Hamengkubuwono X

Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X (also spelled as Hamengkubuwana X, often abbreviated as HB X) (born BRM Herjuno Darpito, 2 April 1946 in Yogyakarta) is the Sultan of the historic Yogyakarta Sultanate in Indonesia, and is currently also the Governor of the modern Yogyakarta Special Region ("Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta").
Hamengkubuwono X succeeded his father, Hamengkubuwono IX as the Sultan of Yogyakarta when Hamengkubuwono IX died on 3 October 1988. Hamengkubuwono X was formally installed as Sultan on 7 March 1989. However, the position of the Governor of the Yogyakarta Special Region did not go to Hamengkubuwono X. Vice Governor Sri Paku Alam VIII, prince of the subordinate enclave of Paku Alaman within Yogyakarta was instead controversially elevated to the position of governor. This was contrary to the agreement made at the independence of Indonesia in recognition of Hamengkubuwono IX's support and role in the Indonesian War of Independence. Under the agreement, the Sultan holds the position of governor in the Yogyakarta Special Region, and the Paku Alam holds the position of vice governor.
On 30 August 2012, following a decade of talks between Yogyakarta and the central government, the national legislature of Indonesia formally enshrined in law the convention that the Sultan inherits the position of governor.
Background.
Hamengkubuwono X was a graduate of Public Administration at the Faculty of Law of Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He was active as Chairman of KADINDAII (Business Association) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Chairman of the Golkar Regional Leadership Council (DPD) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Chairman of the Sports Committee of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Chairman and Managing Director of PT Punokawan Construction, President of the PG Madukismo Commissioner, and in July 1996 was appointed Chairman of the Special Region of Yogyakarta Expert Counsel to the Governor.
Hamengkubuwono X followed the tradition of his late father Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX in the spirit of Indonesian nationalism over self-interest by participating in street protests in support of the student demonstrations opposing Suharto's rule on 14 May 1998, and like his illustrious father, wanted to be a pioneer in the Yogyakarta Reformation Movement albeit in a non-violent manner. He was also one of the four key figures in the early reform period that sparked the Ciganjur Declaration urging the government to hold elections as soon as possible, because President BJ Habibie had neither constitutional nor legal rights to take over the presidency of Suharto who had just resigned.
Hamengkubuwono X has stated his vision for his region and the Sultanate are the development of science and technology, development of agriculture, tourism and world-famous cultural industries and thus provide a fair and prosperous life to all his citizens. He was nominated by popular choice, to the Golkar Yogyakarta Assembly as a Presidential Candidate for the 2009 Indonesian Presidential Election Campaign. Hamengkubuwono X, though widely respected across all parties and nationwide as neutral, honest and uncorrupted was ultimately unsuccessful in garnering support outside Central Java and was unsuccessful to attain a first round voting position.
Personal life.
Hamengkubuwono X has discontinued the polygamist tradition of Javanese monarchs having several wives and possibly multiple concubines, as per his late father's wishes to modernize the royal system. He is married to Ratu Gusti Kanjeng Ratu (GKR) Hemas.
Their five daughters (in birth order) are:
Hamengkubuwono X resides in the Keraton Yogyakarta complex and uses the Governor's mansion solely for political affairs.
Titles.
In Javanese Kraton (palaces) names of individuals change with respect to change in status:
His style and title in full English : His Majesty The Sultan Hamengkubuwono the Tenth, Commander-in-chief in war, Servant of the Most Gracious, Cleric and Caliph that Safeguards the Religion


Horigoe Gosho

The is an archaeological site containing the ruins of the Muromachi period residence of the Ashikaga clan in the Jike neighborhood of the city of Izunokuni, Shizuoka in the Tōkai region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1984, with the area under protection extended in 1987.The name is also sometimes transliterated as "Horigoshi Gosho".
Background.
In 1439 "Shōgun" Ashikaga Yoshinori invaded Kamakura to enforce the authority of the central government, forcing Ashikaga Mochiuji and his eldest son to commit "seppuku" His three younger sons escaped and were sheltered by the Yūki clan at Koga, Shimōsa Province. The shogunate later attacked Koga, capturing and killing two of the sons, with only the youngest, Eijuō-maru, surviving The shogunate then appointed the Uesugi clan to rule the Kantō region until 1449.
In that same year, Eijuō-maru's uncle Ōi Mochimitsu managed to have him appointed to the post of "Kantō kubō", nominally the "Shōgun"s deputy in the Kantō region, and Eijuō-maru changed his name to Ashikaga Shigeuji. However, "Shōgun" Ashikaga Yoshimasa, not trusting Shigeuji, nominated his ally Uesugi Noritada as "kanrei" with the task of keeping him informed of whatever was happening in Kamakura. The relationship between the two men, already difficult because of the role the Uesugi clan had had in Ashikaga Mochiuji's death, was therefore strained from the beginning. Tension culminated with Shigeuji's 1454 killing of Uesugi Noritada, who was invited to Shigeuji's mansion where he was murdered. This killing caused the Kantō region to fall into chaos as all of the Uesugi vassals rose in revolt against Shigeuji. This conflict was later known as the Kyōtoku Incident.
Shogunal forces led by Imagawa Noritada defeated Shigeuji at Kamakura in 1455 and he fled back Koga, where he later became known as the "Koga kubō". The Uesugi clan asked Ashikaga Yoshimasa to send someone to replace Shigeuji, so Yoshimasa sent his younger brother, Ashikaga Masatomo, from Kyoto. However, as many clans in the Kantō region remained loyal to Shigeuji and suspicious of the intentions of the Kyoto-based shogunate, Masatomo found that he was unable to even enter Kamakura. Instead, he set up his headquarters in Horigoe in Izu Province, which was thereafter known as the Horigoe Gosho. Thus, per the historian George Bailey Sansom, the Kantō therefore found itself with two rulers, one in Koga and one in Horigoe, neither of whom was able to rule.
The precise site of the Horigoe Gosho was not certain for many years, but was by tradition held to be at this location due to its local place names of "Goshonouchi" and "Tsukiyama". Archaeological excavations in 2007 and 2008 found the foundations of a large structure and the remains of a garden with ponds, along with pottery shards, some of which was very high status ceramics which had been imported from China, indicating the presence of a Muromachi-period palace, confirming that the Horigoe Palace was most likely at this location.
The site was backfilled after excavation and is now an empty field. It is about a 15-minute walk from Nirayama Station on the Izuhakone Railway.


Unified Socialist League

The Unified Socialist League (, abbreviated Toshado) was a pro-Soviet communist organization in Japan, founded on May 3, 1962. The Unified Socialist League was led by Kasuga Shojiro, formerly a leading figure in the Japanese Communist Party. Makoto Omori was the general secretary of the organization. The organization emerged from a split from the Preparatory Communission for a Socialist Reform Movement (a.k.a. the 'Socialist Renovation' group). The membership of the Unified Socialist League (numbering around 600) was dominated by students, and the organization had a student wing called the Socialist Student Front.
The Unified Socialist League published a monthly journal, "Kozo Kaikaku" ('Structural Reform'). It had a circulation of around 2,200. "Kozo Kaikaku" was published between May 1962 and December 1963. In May 1964 the Unified Socialist League launched a new publication, "Heiwa to Shakaishugi".
The Unified Socialist League repeatedly attacked the Communist Party of Japan, arguing that the party lacked internal democracy and that it was subservient to Chinese interests. The Unified Socialist League did not put forth candidates in national elections.


