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Sabarimala

Sabarimala

    Sabarimala is a pilgrim centre in Kerala in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of India. Lord Ayyappa Temple is situated at Sabarimala (09.29 North 77.06 East) is in the midst of 18 hills. The area is in the Sahya hilly regions of Kerala bordering Tamilnadu. The temple is situated on a hilltop at an elevation of 1260 Metres/4135 ft above mean sea level and is surrounded by mountains and dense forest. Temples existed in each of the hills surrounding Sabarimala. While functional (and intact temples) exist at many places in surrounding areas like Nilackal, Kalaketi, and Karimala, remnants of old temples are visible in the remaining hills. The pilgrimage to Sabarimala is a singular example of a pilgrimage where pilgrims, without consideration of caste, creed, position or social status, go with one mind and one `mantra' dreaming constantly of the darshan of the presiding deity at the Holy Sannidhanam. The temple is dedicated to Ayyappa. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where Ayyapa meditated soon after killing the powerful demon, Mahishi. This temple is unique in many respects. One is that the temple is open to all irrespective of caste, creed or religion. There is a place near the temple (east to Sannidhanam) dedicated to the Vavar (colloquial version of Babar), a Muslim who was the associate of Ayyappa, called "Vavarunada". This is an epitome of religious harmony. The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandalapooja (November 15 to December 26), Makaravilakku (January 15) and Vishu (April 14), and the beginning of every month in the Malayalam calendar The pilgrims have to follow the journey to the temple is to be taken through difficult terrain in the forest as the vehicles can go only up to Pamba.

How to reach Sabarimala

From the international airport of Thiruvananthapuram (erstwhile Trivandrum), Sabarimala is located at 010 degrees/115 km. Similarly, from the international airport at Kochi (formerly Cochin) it is located at 118 degrees/106 km. During respective seasons one can approach the shrine using various modes of transportation via either Chalakayam town or more intensively through the mountain trails commencing from Erumeli Township and climbing over the Karimala Mountains in bare foot (close to 50 km). Nearest railway stations to Sabarimala are Kottayam and Chengannur. Three important routes to Sabarimala are : 1.Kottayam to Pamba (via) Erumeli and from Pampa to Sabarimala (by foot) - 136 km Kottayam to Pamba (via) Manimala and there to Sabarimala by foot - 116 km. 2.Erumeli to Sabarimala (via) Kalaketty, Azhutha, Inchippara, Karimala, Pampa - 45 km. From Pampa to Sabarimala by foot. 3.Vandiperiyar to Mount Estate by vehicle and there by walking to Sabarimala. 4.Climb down to Sabarimala from Vandiperiyar to Kozhikkanam - 15 km. Kozhikkanam to Uppupura -10 km. Uppupura to Sabarimala - 3.5 km. (Up to Uppupura, vehicles can be used for the travel.) Vehicular traffic cannot go beyond Pampa, situated on the Pampa river valley and the last five kilometers to the shrine can be best reached by trekking. However, porter carried chairs are also available for aged and handicapped pilgrims.

When to go

The pilgrimages to Sabarimala begin in November and last up to January. This is when the temple is inundated with devotees from all across India, and everything- from accommodation to flowers and coconuts- is at a premium. Throughout the year, monthly poojas are held at the temple, usually during the first week of each month. The shrine is open only for the first five days of every month and for the pilgrimage season, between mid-November and mid-January. Millions of Ayyappa disciples visit the famous temple of Lord Ayyappa every year from all around India. The main pilgrimage season is from November to January. The temple is opened for brief periods at the commencement of each Malayalam month and during certain important Malayali festivals. Tourists and foreigners, as well as women between the ages of 10 and 50 (approximately age at puberty and menopause), are not officially allowed entry to the main temple. Women are not allowed to visit the Lord Ayyappa Shrine. A number of feminist organizations have tried to persuade the Travancore Devaswom Board to revoke this age-old tradition, but to no avail. Many reasons are cited by the Board in support of the decree; these include the 41-day penance imposed on pilgrims, the arduous trek up to the shrine, and the fact that the Ayyappan worshipped at Sabarimala is supposed to be a celibate hermit. Be as it may, women- and girls- between the ages of 10 and 50 cannot even enter the forest around Sabarimala. Category: Pilgrim Centres

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is one who undertakes a religious pilgrimage, literally 'far afield'. This is traditionally a visit to a place of some religious significance; often a considerable distance is traveled. Examples include a Muslim visiting Mecca, or a Christian or Jew visiting Jerusalem. No religion has laid greater stress on the duty of a pilgrimage than Islam in the Hajj. A full account is at the entry Hajj. Some of the oldest destinations for pilgrimages are in India. On the sacred river Ganges lies Benares, the holy city of Brahminism. Buddhism offers four sites of pilgrimage: the Buddha's birthplace at Kapilavastu, the site where he first preached at Gaya, where the highest insight dawned on him at Benares, and where he achieved Nirvana at Kusinagara. In the kingdoms of Israel and Judah the visitation of certain ancient cult-centers was repressed in the 7th century BC, when the worship was restricted to Jahweh at the temple in Jersusalem. In Syria, the shrine of Astarte at the headwater spring of the river Adonis survived until it was destroyed by order of Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. In mainland Greece, a stream of individuals made their way to Delphi or the oracle of Zeus at Dodona, and once every four years, at the period of the Olympic games, the temple of Zeus at Olympia formed the goal of swarms of pilgrims from every part of the Hellenic world. When Alexander the Great reached Egypt, he put his whole vast enterprise on hold, while he made his way with a small band deep into the Libyan desert, to consult the oracle of Ammun. During the imperium of his Ptolemaic heirs, the shrine of Isis at Philae received many votive inscriptions from Greeks on behalf of their kindred far away at home. In the Middle Ages, even as early as the 4th century AD, Christian pilgrimage was regarded as a sacred obligation and a trial of one's faith, since travel was dangerous, expensive and time-consuming. A returning pilgrim was called a palmer, as they would wear two crossed palm leaves to show they had made the pilgrimage. The anonymous "Pilgrim of Bordeaux" has left an itinerary of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 333. Empress Helena's discovery of the True Cross outside Jerusalem was the result of a pilgrimage. The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus attracted pilgrims, who left their graffiti in the catacomb. In the West, Saint Martin of Tours and Martial of Limoges inspired building projects and an industry catering to pilgrims' requirements, including, in Martial's case, elaborately faked pious documentation (see Adhemar of Chabannes). The shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Spain lay at the end of a long connected string of pilgrims' sites, as did the city of Rome. Popular destinations for pilgrimage in England included Bury St. Edmunds and Thomas Beckett's shrine at Canterbury, the destination of Chaucer's 14th century pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales. In the north, many pilgrims headed to the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. Pilgrims contributed an important element to long-distance trade before the modern era, and brought prosperity to successful pilgrimage sites, an economic phenomenon unequalled until the tourist trade of the 20th century. Encouraging pilgrims was a motivation for assembling (and sometimes fabricating) relics and for writing hagiographies of local saints, filled with inspiring accounts of miracle cures. Lourdes and other modern pilgrimage sites keep this spirit alive. Over the centuries the terms 'pilgrim' and 'pilgrimage' have come to have a somewhat devalued meaning, and are nowadays often applied in a secular context. For example, fans of Elvis Presley may choose to visit his home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. Similarly one may refer to a cultural center such as Venice as a "tourists' Mecca". The Pilgrims were a group of English 'Separatists', religious dissidents who exiled themselves first in the Netherlands, then sailed for Massachusetts, in the hope of setting up a colony where they could enjoy religious freedom. In this context, the term 'pilgrim' (first used of them in 1799) means only that they travelled a long way in order to practise their religion. Compare: Hajj Category:Pilgrimages Category:People known in connection with religion or philosophy

