Kavyavalokana" ("Treatise on the art of poetry) on grammar, rhetoric and poetics; "Karnataka-Bhashabhushana" ("Ornament of the Karnataka language"), on grammar; "Vastukosa" (or "Abhidanavastukosa", "lit", "Treasury of significations"), a lexicon; and "Varadhamanapurana", a Jain purana ("epic"). Nagavarma II's grammatical model is based on the Katantra school of Sanskrit grammar and the author styles himself "Abhinava Sarvavarma" ("Modern Sarvavarma"), Sarvavarma being a noted Sanskrit grammarian to a Satavahana king.
Life.
Historians are divided about the actual period when Nagavarma II lived. According to the scholars R. Narasimhachar (author of "Kannada Kavicharitre"), and K.A. Nilakanta Shastri, Nagavarma II was the poet laureate of Chalukya king Jagadhekamalla II (r. 1138–1153) and his works are hence datable to c. 1145–1150. The modern Kannada poet and scholar Govinda Pai, in his research "Nagachandrana Kala Vichara" ("Nagachandra's age", 1955) identified three famous Nagavarmas in medieval Kannada literature. Pai estimated that Nagavarma II lived from c. 1120–1200. However, after the discovery of the writing "Varadhamanapurana", dated to c. 1042, and authored by Nagavarma II, it is now held by scholars such as D.R. Nagaraj and Sheldon Pollock that the grammarian was under the patronage of Chalukya King Jayasimha II (r.1015–1042) who also went by the title "Jagadekhamalla", and therefore all of his works were written around c. 1042.
Writings.
Nagavarma II wrote his grammatical works at a time when native Kannada language writers were focused on establishing Kannada language on an equal footing with Sanskrit and Prakrit. With reference to earlier Kannada language grammarians or rhetoricians, Nagavarma II named Gunavarma and Sankavarma as "path makers", and the phrase "Gunavarma Nagavarmara adhvanagal" may refer to an earlier literary or grammatical tradition.
Despite being a work on poetics and rhetoric, the historically important "Kavyavalokanam", in its first section called "Sabdasmriti", deals with grammar. By adding a section on grammar, Nagavarma II had emulated the style of the previous Sanskrit grammarians, Daṇḍin (author of "Kavyadarsha") and Bhamaha (author of "Kavyalankara"). The "Sabdasmriti" comprises five chapters ("prakarnas") which deal with euphonic combinations ("sandhis"), nouns, compounds, nominal derivatives and verbs respectively. The 422 verses in the text are written in "kanda" metre (chapter format), of which 96 are aphorisms ("sutras") (the 18th among which focusses on framing grammatical rules based on the spoken language), and the remaining verses are example quotations from the writings of earlier notable Kannada poets such as Adikavi Pampa, Sri Ponna and Ranna.
His "Abhidanavastukosa" is a dictionary ("nighantu") of 8,000 Sanskrit words for Kannada language users, again an attempt to integrate the Kannada literary culture into the popular Sanskritic cultural cosmopolitan.
Nagavarma II's Kannada grammar, "Karnataka Bhashabhushana", which is based on his "Sabdasmriti", and follows the general framework of Sanskrit grammar, is actually written in Sanskrit language. This has prompted claims that the author did so to prove to Sanskrit scholars of the day, who may have had a callous attitude towards Kannada the local language ("Prakrita Bhasa"), that it was a rich literary language. From an invocatory verse in the text, another probable reason is also proposed, in that, being a Jain, Nagavarma II saw all languages as equals. Though the aphorisms are written in Sanskrit, the glosses ("vrittis") are in Kannada, and as a whole, the writing is considered simple to understand, requiring of a student just the basic knowledge of Sanskrit.


Zoarab

Zoarab was king of the Daylamites in the late 6th-century. He is first mentioned in 590, when he together with Sarames the Younger, betrayed the Sasanian king Hormizd IV (r. 579–590) by murdering his general Pherochanes. Zoarab then joined the rebellion of Bahram Chobin, while Sarames joined a group of dissatisfied nobles led by Vistahm and Vinduyih.
Bahram Chobin managed to briefly become king of the Sasanian Empire from 590 until he was defeated and killed in 591. Hormizd IV's son Khosrow II thereafter became king, but Vistahm later rebelled himself; Zoarab joined his rebellion, which lasted from 591 to 596 or from 594/5 to 600.


Tsona Cave

Tsona Cave () is an archaeological site at the head of the river Qvirila in proximity of village (, ) in the Java Municipality in Shida Kartli in Georgia. The site is close to the Bouba-Kakheri pass at south of the Caucasus range.
History.
Tsona Cave was discovered by A. Kalandadze in 1958. It was excavated by Kalandadze, Tushabramishvili and later by Z. Kikodze.
The cave is located at 2100 m above sea level and therefore it is one of the highest archaeological cave sites in the country. Excavations at the site revealed Lower and Middle Paleolithic archaeological remains.


Sri Tanjung

Sri Tanjung also known as the tale of Banyuwangi (Javanese for "fragrant water") is Javanese folklore which tells a story about a faithful wife that was wrongfully accused. The story has been popular since the era of Majapahit kingdom. The story is usually performed as "kidung" a poem sung or chanted in Javanese "tembang". The Kidung Sri Tanjung are performed in the traditional Javanese ruwatan ceremony. The name Sri Tanjung was connected to the Tanjung flower ("Mimusops elengi"), a flower with a sweet fragrance.
Origin.
Like many other Indonesian folklores, the author of this tale was unknown, however it is suggested that the story was originated from Banyuwangi, East Java, since it is connected to the legend about the origin of the name "Banyuwangi". The story originated from the early Majapahit period around the 13th century. The story of Sri Tanjung can be found on bas reliefs of Penataran, Bajang Ratu, Candi Surawana and Jabung temple.
Summary.
Once upon a time there was a handsome and powerful ksatria (knight) named Raden Sidapaksa that was the descendant of Pandavas. The knight served under King Sulakrama, the ruler of Sindurejo kingdom. Sidapaksa was sent to search for a medicine to king's grandfather, the hermit Bhagawan Tamba Petra that lived secluded in his hermitage on the mountains. Here Sidapaksa met Sri Tanjung, a girl with extraordinary beauty. Sri Tanjung was not an ordinary girl, since her mother was a vidhyadari (apsara) who descended to earth and married a mortal man. Raden Sidapaksa fell in love and asked Sri Tanjung for her hand of marriage. The happy couple went home, back to the kingdom of Sindurejo to settle down. King Sulakrama secretly fell in love, smitten and infatuated by the beauty of Sri Tanjung. The king desired Sri Tanjung for himself and set an evil plot to separate the newly-wed couple.
King Sulakrama ordered Sidapaksa to go to Svargaloka in order to send a message to gods. He is ordered to hand the gods a letter written: "The bearer of this letter will attack the Svargaloka". Sri Tanjung lent her magic sash to her husband, a family heirloom received from her father Raden Sudamala. The magic sash was an enchanted clothes belonging to her mother, the apsara, and enabled her to travel from earth to heaven. Sidapaksa arrived at Svargaloka, not knowing about the message in the unopened letter, he handed the letter to the gods. Of course the gods were furious and attacked the unsuspecting Sidapaksa. Sidapaksa pleaded for explanation and explained himself as the descendant of Pandava. The gods learned about the misunderstanding and freed Sidapaksa. As the compensation for their mistake, the gods bestowed Sidapaksa blessings of magic weapon.
Meanwhile, on earth after Sidapaksa left for heaven, King Sulakrama led an advance on Sri Tanjung and tried to seduce her. Sri Tanjung refused the King's advance and tried to escape. However the king chased and forced Sri Tanjung, hold her and tried to rape her. Right on time Sidapaksa came home to find his wife held in king's arm. The evil king told a lie, accused Sri Tanjung as a lustful unfaithful woman that tried to seduce him. Sidapaksa fell into believing the king's lies and in jealousy tried to kill her. Sri Tanjung cried and swore for her innocence, she pleaded her husband to believe in her. In desperation she swore as god as her witness, that if she is truly innocence, her body will not spilled blood, but fragrance liquid instead. Blinded by anger and jealousy Sidapaksa fiercely stabbed Sri Tanjung with kris. Sri Tanjung fell and died, but the miracle happened; just like her word, her spilled blood was a sweet fragranced perfume, a testament of her innocence.
Raden Sidapaksa realized his terrible mistake and fell into regret and despair. Meanwhile, the spirit of Sri Tanjung ascended to heaven and met the goddess Durga. After learning about injustice that happened upon Sri Tanjung, the great goddess revived Sri Tanjung and reunited her with her husband. The gods ordered Sidapaksa to take revenge and punish the evil deed of King Sulakrama. Sidapaksa succeeded in defeating and killing King Sulakrama in a battle. It was said that the fragrant water, the perfumed blood of Sri Tanjung became the origin of the name Banyuwangi, the capital of Blambangan kingdom which means "the fragrant water".