Coronation of Vajiralongkorn

The coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn took place on 4 May 2019 at the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne at the age of 64 upon the death of his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, on 13 October 2016, accepting the accession invitation by Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council, on 1 December 2016. The coronation was held within just two years after his accession to the throne in 2016 because of an appropriate length of time to pass after the death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej and the arrangement of the ceremony after the last such rite having been held in 1950.
The ceremonies of coronation, the first ever to be aired on television, were aired in both Thai and English by the Television Pool of Thailand.
Coronation arrangement.
6 April.
The collection of water for use the ceremony took place on 6 April 2019, Chakri Day, in all 76 provinces and Bangkok. This event formally marked the official commencement of the preparatory activities to be held before the coronation day.
8 to 9 April.
Buddhist monks in major temples consecrated the water collected in their respective provinces.
10 to 11 April.
The collected waters from the provincial temples were officially transported to the Ministry of Interior Building in Bangkok by their respective provincial governors or their representatives.
12 April.
At 13:00 (), the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration transferred the holy water obtained from The Sattrakhom Hall in the Grand Palace to the Ministry of Interior Building.
18 April.
At 17:19 (), all the holy water was taken in a procession from the Ministry of Interior Building to Wat Suthat for another consecration.
19 April.
At 7:30 (), the holy water was taken in a procession to Wat Phra Kaew, where it was kept until coronation day.
22 April.
At 16:00 (), ten monks who are abbots from several Thai Buddhist temples chanted prayers at Wat Phra Kaew to bless the ceremony and the Royal Plaques.
23 April.
At 9:25 (), A ceremony was held at the ubosot of Wat Phra Kaew to record the king's horoscope and the official titles of the king and his family on the Royal Golden Plaques and to engrave the Royal Seal of State. Following the ceremony the Court Brahmins of the Devasathan Temple, led by the Chief Brahmin of the Royal Family of Thailand, blessed the plaques and the Seal.
The Royal Horoscope was engraved by the court astrologer Chatchai Pinngern, who was present during the ceremony.
29 April.
Tree plantings of yellow star trees, considered royal trees by the king, were conducted nationwide in every forest and national park in all 76 provinces.
1 May.
In a ceremony at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall the king officially married Gen Suthida Tidjai and officially designated her as Queen of Thailand. The ceremony was held with Princess Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal, and the President of Privy Council Prem Tinsulanonda as witnesses.
Royal coronation.
2 May.
At 16:09 (), The King, Queen Suthida and Princess Bajrakitiyabha paid homage to the Equestrian statue of King Chulalongkorn and the Memorial of Rama I . He also paid respect to sacred icons placed at both the and .
Nationwide, mass Buddhist monastic ordinations in honor of the coronation were organized by the National Office of Buddhism and the Sangha Supreme Council "(Mahāthera Samāgama)" in all 76 provinces together with their respective provincial and local governments, with 6,810 receiving their holy orders of monkhood, including personnel of the civil services, the armed forces and police.
3 May.
At 10:00 (), The Royal Golden Plaques and the Royal Seal of State were transferred from Wat Phra Kaew to Phaisan Thaksin Throne Hall "(Phra Thinang Phaisan Thaksin)" in procession, and they were placed into the hall by the Lord Chamberlain of the Chakri dynasty, Air Chief Marshal "(ret)" , RTAF. The Weapons of Sovereignty were earlier transferred from the Temple to a special table in the hall.
In the late afternoon, Buddhist monks assembled for the benediction vigil chanted the traditional "Paritta Suttas" for the coronation and laid a protective thread around the buildings of the Phra Maha Monthien group within the wider Grand Palace complex as a precaution against evil spirits, preceded by a candle lighting ceremony and then, following the recitation of the Five precepts, by the lighting by Supreme Patriarch Ariyavongsagatanana "(Amborn Ambaro)" in the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall "(Phra Thinang Amarin Winitchai Mahaisuraya Phiman)" of the Victory Candle "(Candle of Victory, เทียนชัย)" in the presence of the king, signifying the official commencement of the ceremony.
Following this, a senior monk formally declared the official commencement of the coronation ceremonies in both Pali and Thai (the sacred languages of the Buddhist religion in Thailand). 35 monks were stationed at the Phaisan Thaksin Throne Hall, where the soon to be crowned King was present as the presider of the vigil service, with another 5 being assigned to the Chakraphat Phimarn Royal Residence "(Phra Thinang Chakraphat Phiman)".
After the chanting the Chief Brahmin gave the King the leaves of certain trees, such as the "Aegle marmelos", that were esteemed in ancient times for their supposed medicinal and purifying values, which, following being dipped in holy water, were brushed by him on the head and hair to symbolise purification and gave them back later to the Chief Brahmin before being burned. These leaves were earlied dipped by the Court Brahmin from the Devasathan Temple as part of a Hindu ceremony called the "homa" "(sacrifices to fire)".
After the monks departed, the king then gave offerings of flowers, each to the Hindu deities in Devasathan, to the sacred white royal nine-tiered umbrellas (five dotted around the various palaces), and to the images of the guardian spirits of the capital city at the city shrine, preceded by a second candle lighting rite paying respect to sacred Buddha images and guardians of the holy thrones in the palace. After this senior government officials took their places with persons of royal descent and the Court Brahmin around the Octagonal Throne where a ceremony was held to bless the throne.
Preceding the vigil, the king made a short visit to Wat Phra Kaew.
4 May.
At 10:09 (), the Royal Purification, or the "Song Muratha Bhisek" Ceremony, took place at the Chakraphat Phimarn Royal Residence "(Phra Thinang Chakraphat Phiman)", in the presence of the Supreme Patriarch and the Chief Brahmin, preceded by the reading of the Five Precepts.
Shortly afterwards, King Maha Vajiralongkorn switched to a white dress trimmed with gold for purification ceremony. After making offerings and paying respects, the King sits in a specially erected pavilion. As a shower of sacred water poured upon his head, a 40-gun salute was fired and the prakhom band trumpeters sounded a fanfare. Within the precincts of the Palace, the Royal Guards played the Royal Anthem as monks recited their chants of benediction. Sacred water is also being given by the Supreme Patriarch, HSH Prince Pusan Svastivatana, HSH Prince Chulchern Yugala and the Chief Court Brahmin, Phra Maha Raja Guru Bidhi Sri Visudhigun. The King then cleansed himself with the waters collected earlier from all 76 provinces across Thailand.
The ablution rite was then followed by the Anointment Ceremony at the Phaisan Thaksin Throne Hall's Octagonal Throne, in which the King was presented with 9 bowls of consecrated water from the government officials and royal representatives who were present the previous night, representing the Thai people, the royal family and the state government, wherein he was formally granted the full authority of his kingship in accordance with the religious and historical traditions of the state and the Constitution. In each of the directions of the throne, the Chief Brahmin gave the king the bowl of water, in which he dipped his hands, and following the act the Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella was presented to him after the Court Brahmin chanted a Hindu mantra. Only after the Royal Umbrella is presented which symbolises the full consecration of the King, the King from that point can be addressed as "Phrabat Somdet Phrachaoyuhua" (Thai: พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว)
Then the king proceeded to the Bhadrapitha Throne and was seated under the Royal Nine-tiered Umbrella as the new consecrated sovereign, where, after paying homage and reciting the Tamil mantra "Opening the portals of Kailash" (from the "Tiruvacakam"), the Chief Brahmin presented him with the Royal Golden Plaque and other official royal regalia, during which the Royal Anthem was officially played, a fanfare sounded and a 101-gun salute from the Ceremonial Gun Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment, King's Guard of the Royal Thai Army fired at both the Grand Palace and the Sanam Luang Royal Plaza as similar salutes were fired in the provinces in saluting stations manned by personnel of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, while bells were rung in Buddhist temples nationwide. Distinctive blowing of conch shells were heard as the King crowned himself with the 7.3 kg Great Crown of Victory at 12:10 (). After the Crowning and Investiture Ceremony, in response to the Chief Brahmin formally informing him of new royal title and the benediction that preceded it, the king presented the First Royal Command to the Court Brahmins and the Chief Brahmin of the Royal Family, in the following manner:
Following the exchange, he then poured water into a bowl as an offering to Phra Mae Thorani the goddess of earth in an ancient Hindu rite of ratification and confirmation for a good deed.
This was followed by the consecration and installation of Queen Suthida as Queen of Thailand, wherein following the proclamation of her installation he awarded her with the insignias of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri and the Order of the Nine Gems, while fanfare and music is played and a Buddhist benediction said. Following this the King scattered gold and silver flowers and coins among the Court Brahmin and members of the royal family as alms.
Minutes after the Victory Candle was extinguished at the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall amidst the chanting of the monks in the presence of Their Majesties.
At 13:19 (), the ceremony of Assumption of the Royal Residence then followed at the Chakraphat Phimarn Royal Residence.
At 14:00 (), The king held an audience with members of the Royal Family, the Privy Council, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of public and private enterprises at the Phuttan Kanchanasinghat Throne inside the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall, where he gave his first address to the nation as crowned sovereign of the people and nation of Thailand. The loyal address on behalf of members of the Royal Family was made by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal, followed by the loyal address on behalf of the government, civil service, armed forces and police which will be taken by the Prime Minister of Thailand, Gen (ret) Prayut Chan-o-cha, RTA, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge Cheep Chulamon, and the loyal address on behalf of the people which was made by the President of the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai. During the first playing of the Royal Anthem, another 21-gun salute was fired in Bangkok.
At 16:00 (), the king proceeded to Wat Phra Kaew to proclaim himself the Royal Patron of Buddhism and be granted a final coronation blessing, following which, he ended the day with a sunset visit to the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall to pay tribute to his royal ancestors. A short memorial service was held, wherein the new king offered orange robes to the presiding group of monks in gratitude for their presence.
5 May.
At 9:00 (), the ceremony to bestow the king's Royal Cypher and Royal Title and to grant the royal ranks to members of the Royal Family and Privy Council took place at the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall followed by a lunch service by Buddhist monks.
At 16:30 (), the King rode in the Royal Palanquin in procession in the centre of the city. At each temple along the route, the king paid respects to the ashes of predecessor monarchs enshrined in these temples.
6 May.
At 16:30 (), the King granted a public audience on the main balcony of Suthaisawan Prasat Pavilion Hall in the Grand Palace to receive his well wishes from the people and address the nation on the prospects of his reign as sovereign of the country and people. As was during the Saturday audience, Gen (Ret) Prayut Chan-o-cha, RTA, the Prime Minister of Thailand, gave the day's loyal address in the name of the assembled crowds, members of the state government and the armed forces and police.
At 17:30 the king granted an audience at the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall to members of the international diplomatic corps.
At 19:01 a special drone-flying exhibition in honor of the coronation, the final event of the day, was held at the Sanam Luang Royal Plaza with 300 drones taking part.
After coronation.
7 May.
A special elephant parade in honor of the recent coronation was held within the streets surrounding the Grand Palace organized by the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal Foundation, evoking memories of the Ayutthaya and Thonburi periods wherein the royal family and nobility rode elephants in the dirt roads of the old city. 11 elephants accompanied by their handlers marched on across Sanam Chai Road from the Territorial Defence Command Building to Wat Phra Kaew and vice versa.
9 May.
On this day, the king presides in his first national ceremony following his coronation as he leads the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony at Sanam Luang Square, officially starting the traditional rice growing season in Thailand. The rice sown in this rite is sourced from the Chitralada Royal Villa grounds, where his late father lived.
24 May.
The king's first ever State Opening of the National Assembly as the newly crowned sovereign of the state will take place in Bangkok. It will be the first time the State Opening will be held there as the traditional venue, the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, is closed to the public.
28 July.
In this first ever observance of his birthday as the crowned sovereign, the king will host a birthday banquet in the Grand Palace in his honor, one of many events to be staged in celebration of his birthday.
12 December.
The Royal Barge Procession, originally scheduled for October 2019, was rescheduled to 12 December 2019.
18 January 2020.
A joint oath-taking ceremony by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and Royal Thai Police held to mark the Coronation and to coincide with the Royal Thai Armed Forces Day 2020 at Cavalry Centre of Adisorn Military Camp in Saraburi Province. This was the first time that King Maha Vajiralongkorn attends a military parade in his capacity as the Head of the Armed Forces and since his ascension to the Throne. General Gen. Pornpipat Benyasri, Chief of the Defense Force, led 6,812 military and police personnels in declaring faithful allegiance to the King.