Western Ghats

]] ]
The Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountains (as they are known in the state of Maharashtra) run along the western edge of India's Deccan Plateau, and separate the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The range starts south of the Tapti River near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, and runs approximately 1600 km through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. The average elevation is around 900 meters. Higher peaks occur in the northern section of the range in Maharashtra, notably Kalsubai 1646 m (5427 ft), Mahabaleshwar 1438 m (4710 ft) and Harishchandragarh 1424 m (4691 ft); in southwest Karnataka, notably Kudremukh at 1862 m (6,109 ft); and in the southern part of the range, with Anai Mudi in Kerala at 2695 meters (8,842 ft) height the highest peak in the Western Ghats, Chembra Peak in kerala at 2100m, Banasura Peak in Kerala at 2073m and Vellarimala in kerala at 2200 meters. The only major gap in the range, the Palghat Gap, joins Tamil Nadu to Kerala. Smaller ranges, including the Nilgiri Hills ( Doddabetta is the highest peak (2623 meters) in the Nilgiris ) of northwestern Tamil Nadu and Biligirirangans southeast of Mysore in Karnataka, meet the Shevaroys (Servarayan range) and Tirumala range farther east, linking the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats. These ranges of hills serve as important wildlife corridors, allowing species like elephants to move between the ranges. The northern portion of the narrow coastal plain between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea is known as the Konkan Coast or simply Konkan, and the southern portion is called Malabar or the Malabar Coast. The foothill region east of the Ghats in Maharashtra is known as Desh, while the eastern foothills of central Karnataka state is known as Malnad region. The largest city within the mountains is the city of Pune, in the Desh region on the eastern edge of the range. The mountains intercept the rain-bearing westerly monsoon winds, which cool as they are pushed upwards by the mountain slopes and release their moisture as rain. The dense forests also contribute to the precipitation of the area by acting as a substrate for condensation of moist rising (orographic) winds from the sea, and releasing much of the moisture back into the air via transpiration, allowing it to later condense and fall again as rain. The westward-facing slopes receive much more rain than the eastward-facing slopes, and the Western Ghats are considerably wetter than the dry Deccan to the east. The Western Ghats form the most important watershed for peninsular India, the plentiful rain giving rise to numerous streams, with many waterfalls, which form the headwaters of both the short rivers that run to the Arabian Sea and the great perennial rivers of the Deccan, including the Godavari River, Krishna River, Kaveri River and their tributaries, which empty into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers provide the water for agriculture and drinking to all the major cities downstream including the cities of Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai. Many of these rivers and streams are threatened by pollution from mining, agricultural and urban runoff, coffee pulp effluents and other human activity. There has recently been a strong movement to curb mining operations in the Western Ghats, as this is one of the global Biodiversity hotspots. One standing example of such a campaign is the one in Kudremukh, where Iron ore is mined, and the river Kali is used to transport ore.

Rain Forests

Biodiversity hotspot Historically the Western Ghats were well-covered in dense forests. In the south they contain the only rainforests of southern India. These forests are home to an interesting and diverse fauna and flora, many of them showing affinities to the Malayan region, but are increasingly threatened by human activity. Several national parks and other protected areas lie within the range, but it is estimated that only a small fraction of the Western Ghats remains in pristine condition. The Silent Valley National Park in Kerala is considered by many to be the last tracts of virgin tropical evergreen forest in India.

Flora and Fauna

Silent Valley National Park] Silent Valley National Park
Biogeographers have long recognized the distinctive plant and animal communities of the Western Ghats. Many of these faunal and floral elements are not found anywhere else in India except in parts of northeastern India. The Western Ghats are also home to many endemic species, and the endemism is especially high in the amphibian and reptilian fauna. The snake family Uropeltidae is almost entirely restricted to and diversified in this region of the world. The frog Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis was discovered in 2003 as being a living fossil. This species of frog is most closely related to species found in the Seychelles. The Western Ghats are ecologically distinct from the drier regions to the north and east, but can be further divided into four ecoregions. The northern portion of the range is generally drier than the southern portion, and at lower elevations makes up the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregion, with mostly deciduous forests made up predominantly of teak (Tectona grandis) and dipterocarps. Above 1000 meters elevation are the cooler and wetter North Western Ghats montane rain forests, whose evergreen forests are characterized by trees of family Lauraceae. The evergreen Wayanad forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu mark the transition zone between the northern and southern ecoregions of the Western Ghats. The southern ecoregions are generally wetter and more species-rich. At lower elevations are the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, with Cullenia is the characteristic tree genus, accompanied by teak, dipterocarps, and other trees. These moist forests transition to the drier South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests to the east, in the mountains' rain shadow. Above 1000 meters are the South Western Ghats montane rain forests, also cooler and wetter than the surrounding lowland forests, and dominated by evergreen trees, although some montane grasslands and stunted forests can be found at the highest elevations. The South Western Ghats montane rain forests are the most species-rich ecoregion in peninsular India; eighty percent of the flowering plant species of the entire Western Ghats range are found in this ecoregion. It also harbors the highest levels of endemism: 35 percent of the plants, 42 percent of the fishes, 48 percent of the reptiles, and 75 percent of the amphibians that live in this ecoregion are endemic. Still higher, above elevations of 1600 m MSL are seen the shola-grassland mosaic, which are habitats exclusive to the Western Ghats.