Singaling Hkamti

Singaling Hkamti (; ; also known as Zingalein Kamti and Zingkaling Hkamti) was a Shan state in what is today Burma. It was an outlying territory, away from the main Shan State area. The state was located on both sides of the Chindwin River, in what is present-day Hkamti District, Sagaing Region. Its capital was Singaling Hkamti town.
History.
Singaling Hkamti was founded in 1820. It was a tributary state of the King of Burma until 1887, when the Shan states submitted to British rule after the fall of the Konbaung dynasty. Its inhabitants were mostly Shan people who were said to have come from Hkamti Long. Before the time of rule by the British the state was often raided by the Kachin people.
The state was integrated into Burma after independence from the British in 1948.
Rulers.
The rulers of Singaling Hkamti bore the title "Myosa".


Konar Sandal

Konar Sandal is a Bronze Age archaeological site, situated just south of Jiroft, Kermān Province, Iran.
It consists of two mounds a few kilometers apart, called Konar Sandal A and B with a height of 13 and 21 meters, respectively. At Konar Sandal B, a two-story, windowed citadel with a base of close to 13.5 hectares was found. Also found in Konar Sandal were tablets with scripts of unknown nature.
The site is associated with the hypothesized "Jiroft culture", a 3rd millennium BC culture postulated on the basis of a collection of artifacts confiscated in 2001, criticized for conjecture about material not found in secure archaeological contexts and probably including forgeries. So the excavation of Konar Sandal is important in discovering artefacts in context.
Yousef Majidzadeh, head of the archaeological excavation team in Konar Sandal which began work after the 2001 confiscation, has identified the site as an "independent Bronze Age civilization with its own architecture and language". Majidzadeh suggests they may be the remains of the lost Aratta Kingdom. Other conjectures (e.g. Daniel T. Potts, Piotr Steinkeller) have connected the site with the obscure city-state of Marhashi.
A 2013 research paper about the South mound states that excavations during 2006 to 2009 "revealed the remains of three successive settlements dating to the fourth millennium BC".
Excavation re-commenced in 2014 and revealed art works of "complexity and beauty" and artifacts that proved that the society had several writing systems. According to National Geographic, the content of the mounds is significant:They turned out to contain the remains of two major architectural complexes. The northern mound included a cult building, while in the southern one were the remains of a fortified citadel. At the foot of the mounds, buried under many feet of sediment, were the remains of smaller buildings. It’s believed that the two mounds had once formed part of a unified urban settlement that stretched many miles across the plateau" ... [artifacts] "have been dated to between 2500 and 2200 B.C. [They are said to be evidence of] the "development of a complex civilization".


Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker (born October 24, 1962) is an American author of Christian mystery, thriller, and fantasy novels including "Thr3e", "Obsessed", and the "Circle Series".
Biography.
Dekker was born in Netherlands New Guinea shortly after it had been placed under the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority before becoming a province of Indonesia. His parents, John and Helen, served as missionaries among the Dani people. Ted graduated from high school and took up permanent residence in the United States to study philosophy and religion.
In the early nineties Dekker turned to writing novels. Over the course of three years he wrote two full-length novels before starting from scratch and rewriting both. He moved his family to the mountains of Western Colorado and began writing full-time on his third novel. Two years and three novels later his first novel was published. To date he has written over 30 novels and is best known for psychological thrillers and fantasy tales.
Dekker's novels have sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Two of his novels, "Thr3e" and 'House', have been made into movies. Dekker resides in the Nashville area with his wife Lee Ann and one of their daughters.
The oldest of his four children, and first daughter Rachelle Dekker is also a writer.
Bibliography.
Outlaw Chronicles.
A.D. Series


Madan Kamdev

Madan Kamdev (Pron: ˈmʌdən/məˈdɑ:n kæmˈdeɪv/ˈkʌmˌdeɪv) is an archaeological site in Baihata Chariali, Kamrup, Assam. This place dates back to the 9th and 10th century AD. Excavation and ruins here shows the prosperity and might of Pala dynasty of Kamarupa.
The ruins of Madan Kamdev are scattered widely in a secluded place, covering 500 meters. Temple of Kamdev must be reconstruction, Uma Maheshwar's embraced idols, carved on the stones of medieval temples, can be seen here. The most prominent statues are of the Sun, Ganesha, and Vidyadhara
Discovery and excavation.
Archeologists differed on the issue of when and who constructed these temples. Dr. Pradeep Sharma, assistant director of the Archaeological Directorate and Assam, suggests that Captain Daltan's writings in 1855 about 15 temple ruins found around the Silsako Bridge (a historical bridge destroyed in the 1897 Assam earthquake), might have referred to Madan Kamdev. (These were published in Daltan's "Asian Society of Bengal" (1855) magazine.)
In 1943 and 1949, Tarnikant Sharma, inspector of primary education, affirmed this information in an article published by the Assam research society (Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti). No excavations were conducted for more than a quarter century after this article. During that period, religious people of the villages took the previous statues away, or hunters carried them from one place to another.
In 1977, the Archaeological Directorate of Assam took over the responsibility for this area. They started the excavations of the statues under the supervision of Dr. Pradeep Sharma. In addition to the main temple, his team found ruins of 12 more temples. Analysis of the temples and the idols engraved on the walls, led them to conclude these were constructed from the 10th century to the 12th century. According to Dr. Sharma, Kamarupa kings of Pala dynasty, namely Ratna Pala, Indra Pala and Go Pala, ordered construction of these temples.
Statues of Bhairav with six heads, a four-headed Shiva, Kalpavriksha, Sun various Apsara, Vishnu with six heads, Saraswati and various other statues of animals have been identified as being from here.
Environment.
In the year 1977, when this area was protected and exploration and preservation began, the hill was surrounded by immense variety of forests, filled with snakes, scorpions, and wild animals such as deer and tigers. Birds sing and chirp in the trees. Right below the Kamdev, the River Madankuri flows in the east and towards the north. Beneath the hill is a vast stretch of swampy land; a chain of hills of Gopeshwar runs from the north to west, and Natuar nacha and Sangsari in the east. Puranic beliefs are still based on Madan Kamdev. One account says that God Shiva in a spurt of fury had burnt the god of love, Kam or Madan, to cinders. Madan was reborn at this place.
Architecture.
Madan-Kamdev is the main temple, with ruins of other huge and small temples scattered around it. Representatives of the Architectural Directorate believe that excavation may reveal an additional twelve temples.
Near Madan Kamdev, an old temple of lord Shiva, known here as Gopeshwar, is located in the village of Deuduar. Nearby is a large cave known as Parvati Guha (Parvati Cave), after his consort.


Kalashoka

Kalashoka or Kakavarna was the son and successor of Shishunaga.
He divided his kingdom between his ten sons and crowned his ninth son, Nandivardhana as the king of Magadha. He was killed by the founder of Nanda dynasty. With his death the Shishunaga dynasty came to an end.


Rakai Kayuwangi

Sri Maharaja Rakai Kayuwangi Dyah Lokapala Sri Sajjanotsawatunggadewa was the seventh monarch of the Medang Kingdom of Central Java period (commonly referred as Mataram Kingdom) who ruled between 856 and 885. He is commonly known as Dyah Lokapala, King Lokapala, or Rakai Kayuwangi. King Lokapala was described as a valiant king that defeated his enemies.
Early life.
Rakai Kayuwangi was the youngest son of Rakai Pikatan from his queen consort Pramodawardhani. His name at birth was Dyah Lokapala (according to the Wantil or Shivagrha inscription inscription) or Mpu Lokapala (according to the Argapura inscription). In the Mantyasih inscription dated to 907, he is named as Rakai Kayuwangi.
The name Lokapala is probably linked to the Lokapala, the Hindu guardian gods of directions. "Loka" means place, while "pala" means fruit. The name "kayuwangi" literally means "fragrant wood" which refers to aromatic sandalwood, a fragrant wood considered as a valuable timber in ancient Java. The name Rakai Kayuwangi is actually a title. Historians suggest that before he ascended to become Maharaja of Java, Prince Lokapala was the "Rakai" (ancient Javanese title equate to Lord or Duke) of Kayuwangi province.
Rule.
According to the Shivagrha inscription issued by King Lokapala on 12 November 856, he inaugurated a grand Shiva temple which is identified by historians as the Prambanan temple compound. According to this inscription, the temple was built to honor Lord Shiva, and its original name was "Shiva-grha" (the House of Shiva).
According to the Shivagrha inscription, Dyah Lokapala was chosen as the successor of his father, namely Sang Jatiningrat, which was the title Rakai Pikatan had assumed after he abdicated and retreated as a brahmin. The eldest child of Pikatan and Pramodhawardhani was Rakai Gurunwangi Dyah Saladu. However, despite being the eldest, Gurunwangi was not selected as Pikatan's successor. It was Lokapala, the youngest son, that was promoted as the royal successor, because of his heroic merits in defeating his father's enemies, who made a stronghold on the hill of Ratu Boko. King Lokapala reigned for about 30 years, and was succeeded by Dyah Tagwas in 885.