Minbyauk Thihapate

Thihapate of Sagaing (, ; also Minbyauk Thihapate, ; 1305–1364) king of Sagaing from 1352 to 1364. He came to power by being married to the powerful Princess Soe Min Kodawgyi. He led Sagaing during the most tumultuous period of the kingdom (1356−64). Despite a brief period of alliance with Pinya (1357−59), Sagaing had to face near-annual raids by the northern Shan state of Mong Mao (Maw) on its own. He lost power in April 1364 when Maw Shan forces sacked Sagaing. He escaped capture but was soon put to death by his stepson Thado Minbya at Kya-Khat-Wa-Ya, south of Sagaing.
Early life.
Little is known about his early life or ancestry except that he was a grandson of the elder sister of Queen Pwa Saw of Pagan. This means that he was a grandson of Queen Yadanabon and King Narathihapate of Pagan. Since his father was a minister at the Sagaing court, Thihapate likely entered the service of Sagaing monarchs. Then in late 1351/early 1352, he married a recently widowed Princess Soe Min, daughter of the founder of the kingdom Saw Yun. It is unclear if his marriage to Soe Min preceded the death of Soe Min's brother King Tarabya II, who died at age 25 in February 1352 and left no heirs apparent to take over the throne. With no heirs apparent ready to take over, the court elected Thihapate king (or regent). His marriage to Soe Min may have been part of the election process.
Reign.
His early reign was relatively peaceful. He continued Tarabya II's policy of peace with the cross-river rival Pinya. However, it was the calm before the storm. By 1355, the northern Shan state of Mong Mao had essentially achieved independence from the Mongols, and begun to look southward for expansion. In the next dry season 1356−57, Shan troops raided northern Sagaing territory. While Sagaing defenses held this time, Thihapate and Soe Min appeared to have recognized the eminent danger posed by the determined foe. They sought a closer alliance with Pinya. In 1357/58, they sent Princess Shin Saw Gyi, Soe Min's eldest daughter and Thihapate's stepdaughter, to King Kyawswa II of Pinya in a marriage of state.
The alliance yielded no discernible benefit. Kyawswa II, who did not control much beyond the core Kyaukse capital region, simply did not have enough manpower to assist Sagaing and hold his southern vassals at the same time. When the next Shan raids came in 1358−59, Pinya's southern vassal Toungoo (Taungoo) promptly revolted, and raided Pinya from the south. This allowed the Shan forces to overrun Sagaing and Pinya territories from the north. Kyawswa II died during the raids in March 1359. So devastating were the raids that Pinya's new king Narathu withdrew from the alliance.
Sagaing now faced the Shan threat on its own. In 1360/61, Thihapate appointed his eldest stepchild Thado Minbya governor of Tagaung, the northernmost Sagaing territory. But the teenage prince could do little to stem the raids. The Shan raiders not only overran Tagaung but also penetrated as far south as Pinya in 1362–63. Subsequently, Pinya pursued an alliance with Mong Mao, and the two states agreed to a joint attack on Sagaing. In the following dry season, Shan forces again overran Tagaung, and Thado Minbya barely escaped. At Sagaing, Thihapate was furious at Thado Minbya for the latter's failure to defend Tagaung. He did not accept Thado Minbya warning that the season's raid was far larger, and sent his stepson to prison at Kya-Khat-Wa-Ya, south of Sagaing.
Thihapate had expected another round of raids through the countryside but not a siege to the capital itself. He was surprised when the Shan forces laid siege to Sagaing on three sides. Pinya blockaded the port although the blockade was porous. In April 1364, Shan forces broke through, and entered the city. While panicked people of Sagaing crossed the Irrawaddy toward Pinya, Thihapate and the royal family slipped away by boat to Kya-Khat-Wa-Ya. But at Kya-Khat-Wa-Ya, Thado Minbya was waiting for him. The prince, who had been freed from prison by court officials allied with him, ordered the execution of his stepfather, and seized the throne.
Chronicle reporting differences.
The royal chronicles do not agree on his birth and death dates.


Chausuyama Kofun (Mibu)

The is a Kofun period burial mound located in the town of Mibu, Shimotsuga District, Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. It received protection as a National Historic Site in 1958.It is also sometimes referred to as the to distinguish it from many other "kofun" named "Chausuyama" all over Japan.
Overview.
The Chausuyama Kofun is a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above. It is located at an elevation of about 100 meters above sea level in former Hanyu Village, on the left bank of the Kurokawa River, surrounded by a golf course to the north and east. Te surrounding area contains several other large tumuli from the same time period. The Chausuyama Kofun has an overall length of 91 meters, height of 12 meters, and was built in two-tiers. It was once encircled by a moat. Fragments of "haniwa" were discovered on top of the burial mound, which when reconstructed proved to be a very large (180 cm) model of a house. Fragments of other "haniwa" and Sue ware pottery were also discovered during an excavation conducted in 1895; however, the interior of the tumulus has not been excavated. From the shape of the tumulus and the types of "haniwa", the tumulus is believed to date from the second half of the 6th century AD.
The "kofun" is located about 25 minutes by car from Mibu Station on the Tōbu Railway Utsunomiya Line.


Razia Sultan (film)

Raziya Sultan, also known as Razia Sultan, is 1983 Indian period biographical film, written and directed by Kamal Amrohi, and starring Hema Malini, Parveen Babi and Dharmendra in lead roles.
N.B. Kulkarni won the Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction, the only win for the film. Khayyam received a Filmfare nomination for Best Music Director. Lyrics were by Jan Nisar Akhtar and two songs by Nida Fazli who walked into the project when Akhtar died. Some songs were sung by Lata Mangeshkar, including "Aye Dil-e Nadaan".
Plot.
The film is based on the life of Razia Sultan (1205–1240), the only female Sultan of Delhi (1236–1240) and her speculated love affair with the Abyssinian slave, Jamal-ud-Din Yakut.
Soundtrack.
It was the second time that Khayyam worked for a Kamal Amrohi movie. Earlier he had given music for Shankar Hussain, a movie produced by Amrohi. There is a story as to how Kamal got liking for Khayyam's music. Once Kamal Amrohi and his wife Meena Kumari liked a song that they had listened to on the radio. The song was "Parbaton Ke Pedon Par" and was sung by Mohammed Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur. Later on, they learned that this song was composed by Khayyam for a movie called Shagoon (1964). However, by the time Razia Sultan went on the shooting floors, Laxmikant–Pyarelal became the most-sought-after music director duo. So, Kamal Amrohi signed them. But, he did not like one fast-paced tune composed by the duo for the film and told them to compose a new tune instead. When Kamal went to the duo's place to listen to their new tune, he was asked to wait as the music directors were in a meeting. Feeling insulted that he was asked to wait by someone so junior to him, Kamal Amrohi replaced them with Khayyam.
Box office.
According to some Indian news media reports, this film was made in a grand way over 7 years with a budget of by writer/director Kamal Amrohi. The film, when released, made barely .


George Campbell (civil servant)

Sir George Campbell, , DCL (1824 – 18 February 1892) was a Scottish Liberal Party politician and Indian administrator.
Campbell was born in 1824, the eldest son of Sir George Campbell, of Edenwood, whose brother became the 1st Baron Campbell. He was educated at Hamilton Academy and embarked for India.
From 1871 to 1874 he was Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal. During his tenure the Pabna Disturbances occurred. With his proclamation on 4 July 1873 during the Pabna Peasant Uprisings, guaranteeing government support of peasants against excessive zamindar demands he ensured that the prostest remained peaceful, at the same time antagonising the landlords and his namesake George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll at that time Secretary of State for India.
He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kirkcaldy Burghs from 1875 to 1892.
Campbell married, in 1853, Laetitia Maria Vibart, daughter of John Gowan Vibart, of the Bengal civil service, and left several children.
Lady Campbell died in London 21 October 1901, aged 68. Their eldest son, Major George Campbell (ca. 1861–1902), died while serving with the 8th King's Regiment in the Second Boer War in South Africa.
He is respected by the Assamese people for his respect for distinct identity of Assamese language


Neshan-e Aqdas

The Nishan-e Aqdas ("Imperial Order" or "Most Sacred Order") was an Imperial Iranian Order founded in 1870 by the Qajar Shah of Iran Nassereddin. There were three classes, with two different styles for Iranians ("Sardar") and foreigners ("Nishan"). The Order was dissolved upon the collapse of the Qajar dynasty.
The three classes were:


Ema clan castle ruins

 are a group of Sengoku period Japanese castles ruins located in the Kamioka neighborhood of the city of Hida, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1980.
Background.
The Ema clan were a cadet branch of the Hōjō clan who had emerged as rulers of the northern half of Hida Province by the start of the 16th century. The southern half of they province was controlled by their rivals, the Anegakōji clan. The two clans fought in a proxy war between the Takeda clan and the Uesugi clan, with the Takeda supporting the Ema and the Uesugi supporting the more aggressive Anegakōji, who steadily made inroads on Ema territory until they were defeated in 1559. Subsequently, the Anegakōji turned to the growing power of Oda Nobunaga. Meanwhile, with the death of Takeda Shingen, the Ema clan changed their fealty to the Uesugi. However, with the death of Uesugi Kenshin in 1578, the Ema clan lost their main support. Backed by Nobunaga, the Anegakōji invaded Etchū Province, thus surrounding the Ema territories in a pincher movement. The assassination of Oda Nobunaga at the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582 gave the Ema clan what they perceived to be their last chance, and they launched a surprise attack against the Anegakōji stronghold at Kojima Castle. This was called the "Battle of Yokamachi" and the outnumbered Ema were annihilated by the harquebus-armed Anegakōji and disappear from history.
Overview.
As northern Hida Province has always been seen as a backwater, the various fortifications established by the Ema clan fell into ruins after the defeat of the clan, and have remained in relatively good preservation to this day. Archaeological excavations have been carried out since 1974 and a number of sites were collectively designated as a National Historic Site in 1980. The most significant of these sites, the Ema clan Shimodate Yashiki, has a reconstructed gate, hall and Japanese garden and was opened to the public as Emashidateato Park in 2007.
Ema clan Shimodate residence.
The was a fortified residence located in the Kamioka neighborhood of Hida city. It was the peacetime seat of the Ema clan, with the mountaintop Takaharasuwa Castle to the southeast as their wartime stronghold. It was a rectangular enclosure of 200 by 100 meters. It is not known when this residence was built, but it was abandoned soon after the Ema clan was destroyed in 1582 and the site of the building became paddy fields. An archaeological excavation revealed the foundations of a large residential complex of four interconnected buildings, stables, workshops in a compound which was surrounded by moats and an earthen rampart. The site also had a large Japanese garden containing many of megaliths, which was rare at the time for a clan with relatively low status. The site is now a park, with a restored gate, house and garden. It is located about 60 minutes by car from Takayama Station.
Takaharasuwa Castle.
The was a "yamashiro"-style Japanese castle located in the Kamioka neighborhood of Hida city. It was built in the Muromachi period to be the wartime stronghold of the Ema clan, who normally resided at the Shimodate residence near the base of the 60 meter mountain. The castle is on the edge of a long and narrow ridge which spreads to the south, on the eastern side of the jōkamachi. The castle consisted of a northern and a southern stronghold, separated by a 20 meter wide dry moat. The central enclosure measured 40 by 20 meters and was protected by clay ramparts and a combination of vertical and horizontal dry moats. These enclosures were reached by a narrow winding path overlooked by many points form which the defenders could fire down on any attackers attempting to ascend the mountain. Following the defeat of the Ema clan in 1582, the castle fell quickly to a counterattack by the Kojima clan, vassals of the Anegakōji, partly due to the fact that its defenses had been partly destroyed by a severe winter and had yet to be repaired. The ruins today consist of some remnants of the moats, clay ramparts, and outlines of some "kuruwa" enclosures. <ref name="Shiseki">
Terabayashi Castle.
The was another "yamashiro"-style castle located in the Kamioka neighborhood of Hida city. It was also known as "Genba Castle" as it was located at the summit of Mount Gemba. The foundation of the fortification is unknown, but it overlooked the Etchū-Higashi highway, which was the primary route of invasion should the Anegakōji clan attempt to attack the Ema clan Shimodate residence.
Masamoto Castle.
The was another "yamashiro"-style castle located in the western portion Kamioka neighborhood of Hida city. It was located at the summit of a mountain behind the large temple of Daikoku-ji in Hida, and was intended to protect the western flank of the Ema clan Shimodate residence. It appears to have been connected with the other castles using smoke signals.
Hora Castle.
The was another mountaintop castle and was intended to protect the eastern flank of the Ema clan Shimodate residence. It utilized natural caves near the summit of a mountain as part of its defenses. The history of this site is largely unknown.
Ishigami Castle.
The was another mountaintop castle and was intended to protect the southeastern flank of the Ema clan Shimodate residence.
Tsuchi Castle.
The mountaintop castle and was intended to protect the southeastern flank of the Ema clan Shimodate residence.