External links


- [http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/ Pictures from the Sahyadris]
- [http://www.westernghats.org.in Sahyadris : India's Western Ghats - A Vanishing Heritage] - Coffee table book by Sandesh Kadur Category:Mountain ranges of AsiaCategory:Mountains of India Category:Biodiversity hotspots ja:西ガーツ山脈

India

The Republic of India is a country in South Asia which comprises of the majority of the Indian subcontinent. India has a coastline which stretches over seven thousand kilometres, and shares its borders with Pakistan to the west, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, and Bangladesh and Myanmar on the east. On the Indian Ocean, it is adjacent to the island nations of the Maldives on the southwest, Sri Lanka on the south, and Indonesia on the southeast. India also claims a border with Afghanistan to the northwest. India is the fourth largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity. It is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of over one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. It is home to some of the most ancient civilizations, and a centre of important historic trade routes. Four major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have originated from India. Formerly a major part of the British Empire as the British Raj before gaining independence in 1947, during the past twenty years the country has grown significantly, especially in its economic and military spheres, regionally as well as globally. The name India , is derived from the Old Persian version of Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the river Indus; see Origin of India's name. The Constitution of India and general usage also recognises Bharat ( ), which is derived from the Sanskrit name of an ancient Hindu king, whose story is to be found in the Mahabharata, as an official name of equal status. A third name, Hindustan ( ) , or Land of the Hindus in Persian, has been used since the twelfth century, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied due to domestic disputes over its representiveness as a national signifier.

History

Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in India. The first known permanent settlements appeared 9,000 years ago and developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation, which peaked between 2600 BC and 1900 BC. It was followed by the Vedic Civilisation. From around 550 BC onwards, many independent kingdoms came into being. In the north, the Maurya dynasty, which included Ashoka, contributed greatly to India's cultural landscape. From 180 BC, a series of invasions from Central Asia followed, with the successive establishment in the northern Indian Subcontinent of the Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian kingdoms, and finally the Kushan Empire. From the 3rd century AD onwards the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient India's "Golden Age". Gupta dynasty built by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC]] In the south, several dynasties including the Chalukyas, Cheras, Cholas, Kadambas, Pallavas and Pandyas prevailed during different periods. Science, art, literature, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, religion and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings. Following the Islamic invasions in the beginning of the second millennium, much of north and central India came to be ruled by the Delhi Sultanate, and later, much of the entire subcontinent by the Mughal dynasty. Nevertheless, several indigenous kingdoms remained or rose to power, especially in the relatively sheltered south. Vijayanagara Empire was notable among such kingdoms. During the middle of the second millennium, several European countries, including the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British, who were initially interested in trade with India, took advantage of fractured kingdoms fighting each other to establish colonies in the country. After a failed insurrection in 1857 against the British East India Company, popularly known in India as the First War of Indian Independence and most commonly known in the West as the Indian Mutiny, most of India came under the direct administrative control of the crown of the British Empire. British Empire, Orissa built in the 13th century, is one of the most famous monuments of stone sculpture in the world.]] sculpture in the 10th century AD.]] In the early part of the 20th century, a prolonged and largely non-violent struggle for independence, the Indian independence movement, followed, to be eventually led by Mahatma Gandhi, regarded officially as the Father Of The Nation. The culmination of this path-breaking struggle was reached on 1947-08-15 when India gained full independence from British rule, later becoming a republic on 1950-01-26. As a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, India has had its share of sectarian violence and insurgencies in different parts of the country. Nonetheless, it has held itself together as a secular, liberal democracy barring a brief period from 1975 to 1977 during which the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a "state of emergency" with the suspension of civil rights. India has unresolved border disputes with China, which escalated into a brief war in 1962, and Pakistan which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, and 1971, and a border altercation in the northern state of Kashmir in 1999. India was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations. In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test, making it an unofficial member of the "nuclear club", which was followed up with a series of five more tests in 1998. Significant economic reforms beginning in 1991 have transformed India into one of the fastest growing economies in the world and added to its global clout.

Government

The Constitution of India states India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. India is a federal republic, with a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. It has a three branch system of governance consisting of the legislature, executive and judiciary. The President, who is the head of state, has a largely ceremonial role. His roles include interpreting the constitution, signing laws into action, and issuing pardons. He is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President and Vice-President are elected indirectly by an electoral college for five-year terms. The Prime Minister is the head of government and most executive powers are vested in this office. He (or she) is elected by legislators of the political party, or coalition, commanding a parliamentary majority, and serves a five-year term incumbent upon enjoying this majority. The constitution does not provide for a post of Deputy Prime Minister, but this option has been exercised from time to time. The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament which consists of the upper house known as the Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, the lower house known as the Lok Sabha, or House of the People, and the President. The 245-member Rajya Sabha is chosen indirectly through an electoral college and has a staggered six year term. The 545-member Lok Sabha is directly elected for a five year term, and is the determinative constituent of political power and government formation. All Indian citizens above the age of eighteen are eligible to vote. The executive arm consists of the President, Vice-President and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In India's parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature. India's independent judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court has both original jurisdiction over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts of India. There are eighteen appellate High Courts, having jurisdiction over a large state or a group of states. Each of these states has a tiered system of lower courts. A conflict between the legislature and the judiciary is referred to the President.