Wun Yiu Village

Wun Yiu Village is a village located in Tai Po in Hong Kong. Wun Yiu Village consists of Sheung Wun Yiu () and Ha Wun Yiu ().
History.
The area was once a center of porcelain industry in the New Territories.
The clans of Man and Tse began manufacturing blue and white porcelain in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
In 1674 (the 13th year of the reign of the Qing dynasty Kangxi Emperor), the Ma Hakka clan, originally from Changle county, Guangdong, settled in Tai Po and purchased the kilns from the Man clan.
Because of the competition from good-quality and inexpensive porcelain produced by other coastal kilns in Guangdong, the kilns at Wun Yiu finally stopped operating in 1932.
Declared Monuments.
Wun Yiu Pottery Kilns.
The remains of the ancient kilns of Wun Yiu Village have been declared a monument.
In the remains of the ancient kilns, relics illustrating the complete process of porcelain production were discovered during archaeological investigations. These artefacts include china clay quarrying pits, water-mills, animal-driven grinders, clay soaking tanks and dragon kilns.
Fan Sin Temple.
Fan Sin Temple, alias "Fan Sin Kung" or "Fan Sin Miu", was declared a monument on 30December 1999.
Fan Sin Temple, located in Sheung Wun Yiu, is the main temple in the villages of the Sheung Wun Yiu and Ha Wun Yiu; it is the only example of worshipping this deity in Hong Kong.
It is uncertain when the temple was constructed. However, according to a wooden plaque hanging at the main hall of the temple, it has a history of over 200 years as the plaque was carved in the geng-xu year of the Qianlong Emperor (1790). It is commonly believed that the Fan Sin Temple was built by the Ma clan to worship Fan Tai Sin Sze, the patron saint of potters.
Windows with iron frameworks were installed on four sides of the temple after World War II.
Many historic relics of the temple were destroyed after a serious fire in mid 1970s. The calligraphy and paintings above the entrance were repainted during a renovation in 1976 after the fire. There is a wooden plaque from 1970 and four commemorative stone plaques which record the restorations in 1897, 1925, 1964 and 1976 respectively.
A further restoration of the temple has recently been carried out and it is now open to the public.
Wun Yiu Trackway.
The Wun Yiu Trackway starts at Sheung Wun Yiu Village. It is about long. Workers may have used it to transport kaolin from the upper mines down to the workshop before the kiln stopped operation.


Aspathines

Aspathines () or Aspačanā (; literally “delighting in horses”) (born and died sometime between 550 BC and 450BC) was a senior official under Darius the Great and Xerxes I of Persia.
Aspathines is illustrated on the tomb of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rostam, with a dedication:
The only other courtier to be named with a dedication was Gobryas.
Aspathines had a son names Prexaspes, who became an Admiral in the navy of Xerxes during the Second Persian invasion of Greece.


List of flags of French Indochina

The following is a list of flags of French Indochina from 18 February 1859 to 9 March 1945.


Shuanghedong Cave Network

Shuanghedong (), is the longest cave in China, in Asia, and the 5th longest in the world in 2020.
It is located near the town of Wenquan in Suiyang County, Guizhou Province.
This gypsum and dolomite cave has carbon dioxide levels of approximately 400ppm, with a constant temperature of about 13 degrees Celsius year round.
The cave contains numerous waterfalls, and at least three underground rivers, some of which contain cave shrimp, and fish weighing several pounds. Also found, have been tadpoles, frogs, salamanders, insects, spiders, bats, leeches, blind fish, and mushrooms.
Since 1987, at least 20 expeditions from France and Japan have explored the cave.


Susima

Susima Maurya (also Sushima or Sushim) was a prince of the Maurya Empire and the eldest son and heir-apparent of the second Mauryan emperor Bindusara. He was next in line for his father's throne, but was assassinated by his younger half-brother, Ashoka, who eventually succeeded Bindusara as the third Mauryan emperor.
Birth and family.
Susima was the eldest son of the second Mauryan emperor Bindusara. Not only was Susima the crown prince, but also his mother was a princess as opposed to Ashoka's mother, Subhadrangi, who was a Brahmin’s daughter.


Sanjaya of Mataram

King Sanjaya of Mataram (AD 716 – 746) or in complete stylized name known as Rakai Mataram Sang Ratu Sanjaya (King Sanjaya Rakai (lord) of Mataram) was the founder of Mataram Kingdom during the eighth century. His name was revealed in the AD 732 Sanskrit Canggal inscription carved in a stone found at Gunung Wukir temple that stood on Wukir or Ukir hill (about high) on the southern Kedu Plain in Central Java.
Another recorded source of Sanjaya's history and his successors is found in the Balitung charter and the Wanua Tengah III inscription. In the Mantyasih inscription, Balitung mentions what are called 'the builders of keraton', starting from Rakai Mataram (Sanjaya) followed by the Maharaja Rakai Panangkaran, Panunggalan, Warak, Garung, Rakai Pikatan, Kayuwangi, Watuhumalang and Watukura (which is Balitung himself). Several inscriptions of Balitung's successor, Daksha, use a dating system based on the year of Sanjaya's accession, which L.C. Damais has calculated as 638 Śaka (716 CE).
Sanjaya was also known as Rakai Mataram with the additional title of 'Sang Ratu Sanjaya'. The title "rakai" (from "raka" or "rake" meaning 'lord of') indicates any members of nobility from a king to a simple squire. The name of King Sanjaya Saga was also mentioned in the old romanticized and mythicized Sundanese manuscript of "Carita Parahyangan" (or Parahyangan Story) dated from later period, in which Sanjaya was portrayed as the Sundanese king hero of Galuh.
Sanjaya or Sailendra dynasty.
Bosch suggested that Sanjaya was the progenitor of the Sanjaya Dynasty, and there were two dynasties that ruled Central Java; the Buddhist Sailendra and the Shivaist Sanjaya dynasty. The inscription also states that Sanjaya was an ardent follower of Shaivism. The latter was forced to move eastward by Sanjaya as written in an old Chinese report, which named Sanjaya as "Chi-Yen".
Yet other historians argued that there was no such thing as Sanjaya dynasty, since there was only one dynasty mentioned in inscriptions called Sailendra that ruled central Java. This theory was proposed by Poerbatjaraka and suggested that there was only one kingdom and one dynasty; the kingdom is called Medang with the capital in Mataram area, and the ruling dynasty is Sailendra. He holds that Sanjaya and all of his offspring were belongs to Sailendra family that initially were Shivaist. The association of Sailendra with Mahayana Buddhism began after the conversion of Raja Sankhara (Rakai Panaraban or Panangkaran) to Buddhism.
In the Canggal inscription.
According to Canggal inscription, Sanjaya commissioned the erection of a "lingam" (the symbol of Shiva) on the hill of Kunjarakunja. The "lingam" is sited on the noble island of Yawadwipa (Java), which the inscription describes as blessed with an abundance of rice and gold. Yawadwipa, the inscription says, had long been under the rule of the wise and virtuous king Sanna, but fell after his death into disunity. Amid a period of confusion Sanjaya, son of Princess Sannaha (the sister of King Sanna) ascended to the throne. Sanjaya mastered holy scriptures, martial arts, and displayed military prowess. After the conquest of neighboring areas his reign was peaceful and prosperous.
This inscription describes Sanjaya as the legitimate successor of previous king of Java, Sanna. After Sanna's kingdom fell into disunity, Sanjaya reunite the kingdom and ascends to the throne. By erecting a Shivaic linggam he demonstrate the establishment of new authority, a new center of political power or court (kraton). Sanjaya accession to his throne was proclaimed in the Ukir inscription. An analysis to the inscription, which marked as a warning to vassal states and defeated kings, suggests that the Ukir hill was the first center of Mataram Kingdom. Sanjaya or his successor Panamkarana (AD 746 — 784) later moved the "kraton" between AD 742—755, as written in a Chinese annal.
In the Carita Parahyangan.
According to the Carita Parahyangan (a book based on the history of Sunda Kingdom), Sanjaya was instead the son of King Sanna of Galuh and Princess Sannaha.
King Sanna was defeated by his cousin, Purbasora. As a result, Sanna had to retreat to Kalingga, the kingdom of his wife's grandmother. To avenge the defeat of his father, Sanjaya started to organise a special force. Meanwhile, Tarusbawa, King of Sunda and a good friend of King Sanna, accepted Sanjaya as his son-in-law. So, Sanjaya's special force, combined with the Sunda army, attacked Purbasora's kingdom and killed him along with his family.
Thereafter, Sanjaya claimed the kingdoms of Sunda (from his father-in-law), Galuh (from his father) and Kalingga (from his grandmother) and established the Medang Kingdom or Mataram Kingdom. Thus, with his coronation, East Java, West Java, Central Java and Bali were united under one rule.


Kuruni (tribe)

Kuruni () is a Kurdish tribe in Fars Province, central Iran. Most of the tribe was transplanted to the Shiraz area by Karim Khan Zand when he moved to the area during the 1760s. The tribe is originally from the Kermanshah area.
History.
After the end of the Zand dynasty, the tribe was forcefully moved by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar and joined the Kashkollu Qashqai tribal confederacy, gradually becoming Turcophone and Shia. By the beginning of the 1900s, parts of the tribe moved to the Beyza valley northwest of Shiraz, while others moved to Shiraz city and founded the neighborhood of Koruni. For this reason, there are three Kuruni groups in around Shiraz. 150 Kuruni members were still part of the Qashqai in the 1950s. When the central government began their anti-Qashqai policies in the 1960s, the tribe asserted their Kuruni identity.


Lake Paliastomi

Lake Paliastomi (, also transliterated as Paleaostom) is a small lake near the city of Poti, Georgia, connected to the Black Sea by a narrow channel. Its surface area is 17.3 km² and the mean depth is 2.6 m. Some ancient pieces of Colchis have been found near and in the lake by archaeologists. It is also an important fishery site.
The lake is included within the boundaries of the Kolkheti National Park.