Nagareshvara Temple, Bankapura

The Nagareshvara Temple, (also spelt Nagaresvara or Nagareshwara) also called the Aravattarukmbhada Gudi ("lit", "Temple with sixty six columns") is a 12th-century Western Chalaukya (also called Later Chalukya or Kalyani Chalukya) construction. Bankapura is located in the Haveri District of Karnataka state, India. According to the Archaeologist Henry Cousens (1854–1933), during medieval times, the Bankapura fort was considered one of the most important fortifications in the Karnataka region. According to Cousens, the temple suffered much damage when Bankapura fell to the armies of Firoz Shah Bahamani in 1406 CE and later again when it was occupied by the Bijapur Sultan Adil Shah. According to the writings of Farishtah, the Sultan "ordered a superb temple within the fort to be destroyed". However, despite much pillage, the large temple with its majestic "great" hall ("mantapa") still retains some of its original beauty. That the temple was built in honor of the Hindu god Shiva comes from two short inscriptions in the temple which begin with a salutation to "Shambu" (another name for the Hindu god Shiva). There are other inscriptions in the temple, two of which are dated 1138 CE and one dated 1091 that record grants to the god "Nagaresvaradeva". The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Temple plan.
According to the historian Kamath, Western Chalukya architecture has a pride of place in Indian architectural tradition, and had a significant influence on the later day Hoysala architecture. According to art historian Adam Hardy, this temple is assignable to the 12th century and belongs to the non-mainstream Western Chalukya art. It is constructed with soap stone material and comprises a small shrine ("vimana") and a closed hall ("mantapa") that connects to a large open hall ("Mahamantapa" or "Navaranga"). Like all Western Chalukyan temples, the sanctum is connected to the large hall via a vestibule ("antechamber" or "ardhamantapa", which literally means "half hall"). At the end of the large hall, facing the sanctum is an open "Nandimantapa" (a small open hall with a seated sculpture of Nandi the bull, a companion to the god Shiva). According to the art historian Percy Brown, the Western Chalukya architects provided well rendered external wall surfaces for the shrine and the halls. This they did by spacing out the surface with slender full and half pilasters. On top of the half pilasters are miniature decorative towers ("shikhara", called aedicula) with niches underneath.
The highlight of the large hall are the bell shaped lathe turned pillars of dark grey stone (soap stone). So well polished are the pillars that they sparkle with reflected light. According to the Kamath, this is a standard characteristic of Western Chalukya pillar art, later to become popular with the Hoysala architects as well. The main decoration on these pillars are the horizontal rings of moldings. There are other pillars on square bases whose shafts are octagonal or 16-sided with round capitals. The columns that stand between the two halls are extremely ornate and belong to an entirely different workmanship. The ceiling in the large hall between pillars are highly decorative with designs such as rosettes with imaginary beasts ("Kirtimukha"s) at the four corners. Mention must be made of the central domed ceiling in the large hall which rises in concentric ornamental circles. The doorjamb and lintel decoration is worthy of mention, especially at the entrance to the closed hall from the south. The sanctum is now empty but would have at one time housed a "linga", the universal image of the god Shiva. Though this temple has been called a Jain temple, according to Cousens, there is no trace of any images directly related to Jainism. On the contrary, there are numerous sculptures in relief of the Hindu gods such as Shiva, Vishnu, Ganapati, Brahma and Kali.


Koutsovendis

Koutsovendis or Koutsoventis (, ) is a village in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus. It is under the "de facto" control of Northern Cyprus.
Monastery of St. John Chrysostomos.
Just north of the village (at 35.27439, 33.41835) is the Monastery of Saint John Chrysostomos or Agios Ioannis Chrysostomos (Άγιος Ιωάννης Χρυσόστομος). It is also known as Hagios Chrysostomos. The monastery was founded about 1070 by the monk George from the Levant. The monastery is known for its murals, which are currently whitewashed over and covered in white paper as the area is in a Turkish militarized zone and has been since 1974. The church is now inaccessible. The monastery consists of two churches that connected with a shared wall. Headquarters for the monastery are presently located in Nicosia due to the Turkish occupation.
The original south church was destroyed and rebuilt in 1891. This building was the "katholikon" of the entire monastery. The new south church was rebuilt on the foundations of the old structure and in a rectangular fashion, having three bays, and is covered by pointed cross-groin vaults. Surviving portions of the original church include the pavement, marble door frames, and a carved wooden door.
The north church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is what would be considered a "compressed cross-in-square type" that is off axis due to the narthex of the south church that projects into its space. The founder of the chapel and donor for the painted decorations was the Governor of Cyprus, Eumathios Philokales. Out of all the Byzantine era buildings in the relative location,this is the most well preserved. The architectural type is that of a single aisle domed structure. While the building is created largely from brick, what is unique is that the dome is also constructed of brick alternating with stone that is framed by bricks.
Wall Paintings at the Monastery of St. John Chrysostomos.
The restoration of wall paintings at Koutsovendis was carried out by Dumbarton Oaks in 1963 and 1968-1969. Further visits and restoration projects have been prevented due to Turkish occupation of the area. While not all the paintings are in good condition, if they exist at all, some that have been eroded show preliminary sketches. Many of the original frescoes included details of gold, vermilion, and lapis lazuli.
Frescoes on the Dome.
In respect to the dome, the entire interior surface was at one point covered entirely in a single composition depicting the Pentecost. Between each of the twelve windows sat apostles. All that remains currently are remnants and preliminary sketches made in red ocher upon bare masonry. Around the calotte of the dome are remnants of two circles that would have represented the glory of the Etimasia. There exists a segment of a halo between windows nine and ten.
A larger section of the painting still remains between windows ten and eleven and shows the upper half of a seated figure. A majority of the head is missing, but the beard and lower segment of the halo can still be seen. One can see the fold of his chlamys pass from his left shoulder to the height of his right knee .
While no painting exists between windows eleven and twelve, there is a preserved drawing on the plaster and masonry. The figure appears to be St. Peter with a short beard and curly hair. The right hand is lifted with the palm facing outward in the form of blessing with the left hand holding a scroll.
Frescoes in the Apse.
Unfortunately, much of the decoration within the apse was destroyed due to the central portion collapsing. However, there is still some fragmentary fresco decoration throughout. In the conch of the apse, one can discern two archangels standing against a dark blue background. One holds an orb while the other grasps a staff. All that is left of the leftmost angel is the outer edge of the right wing and the orb that was held in his right hand. The second archangel is just as poorly preserved. Part of the wing is discernible in an under painting along with the lower half of the staff. Between the angels stands the Virgin Mary. These three figures reside above a life sized procession of bishops clothed in pale garments and holding open scrolls. While only two can still be seen on either side of the bema, it is thought that there were originally eight. One of the bishops is perhaps St. Basil, but the other remaining figure remains nameless. The bishop thought to be St. Basil, located on the north wall of the bema, is preserved to below the knees and exhibits short dark hair and a long beard.The scroll is held in both hands and bears a text from the prayer of the first antiphon of St. Basil's liturgy.
The vault of the bema holds a fresco of the Ascension with, what would have been six, apostles looking up at Christ being carried by four angels in a mandorla. All that remains of the angels is the right arm, right wing, and a portion of the halo. On the north side there are only remnants of two apostles. The leftmost figure is presented in a three-quarter view from behind. His right hand is seen shielding his eyes. The second apostle is painted in a more profile view. His entire right half is missing along with his left arm. He is shown in a gray tunic and purple-brown chlamys. The south side has only one remaining apostle. His body faces west while the head is turned in the eastward direction. The right arm has not been preserved, but within the apostle's left hand a tied scroll is held.
Upon the face of the apse, in the southeast corner of the bema, there remains fragments of a bishop from just below the eyes to elbow level. His brown beard is outlined in white while coming to a point at the collarbone. Dressed in a brown mantle and a white epitrachelion adorned with small black crosses, the bishop holds a gilded book in his left hand.
The South Wall.
Approximately one-eighth of the painted surface of the south wall has been preserved. These fragments can be found in the soffit of the arch, a low register on the wall, and on the dado below the lowest register. Within the soffit was seven medallions with the busts of saints. There is only one that is well preserved."The medallions were 72-74 cm in diameter, including the yellow-ochre frame...which was outlines with an inner black line and an outer white line. The background of the soffit was a blue-black and that of the medallions alternately green and red...the haloes of all the saints were yellow ochre, outlines in white and red-brown along the outer circumference."
The entire south wall was covered with a fresco of the Anastasis originally. A door has been placed incorrectly due to construction to preserve the integrity of the building, so it seems as if the painting is cut short on one side. What remains of the composition are fragments of Christ towards the middle of the image, David, Solomon, and John the Baptist on the left side of Christ, and the remaining hand that would have belonged to Adam on the right side. All that remains of Christ is his head and the portion of his body extending form his hips to just below the knees. He is flanked by two angels on the left side of his head. John displays his characteristic shaggy hair and beard. His right arm is positioned pointing towards Christ while holding a folded scroll in his left. "David and Solomon stand in identical poses, their left arms raised in the same awkward vertical position, and are dressed in the same costume...The two prophets wear identical crowns composed of six "gold" (yellow ochre) plaques,". Solomon is shown without a beard and as a man of youth adorned with a gilded halo. All three prophets are shown standing on a marble sarcophagus.
The North Wall.
The north wall lacks remains of the wall paintings. There were originally four compositions that were arranged within three registers: The Betrayal, the Judgement of Pilate, and the Road to Calvary, and a depiction of the Crucifixion in the lower section. Only the outer circumference of the painting of the Betrayal survives along with an inscription.
Bibliography.
Carr, Annemarie Weyl. "Dumbarton Oaks and the Legacy of Byzantine Cyprus." "Near Eastern Archaeology" 71, no. 1/2 (2008): 95- 103. .
Kelly, John N.D. "Golden Mouth: The Story of John Chrysostom- Ascetic, Preacher, Bishop." Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press, 2011.
Mango, Cyril, E. J. W. Hawkins, and Susan Boyd. "The Monastery of St. Chrysostomos at Koutsovendis (Cyprus) and Its Wall Paintings. Part I: Description." "Dumbarton Oaks Papers" 44 (1990): 63-94. doi:10.2307/1291618.
Papacostas, Tassos, Cyril Mango, and Michael Grünbart. "The History and Architecture of the Monastery of Saint John Chrysostomos at Koutsovendis, Cyprus." "Dumbarton Oaks Papers" 61 (2007): 25-156. .
Parani, Maria. "The Monastery of St. Chrysostomos at Koutsovendis, Cyprus: The Wall-Paintings." Dumbarton Oaks. March 16, 2017. Accessed October 21, 2017. http://www.doaks.org/research/support-for-research/fellowships/reports/2004-2005/parani.