Politics

Chief Justice of India For most of its independent history, India's national government has been controlled by the Indian National Congress Party. Following its position as the largest political organisation in pre-independence India, Congress, usually led by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, dominated national politics for over forty years. In 1977, a united opposition, under the banner of the Janata Party, won the election and formed a non-Congress government for a short period after the unpopular 'emergency rule' imposed by Indira Gandhi in the previous Congress regime. In 1996, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a political party with a right wing nationalist ideology, became the largest single party, and established for the first time a serious opposition to the largely centre-left Congress. But power was held by two successive coalition governments, who stayed on with the support of the Congress. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) along with smaller parties and became the first non-Congress government to sustain the full five year term after it returned to power in 1999. The decade prior to 1999 was marked by short-lasting governments, with seven separate governments formed within that period. One however, a Congress government formed in 1991, lasted the full five years and initiated significant economic reforms. In the 2004 Indian elections the Congress party returned to power after winning the largest number of seats, by a narrow margin. Congress formed a government in alliance with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and with several mostly-regional parties called the United Progressive Alliance. The NDA, led by the BJP, currently forms the main opposition. All governments formed since 1996 have required party coalitions, with no single majority party, due to the steady rise of regional parties at the national level.

States and union territories

India is divided into twenty-eight states (which are further subdivided into districts), six Union Territories and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. States have their own elected government, whereas Union Territories are governed by an administrator appointed by the union government, though some have elected governments. India has had two scientific bases in Antarctica – the Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri, but has made no territorial claims so far.

Geography

Maitri in the north to Arunachal Pradesh in the far east making up most of India's eastern borders]] India's entire north and northeast states are made up of the Himalayan Range. The rest of northern, central and eastern India consists of the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain. Towards western India, bordering southeast Pakistan, lies the Thar Desert. The southern Indian peninsula is almost entirely composed of the Deccan plateau. The plateau is flanked by two hilly coastal ranges, the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. India is home to several major rivers such as the Ganga (Ganges), the Brahmaputra, the Yamuna, the Godavari, and the Krishna. The rivers are responsible for the fertile plains in northern India which are conducive to farming. The Indian climate varies from a tropical climate in the south to a more temperate climate in the north. Parts of India which lie in the Himalaya have a tundra climate. India gets most of its rains through the monsoons.

Economy

monsoon India has an economy ranked as the tenth largest in the world in terms of currency conversion and fourth largest in terms of purchasing power parity. It recorded one of the fastest annual growth rates of 6.9% for the year ending March 2005. India's per-capita income by purchasing power parity is US$ 3,262, ranked 125th by the World Bank. India's foreign exchange reserves amount to over US$ 143 billion. Mumbai serves as the nation's financial capital and is also home to both the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India and the pre-eminent Bombay Stock Exchange. While a quarter of Indians still live below the poverty line, a large middle class has now emerged along with the rapid growth of the IT industry. The Indian economy has shed much of its historical dependence on agriculture, which now contributes to less than 25 % of GDP. Other important industries are mining, petroleum, diamond polishing, films, textiles, information technology services, and handicrafts. Most of India's industrial regions are centred around major cities. In recent years, India has emerged as one of the largest players in software and business process outsourcing services, with revenues of US$ 17.2 billion in 2004 to 2005. Many small-scale industries provide steady employment to workers in small towns and villages. business process outsourcing While India receives only around three million foreign visitors a year, tourism is still an important but under-developed source of national income. Tourism contributes 5.3 % of India's GDP. The actual employment generation, both direct and indirect, is estimated to be 42 million, or about 10 % of India's work force. In monetary terms, it contributes about US$4 billion in foreign exchange. India's major trading partners are the United States, Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates. India's main exports items include agricultural products, textile goods, gems and jewellry, software services and technology, engineering goods, chemicals and leather products while its main import commodities are crude oil, machinery, gems, fertiliser, chemicals. For the year 2004, India's total exports stood at US$ 69.18 billion while the imports were worth at US $89.33 billion.

Demographics

India is the second most populous country in the world, with only China having a larger population. By 2030, India is expected to surpass China with the world's largest population, estimated at 1.6 billion. Language, religion, and caste are major determinants of social and political organisation within the highly diverse Indian population today. Its biggest metropolitan agglomerations are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and Chennai (formerly Madras). Chennai]] India's literacy rate is 64.8 % with 53.7 % of females and 75.3 % of males being literate. The sex ratio is 933 females for every 1000 males. Work Participation Rate (WPR) (the percentage of workers to total population) stands at 39.1 % with male WPR at 51.7 % and female WPR at 25.6 % inote|eu{inote|demostats{inote|religion{ref|languages{inote|tongues{see2|Christianity in India|Jews in India{seealso3|List of Indian languages by total speakers|List of cities in India|Religion in India{main|Culture of India{seealso4|List of World Heritage sites in India|Indian architecture|Indian family name|Cuisine of India{main|Sports in India{main|Holidays in India{Official Holidays of India{Topics related to India{portal{sisterlinks|India{wikitravel{wikicities|india|India{explain-inote{Web reference | title=India facts and figures | work=Embassy of India| URL= http://www.indianembassy.org/dydemo/indiaprofile/profile.htm | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Forex reserves up by $1bn | work=Economic Times| URL= http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1093864.cms | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= India Economy | work=Travel Document Systems |URL= http://www.traveldocs.com/in/economy.htm | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Services | work=India in Business| URL= http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/india-profile/ser-infotech.htm | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Destination India: An Unpolished Diamond | work=Times of India | URL= http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/819309.cms | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= US, UAE, UK, China, Japan among India's top trade partners | work=Indian Express| URL= http://www.indianexpress.com/news/business/20050102-0.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= CIA Factbook : India | work=CIA Factbook | URL= http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/in.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Provisional Population Totals 2001 Census| work=Census of India| URL=http://www.censusindia.net/results/resultsmain.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Debating India & India's literacy rate | work=Debating India | URL= http://india.eu.org/1963.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= India – Country profiles | work=indexmundi.com | URL= http://www.indexmundi.com/India/ India | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Census of India 2001, Data on Religion | work=Census of India | URL= http://www.censusindia.net/results/religion_main.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Languages of India | work=India image | URL= http://indiaimage.nic.in/languages.htm| date=August 14 | year=2005{Book reference | Author=K.M. Matthew | Title=Manorama Yearbook 2003 | Publisher= Malaya Manorama | Year=2003 | ID=ISBN 8190046187{mnb|afgh|1{mnb|LoC|2{South Asia{Asia{Commonwealth of Nations{SAARC{Life in India{Link FA|sv{Link FA|sv

Muslim

A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) (sometimes also pronounced Moslem) is an adherent of Islam. Literally, the word means someone who has submitted/surrendered himself or herself to the will of God.