United Nations Office in Timor Leste


2005 Leuwigajah landslide

The 2005 Leuwigajah landslide was a landslide that killed 143 people in Indonesia. The Leuwigajah landfill serving the cities of Cimahi and Bandung in West Java, Indonesia experienced a catastrophic garbage landslide on 21 February 2005 when the face of a large, almost-vertical garbage mound collapsed after days of rain. The slide tore through informal neighborhoods set up by individuals within the landfill for the purpose of collecting recyclables, where it killed 143 people and injured many more.
Leuwigajah landfill.
Prior to the landslide the dumpsite had been the primary disposal zone for trash from Bandung and Cimahi. Bandung sent over formula_1 of trash to the site per day, while Cimahi added formula_2 and the residential District of Bandung adjacent to the dump added 750m^3 per day. Garbage had piled up in the dumpsite with a peak height of 70 meters.
Landslide.
Two days of heavy rain had preceded the landslide, which would have loosened mounds of garbage already destabilized by human interaction. On 21st of February a large mound gave way and traveled south-southwest for over one kilometer. Sudden releases of methane gas from the slide caused explosions. The slide moved parallel the communities of Cireundeu, which sat just southeast to the slide's point of origin, and Gunung Lentik.
Aftermath.
The disaster brought heightened regional awareness to the danger of irresponsible waste management techniques. The City of Cimahi and the City and District of Bandung canceled their agreements to send their trash to the landfill service. In December 2014 a fatwa titled "Waste Management to Counteract Environment " was issued by the Majelis Ulama Indonesia that cited the Leuwigajah disaster's victims from Cimahi as a primary motivation for preventative reforms.


Pratap Singh Shah

Pratap Singh Shah, King of Nepal () (1751–1777) was the second King of modern Nepal. He was the eldest son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king who started the unification of the Nepal.
He became King at the age of 24 in 1775. Pratap Singh Shah ruled only up to 1777 for 36 months, and died of smallpox at the age of 26. He was succeeded by his two-year-old son Rana Bahadur Shah. He did not actively participate in the unification campaign led by his father. The boundaries of Nepal continued to extend after his reign, as his wife Rajendra Laxmi and his brother Prince Bahadur Shah continued the unification campaign as regents of his son Ranabahadur Shah. He was more involved in the Royal luxuries rather than the unification campaign.


Xita

Xita (; ) is a neighborhood in Shenyang, China.
The name "Xita" (literally: Western pagoda) came from a pagoda accompanying the Tibetan Buddhist Yanshou Temple (). The temple was built in 1640—1645, as one of the "Four Pagodas of Early Qing" (). The pagoda later fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1968 during the Cultural Revolution, but was rebuilt in 1998.
Xita neighborhood is the largest Koreatown in Northeast China. In 2012, Xita had 8,338 native ethnic Korean citizens. In addition, over 20,000 Koreans from other parts of China as well as 5,000 South Koreans resided there. The area contains a Russian Orthodox church and a Protestant church (Xita Church), both built in early 20th century. The Korean shopping mall of Xita, located in a century-old commercial street, used to play a vital role in introducing international fashion styles to Shenyang.


Sudi

Sudi, is a panchayat town in the Gadag District of Karnataka, India. It is about 30 km from Badami, 12 km from Gajendragad and 3 km from Itagi Bhimambika temple. In the past it was an important town of the Kalyani Chalukyas during 1000 AD. It is notable for rare stone carved monuments like "Twin towered temple, Mallikarjuna temple and nagakunda (large well built of stone and carvings)", and few other structural temples. For long time these structures were abandoned, but recently they caught the eye of the Indian Archaeological Department (ASI - Archaeological Survey of India).
History.
Sudi belongs to the core area of Western Chalukya architectural activity in modern Karnataka (particularly North Karnataka).
"Padevala Taila" (son of Nagadeva), continued to serve under "Satyashraya" (succeeded his father Taila in 997 AD) and his mother "Attiyabbe" made a grant in "1005 A.D". Satyashraya had two daughters. "Vradhamabbarasi" and Akkadevi and one son Kundin
("Kundiraja"). Akkadevi was a "good administrator" and was governing some division
during the time of "Satyashraya" and his successors. Kundiraja was placed in charge of divisions like Banavasi 12,000 and "Santalige" 1,000.
Akkadevi and "Kundin", continued to govern ( dating 8_October_1013 AD) some provinces of the Chalukya Empire during the reign of Vikramaditya.
Sudi was the capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas in 1100 AD. Kalyani Chalukyas king's daughter Akkadevi ruled the place. There are also historical records indicating that coins were manufactured (mint) in this town during that time.
Coinage.
During Western Chalukyas (973 – 1189 south), The Alupas, a feudatory, minted coins with the Kannada and Nagari legend Sri "Pandya Dhanamjaya". Lakkundi and Sudi in Gadag district were the main mints ("Tankhashaley") .
Their heaviest gold coin was "Gadyanaka"(weighting 96 grains), Dramma (weighted 65 grains), Kalanju
(48 grains), Kasu (15 grains), Manjadi (2.5 grains), Akkam (1.25 grains) and Pana (9.6 grain).
Shaivism, Pasupata school.
Shaivism gained importance and Jainism lost towards the closing years of the Chalukya rule. Shaivism was dominant, and had several sects like Shaiva, Pasupata or Lakula, Kalamukha and Kapaliaka. The Pasupata school was important and had important centers at Balligavi, Sudi, Srisailam and other places.
Inscriptions.
The Cholas claim to have captured a large number of Chalukya feudatory princes with their women and sacked and burnt "Mannandippai". The Chalukya reverses are admitted in a Sudi inscription, dated in "1050 A.D.", of the reign of "Someshvara". It says that "the 7 ministers granted the "settis renewal" of their corporate constitution (which had partly broken down in the stress of the war with the Cholas)".
The Chola king was killed at "Koppam", but the Chalukyas were also pushed back from
there by "Rajendra". Soon after the Chalukyas raided Kanchi, the Chola capital,
burnt the city and defeated the Cholas once again. A "Sudi inscription" (Thursday, 20_January_1060 AD), records that king "Trailokyamalla" was halting at his camp "Puli", a town within "Sindavadi" division after having made a victorious expedition to the southern region and conquered the Chola.
Sudi has several stone temples built by Maha Samanthadhipati Naga Deva in 1100 AD that have caught the attention of the Karnataka State Archeological Department. Quite a few of these structures have been cleaned up. Besides age-old structures there is also a tower (called "Hude" in native language) located in the center of the village. The richness of these temples can be viewed in the images posted here.
Tourism.
Twin Towered Shiva Temple.
Twin Towered, Two Vimana, Jodakalasa Temple
Later Chalukya monument, Before 1059-60, by Nageshwara by General Nagadeva administering Sudi.
Shri Chidambara Panchangam.
Chidambara Panchanga is publishing from Sudi for many years. It was started by Late.Vedabrahma Shri Ramashastri Joshi.
Shri Shiva Chidambareshwara temple.
Adjacent to the Shri Shiva Chidambareshwara temple there is a 29-feet Lord Shiva statue in a standing position which is rare in India & it was inaugurated by Shri Vishwesha Tirtharu,Pejawara Matha, Udupi.
Mallikarjuna Temple.
Mallikarjuna temple at Sudi is a later Chalukya (Kalyani Chalukyas) monument, 1054, Founded under princess "Akkadevi" Governor of Sudi
Naga Kunda (Well).
Nagakunda literally means King cobra tank at Sudi is a carved (Inner wall) temple tank.
This is totally neglected by the people, ASI and Govt. of Karnataka. There is need of immediate conservation work to protect this monument.
Other monuments at Sudi.
Other monuments at Sudi include a large Ganapati Statue and Nandi statue inside mantapa and a large Shiva linga.
Geography.
It has an average elevation of . It is located adjacent to 2 streams called Hirehalla and Doddahalla and has total area of the town is .
It is located from Karnataka, 42 kilometres from Gadag and 450 kilometres from Bangalore, the state capital.
Climate.
The temperature ranges from minimum 23 degrees to 45 degrees during summer and from 15 to 29 degrees in winter. The rainfall of the area is 50 centimeters. Best time to visit is between low humid season from November and March.
Transport.
The nearest airport is Hubli about 100 kilometres away. It is east of Hubli-Sholapur rail route, and the rail station (Mallapur) is 25 kilometres from the town. It is also connected by road to Hubli and Gadag. Sudi is reachable from Bangalore by a 12-hour bus ride, or with a combination of an overnight train journey from Bangalore to Ron followed by a short bus ride from Ron to Sudi.
Demographics.
 India census, Sudi had a population of 6,000. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Sudi has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the males and 41% of females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.