Riyadh Province

The Riyadh Region ( '), also known as the Riyadh Province, and officially the Emirate of Riyadh Province, is a region of Saudi Arabia, located in the geographic center of the country. It has an area of and with a 2017 population of 8,216,284, it is the second-largest region by both area and population, behind the Eastern Province and Mecca Region respectively. The capital governorate of the province is the Riyadh Governorate and it is named after the capital of the kingdom, Riyadh, which is the most populous city in the region and the kingdom, with a little less than two-thirds of the population of the region residing within the city.
Other populous cities in the region include Al Ghat, Zulfi and Majma'ah. Approximately half of the region's area is desert, and it only borders other regions of the kingdom; it has no international borders. The region borders, clockwise from the north, the Eastern Province, Najran Region, 'Asir Region, Mecca Region, Medina Region and the Al-Qassim Region. It is one of the 7 regions of the kingdom that do not have a coastline.
Population.
Population development since 1992:
Subdivisions.
In addition to the Municipality of Riyadh, the region is divided into 19 governorates ("muhafazat") and 1 sub-governorate ("markaz"):


Metla Rajulu

Metla Rajulu, also called Metlu Rajas, ruled in Cuddapah. They were the last princely state to be captured by the British when Rayalaseema was ceded to them by the Nizam after laying siege to the fort for a couple of months. The Metla Rajulu had alliances and married off their daughter to Sada Siva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty which helped them establish and play a prominent role during the reign of the Tuluva and Araveeti dynasties.
Matli (Metla) Varada Raju, son of Somaraja, was married to Krishnamma, the sister-in-law of Araveeti Rama Rayalu and the second daughter of Emperor Sreekrishnadevarayalu.


Dol Said

Dol Said or in full Dato' Abdul Said was a 19th-century Malay leader of an area called Naning, which was then part of Malacca on the Malay Peninsula. He opposed taxation by the British's taxation policy in the area and refused to pay it. This was a direct cause of a conflict known as the Naning War.
Dol Syedsxs defiance led the British to send 150 soldiers led by Captain Wyllie to capture Naning in early August 1831. Naning however successfully defended itself by fighting a guerilla conflict and aid from other Malay allies, which included the chiefdoms of Seri Menanti, Rembau, Sungai Ujong, Johol and Muar. The British realised that the rebelling forces could not be easily suppressed, and requested reinforcement from the Yamtuan Muda Raja Ali in Rembau. Raja Ali agreed to send 600 troops to assist British in suppressing the revolt. Later in March 1832, British sent a larger force, consisting of 1200 soldiers to defeat Dol Said's men. In the second attack, Naning failed to receive military aid from its neighbours, and along with the presence of a huge British expedition force, caused Dol Said to retreat to Sri Menanti before surrendering himself to the British, effectively ending the conflict. The British then incorporated Naning into their colony of Malacca. Until today, Dol Said is still remembered and regarded as a nationalist hero in Malaysia who stood up to foreign aggression and colonialism.


Sakti State

Sakti State was one of the princely states of India during the British Raj. It belonged to the Chhattisgarh States Agency, which later became the Eastern States Agency.
The capital was Sakti town, which had 1,791 inhabitants, according to the 1901 Census of India. Today, it is located in the state of Chhattisgarh. It had an area of 357 km2 and, in 1982, a population of 22,819 inhabitants. Its rulers were Gond and had a privy purse of 29,000 rupees. The princely state acceded to the Indian Union on 1 January 1948, thus ceasing to exist.
History.
Sakti State's rulers were Raj Gonds. The year when the state was founded is not known. Legend says that it was founded by two twin brothers, who were soldiers of the Raja of Sambalpur. The capital was in Sakti, Janjgir-Champa district, Chhattisgarh.
Sakti's last ruler was Rana Bahadur Leeladhar Singh, born on 3 February 1892, who succeeded as new rana on 4 July 1914. The princely family still exists and is headed by Raja Surender Bahadur Singh, who represented India in its hockey team and was twice a minister for the government of the State of Madhya Pradesh.
Rulers.
The rulers of this princely state bore the title of 'Rana'.


Chengyu

Chengyu () are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expression, most of which consist of four characters. "Chengyu" were widely used in Classical Chinese and are still common in vernacular Chinese writing and in the spoken language today. According to the most stringent definition, there are about 5,000 "chéngyǔ" in the Chinese language, though some dictionaries list over 20,000. "Chéngyǔ" are considered the collected wisdom of the Chinese culture, and contain the experiences, moral concepts, and admonishments from previous generations of Chinese. Nowadays, "chéngyǔ" still play an important role in Chinese conversations and education. Chinese idioms are one of four types of formulaic expressions (熟语/熟語, "shúyǔ"), which also include collocations (惯用语/慣用語 "guànyòngyǔ"), two-part allegorical sayings (歇后语/歇後語 "xiēhòuyǔ"), and proverbs (谚语/諺語 "yànyǔ").
They are often referred to as Chinese idioms or four-character idioms; however, they are not the only idioms in Chinese.
Origins, construction, and interpretation.
"Chéngyǔ" are mostly derived from ancient literature, including the pre-Qin classics, poetry from all periods of Chinese history, and late imperial vernacular novels and short stories. A small number were constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries from Western source materials. Among the early classical literature, the lyrical imagery from the "Shijing" and the detailed and vivid stories recorded in the "Zuozhuan" and the "Shiji" serve as particularly rich source materials for chéngyǔ. Since the "Shijing" poems consist of four-character lines, some chéngyǔ are direct quotes from the "Shijing". For example, ("wàn shòu wú jiāng", lit: "ten-thousand [year] lifespan without bound"), a traditional expression to wish someone a long life (often appearing on bowls and other tableware), quotes the poem "Tian Bao" (, poem #166) in the Lesser Court Hymns section of the "Shijing". More commonly, however, chéngyǔ are created by succinctly paraphrasing or summarizing the original text, usually by selecting the most salient characters from the passage in question and inserting any necessary classical grammatical particles.
As such, chéngyǔ are fossilized expressions that use the vocabulary and follow the syntactic rules of Literary Chinese. Consequently, they convey information more compactly than normal vernacular speech or writing. They may contain subject and predicate and act as an independent clause (or even twin two-character independent clauses in parallel), or they may play the role of any part of speech in a sentence, acting syntactically as an adjective, adverb, verb, or noun phrase. In both speech and writing, they serve to succinctly convey a complex or multifaceted situation, scene, or concept, and used fittingly and elegantly, they also mark a speaker or writer's erudition.
The meaning of a chéngyǔ usually surpasses the sum of the meanings carried by the four characters, as chéngyǔ are generally meant to convey the message or moral of the myth, story or historical event from which they were derived. Thus, even after translation into modern words and syntax, chéngyǔ in isolation are often unintelligible without additional explanation. Since they often contain a classical allusion, known as a "diǎngù" (), elementary and secondary school students in greater China learn chéngyǔ as part of the classical curriculum in order to study the context from which the chéngyǔ was born.
Often the four characters reflect the moral behind the story rather than the story itself. For example, the phrase " (", lit: "break the pots and sink the ships") is based on a historical account where the general Xiang Yu ordered his troops to destroy all cooking utensils and boats after crossing a river into the enemy's territory. He won the battle because of this "no-retreat" strategy. Thus, the idiom is used as a verb phrase with the meaning "to make an all-out effort to achieve success by the deliberate removal of recourse or backup." Similar phrases are known in the West, such as "Point of no return" or "Crossing the Rubicon".
Another example is "" (', lit. "melon field, beneath the plums"). It is an idiom whose meaning relates to the appearance of misconduct or impropriety. It is derived from an excerpt of a Han era poem (, "Yuèfǔ Shī" "Jūnzǐ Xíng"). The poem includes the lines, "Don't adjust your shoes in a melon field and don't tidy your hat under the plum trees" (, '), admonishing the reader to avoid situations where, however innocent, he might be suspected of doing wrong. The literal meaning of the idiom is impossible to understand without the background knowledge of the origin of the phrase.
Some idioms are so widely misunderstood that their literal meanings have overtaken their original ones. For example, "wind from an empty cave" (, "kōng xué lái fēng", viz. "hot air") is now currently mistakenly used to describe rumors without source when the actual meaning is the opposite. It used to describe rumors with actual, solid sources or reasons. Likewise, "bare-faced facing the emperor" (, "sù miàn cháo tiān", viz. "without makeup") is now misused to describe beauty that doesn't require make-up, e.g., when entering court. Its original meaning is "to be confident in one's true look".
However, that is not to say that all chengyu are born of an often-told fable. Indeed, chéngyǔ which are free of metaphorical nuances exist, although the boundary between a chéngyǔ and fossilized four-character expressions from Literary Chinese that continue to be used in the vernacular language can sometimes be blurry. An example of this is ("yán ér wú xìn", lit: "speaking, yet without trust"), referring to an individual who cannot be trusted despite what he says, an essentially deceitful person. This particular example comes from a revered classic, the "Analects of Confucius" (, "Lúnyŭ"), so its status as a chéngyǔ is generally acknowledged. The idiom itself is not derived from a specific occurrence from which a moral may be explicitly drawn; instead, it is succinct in its original meaning and would likely be intelligible to an individual learned in formal written Chinese. Its archaic nature is only betrayed by the now-unusual use of the character "yán" () as a verb.
There are a few chéngyǔ that are not four characters in length. An example of a seven-character one is ("zuì wēng zhī yì bù zài jiǔ", lit: "The Old Drunkard's attention is not directed towards his wine"). This is a direct quote from Ouyang Xiu's essay "An Account of Old Drunkard's Pavilion" (, "Zuiwengting Ji"), in which the author ("Old Drunkard") expresses his true intention of enjoying the scenery of the mountains and rivers as he drinks. As an idiom, it expresses the situation where one does something with an ulterior though benign motive in mind.
Some chéngyǔ have English equivalents. For example, ("yán bù yóu zhōng", lit: "speak not from the bosom") and "to speak with one's tongue in one's cheek" share idiomatic meanings. The Chinese not having conducted maritime explorations of the North Atlantic during imperial times, the expression ("bīng shān yī jiǎo", lit: "one corner of an ice mountain") is a rare example of a chéngyǔ that emerged in the early 20th century after contact with the West as a translation of the expression "tip of the iceberg," thus sharing both their literal and idiomatic meanings. Another expression ("huǒ zhōng qǔ lì", lit: "extracting chestnuts from the fire") originates from a La Fontaine fable means "to be duped into taking risks for someone else," used in much the same way as the expression "cat's paw" in English is another example of an "international" chéngyǔ. Though they are recent in origin, they are constructed using the vocabulary and syntax of Literary Chinese and fits within the four-character scheme, making them chéngyǔ.
Chinese idioms can also serve as a guide through Chinese culture. Chéngyǔ teach about motifs that were previously common in Chinese literature and culture. For example, idioms with nature motifs – e.g., mountains (山), water (水), and the moon (月)are numerous. Works considered masterpieces of Chinese literaturesuch as the Four Great Classical Novels – serve as the source for many idioms, which in turn condense and retell the story.
All Chinese people know idioms, though the total number known by any one individual will depend on their background. Idioms are such an important part of Chinese popular culture that there is a game called
("chéngyǔ jiēlóng", lit: "connect the chengyu") that involves someone calling out an idiom, with someone else then being supposed to think of another idiom to link up with the first one, so that the last character of the first idiom is the same as the first character of the second idiom, and so forth.
Chinese examples.
The following three examples show that the meaning of the idiom can be totally different by only changing one character.
Japanese examples.
"Yojijukugo" is the similar format in Japanese. The term is autological. Many of these idioms were adopted from their Chinese counterparts and have the same or similar meaning as in Chinese. The term refers to an idiom that comes from a specific text as the source. As such, the overwhelming majority of "koji seigo" comes from accounts of history written in classical Chinese. Although a great many of the Japanese four-character idioms are derived from the Chinese, many others are purely Japanese in origin. Some examples:
Korean examples.
The Korean equivalent are Sajaseong-eo (). They have similar categorization to Japanese ones, such as () for historical idioms.