Definition

Most Muslims accept as a fellow Muslim anyone who has sincerely pronounced the Shahada, a ritual declaration of submission to God and assertion that Muhammad is the last prophet. Muslims describe many Biblical figures, such as Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus), as Muslims because they submitted completely to God.
- For a list of Muslims, see List of Muslims.
- For a list of different Muslim sects and divisions, see Divisions of Islam.

Etymology

The singular form of the word Muslim comes from the Arabic plural form 'Al-Muslimīn, from the tri-consonantal root SLM, also found in the words Islam and salām. The plural form is instanced in the Qur'an, 22:79, Al-Hajj.

Pronunciation and spelling

Until around the late 1980s, the word was commonly spelled Moslem. The spelling has since fallen into disuse. Muslims do not recommend this spelling because it is often pronounced "mawzlem," which sounds somewhat similar to an Arabic word for "oppressor" (Za'lem in Arabic). The word is pronounced "Mus"-lim in Arabic, but some English dictionaries allow both "Mus"-lim and "Muz"-lim. The word is written "Muslim".

Other words for Muslim

Many English-language writers used to call Muslims "Mohammedans" or "Mahometans," meaning "followers of Mohammed," but this terminology is considered incorrect and insulting, because Muslims believe it implies that they worship the prophet Muhammad, contrary to the fundamental principles of Islam itself. This terminology is seen as too similar to Christians as followers and worshippers of Christ. In addition, Muslims believe that the religion of submitting to God (Islām in Arabic) existed long before the birth of Muhammad, making all the prophets before him "Muslims." English writers of the 19th century and earlier sometimes used the words Mussulman, Musselman, or Mussulmaun. Variant forms of this word are still used by many Indo-European languages. These words are similar to the French, Spanish, and Italian words for "Muslim."

Disputes

The Ahmedi sect consider themselves Muslim, and an agnostic or atheist of Islamic background may refer to themselves as a cultural Muslim; however, most mainstream Muslims disagree with both these classifications, since they conflict with the conventional religious definition of Islam.

See also


- Muslim scholar
- Muslim scientists
- Muslim athletes
- Muslim politicians
- Muslim entertainers
- Muslim artists
- Muslim soldiers
- Muslim jurists
- Muslim businessmen
- Muslim leaders

See also


- Islam
- Qur'an
- Muhammad
---- The term Musselman was also used by prisoners in the German concentration camps of World War II (see Holocaust) as a slang term for a prisoner who had lost the will to live [http://www.holocaustcenterbuff.com/vocab.html]. Why this particular religious term should have been "annexed" for such a completely different purpose is unclear. Category:IslamCategory:Muslims ja:ムスリム th:มุสลิม ms:Muslim Insert formula here

January 15

January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 350 days remaining (351 in leap years).

Events


- 69 - Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, but only survives for three months before committing suicide.
- 1559 - Elizabeth I of England is crowned in Westminster Abbey by Owen Oglethorpe, the Bishop of Carlisle, instead of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- 1582 - Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to Poland.
- 1759 - The British Museum opens.
- 1777 - American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present day Vermont) declares its independence.
- 1782 - Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
- 1844 - University of Notre Dame receives its charter from Indiana.
- 1870 - A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the United States Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly).
- 1892 - James Naismith publishes the rules for basketball.
- 1908 - Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first Greek-letter organization by and for Black college women is established.
- 1919 - The Boston Molasses Disaster kills 21 people.
  - Ignace Paderewski becomes Premier of Poland.
- 1936 - The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio (the building was for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company).
- 1943 - World War II: Japanese driven off Guadalcanal.
- 1943 - The world's largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated (Arlington, Virginia).
- 1947 - "Black Dahlia" Elizabeth Short murdered, Los Angeles California.
- 1951 - Ilse Koch, The "Bitch of Buchenwald", wife of the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is sentenced to life imprisonment in a court in West Germany.
- 1966- First Military Coup in Nigeria, government of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown.
- 1967 - Super Bowl I is played -- The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.
- 1969 - The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.
- 1970 - After a 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria, Biafra surrenders.
  - Muammar al-Qaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.
- 1973 - Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President of the United States Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.
- 1974 - Happy Days premiers on ABC.
- 1975 - Portugal grants independence to Angola.
- 1976 - Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
- 1986 - The HBO and Cinemax pay cable television services initiate scrambling of their national satellite feeds on Galaxy 1 with the Videocipher II system.
- 1990 - AT&T's long distance telephone network suffers a cascade switching failure.
- 1991 - The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.
- 1992 - The international community recognizes the independence of Slovenia and Croatia from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
- 1995 - Caretaker, the first episode of Star Trek: Voyager airs, with Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) at the helm.
- 1999 - The Racak incident: 45 Albanians in the Kosovo village of Racak were killed by Yugoslav security forces.
- 2001 - Wikipedia, a Wiki free content encyclopedia, goes online.
- 2006 - Season 5 premiere of 24.