Anshan (Persia)

Anshan ( "Anzan"), modern Tall-e Malyan (), was an ancient Persian city. It was located in the Zagros Mountains in southwestern Iran, approximately north of Shiraz and west of Persepolis in the Beyza/Ramjerd plain, in the province of Fars. Its location serves as a landmark for Elamite studies.
It was one of the earliest urban states to exist, and one of the earliest capitals of Elam from the late 4th millennium BC. It fell under the rule of the Persians in the 7th century BC and then became one of the early capitals of Persia.
Most of what is known about Anshan has been discovered through ancient artifacts discovered in archaeological digs at Tall-e Malyan and passages in early Elamite texts.
History.
Anshan is considered to be the origin of one of the world's oldest known civilizations. It was occupied consistently from before 4000 BC to 1000 BC and was politically tied to the Elamites at Susa, as well as the Mesopotamians. Its exact location was unknown to scholars until 1973 when artifacts, uncovered through archaeological digs at Tall-i Malyan, confirmed its location. Prior to that scholars only knew of it to be somewhere in the central Zagros mountain range.
During the Proto-Elamite period (late fourth millennium BC), this becomes one of the main cities of the Elamite region, thanks to its location on important trade routes. During the 'Banesh period' (3400-2800), at , it was 5 times the size of Susa.
The Marv Dasht area, where the highland city of Anshan is located, is a complex of several interconnected valleys and plains. During the mid-late Banesh Period (3100-2800 BC) Anshan also had a walled area of 200 hectares. It also featured a number of subsidiary villages and campsites.
According to G. Wright:
The Elamite city makes an appearance in the early Sumerian epic "Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta" as being "en route" between Uruk and the legendary Aratta, supposedly around the time writing was developed. At various times, Anshan provided, in its own right, the source for a number of Elamite dynasties that sometimes competed for extent and influence with other prominent Elamite cities.
The earliest evidence of Anshan can be found in the Sumerian King list where many references are made to rulers of Awan. Manishtushu claimed to have subjugated Anshan, but as the Akkadian empire weakened under his successors, the native governor of Susa, Kutik-Inshushinak, a scion of the Awan dynasty, proclaimed his independence from Akkad and captured Anshan. Following this, Gudea of Lagash claimed to have subjugated Anshan in 2200 BC and the Neo-Sumerian rulers Shulgi and Shu-Sin of Ur are said to have maintained their own governors over the place. However their successor, Ibbi-Sin, seems to have spent his reign engaged in a losing struggle to maintain control over Anshan, ultimately resulting in the Elamite sack of Ur in 2004 BC, at which time the statue of Nanna, and Ibbi-Sin himself, were captured and removed to Anshan. In the Old Babylonian period, king Gungunum of Larsa dated his 5th regnal year after the destruction of Anshan.
During the early Elamite period, the rulers were known as the kings of Awan, but later on, they are referred to as the kings of Anzan, Susa, and Elam. There is also evidence that suggests Awan may have been a political district that was a part of a larger Anshan. Particularly since it has been discovered that Anshan was politically and culturally advanced. From the 15th century BC, Elamite rulers at Susa began using the title "King of Anshan and Susa" (in Akkadian texts, the toponyms are reversed, as "King of Susa and Anshan"), and it seems probable that Anshan and Susa were in fact unified for much of the "Middle Elamite period". The last king to claim this title was Shutruk-Nahhunte II (ca. 717-699 BC).
Cradle of Achaemenid Persia.
Anshan fell under Persis Achaemenid rule in the 7th century BC, having been captured by Teispes (675–640 BC), who was an ancestor of Cyrus the Great and styled himself "the great king, king of Anshan". For another century during the period of Elamite decline, Anshan was a minor kingdom, until the Achaemenids in the 6th century BC embarked on a series of conquests from Anshan, which became the nucleus of the Persian Empire. The most famous conqueror who rose from Anshan was Cyrus the Great.
Evidence of the connection to the Achaemenid Empire can be linked through writings on the Cyrus Cylinder which trace the lineage of Cyrus the Great. Cyrus is referred to as the "king of the city of Anshan" and his ancestors as "the great king, king of the city of Anshan"
Anshan continued to be inhabited through the Achaemenid period, but its importance declined greatly in favor of Pasargadae and Persepolis; it was merely a minor village by Parthian and Sasanian times.
Archaeology.
The site of Anshan covers around 200 hectares. It dates back over 6,000 years and is considered a landmark in both an Elamite studies and Iranian architecture. The main feature is a low flat-topped mound of about 130 hectares running in height. On three sides are the remains of a city wall, in length, which dates from the Late Banesh and Kaftari periods. Finds at Tall-i Malyan included primarily Proto-Elamite and Middle Elamite cuneiform tablets, seals, and a pottery sequence important to dating the chronology of the region.
The site was first worked by Fereidoon Tavallali of the Archaeological Service of Iran in 1961. No records or publications of that effort appear to exist, though some artifacts ended up in the Persepolis Museum.
Scientific excavation began in 1971 with a team, led by William Sumner, from the University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State University after a survey in 1968. The dig continued for several seasons, until 1978, when the Iranian Revolution intervened. Most recently, Tal-i Malyan was excavated by Kamyar Abdi in 1999. A further six week dig was conducted in 2004 by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran and Dartmouth College.
The most notable find was that of a building brick found at an unspecified location in Iran in 1971. A photograph was discovered in a French archaeological publication which contained inscriptions from this brick that were key to identifying the lost city. These inscriptions were written in Elamite and believed to be part of a temple built by the Elamite kings to the gods at Anshan. After translating a group of tablets that were found at the Tall-i Maylan site the following fall, Erica Reiner, from the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, was able to match these writings to those on the brick. They also matched the writings on tablets discovered by the Pennsylvania team which did, specifically, name Anshan. In 1973, it was confirmed that this site was the lost city of Anshan.
Three separate groups of tablets were found by the Pennsylvania team at the site. The oldest group contains seven tablets made of unbaked clay that date back to the third millennium BC. That set of tablets has not been translated because the writing is Proto-Elamite or possibly a script version of Elamite. The next set of tablets are inscribed in Sumerian and date back to 1800 BC. These tablets signify a Mesopotamian influence. The third set of tablets are the ones used by Erica Reiner to positively identify Anshan's location. An agreement was made between the researchers and the Iranian government that the Iranian government could choose ten artifacts and the remaining items would be divided between evenly between the two parties. The Iranian government chose to take several of the tablets in their choice of the original ten items.


Bordered White Banner

The Bordered White Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was among the lower five banners.


Grave of Sukarno

The Grave of Sukarno (or Bung Karno's Grave) is the grave of Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, in Blitar, East Java. Initially an ordinary grave where he was buried shortly after his death, a mausoleum was constructed in the late 1970s and the site evolved into a political and religious pilgrimage site, receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.
History.
During the transition to the New Order, deposed first president of Indonesia Sukarno was placed under house arrest, and he requested that he be buried in a simple grave close to the Bogor Palace. Following Sukarno's death on 21 June 1970, then-incumbent Suharto decided to bury the former president in a public cemetery at Blitar, East Java, next to Sukarno's mother's grave. Sukarno's family protested his burial in Blitar, and the anti-Suharto newspaper "Merdeka" published an editorial stating that Sukarno had wished to be buried near Bandung. In his later autobiography, Suharto claimed that Sukarno's large family had differing views on the burial site, and argued that Sukarno had been very close to his mother during her life. A historian later claimed that Suharto's decision to bury Sukarno in Blitar was to avoid pilgrimages to Sukarno's grave too close to the political center of power in Jakarta.
In the first years after Sukarno's burial, pilgrims would visit his grave and often took some of the soil, at some point causing concern that all the soil on his grave would be gone and forcing the government to regulate access to his grave. By around 1977, dissatisfaction with Suharto's rule resulted in the loosening of the De-Sukarnoization policy and a rehabilitation of Sukarno's legacy, including his grave, and the following year the government decided to construct a mausoleum over the grave. In 1979, on the eighth anniversary of Sukarno's death, Suharto dedicated the new mausoleum, in a ceremony attended by approximately one million people. Again, members of Sukarno's family criticized the decision to build the mausoleum, with Sukarno's son Guntur saying that Sukarno's family was not involved in the mausoleum's construction. Regardless, high-ranking officials of Suharto's government would make publicized pilgrimages to the tomb, and in 1980 1.4 million people visited the site.
Each year, on the anniversary of Sukarno's death, his family (in particular his daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri, chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party) would utilize the crowds visiting the mausoleum as a representation of dissent against Suharto's government in the national media. In 1995, there were around 10,000 visitors to the annual commemoration. There were initially fences surrounding the grave preventing it from becoming a pilgrimage site and keeping the grave itself sterile of visitors, but after the fall of Suharto, Megawati became president in 2001, and the site began attracting a large number of pilgrims from across Indonesia. In June 2001, it was estimated that 25,000 people visited the grave daily.
While it was not feasible during Suharto's era, after Suharto's fall Blitar's city administration under Djarot Saiful Hidayat chose to utilize the grave in order to improve the city's allure as a tourist destination, and many statues of Sukarno were built across the city while old sites associated with Sukarno were restored.
Current status.
Sukarno's grave presently is a common site for political pilgrimages - many politicians visit the grave prior to announcing their runs for office, including Joko Widodo, Prabowo Subianto and Megawati Sukarnoputri prior to their presidential campaigns in 2014, 2019 and 2004, respectively. It was estimated in 2015 that the number of "political pilgrims" to Sukarno's grave numbered between 400 to 500 thousand every year.
The second type of visitors to the grave are spiritual pilgrims, primarily Muslims. Although veneration of the dead is often considered blasphemy within Islam, there is strong Javanese tradition of visiting "holy men" graves (such as the Wali Sanga), and tens of thousands of Javanese Muslims visit Sukarno's grave each year in order to obtain his spiritual blessing. It is also a popular tourism destination. There is also an annual tradition for the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces to visit the grave annually on each 18 September, the anniversary date for the TNI.
As of 2019, Blitar's tourism agency recorded around 1,500 visits to the grave on average each day. The site has been a significant driver for the local economy due to the number of tourists it generates. Since 2017, the municipal government has been charging Rp 3,000 (~US$ 0.2) in entry fees per visitor, their vehicles excluded.
Design.
The entire burial complex is located on 1.8 hectares of land and is divided into three areas: the courtyard, terrace and the mausoleum, symbolizing Javanese beliefs in stages of life (prenatal, life and death). Sukarno's grave itself is located next to his parents', and a black epitaph commemorating his career is placed behind his gravestone. The complex also has a library and a museum which were built in 2004, in addition to statues and reliefs depicting Sukarno's life. The mausoleum itself was tall, and had a three-tiered copper roof of Javanese design. At the time of its construction, the mausoleum had cost US$395,000 to build.