Ishinkai

The Ishinkai (, "Restoration Society") was a short-lived political party in Japan.
History.
The party was established in June 1917 by 43 independent members of the National Diet elected in the April elections, some of whom had previously been members of the Kōseikai. It was pro-government, and supported Prime Minister Terauchi Masatake.
In October 1917, the party merged with a group of 12 independent Diet members known as the "Kansai Group" to form the Shinseikai.


Malladeva

Malladeva was the son of the Karnat dynasty King, Nanyadeva and a prince of Mithila. According to some scholars, Malladeva has been referred to as the "forgotten King of Mithila" as most records and traditions note that his brother Gangadeva succeeded his father as ruler of the dynasty. Nevertheless, Malladeva seems to have founded his own stronghold in the village of Bheet-Bhagwanpur in Darbhanga in modern-day Bihar, India. In the village, an inscription was found which read "Om Shree Malladevasya" and many Karnat-era sculptures have been found in the area.
Malladeva has also been mentioned in the work of the poet, Vidyapati who described him as a "valiant warrior" who served in the army of King Jayachandra of Kannauj but left as his quarrelsome nature led to major disagreements and he was forced to return to Mithila. Local tradition asserts that he was not on good terms with his brother Gangadeva. Folk tradition also asserts that the villages of Maldiha in Purnea district and Malhad in Supaul district were founded by Malladeva.
The village of Bheet-Bhagwanpur is today home to a prominent family of Gandhavariya Rajputs who are considered by some to be descended from Malladeva.


Great Turkey Party

Great Turkey Party () was a short lived Turkish political party in 1983.
Background.
After the coup of 1980, all political parties were closed by the military rule (so called National Security Council or ) regardless of their political views, on 16 October 1981. For approximately one and a half years, there were no political parties. Finally, MGK decided to allow the formation of new parties with severe restrictions. According to instructions, the new parties were not allowed to use the names of the former parties and former politicians were not allowed to be the charter member of the new parties.
Formation of party.
Great Turkey Party was planned by the followers of the ex Justice Party (AP) of Turkey, which was the governing party before the coup. Although Justice Party leader Süleyman Demirel was politically banned, the proposed party immediately came to be known as Demirel’s party. Because some of his close friends (like Hüsamettin Cindoruk) were among the founders. Moreover, the "Great Turkey" phrase in the name of the party was Demirel’s political slogan in his former election rallies.
The leader of the party was Fethi Esener, a retired major general. He founded the party on the 21st of May. Immediately two waves of ex-Justice Party MPs entered the party; first a group of 134 and then another group of 33.
End of the party.
BTP created sensation and it was obvious that, BTP was going to be one of the two major parties after the election. But, on 1 June, MGK closed the party. Some of the prominent party members as well as Süleyman Demirel himself were temporarily taken into custody in a camp named Zincirbozan. (Some of ex Republican People's Party (CHP) members such as Deniz Baykal were also taken into custody.)
Aftermath.
The next party formed by Justice Part followers was True Path Party (DYP). Although DYP was not allowed to enter the 1983 elections, it eventually became the governing party in 1991 and Süleyman Demirel became the prime minister (and later the president) of Turkey.


Khirbat al-Jawfa

Khirbat al-Jawfa' was a Palestinian Arab village that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli war.
Location.
The village was situated west of Jenin, on the top of a small circular plateau that extended from the northern slope of a mountain (Jabal Faqqu'a). It overlooked the Jordan Valley to the north and northeast, and was linked by a dirt path to the village Tall al-Shawk in District of Baysan.
History.
British period.
In the British mandate period the village was classified as a hamlet by the "Palestine Index Gazetteer".
It was probably occupied by the forces of the Golani Brigade as part of Operation Gideon on 12 May 1948. Most of its population fled to Jenin and its surrounding areas after the Israeli forces overtook the city of Bisan on 15 May 1948.
Israeli period.
According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the 1948 armistice line separating Israel from the West Bank fell a short distance to the west of Khirbat al-Jawfa, cutting through the land of the nearby village of Faqqu'a (in the West Bank). The land of this village that was inside Israel have been combined with the land that belonged to Khirbat al-Jawfa, making the two indistinguishable. The kibbutz of Ma'ale Gilboa, founded 1962, is located inside this amalgamated parcel of land, southwest of the village site.
Khalidi described the village remaining structures in 1992 as: "Although sections of some walls still stand, most of the former houses have been reduced to rubble. The entire area has been fenced in and is used as a grazing area for cows. A large water tank belonging to kibbutz Ma'ale Gilbo'a is on the site".


Flag of Khabarovsk Krai

The flag of Khabarovsk Krai, in the Russian Federation, is a horizontal white and light blue bicolour charged with a green triangle at the hoist side in a similar fashion to the flag of the Czech Republic, albeit with different colors. It was adopted on July 14, 1994. The proportions are 2:3.