Births

1342 to 1899


- 1342 - Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)
- 1432 - King Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481)
- 1481 - Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shogun (b. 1511)
- 1538 - Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599)
- 1622 - Molière, French playwright (d. 1673)
- 1671 - Abraham de la Pryme, English antiquarian (d. 1704)
- 1674 - Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French writer (d. 1762)
- 1716 - Philip Livingston, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1778)
- 1747 - John Aikin, English doctor and writer (d. 1822)
- 1754 - Richard Martin, Irish founder of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (d. 1834)
- 1791 - Franz Grillparzer, Austrian writer (1872)
- 1795 - Alexandr Griboyedov, Russian playwright (d. 1829)
- 1809 - Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French anarchist (d. 1865)
- 1812 - Peter Christian Asbjørnsen, Norwegian writer and scientist (d. 1885)
- 1842 - Josef Breuer, Austrian psychologist (d. 1925)
- 1850 - Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (d. 1889)
- 1863 - Wilhelm Marx, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946)
- 1866 - Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1931)
- 1869 - Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish dramatist, poet, painter, and architect (d. 1907)
- 1872 - Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian writer (d. 1944)
- 1875 - Tom Burke, American runner (d. 1929)
- 1879 - Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author (d. 1961)
- 1885 - Huang Yuanyong, Chinese writer (d. 1915)
- 1891 - Ray Chapman, baseball player (d. 1920)
- 1891 - Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet and essayist (d. 1938)
- 1892 - Rex Ingram, Irish director and writer (d. 1950)
- 1893 - Ivor Novello, Welsh actor and musician (d. 1951)
- 1895 - Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
- 1899 - Goodman Ace, American actor, comedian, and writer (d. 1982)

1900 to 1999


- 1901 - Luis Monti, Argentine-Italian footballer
- 1906 - Aristotle Onassis, Greek businessman (d. 1975)
- 1908 - Edward Teller, Hungarian-born physicist (d. 2003)
- 1909 - Jean Bugatti, German-born automobile designer (d. 1939)
- 1909 - Gene Krupa, American drummer (d. 1973)
- 1913 - Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1914 - Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, English historian (d. 2003)
- 1916 - Marie LaFarge, French murderer (d. 1852)
- 1917 - Robert Byrd, American politician
- 1918 - Gamal Abdal Nasser, President of Egypt (d. 1970)
- 1920 - John Cardinal O'Connor, American Catholic cardinal (d. 2000)
- 1923 - Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese politician
- 1926 - Maria Schell, Swiss actress (d. 2005)
- 1927 - Phyllis Coates, actress
- 1927 - Norm Crosby, American comedian
- 1929 - Martin Luther King Jr, American civil rights leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1968)
- 1933 - Ernest J. Gaines, American author
- 1937 - Margaret O'Brien, American actress
- 1941 - Captain Beefheart, American singer
- 1942 - Charo, Spanish-born singer and actress
- 1945 - Vince Foster, American lawyer (d. 1993)
- 1947 - Andrea Martin, Canadian actress
- 1948 - Ronnie VanZant, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (d. 1977)
- 1953 - Kent Hovind, American evangelist
- 1955 - Nigel Benson, British author and illustrator
- 1957 - Julian Sands, English actor
- 1957 - Mario Van Peebles, Mexican actor and director
- 1965 - Adam Jones, American musician (Tool)
- 1968 - Chad Lowe, American actor
- 1971 - Regina King, American actress
- 1972 - Claudia Winkleman, British television presenter
- 1975 - Mary Pierce, American tennis player
- 1976 - Corey Chavous, American football player
- 1981 - El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese footballer
- 1982 - Benjamin Agosto, American skater
- 1982 - Megan Quann, American swimmer
- 1983 - Jermaine Pennant, English footballer
- 1984 - Victor Rasuk, American actor

Deaths

41 to 1899


- 41 - Caligula, Roman Emperor (b. 12)
- 570 - Saint Ides, Irish nun
- 1595 - Murat III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1546)
- 1672 - John Cosin, English clergyman (b. 1594)
- 1683 - Philip Warwick, English writer and politician (b. 1609)
- 1781 - Marianne Victoria of Borbón, queen regent of Portugal (b. 1718)
- 1790 - John Landen, English mathematician (b. 1719)
- 1804 - Dru Drury, English entomologist (b. 1725)

1900 to 1999


- 1915 - Mary Slessor, Scottish missionary (b. 1848)
- 1919 - Rosa Luxemburg, German politician (b. 1870)
- 1955 - Yves Tanguy, French painter (b. 1900)
- 1964 - Jack Teagarden, American musician (b. 1905)
- 1983 - Meyer Lansky, Russian-born gangster (b. 1902)
- 1987 - Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)
- 1988 - Seán MacBride, Irish statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1904)
- 1990 - Gordon Jackson, Scottish actor (b. 1923)
- 1993 - Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (b. 1913)
- 1994 - Harry Nilsson, American musician (b. 1941)
- 1998 - Junior Wells, American musician (b. 1934)

2000 onwards


- 2000 - Zeljko Raznatovic, Serbian leader (b. 1952)
- 2000 - Fran Ryan, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2001 - Ted Mann, American screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 2003 - Doris Fisher, American singer and songwriter (b. 1915)
- 2005 - Deem Bristow, American video game voice actor (b. 1947)
- 2005 - Victoria de los Angeles, Catalan soprano (b. 1923)
- 2005 - Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Elizabeth Janeway, American author (b. 1913)
- 2005 - Dan Lee, Canadian animator (b. 1969)
- 2005 - Ruth Warrick, American actress (b. 1915)

Holidays and observances


- Roman Empire - Second day of the Carmentalia in honor of Carmenta
- Roman Catholic Church - Saint Ides, virgin, died Jan. 15, 570
- Malawi - John Chilembwe Day
- North Korea - Hangul Day
- United States - Traditionally, Martin Luther King Day
- Kerala in India - Makaravilakku or Makara Sankranthy at Sabarimala
- Jallikattu in South India
- Wikipedia Day

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/15 BBC: On This Day] ---- January 14 - January 16 - December 15 - February 15 — listing of all days ko:1월 15일 ja:1月15日 simple:January 15 th:9 มกราคม

Vishu

Vishu (വിഷൂ) is a festival held in the state of Kerala (and adjoining areas of Tamil Nadu) in India around the first day in the Malayalam month of Medam (March – April). Though this is not the New Year's Day in the Malayalam Calendar, people of Kerala consider Vishu the beginning of a new year. This occasion signifies the Sun's transit to the zodiac Mesha Mesha Raasi as per Indian astrological calculations. This day is celebrated in almost all places in India by the Hindus albeit by different names. In Bihar this day is called Bihu, in Punjab Baisakhi and in Tamil Nadu Puthandu. The festival is marked with offerings to the divine called Vishukkani. The offerings consist of a ritual arrangement of auspicious articles like raw rice, fresh linen, golden cucumber, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror, the yellow flowers konna (Cassia fistula), and a holy text and coins, in a bell metal vessel called uruli. A lighted bell metal lamp called nilavilakku is also placed alongside. This arrangement is completed by women overnight. It is believed that what you see and experience first on the Vishu day will foretell the whole year's prosperity. Hence people will land their first sight on auspicious materials - the above arrangement. Vishu is also a day of feasting, wherein the edibles consist of roughly equal proportions of salty, sweet, sour and bitter items. Feast items include 'Veppampoorasam' (a bitter preparation of neem) and 'Mampazhapachadi' (a sour mango soup). Category:Indian festivals

April 14

April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). There are 261 days remaining.