2007 Parachinar bombing

The 2007 Parachinar bombing occurred on 4 August 2007. At least 12 people were killed and more than 43 injured after Ghayor Khan Chamkani, a suicide bomber, detonated a Toyota Corolla near the Eidgah Market and Peshawar bus terminal in Parachinar, the capital city of Kurram Agency and the largest city in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in northwest Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban local splinter Sunni militant group claimed responsibility.


Kelar Mound

Kelar Mound or Kelar Tappeh is a Neolithic archaeological site in Mazandaran Province, Iran. It lies on the Kelardasht plain in the Alborz Mountains. The 10-meter high mound covers an area of 6,000 hectares. Studies of the carbon-14 remains (coal and bone) have dated the site to 6,000 before present. A cylinder seal recovered at the site depicts a man and a goat.


Manila Mint

The Manila Mint () was a coinage mint that briefly served as a branch of the United States Mint, located in Manila, now the capital city of the Philippines.
History.
Spanish facility.
Originally constructed from 1857 through 1861 under the auspices of the Spanish government, the "Casa de Moneda" (as it was called then) began issuing gold coinage in the denominations of one, two, and four Pesos in 1861. On March 5, 1862, permission was also granted to coin silver coinage, which began in 1864 for the ten and twenty Centavo denominations, and 1865 for fifty Centavos. The coins all bore the image of the then-reigning Spanish Monarch, Queen Isabel II. In 1868, Isabel was deposed, but the mint continued to issue coinage in all six denominations until 1873, all dated 1868 and indistinguishable from those minted in 1868. In 1880 under the auspices of then-current Spanish King Alphonse XII, coinage production resumed, this time with the King's image, and a slightly lower silver content for the ten, twenty, and fifty Centavo denominations. Only a very small number of gold coins were issued, all being of the four Pesos denomination. In 1885 Alphonse XII died, with control of Spain to go to his (as yet unborn) son, Alphonse XIII. Once again, the Casa de Moneda continued to issue coins until 1898, all dated 1885 and indistinguishable from those minted in 1885.
United States possession.
Shortly after the Spanish–American War and a brief insurgency by the Filipinos, the country became a United States possession. Unlike all other territories taken by the United States, the United States soon began to produce a special coinage for the Philippines. To encourage circulation, the denominations were modeled on those produced by the Spanish, namely a silver Peso similar to that minted in Madrid in 1897, denominations of fifty, twenty (instead of twenty-five), and ten Centavos, and a one Centavo similar in size to some pattern cents minted by the Spanish. Also, noted Philippine sculptor Melecio Figueroa was enlisted to provide the designs for the coinage, creating a seated man design for the base metal denominations and a standing woman design for the silver denominations, which latter is thought to have been modeled on his daughter Bianca. In 1903 the San Francisco Mint began producing silver coins for the Philippines, and the Philadelphia Mint producing proofs and base metal coins, along with providing some additional silver issues for circulation. Coins minted in San Francisco had a small "S" mintmark placed to the left of the date; Philadelphia coins were without a mintmark. In 1904 all Spanish and other foreign coinage was demonetized.
The territorial coinage minted for the Philippines was locked in an exchange rate of two Pesos to one Dollar, and issued in denominations of Half, One, Five, Ten, Twenty, and Fifty Centavos, and One Peso. The Half Centavo proved useless in commerce and was withdrawn from circulation in 1904, and owing to a rise in silver prices the silver denominations (Ten centavos on up) were all reduced in size and alloy in 1907. In 1908, the San Francisco mint was finally authorized to coin base metal cents, and was thus positioned to take over all coinage production for the Philippines after that. After 1912 the Peso ceased to be minted. Such was the state of the coinage for the Philippines when the United States decided to establish a branch mint in the Philippines to take over the role then occupied by the San Francisco mint.
Official United States Mint Branch.
In 1920, the Manila Mint was reopened under United States auspices, and was the first (and to date only) U.S. branch mint located outside the Continental United States. It produced coins until 1922 and then again from 1925 to 1941, when the Japanese Empire invaded the Philippines during World War II. The mint was operated under Japanese auspices during the occupation. No U.S. coins were produced at Manila after 1941 due to the occupation and to Philippine independence in 1946, although Philippine coinage did take place at the other U.S. mints in 1944 through 1946 (all dated 1944 and 1945 only). The mint also produced a special coinage for the inmates at the Culion Leper Colony. The building housing the mint was destroyed during the retaking of the city in 1945.
Coinage and Mintmarks.
Mintmarks.
 In the beginning, the Manila mint produced its coins without a mintmark, but in 1925 it began using the "M" mintmark on all of its coins until its closure at the end of 1941 with the Japanese invasion. In 1936, to commemorate the Philippines becoming a Commonwealth and no longer a mere territory, Ambrosia Morales was commissioned to generate new coin designs for the commemorative Fifty Centavos and One Peso. The coins he designed featured Manuel L. Quezon as the Philippines' first Commonwealth President and General Murphy and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A new design for the reverse based on the seal of the Commonwealth he designed was also introduced on those commemoratives, and featured on all Philippine coins minted from 1937 until 1946. When Philippine coinage production resumed in 1944, the One, Five, and Fifty Centavo pieces were again struck in San Francisco (complete with "S" mintmark), Five Centavo pieces were also struck in Philadelphia (no mintmark), and the Ten and Twenty Centavo pieces were struck in Denver, introducing the "D" mintmark to Philippine coinage. All of these coins featured the new Commonwealth reverse design. On July 4, 1946, the era of the Commonwealth ended as independence was granted to the Philippines as a sovereign nation.
Produced denominations.
The Manila Mint struck coins in the following denominations:
Base Metal Denominations (identical to alloys used for United States One Cent and Five Cents)
Silver Denominations (seventy-five percent silver for Ten through Fifty Centavos and eighty percent for the One Peso)
Leper Colony Coinage (struck in aluminum 1920 and brass all later years)
In addition, a medal (commonly called the 'Wilson Dollar,' owing to having a design featuring then-current U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and being similar in size to a silver dollar) was issued in gold, silver, and copper in 1920 to commemorate the opening of the Manila Mint.


Ginot Aryeh

Ginot Aryeh (, "lit." Aryeh's Gardens) was an Israeli settlement outpost in the West Bank. Located near Ofra, it fell under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council.
The settlement was established in 2001, and was named after Aryeh Hershkovits, a settler killed by Palestinians in 2001. It was vacated in 2004 after an eviction order was signed by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.


Asaddor Ali

Mohammad Asaddor Ali (), was a Bangladeshi writer, researcher and historian. His research primarily focused on the history of Sylhet. Due to his achievements, he was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2004. His research discovered unknown information about folk literature, and he wrote 19 books relating to it.
Early life.
Ali was born into a Bengali Muslim family in the village of Ludorpur in Jagannathpur, Sunamganj Subdivision in 1929. He was the third child of a family of five sons and one daughter. His mother, Mastura Khatun, was a teacher at the Ludorpur Ayaan Munshi Primary School. His father's name was Moulvi Muhammad Uthman Ullah.
He studied in a "pathshala" in the nearby village of Syedpur where he passed second place in the primary exam. He then studied in Government Jubilee High School where he completed his matriculation exams, before completing his I.A. and I.B. in Murari Chand College. Following this, he went to Dhaka University where he did a Master of Arts in Bengali language and Bengali literature. In the Govt. Teachers' Training College, he completed a Bachelor of Education degree from a talent scholarship. He was the first person in his village to graduate from a university.
Career.
After graduating, Ali became a teacher at the Madan Mohan College. He left teaching later on to dedicate his life towards research. He started travelling, in search of old manuscripts and books and conversed with thousands of people. He was the founding chairman of the Oitijjo Srishtikari Shahitya Shongothon Shonglap Shahitya Shanskriti Front, and held this role for a number of years. He was a member of the Bangla Academy. He was also vice-chairman and patron for the Kendriya Muslim Sahitya Sangsad for quite a long time. Studying the Mymensingh Gitika, he was able to find evidence that nine of them were actually of Sylheti origin. Ali corrected Ahmed Sharif, who wrote in his PhD thesis that medieval writer Shaykh Chand was from Chittagong, that the latter was actually from the Sylhet region. Ali was also of the opinion that Syed Sultan was a Sylheti. He established a large personal library, which has benefited many future researchers. Ali was the president of the Jalalabad Lekhok Sahitya Sangsad as well as the founding chairman of the Sunamganj Samiti Sylhet. In addition to these, he was a founding member of the Muinuddin Model Woman's College and Sylhet College. He was awarded the Ragib-Rabeya Literary Award in 2001. On 20 December 2004, he was awarded the KEMUSAS Literary Award.
Research and publications.
He wrote a total of 19 books. Some of these include:


Tripurantaka Temple

The Tripurantaka Temple (also called Tripurantakesvara or Tripurantakeshwara) was built around c. 1070 CE by the Western Chalukyas. This temple, which is in a dilapidated state, is in the historically important town of Balligavi (also called Balagamve), modern Shivamogga district, Karnataka state, India. The exterior walls of the temple have erotic sculptures on friezes. These depictions are considered rare in Chalukyan art. Being miniature in size, these are visible only upon close examination. During medieval times, Balligavi was a seat of learning to multiple religious faiths and was home to many monuments and structures built by the Chalukyas. More than 80 medieval inscriptions have been discovered in Balligavi and belong to the Shaiva, Vaishnava, Jain and Buddhist faiths. These inscriptions describe, among other things, the building of temples.
Other sculptures.
This temple is noted for its decorative windows and screens which consist of very intricate perforated stone work. The two sides of the doorway to the shrine have a window panels, each filled entirely by three pairs of "nāga" figures (snake). The long intertwined and knotted bodies of these "nagas" create a virtual mesh to fill up the panels. Above the entrance to the shrine is a decorative architrave with sculptures of the Hindu Gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, with Shiva being depicted in his Bhairava form. Other figures here are the "dikpalas" (the guardians). Some interesting larger sized figure sculptures exist, such as the sculpture of a Hoysala king slaying a lion. This piece of sculpture comes with its own inscription and depicts a hunting expedition in which the king, in the company of his hunting dogs, speared and killed a wild boar. Also depicted is the king on foot, fighting a lion which sprang out of the forest.
An interesting piece of sculpture near the temple in the town centre is the "Ganda-Bherunda Stambha" ("column of two-headed bird"). The column on which the sculpture stands is about tall and the shaft is about in diameter. The top of the column has an octagonal capital surmounted by a broad slab of stone. Upon this is mounted the statue of the mythical two-headed bird "Ganda-Bherunda", which, according to legend was an enemy of elephants and fed on their flesh. The statue has the body of a human standing upright with two bird like heads, looking in opposite directions. In its hands, it holds the prey that it feeds on. An inscription at the base of the column describes its erection in 1047 CE by Chamundaraya Arasa of the Kadamba Dynasty of Banavasi. Legend has it that the column may have been erected to scare away marauding elephants from local plantations.


Protectorate General to Pacify the North

The Protectorate General to Pacify the North or Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the North (647–784) was a Chinese military government established by Tang Dynasty in 647 to pacify the former territory of Xueyantuo, which extended from Lake Baikal to the north, the Gobi Desert to the south, the Khingan Mountains to the east, and the Altay Mountains to the west. It controlled the Mongolian Plateau from 647 to 682.
It was first established as Yanran at Shanyu Tai, southwest of present-day Urat Middle Banner, the northern slope of Lang Shan. This was later shifted to Hanhai and controlled by Uighurs instead of Han Chinese, around the banks of the Orkhon River, and named from its namesakes for a short period before it was changed to Anbei. The seat of governance remained there until the year 687.
History.
In 646 the Tang dynasty conquered the Xuyantuo and on 9 January 647, thirteen Tiele and Uyghur tribes surrendered to the Tang. Tang Taizong organized them into six commanderies and seven tributary prefectures under the Jimi system. The six commanderies were Hanhai (翰海府), Jinwei (金微府), Yanran (燕然府), Youling (幽陵府), Guilin (龜林府), and Lushan (盧山府). The seven prefectures were Gaolan (皐蘭州), Gaoque (高闕州), Jilu (雞鹿州), Jitian (雞田州), Yuxi (榆溪州), Dailin (蹛林州), and Douyan (竇顏州). Collectively these were known as the "Cantian Khan Circuit." On 10 April the Yanran Protectorate was created at the foothills of the Shanyu Plateau, southwest of present-day Urad Middle Banner, and governorship of the 13 tribes was handed over to the protector general, Li Suli (李素立), who served from 647 to 649.
On 5 February 663 the Yanran Protectorate was renamed Hanhai Protectorate.
In August 669 the Hanhai Protectorate was renamed the Protectorate General to Pacify the North, otherwise known as the Anbei Duhufu. Its seat was relocated to the city of Datong in present-day Ejin Banner.
In 687 the seat of Anbei was moved to the city of Xi'an near modern Minle County due to incursions by the Second Turkic Khaganate.
In 698 the seat was moved to Yunzhong near modern Horinger.
In 708 the seat of Anbei was moved to the western Shouxiang city near modern Wuyuan County, Inner Mongolia.
In 714 the Anbei and Chanyu protectorates were separated. Chanyu was re-located to Yunzhong while Anbei was re-located to the middle Shouxiang city, near modern Baotou.
In 749 the seat was moved to the military settlement of Hengsai, near modern-day Urad Middle Banner.
Due to unfavorable farming conditions near the Hengsai settlement, Guo Ziyi resettled the army near modern Urad Front Banner in 755.
Following the An Lushan Rebellion, the Chanyu and Anbei protectorates lost any real authority and survived in name only. Due to the taboo of An Lushan's name, the Anbei Protectorate was renamed the Zhenbei Protectorate in 757, which meant "Protectorate General to Suppress the North."
In 758 the Hengsai Army changed its name to Tiande Army and came under control of the Zhenwu Jiedushi.
In 840 a group of Uyghurs attacked the Tiande Army.
In 843 the Chanyu Protectorate was renamed back to Anbei Protectorate