Jayanegara

Jayanegara or Jayanagara (formal regnal name Sri Maharaja Wiralandagopala Sri Sundarapandya Dewa Adhiswara, or Sri Sundarapandyadevadhisvara Vikramottungadeva, also known as Kala Gemet), Prince of Kediri in 1295, reigned from 1309 to 1328, was a Javanese King and the second monarch of Majapahit empire. Jayanegara was the heir, crown prince, the son of Raden Wijaya, the founder of Majapahit. The story of his life was written in several records, including Pararaton and Negarakertagama. His reign saw the beginning of Gajah Mada's rise as an important figure in the empire.
Early life.
Raden Wijaya took all of Kertanegara's four daughters' hands in marriage. The siblings were Tribhuwaneswari the oldest also the queen, Prajnaparamitha, Narendra Duhita, and Gayatri Rajapatni the youngest. The reasons of Raden Wijaya's practice of sibling polygamy was to ensure his claim of legitimacy, also to prevent the contest for Kertanegara's Singhasari legacy. Raden Wijaya also took Indreswari (also known as Dara Petak), the princess of Malayu Dharmasraya Kingdom whom brought to Majapahit court from Sumatra through Kertanegara's Pamalayu expedition. Raden Wijaya or Prince Nararya Sangramawijaya ascended to the Majapahit throne as King Kertarajasa Jayawardhana.
Jayanegara was King Kertarajasa's son, his name in Sanskrit-derived Old Javanese words: "jaya" ("glorious") and "nagara" ("city" or "nation"), which means "glorious nation". Without a doubt, Prince Jayanegara was a legitimate son of Raden Wijaya. However, there are several versions concerning Jayanegara's mother. Some earlier historians consider him as the son of Queen Tribhuwaneswari (not to be confused with Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, Jayanegara's half-sister daughter of Gayatri Rajapatni), thus earning him the right to become the crown prince. However, according to Pararaton, Jayanegara was Wijaya's son from Dara Petak, princess of Malayu Dharmasraya. While Queen Tribhuwaneswari and most of her sisters were childless, only Gayatri Rajapatni had two daughters; Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi and Rajadewi. To reconcile these facts, some historians suggested that Jayanegara was Dara Petak's son adopted by childless Queen Tribhuwaneswari and raised as her own.
Reign.
The reign of Jayanegara was a difficult and chaotic one, as was his father's, marked with several rebellions by former companions in arms. Among others are Gajah Biru's rebellion in 1314 and the Kuti rebellion in 1319. The Kuti rebellion was the most dangerous rebellion and a significant one, as Kuti managed to take control of palace and the capital city. With the help of Gajah Mada and his palace guard, Jayanegara barely escaped from the capital and safely hid in Badander village. While the king was in hiding, Gajah Mada returned to the capital city to learn the situation. After learning that Kuti's rebellion was not supported by the people or the nobles of Majapahit court, Gajah Mada led the resistance forces to crush the Kuti rebellion.
Finally, the Kuti forces were crushed and Jayanegara safely returned to his throne. For his loyalty and excellent service, Gajah Mada was promoted to higher office and began his career in court royal politics.
According to tradition, although strikingly handsome, Jayanegara was notorious for his immorality and bad behavior. He was known for his unpopular acts of desiring the wives and daughters of his subordinates. For this, he was entitled Kala Gemet, or "weak villain".
One of his distasteful acts was his desire to take his own stepsisters, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi and Rajadewi, as wives. He put his half-sisters in the custody of a fortified palace and left them unmarried beyond their suitable age for marriage. However, his act was likely motivated to ensure his position and legitimacy, to prevent the future contest from the suitors of his half-sisters.
His unpopularity in Javanese literature and traditions was fuelled by his origin as the son of a Sumatran Malayu princess, thus making him viewed as a foreigner, not a true Javanese. He also was not the son of any of Kertanegara's daughters, thus making him weak in his legitimacy on Rajasa dynastic legacy.
He sent embassies to China from 1325 to 1328.
Assassination.
In 1328, Jayanegara was murdered by his doctor, Tanca, during a minor operation. Gajah Mada punished and killed Tanca right away before the thorough investigation commenced. The true nature of Jayanegara's assassination has remained a mystery.
George Coedes states he was "assassinated by a noble whose wife he had seduced." Some historians concluded that the afformentioned Tanca was this nobleman.
Another theory suspects that Gajah Mada was the mastermind behind the assassination, as Gajah Mada was the loyal and trusted advisor for Princess Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi. Jayanegara remained childless until his death without an heir, and his throne was passed to one of his siblings.
Rajapatni Gayatri, first wife of Raden Wijaya, was supposed to secure the throne since Jayanegara had no sons. However, she became a bhikkhuni, so her daughter, Tribhuvana (Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, or Tribhuwannottungadewi Jayawishnuwardhani), became the regent. By 1330, she had married Chakradhara, or Chakresvara, who assumed the title of Prince of Singhasari and the name Kritavardhana. Their son, Hayam Wuruk, was born in 1334 and became king in 1350.
The Bajang Ratu gate in Trowulan was traditionally linked to Jayanegara. The gate was identified as the part of Çrenggapura (Çri Ranggapura), his "pedharmaan", the Kapopongan of Antawulan, a holy compound to appease and honor the soul of the late King Jayanegara.


Bahruz Kangarli Museum

Bahruz Kangarli museum () is a museum for memorial of Azerbaijani painter and graphic artist Bahruz Kangarli. The museum is located in the city of Nakhchivan of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic at the intersection of Atatürk and Istiglal streets.
History.
In memory of Bahruz Kangarli, a prominent figure in art of painting of Azerbaijan, the museum was established on the order of the Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on May 22, 2001, named "About the perpetuation of name of Bahruz Kangarli".
On June 18, 2002, the opening ceremony of the museum took place. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev attended the opening ceremony.
After a major reconstruction, the building of Bahruz Kangarli Museum was opened on June 24, 2013.
Building of the museum.
The building is an historic-architectural monument and was built in 1897 for the School for Girls of Nakhchivan.
The total area of the building is 560 m² and build of synthesis of architectural elements of East and West. There are 7 rooms on the first, and 5 rooms on the second floor of the two-storeyed building. Entrance to rooms on both floors are from corridors. On the second floor, there is a balcony looking the west. In accordance with climatic conditions, the building was built of raw brick and the facade is covered with baked bricks. The width of the walls is 90 cm. Entrance to the building is from the north. The building was used as an educational institution in the 20th century. First, pedagogical technical school, then medical technical school named after Heyran Khanim located in this building.
Exhibition.
Nearly 350 cultural examples are preserved and exhibited in the museum. 58 of them are original works of the artist, 300 are photocopies, documents about his family, life and activity, household items, and other materials.
On April 13, 2012, the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev signed an order to celebrate the 120th jubilee of Bahruz Kengarli. According to this order, the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan prepared and implemented Action Plans. According to the Action Plans, copies of 191 works of Bahruz Kangarli, that kept in the fund of the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, were donated to Bahruz Kangarli museum. Since then more than 900 exhibits of heritage of Bahruz Kangarli are preserved in the museum. There are 341 paintings of the artist in the museum. 58 of these paintings are original.


Shin Ditha Pamauk

The Venerable Shin Ditha Pamauk (, ; also spelled as Disapramok) was the Chief Primate of the Pagan Empire during the reign of King Narathihapate (1256–87). The monk led the peace negotiations with the Mongols in 1285–87, culminating in the meeting with Emperor Kublai Khan in 1287.
Background.
Little is known about the monk's background except that he was from Thitseingyi () in present-day Shwebo Township. According to one tradition, his personal name was Kyi-Bwei (, ), and he wrote the first known commentary on Burmese grammar and spelling called Pubbaganhta Diga (, Pali: Pubbaganthaṭīkā), commonly known in Burmese as Thinbongyi Diga (), for which he was conferred the title "Ditha Pamaukkha" by King Kyaswa (r. 1235–51). Of the main royal chronicles, only "Zatadawbon Yazawin" mentions Ditha Pamauk by name, saying that the monk was Narathihapate's teacher. It is unclear if he was the same monk who wrote the grammar book, or another monk who succeeded the title.
The earliest archaeological evidence about him was a 1278/79 inscription, which refers to him as Yaza Guru (; ; "Royal Teacher"), and states that he had spent two years since 1276/77 in the Minbu region in present-day central Myanmar to ask for land donations there.
Peace negotiations.
The monk led the peace negotiations with the Mongol Empire in 1285–87. The Mongols had occupied northern Burma to Tagaung and Hanlin, following their successful dry-season campaigns in 1283–85. The king had fled to Lower Burma, and decided to sue for peace by November 1285.
Ceasefire talks at Tagaung.
The ceasefire negotiations began in November/December 1285 at Tagaung. The initial Burmese delegation was led by senior ministers and generals Ananda Pyissi and Maha Bo. The Mongol commanders agreed to a ceasefire but demanded a full submission. Ditha Pamauk later joined the negotiations, carrying a gold-leaf memorial for the emperor. The Mongol commanders rejected it because the memorial did not explicitly say that the Burmese king had sent it to the emperor as tribute. The Mongols impressed upon the Burmese delegation that they had 20,000 troops ready to invade further south. A tentative agreement had been reached between the commanders by 3 March 1286. The Burmese agreed to the suzerainty of the Mongol Empire over the Pagan Empire, as well as northern and central parts of the country to be organized as Mongol provinces of Zhengmian () and Mianzhong (), as well as to send a formal delegation to the emperor's court.
Mission to Beijing.
At Hlegya, west of Prome (Pyay), the Burmese king deliberated the terms for about three months. He was resigned to submit to the emperor but wanted the occupation forces out of northern Burma. In return, he was willing to pay annual taxes tied to the agricultural output of the country. The task of convincing the emperor would now fall to Ditha Pamauk. In June 1286, he sent an embassy led by the monk and Ananda Pyissi to Beijing. As demanded, the king also sent a gold-leaf memorial stating his allegiance to the emperor. The delegation traveled by Thitseingyi, Hanlin, Momeit, Tagaung to Yunnan. They spent the rest of the Buddhist Lent in Yachan (considered to be on the shores of the Dian Lake). The embassy, without Ananda Pyissi who for some reason remained in Yunnan, resumed the journey after Lent, and arrived at Dadu (modern Beijing) in December/January 1287.
Emperor Kublai Khan received the delegation in January 1287. The monk presented the Burmese king's gold-leaf memorial of allegiance addressed to the emperor. The monk then proceeded to persuade the emperor to withdraw his troops from the Pagan territory. He argued that the presence of occupation troops would retard resumption of agriculture in northern Burma, and that the Burmese king would pay annual taxes tied to the agricultural output of the country if the troops were to leave. The monk also appealed to the emperor's religious leanings, saying that not only would a prosperous Pagan feed his troops in Yunnan but also restore the health of Buddhism. The emperor agreed to withdraw the troops. To be sure, it is not clear whether the emperor agreed to withdraw the troops solely due to the monk's appeals. The "concession" may just have been a negotiation ploy. The emperor's actions elsewhere in Southeast Asia suggest that he did not want to deploy his troops for long occupations, and preferred vassal rulers instead.
The delegation arrived back at Hlegya in May 1287. Pleased with the terms, the king donated 568 hectares in the Mu valley, then under Mongol occupation, along with livestock and serfs, to the monk. (The king died a few weeks later. On what was to be his return trip to Pagan, he was assassinated en route at Prome on 1 July 1287 by Thihathu, one of his sons.)
Later years.
The monk made it back to Pagan. He left an inscription at a monastery near the Mingalazedi Pagoda in Pagan. The inscription, now at the Bagan Archaeological Museum and known as the Disapramok Inscription, provides a detailed account of the peace negotiations at Tagaung, and at Beijing. It also states the land donations made by the late king, and mentions the completion of the ordination hall, partially donated by the dowager queen Pwa Saw, as well as an impending construction of a school, both near the Mingalazedi Pagoda. It is not clear if the monk remained as the Primate when the next king, Kyawswa, came to power in 1289.


Dharmapala of Kotte

Dharmapala or Dom João Dharmapala Peria Bandara (1541 – May 27, 1597) was last king of the Kingdom of Kotte, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 1551 until May 27, 1597. He is also known as Dom João Dharmapala, the first Christian king in Sri Lankan history. He is widely known as the last true King and ruler of the capital city Kotte; under Portuguese military occupation, he attempt to reorganise his military and pursue a treaty with the Portuguese to save the Sinhalese Kingdom.
Birth.
Dom João Dharmapala was born as the eldest child of Weediye Bandara, a Prince from Madampe and his wife Samudra Devi, daughter of King Bhuvanekabãhu VII the King of Kotte. His exact date of birth is unknown, but the year is commonly regarded as 1541. A golden statue was sent to Portugal to be crowned by the Portuguese. It was sent by his predecessor King Buwanekabahu VII.
King Dharmapala's decedents include the Goonewardene & Rodrigo family's of Kalutara who are of Karava cast.