Events


- 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum. Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, who is killed.
- AD 69 - Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum and seizes the throne.
- 1028 - Henry III, son of Conrad, was elected king of the Germans.
- 1205 - Battle of Adrianople between Bulgars and Crusaders.
- 1450 - Battle of Formigny. French attack and nearly annihilate English, ending English domination in northern France.
- 1471 - In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeated the Lancastrians under Warwick at the battle of Barnet; the Earl of Warwick was killed and Edward IV resumed the throne.
- 1632 - Battle of Rain, Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War.
- 1775 - The first abolition society in the North America was established. The "Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage" was organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
- 1828 - Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.
- 1849 - Hungary declared itself independent of Austria with Louis Kossuth as its leader.
- 1860 - The first Pony Express rider reaches Sacramento, California.
- 1861 - At the start of the American Civil War, the battle of Fort Sumter ended after the Confederates under Beuaregard bombarded the fort with 4,000 shells. The first causualty of the Civil War died when his cannon backfired.
- 1864 - Battle at the Düppeler Schanzen: The Prussian Army defeats the Danish and finally separates Schleswig from Danmark, Schleswig becomes a part of Germany.
- 1865 - Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth; he dies the next day.
- 1890 - The Pan American Union was founded by the First International Conference of American States at their meeting in Washington. Known originally as the International Bureau of American Republics, William Elleroy Curtis became its first director.
- 1894 - Thomas Edison demonstrates the kinetoscope, a device for peep-show viewing using photographs that flip in sequence, a precursor to movies.
- 1910 - President William Howard Taft becomes the first president to throw out the first baseball on opening day.
- 1912 - The British ocean liner RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage, plunging beneath the waves and taking with it over 1,500 lives at about 2:20 a.m. the following morning.
- 1931 - Spanish Cortes deposes King Alfonso XIII and proclaims the 2nd Spanish Republic.
- 1935 - "Black Sunday", the worst dust storm of the Dust Bowl.
- 1935 - Babe Ruth played his first National League game in Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. He was playing for the Boston Braves, not his old team the Red Sox, in this, his last year of pro ball in the major leagues. In this season, Ruth played 28 games, getting 13 hits and six home runs, before retiring.
- 1940 - Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway, occupying key points, preparatory to a larger force arriving two days later.
- 1944 - Huge explosion rocks the Bombay harbour killing 300 and causing a loss of 20 million pounds at that time. See: Bombay Explosion (1944).
- 1956 - Videotape is first demonstrated at the 1956 NARTB (now NAB) convention in Chicago, Illinois. It was the demonstation of the first practical and commercially successful format called 2" Quadruplex.
- 1962 - Georges Pompidou becomes Prime Minister of France.
- 1964 - A Delta rocket's third-stage motor prematurely ignites in an assembly room at Canaveral, killing 3.
- 1965 - In Cold Blood killers Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, convicted of murdering four members of the Herbert Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, are executed by hanging at the Kansas State Penitentiary For Men in Lansing, Kansas.
- 1969 - At the Academy Awards, a tie between Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand results in the two sharing the Best Actress Oscar; Hepburn also becomes the only actress to win three Best Actress Oscars.
- 1981 - The Space Shuttle Columbia passes its first test flight.
- 1986 - In retaliation for the April 5 bombing of the La Belle Discotheque in West Berlin in which two U.S. servicemen were killed, Ronald Reagan ordered major bombing raids against Tripoli and Benghazi, in Libya, which killed 60 people.
- 1986 - 2.2 lb (1 kg) hailstones fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92. These are the heaviest hailstones ever recorded.
- 1988 - USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will. U.S. retaliates against Iran on April 18 with Operation Praying Mantis, the world's largest naval battle since World War II.
- 2003 - Human Genome Project successfully completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
- 2003 - Jean Charest's Parti libéral du Québec defeats Bernard Landry and the Parti Québécois in Quebec's general elections.

Births


- 1336 - Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan (d. 1374)
- 1527 - Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (d. 1598)
- 1572 - Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1632)
- 1578 - King Philip III of Spain (d. 1621)
- 1629 - Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician & astronomer (d. 1695)
- 1714 - Adam Gib, Scottish religious leader (d. 1788)
- 1788 - David G. Burnet, interim president of the Republic of Texas (d. 1870)
- 1827 - Augustus Pitt-Rivers, English archaeologist (d. 1900)
- 1868 - Peter Behrens, German architect and designer (d. 1940)
- 1872 - Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Islamic scholar and translator (d. 1953)
- 1886 - Ernst Robert Curtius, Alsatian philologist (d. 1956)
- 1897 - Claire Windsor, American actress (d. 1972)
- 1902 - Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Ukrainian rabbi (d. 1994)
- 1904 - Sir John Gielgud, English actor (d. 2000)
- 1907 - François Duvalier, Haitian politician (d. 1971)
- 1917 - Marvin Miller, American labor activist
- 1921 - Thomas Schelling, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1925 - Abel Muzorewa, Prime Minster of Zimbabwe
- 1925 - Gene Ammons, American jazz saxophonist (d. 1974)
- 1925 - Rod Steiger, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1930 - Bradford Dillman, American actor
- 1933 - Morton Subotnick, American composer
- 1935 - Erich von Däniken, Swiss writer
- 1936 - Kenneth Mars, American actor
- 1936 - Frank Serpico, American policeman
- 1940 - Loretta Lynn, American singer
- 1941 - Julie Christie, British actress
- 1941 - Pete Rose, baseball player
- 1942 - Valeri Brumel, Russian athlete (d. 2003)
- 1942 - Valentin Lebedev, cosmonaut
- 1945 - Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist
- 1949 - John Shea, American actor
- 1951 - Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist and composer
- 1960 - Brad Garrett, American actor
- 1961 - Robert Carlyle, British actor
- 1966 - David Justice, baseball player
- 1966 - Greg Maddux, baseball player
- 1968 - Anthony Michael Hall, American actor
- 1973 - Adrien Brody, American actor
- 1974 - Da Brat, American rapper
- 1975 - Amy Dumas, American professional wrestler
- 1977 - Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress
- 1983 - James McFadden, Scottish footballer