Blue House raid

The Blue House raid (also known in South Korea as the January 21 Incident) was a raid launched by North Korean commandos to assassinate the President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee, in his residence at the Blue House, on January 21, 1968. All 31 Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers were killed, captured or forced to flee. President Park was unharmed.
Background.
Park Chung-hee seized power in a 1961 coup d'état and ruled as a military strongman until his election and inauguration as the President of the Third Republic of South Korea in 1963. The attack at the Blue House took place in the context of the Korean DMZ Conflict (1966–69), which in turn was influenced by the Vietnam War.
Following the 1967 South Korean presidential election and the legislative election, the North Korean leadership concluded that Park Chung-hee's domestic opposition no longer constituted a serious challenge to his rule. On June 28 – July 3, the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea held an extended plenum at which North Korean leader Kim Il-sung called on the cadres "to prepare to give assistance to the struggle of our South Korean brethren." In July 1967, a special squad of the recently established Unit 124 of the Korean People's Army (KPA) was entrusted with the task of assassinating Park. This decision was probably facilitated by the fact that in 1967, the Vietnam War entered a new stage of escalation, under which circumstances the U.S. military forces, preoccupied as they were with Vietnam, could not easily take retaliatory measures against North Korea. In 1965–1968, North Korea-North Vietnam relations were very close, and North Korea provided substantial military and economic assistance to North Vietnam. North Korean propaganda sought to depict the post-1966 commando raids as a South Korean guerrilla movement akin to the Viet Cong.
Preparations.
Thirty-one men were handpicked from the elite all-officer KPA Unit 124. This special operation commando unit trained for two years and spent their final 15 days rehearsing action on the objective in a full-scale mockup of the Blue House.
These specially selected men were trained in infiltration and exfiltration techniques, weaponry, navigation, airborne operations, amphibious infiltration, hand-to-hand combat (with emphasis on knife fighting), and concealment.
Kim Shin-jo, one of only two known survivors, said "It made us fearless—no one would think to look for us in a graveyard." Their training was rigorous and often in adverse conditions, such as running at a speed of 13 km/h (8 mph) with 30 kg (66 pound) rucksacks over broken and unforgiving terrain, which sometimes resulted in injuries such as lost toes and feet from frostbite.
Raid.
Infiltration.
On January 16, 1968, Unit 124 left their garrison at Yonsan. On January 17, 1968, at 11 p.m., they infiltrated the DMZ by cutting through the fencing of the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division's sector. By 2 a.m. the next day they had set up camp at Morae-dong and Seokpo-ri. On January 19, at 5 a.m., after having crossed the Imjin River, they set up camp on Simbong Mountain.
At 2 p.m., four brothers named Woo from Beopwon-ri were out cutting firewood and stumbled across the unit's camp. After a fierce debate over whether to kill the brothers, it was decided instead to try to indoctrinate them on the alleged benefits of communism and they were released with a stern warning not to notify the police. However, the brothers immediately reported the presence of the unit to the Changhyeon police station in Beopwon-ri.
The unit broke camp and increased their pace to more than 10 km/h, carrying 30 kg of equipment each, crossing Nogo Mountain and arriving at Bibong Mountain on January 20 at 7 a.m. Three battalions from the South Korean 25th Infantry Division began searching Nogo Mountain for the infiltrators, but they had already left the area. The unit entered Seoul in two- and three-man cells on the night of January 20 and regrouped at the Seungga-sa Temple, where they made their final preparations for the attack.
Meanwhile, the ROK (Republic of Korea) High Command added the 30th Infantry Division and Airborne Corps to the search and police began searching along Hongje-dong, Jeongreung, and Bukak Mountain. Given the increased security measures that had been implemented throughout the city and realizing their original plan had little chance of success, the team leader improvised a new plan.
Changing into Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) uniforms of the local 26th Infantry Division, complete with the correct unit insignia (which they had brought with them), they formed up and prepared to march the last kilometre to the Blue House, posing as ROKA soldiers returning from a counter-infiltration patrol. The unit marched along Segeomjeong Road near Jahamun toward the Blue House, passing several National Police and ROKA units en route.
Conflict.
At 10 p.m. on January 21, 1968, the unit approached the Segeomjeong–Jahamun checkpoint less than 100 meters from the Blue House, where Jongro police chief Choi Gyushik approached the unit and began to question them. When he grew suspicious of their answers, he drew his pistol and was shot by members of the unit who started firing and throwing grenades at the checkpoint. After several minutes of shooting, the unit dispersed, with some heading off to Inwang Mountain, Bibong Mountain, and Uijeongbu. Police Chief Choi and Assistant Inspector Jung Jong-su were killed in the firefight; one commando was captured but managed to commit suicide. Before the night was over, 92 South Koreans had become casualties of the firefight, among them nearly two dozen civilians who were on a bus that passed through the line of fire.
On January 22, 1968, the ROK Army's 6th Corps began a massive sweep operation to capture or kill any members of the unit. Soldiers from the 92nd Regiment, 30th Infantry Division captured Kim Shin-jo, who had been hiding in a civilian's house near Inwang Mountain. The 30th Battalion, Capital Defense Command, killed four commandos in Buam-dong and on Bukak Mountain.
On January 23, the 26th Infantry Division's Engineer Battalion killed one commando on Dobong Mountain. On January 24, 1968, the 26th Infantry Division and 1st Infantry Division soldiers killed 12 commandos near Seongu-ri. On January 25, three commandos were killed near Songchu. On January 29, six commandos were killed near Papyeong Mountain.
Casualties.
During the course of this assassination attempt, South Korean casualties totaled 26 killed and 66 wounded, including about 24 civilians. Four Americans also were killed in attempts to block the escaping infiltrators from crossing the DMZ. Of the 31 members of Unit 124, 29 were killed; one, Kim Shin-jo, was captured, and the other one, Pak Jae-gyong escaped to North Korea. The bodies of the members of Unit 124 killed in the raid were subsequently buried in the Cemetery for North Korean and Chinese Soldiers.
Aftermath.
On January 22, the United Nations Command (UNC) requested that a Military Armistice Commission (MAC) meeting be held to discuss the raid. The UNC requested the meeting for January 23, but the North Koreans asked for a day's delay. On January 23, the USS "Pueblo" (AGER-2), a technical research ship of the United States Navy, was captured by North Korea. Consequently, the MAC meeting held on January 24 had to deal not only with the raid but also with the "Pueblo"s capture. To a considerable extent, the seizure of the "Pueblo" diverted U.S. and international attention from the Blue House raid.
The Blue House raid occurred on the same day when the Battle of Khe Sanh started in Vietnam and on January 31 the Tet Offensive broke out across South Vietnam, making any U.S. support for South Korean retaliation unlikely. In Saigon, Viet Cong guerrillas attempted to assassinate President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu at the Independence Palace but were quickly beaten back. Some writers have suggested that due to the similarities of both attacks by a similar number of commandos (31 in Seoul and 34 in Saigon, respectively) that the North Korean leaders had a certain insight into Vietnamese Communist military operations, and wanted to take advantage of the Vietnam War. President Johnson regarded the seizure of the "Pueblo" and the timing of the Tet Offensive to have been coordinated to divert U.S. resources away from Vietnam and to force the South Koreans to withdraw their two Divisions and Marine Brigade from South Vietnam. Unlike President Johnson, General Bonesteel saw no such connection. He regarded the Blue House Raid as having been planned at the highest levels in North Korea, while the seizure of the "Pueblo" seemed merely opportunistic and the timing of the Tet Offensive as helpful but coincidental.
In response to the assassination attempt, the South Korean government organized the ill-fated Unit 684. This group was intended to assassinate the leader of North Korea, Kim Il-sung. However, following an improvement in intra-Korean relations, the unit's assassination mission was cancelled and in 1971 the unit revolted and most of its members were killed.
In May 1972, Kim Il-sung expressed regret and claimed that the Blue House raid "was entirely plotted by extreme leftists and did not reflect my intent or that of the Party" to the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) Lee Hu-rak during their meeting in Pyongyang.
After surviving several other attempts on his life, Park Chung-hee was shot dead in 1979 by Kim Jae-gyu, the director of the KCIA. It is unclear whether this was a spontaneous act or part of a pre-arranged attempted coup by the intelligence service.


Karunakar Singh

Karunkar Singh Naik, commonly known as Karunakar Singh (Odia: କରୁଣାକର ସିଂହ), was an Indian chieftain and rebel leader. He was the Gond Gauntia (local chieftain) of Kolabira in what is today the Jharsuguda district of Odisha.
He collaborated with freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai and other rebels during the Sambalpur uprising against British East India Company troops. As a rebel leader, Karunakar played a crucial role in protecting communication channels and ensured reinforcements and supplies were available. It is believed that Karunakar commanded the rebels during Surendra Sai's absences. British troops from Madras Presidency and Nagpur attacked Karanakur's residence in Kolabira. The battle site is known as Agnitirtha (pilgrimage of holy fire) and is remembered as the last defensive stand of the rebels. Karunakar, his brother, and his nephew fought the superior forces of the British East India Company. Karunakar was later captured and hung, along with two other rebel leaders.
British spy reports about the Kolabira Gauntia.
As the Gauntia of Kolabira, Karunakar, along with other nearby Gauntia, inherited the right to maintain an independent militia from the Chauhan kings of Sambalpur. According to reports by British Assistant Commissioner R.T. Leigh's spies, Karunakar Singh and his 200 local fighters joined some 1400 rebels gathered in Khinda under Surendra Sai. The British spies carried an unconfirmed message that Karunakar was capable of raising a force of 8000 on short notice. This alarmed the British, who saw him as a rebel leader and a substantial threat, along with other Zamindars and Gaunitas in the region. Kolabira served as a major base for the rebellious struggle along with Khariar and Raipur.
Operation Kolabira.
After killing 53 rebels, along with Surendra's brother Chabila Sai, and arresting 11 at Kudopali incident, the British, under the command of Major Bates, Lieutenant Haddow, Captain E.G.Wood and Captain Knocker launched their offensive on Khinda on 4 November 1857. The attack was unsuccessful as the rebels had already departed. The British force marched to Kolabira on 6 November 1857. They launched an unsuccessful raid on Jharghati hilltop, 12 kilometers from Sambalpur, where they were expecting to find Surendra Sai with others. The rebels instead attacked the superior British force. After a brief conflict left one company Sepoy dead and another wounded, the rebels retreated, avoiding capture and leaving behind eighteen elephant loads of grain.
On reaching Kolabira, the British troops found it difficult to approach the fort due to a copse of thorny bamboo trees on the way. The fort was the residence of Karunakar and was a major base for the rebels. Company forces burned down the Demul (place of local deity) and empty houses of the villagers. According to Knocker, while finally approaching the fort, he discovered firing holes dug on the walls to facilitate musket firing from inside the structure. Haddow ordered his howitzer units to fire on the fort walls. The residence fort was burned killing rebels and villagers inside. Karunakar along with his brother Khageswar Naik and nephew Kanhei Naik resisted the attack, until running out of options and supplies.
Theories vary about the capture of Karunakar. One group of historians claims that he was captured along with 11 of his aides while sleeping. The others claim that he surrendered with 13 of his aides, including his brother and nephew given Major Edward Impey promising no harm to them. A third theory is that that Karunakar was captured first and his aides surrendered at the promise that the lives of the rebels would be spared. The British hanged Karunakar on 11 February 1858 at Sambalpur after a mock trial by Lieutenant Cockburn, later defended the execution, stating that he was unaware of Impey's promise. His brother and nephew were hanged on 22 December 1861. Though other rebels were freed, the estates of rebel leaders including Kolabira were handed over to Rai Rup Singh, a treacherous local associate of the British. The ruined fort was handed to the son of Karunakara after his death.


Azerbaijan State Museum of History of Karabakh

Azerbaijan State Museum of History of Karabakh () was a museum located in Shusha, Azerbaijan.
History.
In February 1991, by the order of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Polad Bulbuloglu, the Museum of History of Karabakh was established in Shusha. Up to 550 exhibit funds were created at the preparatory stage and staff schedule was approved.
Originally, the house of Firidun bey Kocharli was used as the base for the museum. Later the museum was temporarily operated in one of the buildings in the Resort Sanatorium Union. The political situation and the Armenian occupation resulted in the suspension of the museum's activity.
As a result of the occupation of Shusha by the Armenian Armed Forces about six hundred exhibits of the museum were destroyed and those could be carried were transported.
Later, when a group of Shusha intellectuals made suggestions for the restoration of the museum, the proposal was ignored. However, the approval of the relevant agencies on whether locating the museum in an empty building at the Alley of Martyrs or in ancient buildings located on top of other tourist routes for its activity was not obtained. At present, wages for museum employees are frozen.
The first director of the State Museum of History of Karabakh was Emin Aghayev.