Spring is Coming

Spring is Coming () was a concert that occurred in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 1 and 3, 2018. It included numerous South Korean performers, and was described as an important event in the 2018 thaw in the North Korea–South Korea relations.
Background.
The event has been described as the first South Korean musical performance in the North in "over a decade". The previous South Korean performance in the North took place in 2005, with a solo concert by Cho Yong-pil. The Spring is Coming concert was described as a "reciprocal cultural visit" after North Korea sent performers to the South. In particular, North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra gave several concerts coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics, including a concert in Seoul on February 11, attended by North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo-jong and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The concert.
The Spring is Coming concert took part over two days: April 1 (Sunday) and April 3 (Tuesday). The first day featured a 2 hour long concert at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre which seats 1,500. Performers included at least 11 South Korean singers and vocalists, including Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee, Yoon Do-hyun, Baek Ji-young, Kang San-ae, Seohyun, pianist Kim Kwang-min, five-member rock band YB, as well as five-member K-pop girl band Red Velvet (though one of Red Velvet band members, Joy, did not attend due to scheduling conflicts). The second day featured a joint performance between South and North Korean musicians at the Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium (12,000 seats), with the North side represented by the Samjiyon Orchestra. Approximately 190 South Koreans (musicians, support staff and journalists) traveled to the North for the event. In addition, South Korean taekwondo artists were to perform demonstrations on April 1 and 2, with the Sunday performance at the Pyongyang Taekwondo Hall drawing an audience of about 2,300.
The concert on April 1 was attended by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju. Kim Jong-un was reported by media, including North Korean KCNA state news agency, and independent observers as enjoying himself, and praised the event himself. He also stated that North Korean musicians may hold another reciprocal event in the South in a few months, tentatively titled "Autumn has Come". Ordinary North Koreans may be persecuted for listening to foreign media without state permission; North Koreans caught watching South Korean movies, for example, face prison time. Although South Korean journalists were specifically invited to cover the concert, they were prevented from doing so, though apologized to by North intelligence director Kim Yong-chol, who blamed "a breakdown in cooperation between Kim Jong Un's security detail and concert organisers". The concerts have been seen as acts of cultural diplomacy.


Dhovemi of the Maldives

Dhovemi Kalaminja Siri Thiribuvana-aadiththa Maha Radun (Dhivehi: ދޮވެމި ކަލަމިންޖާ ސިރީ ތިރިބުވަނަ އާދީއްތަ މަހާ ރަދުން) or Donei Kalaminjaa (Dhivehi: ދޮނެއި ކަލަމިންޖާ) was the second king of the Maldives from 1141 to 1166 or 1176 according to the "Raadhavalhi" and the Loamaafaanu copper plate writings (two sources from which the early history of the Maldives is studied). The "Tarikh chronicles". however, calls this king Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdullah which is probably the Muslim name of the king after his conversion to Islam in the 12th year of his reign. Later on the title of Dharumavantha (Dharumas) Rasgefaanu or 'the benevolent king' was bestowed upon him. He is also known as the first ruler of the Theemuge Dynasty (not considering King Koimala of the Lunar Dynasty). This name was derived from his house's name, Theemuge, some sourced refer to the royal house as the "Maalei Dharikolhu". Though it was being called "Theemuge Darikolhu" they were descendants of the Buddhist Kings of the Lunar Dynasty or Soma Vansa.
Dhovemi was the son of "Henevi Maavaa Kilage" (Dhivehi: ހެނެވި މާވާ ކިލެގެ) the sister of the first King Koimala of all the Maldives. He ruled for 25 years, 12 years as a Buddhist and 13 years after his conversion to Islam. The conversion of Dhovemi, and later the whole Maldivian Kingdom to Islam was accredited by Ibn Batuta, after visiting the Kingdom and staying there for some time, to Abu al Barakat al-Barbari (from Morocco.
Later sources claim that a Persian from the Tabriz, called Yusuf Tabrizi was responsible for the conversion of the Maldivian Kingdom to Islam in the year 1153. The newly converted king became the first sultan of the Maldives. The governance of the country is said to have been carried out by the king as advised by Yusuf Tabrizi. King Dhovemi sent emissaries to the different atolls to convert all the inhabitants of the Maldives without any exception to the Muslim faith. The king himself sailed to the island of Nilandhoo in North Nilande Atoll and converted the inhabitants there to Islam. He is also said to have built a mosque there. The conversion of the whole country is said to have taken place on the 2nd day of Rabi'-ul-Akhir 548 AH (1153 AD) on the 17th year of Al-Muqtafi, the Caliph of Baghdad, and since then the Maldives has been a predominantly Islamic country. By the order of the king as his brother Siri Kalo the first Friday mosque of Malé was built by Al-Wazir Shanivirazaa. The "Dharumavantha Miskyii"—the oldest mosque in Malé—is said to have been built by King Dhovemi.
Sultan Dhovemi was the first to enforce Islamic Sharia law in the Maldives. All traces of idolatry were razed during this period of major transformation of the Maldives and mosques were built on many of the inhabited islands. The sultan is said to have been just, impartial, pious, secular and was beloved by his subjects for his wisdom, kindliness, and generosity, though his actions sometimes indicate otherwise.
The death of the Sultan is not recorded, but he is said to have disappeared in 1166 on a voyage to Mecca to perform the Hajj. The Taarikh writes as revived from the Isdhoo loamaafanu:
"(he said) next Friday a ship will arrive, whereon I shall sail for Makkah. The day named verily a vessel anchored at Malé. The Sultan, having performed the Jumu'ah (Friday-noon prayers) at the mosque, hurried to the seashore and embarked in the vessel without attendants or provisions. Forwith the ship passed from sight as suddenly as lightning (and he was not heard from thence)"
On the disappearance of his uncle, Muthey Kalaminja took over the throne of the Maldives and ruled as the sultan from 1166 according to the "Raadhavalhi". The Isdhoo (1195–1196) and Dhan'bidhoo (1196–1197) Loamaafaanus (copper plates) give the date as 1176.
According to Maldivian historians Mohamed Ibrahim Lutfy and Mohamed Waheed Nadwi, the king learned that a "sur nav" (a ship which is belonged to Sur of Oman) arrived on its way to Oman completing its journey from the Malay archipelago. He went to Sur by that ship and after completion of his pilgrimage, he got ill on the way back and died and was buried in Salalah, Oman.


Ranadheera Kanteerava

Ranadheera Kantheerava () is a 1960 Kannada historical drama biographical film directed by the editor-turned-director N. C. Rajan and written by G. V. Iyer. It is one of the most popular films of acclaimed Kannada actor Rajkumar, who plays the role of an emperor Kanthirava Narasaraja I of the Wodeyar dynasty, Mysore who was fondly named as Ranadheera Kantheerava. The film depicts the life of Kantheerava, who is known for his immense physical strength through wrestling. The movie was credited to be one of the most authentic historical films made since it was entirely based on the documents found in the Mysore Palace. The film also stars Udaykumar, Balakrishna, Leelavathi, Narasimharaju and Sandhya in the prominent roles.
The film was released at a time during the severe crisis in the Kannada film industry due to the financial constraints. This film was produced through a co-operative forum called "Kannada Chalanachitra Kalavidara Sangha" formed by actors Rajkumar, Balakrishna, Narasimharaju and acclaimed writer G. V. Iyer. Thus this was the first venture where Rajkumar turned producer for the film.
Post release, the film suffered an initial hitch as no distributor came forward to screen the film. Later it was released in a single theatre - "Bharath" and found huge collections. This film screened at IFFI 1992.
Historical Significance.
Narasaraja Wodeyar I (1638 - 1659) popularly known as Ranadheera Kantheerava was an emperor in the royal Mysuru dynasty. He was a man of immense physical strength and was known as an intense wrestler in the Kingdom. He was an exponent in a form of wrestling called "Vajra Mushti". He was also a musician with a strong liking towards arts and literature. He used the Srirangapatna town as his capital. Soon after his death in 1659, all his 10 wives committed Sati and ended their lives.
Cultural Significance.
This film is credited to have spurred the Kannada cinema industry in the direction of historicals. This was produced as a joint venture under at a time when the Kannada cinema industry was facing severe financial crises and its enormous success is reported to have not only re-instilled confidence in the Kannada cinema industry but inspired other historicals in quick succession. Even today, it stands as a sort of guidepost to making compelling historical dramas in Kannada. The chief merit of Ranadheera Kanteerva is the level of authenticity in several key aspects. The first is the Kannada language used during Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar’s days - both by the royalty and the common people. To a keen student of the inflections that Kannada has undergone, this forms a useful study. Equally authentic are the depictions of the protocol, manners, customs, and traditions of palace life. The movie also brings out a few nuances of palace intrigue, tangentially touches upon some aspects of the administrative machinery and the system of espionage by weaving them together in a rather dramatic fashion.
This level of detail was made possible due to extensive research and first hand knowledge of the Mysore palace life that the film’s writer Sri G.V. Iyer possessed.
Soundtrack.
"Ranadheera Kantheerava" soundtrack consists of 7 songs all composed by G. K. Venkatesh and written by G. V. Iyer.


Sanyangzhuang

Sanyangzhuang () is an archaeological site in Henan Province, China.
The Han dynasty village of Sanyangzhuang was buried by a flood of the Yellow River 2,000 years ago.
This site is extraordinarily well-preserved, and provides important information for the research on the basic social structure of the Han dynasty, revealing information on how and where the lower class worked and lived. The site is particularly rich in information on the farming system and land distribution system. The discovery of preserved mulberry leaves and copper coins suggests early involvement with trade along the Silk Road.
The site was discovered by archaeologists in 2003. Research at Sanyangzhuang is being conducted by scholars from Washington University in St. Louis, the Henan Provincial Archaeological Institute, and the College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Peking University.


Timofey Florinskiy

Timofiej Fłorinski (1854–1918) was a Russian historian, specializing in the Medieval history of South Slavs. He was a member of the Kiev Club of Russian Nationalists and authored a number of publications against Ukrainian nationalist movement. In 1918, he was executed by the Bolsheviks.
Fłorinski was murdered by Rosa Schwartz, a member of the Communist Revolutionary Tribunal for examination. Schwartz, who was inebriated during the interrogation, became annoyed with a response by Fłorinski and promptly drew a pistol and fired on him, killing him instantly.