Deaths


- 1132 - Prince Mstislav of Kiev (b. 1076)
- 1279 - Duke Boleslaus of Greater Poland
- 1322 - Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere, English soldier (b. 1275)
- 1345 - Richard Aungerville, English bishop and writer (b. 1287)
- 1471 - Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, English kingmaker (b. 1428)
- 1574 - Louis of Nassau, Dutch general (killed in battle) (b. 1538)
- 1578 - James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, consort of Mary I of Scotland
- 1599 - Henry Wallop, English statesman
- 1662 - William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English statesman (b. 1582)
- 1682 - Avvakum, Russian priest and writer (b. 1621)
- 1716 - Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, British admiral
- 1721 - Michel Chamillart, French statesman (b. 1652)
- 1759 - George Frideric Handel, German composer (b. 1685)
- 1785 - William Whitehead, English writer (b. 1715)
- 1792 - Maximilian Hell, Slovakian astronomer (b. 1720)
- 1912 - Henri Brisson, French statesman (b. 1835)
- 1914 - Hubert Bland, English co-founder of the Fabian Society (b. 1855)
- 1917 - Ludovich Lazarus Zamenhof, Polish creator of Esperanto (b. 1859)
- 1925 - John Singer Sargent, English artist (b. 1856)
- 1930 - Vladimir Mayakovsky, Russian writer (b. 1893)
- 1935 - Amalie Emmy Noether, German mathematician (b. 1882)
- 1964 - Rachel Carson, American writer and environmentalist (b. 1907)
- 1968 - Al Benton, baseball player (b. 1911)
- 1975 - Fredric March, American actor (b. 1897)
- 1986 - Simone de Beauvoir, French feminist writer (b. 1908)
- 1995 - Burl Ives, American singer and actor (b. 1909)
- 1999 - Ellen Corby, American actress (b. 1911)
- 1999 - Anthony Newley, British actor and singer (b. 1931)
- 2000 - Phil Katz, American computer programmer (b. 1962)
- 2001 - Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances


- New Year Celebrations in parts of India and whole of Sri Lanka
- Baisakhi - [Celeberations in Punjab, India]
- Poila Baisakh - [Celeberations in Bengal, India]
- Vishu - [Harvest festival in Kerala, India]
- Black Day - informal celebration day for single people in South Korea
- Youth Day in Angola

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/14 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.tnl.net/when/4/14 Today in History: April 14] ---- April 13 - April 15 - March 14 - May 14 -- listing of all days ko:4월 14일 ja:4月14日 simple:April 14 th:14 เมษายน

Malayalam calendar

The Malayalam calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in the South Indian state of Kerala. It has twelve months: #Chingam. "Onam", the most important festival of Kerala, is celebrated during this month. This comes during August or September of Gregorian Calendar. #Kanni #Thulam #Vrischikam #Dhanu #Makaram #Kumbham #Meenam #Medam #Edavam #Midhunam #Karkidakam. The last month, it is celebrated as Ramayanamasam. The months are named after the constellations in which the Sun is seen during the period. Thus Chingom (from Simham or Lion) is named after the constellation Leo. The Malayalam era called KollaVarsham (or Kollam era) was established in 825 CE. Some historians attribute the founding of this era to King Udaya Marthanda Varma, King of Venad. Interestingly parts of central Kerala consider Medam as the start of the year cycle. The Vishu festival signifies the start of the new year comes generally in middle of April.

See also


- Hindu calendar
- Bengali calendar

External link


- [http://www.keralakaumudi.com/calender2005/CAL2005.pdf Year 2005 Malayalam Calendar]
- [http://www.gods-own-country.info/astro.htm A Sample Malayalam Calendar]
- [http://www.deepika.com/calendar/ Commonly used Malayalam Calendar with both normal (Julian) calendar, the Malayalam calendar and other details sun rise and set times, holidays etc.]
- [http://www.prokerala.com/general/calendar/ Malayalam Calendar (Kolla Varsham) showing the day, dates, janma nakshatram and important events of the past 46 years.] Category:Specific calendars Category:Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram

:This article is about Thiruvananthapuram City. For information about the district , see Thiruvananthapuram district. Thiruvananthapuram (Malayalam: തിരുവനന്തപുരം), formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. The city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills with narrow winding lanes and busy commercial alleys. With a population of 889,191 (as of 2001) it is the second biggest city in Kerala after Cochin (Kochi). The city, being the state capital houses many government offices, organizations and companies. Apart from being the political nerve center of Kerala, it is also a major academic hub and houses several premier educational institutions including the Kerala University. Thiruvananthapuram is also home to many science and technology institutions, the most prominent being the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

Origin of name

Thiruvananthapuram literally means Thiru (Great/Lord) Ananthan's Puram (City). The name derives from the main deity of a Hindu temple at the centre of the city. Ananthan is the serpent Sesha on whom Padmanabhan or Vishnu reclines. The temple of Anantha, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is the most recognizable icon of the city. The city was officially known as Trivandrum till 1991. The name is still in common use and most non-Keralites prefer to use Trivandrum.

History

Thiruvananthapuram is an ancient city with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BC. It was a trading post for spices like the rest of ancient Kerala. However the ancient political and cultural history of the city was almost entirely independent from that of the rest of Kerala. The early rulers of the city were the Ays. With their fall in the 10th century, the city was taken over by the rulers of Venad. The rise of modern Thiruvananthapuram began