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This is a Safavid illuminated and illustrated collection of the Ḫamse (quintet), written in Çaġatāy (eastern Turkic), composed by the celebrated ʿAlī Šīr Nevāʾī (d. 906 AH / 1501 CE), and inspired by the Persian Khamse of Niẓāmī and Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī. This copy dates to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE and has five double-page illustrations in the early Safavid court style. Each double-page illustration introduces the following individual poems: Kitāb-i ḫeyrāt ül-ebrār (fols. 1b-2a), Kitāb-i Ferhād va Şīrīn (fols. 45b-46a), Kitāb-i Mecnūn va Leylā (fols. 108b-109a), Kitāb-i Heşt bihişt (fols. 147b-148a), and Kitāb-i Iskendernāme (fols. 199b-200a). Each poem is also introduced by an illuminated incipit (fols. 2b, 46b, 109b, 148b, and 200b). The brown goatskin binding has a central lobed oval with pendants and cornerpieces brushed with gold. It is possibly attributable to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE.
Alexander the Great in search of the fountain of life.
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This is a Safavid illuminated and illustrated collection of the Ḫamse (quintet), written in Çaġatāy (eastern Turkic), composed by the celebrated ʿAlī Šīr Nevāʾī (d. 906 AH / 1501 CE), and inspired by the Persian Khamse of Niẓāmī and Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī. This copy dates to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE and has five double-page illustrations in the early Safavid court style. Each double-page illustration introduces the following individual poems: Kitāb-i ḫeyrāt ül-ebrār (fols. 1b-2a), Kitāb-i Ferhād va Şīrīn (fols. 45b-46a), Kitāb-i Mecnūn va Leylā (fols. 108b-109a), Kitāb-i Heşt bihişt (fols. 147b-148a), and Kitāb-i Iskendernāme (fols. 199b-200a). Each poem is also introduced by an illuminated incipit (fols. 2b, 46b, 109b, 148b, and 200b). The brown goatskin binding has a central lobed oval with pendants and cornerpieces brushed with gold. It is possibly attributable to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE.
A courtyard scene.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
This is a Safavid illuminated and illustrated collection of the Ḫamse (quintet), written in Çaġatāy (eastern Turkic), composed by the celebrated ʿAlī Šīr Nevāʾī (d. 906 AH / 1501 CE), and inspired by the Persian Khamse of Niẓāmī and Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī. This copy dates to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE and has five double-page illustrations in the early Safavid court style. Each double-page illustration introduces the following individual poems: Kitāb-i ḫeyrāt ül-ebrār (fols. 1b-2a), Kitāb-i Ferhād va Şīrīn (fols. 45b-46a), Kitāb-i Mecnūn va Leylā (fols. 108b-109a), Kitāb-i Heşt bihişt (fols. 147b-148a), and Kitāb-i Iskendernāme (fols. 199b-200a). Each poem is also introduced by an illuminated incipit (fols. 2b, 46b, 109b, 148b, and 200b). The brown goatskin binding has a central lobed oval with pendants and cornerpieces brushed with gold. It is possibly attributable to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE.
Incipit page with illuminated titlepiece.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
This Boeing 747-46B took its first flight on January 23, 1989...(c/n 24123/ 1663)
24/04/1989 Novair G-BOPJ
18/05/1990 British Midland Airways G-BOPJ
05/11/1991 British Midland Airways G-OBMN
19/12/1997 Futura International EC-GRX
12/02/2005 Lionair PK-LII preserved at Keramas Aero Park, Gianyar in June 2016 as an educational trainer...
Se presentó el libro “Dioses del Capitalismo”, del senador uruguayo, Eduardo Lorier en el Palacio Legislativo.
This is a Safavid illuminated and illustrated collection of the Ḫamse (quintet), written in Çaġatāy (eastern Turkic), composed by the celebrated ʿAlī Šīr Nevāʾī (d. 906 AH / 1501 CE), and inspired by the Persian Khamse of Niẓāmī and Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī. This copy dates to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE and has five double-page illustrations in the early Safavid court style. Each double-page illustration introduces the following individual poems: Kitāb-i ḫeyrāt ül-ebrār (fols. 1b-2a), Kitāb-i Ferhād va Şīrīn (fols. 45b-46a), Kitāb-i Mecnūn va Leylā (fols. 108b-109a), Kitāb-i Heşt bihişt (fols. 147b-148a), and Kitāb-i Iskendernāme (fols. 199b-200a). Each poem is also introduced by an illuminated incipit (fols. 2b, 46b, 109b, 148b, and 200b). The brown goatskin binding has a central lobed oval with pendants and cornerpieces brushed with gold. It is possibly attributable to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE.
Ferhād carrying Şīrīn and her dead horse on his shoulders.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
The Qutb complex (Hindi: क़ुतुब, Urdu: قطب), also spelled Qutab or Qutub, is an array of monuments and buildings at Mehrauli in Delhi, India. The best-known structure in the complex is the Qutb Minar, built to honor the Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. Its foundation was laid by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who later became the first Sultan of Delhi of the Mamluk dynasty. After the death of the viceroy, the Minar was added upon by his successor Iltutmish (a.k.a. Altamash) and much later by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a Tughlaq dynasty Sultan of Delhi in 1368 AD. the construction of the Qubbat-ul-Islam Mosque or Dome of Islam [later corrupted into Quwwat-ul Islam] next to the Qutb Minar, in the Qutb complex, built on the ruins of Lal Kot Fort built by Tomar Rajput ruler, Anangpal in 739 CE and Qila-Rai-Pithora, Prithviraj Chauhan's city, the Rajput king, whom Ghori's Afghan armies had earlier defeated and killed, at the Second Battle of Tarain.
The complex was added to by many subsequent rulers, including Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Ala ud din Khilji as well as the British. Other structures in the complex are the Qutb Minar, the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, the Alai Gate, the Alai Minar, the Iron pillar, and the tombs of Iltutmish, Alauddin Khilji and Imam Zamin, surrounded by Jain temple ruins.
Today, the adjoining area spread over with a host of old monuments, including Balban's tomb, has been developed by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and INTACH has restored some 40 monuments in the Park. It is also the venue of the annual 'Qutub Festival', held in November–December, where artists, musicians and dancers perform over three days. The Qutb Minar complex, with 3.9 million visitors, was India's most visited monument in 2006, ahead of the Taj Mahal, which drew about 2.5 million visitors.
ALAI DARWAZA
The Alai Darwaza is the main gateway from southern side of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. It was built by the second Khilji Sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji in 1311 AD, who also added a court to the pillared to the eastern side. The domed gateway is decorated with red sandstone and inlaid white marble decorations, inscriptions in Naskh script, latticed stone screens and showcases the remarkable craftsmanship of the Turkish artisans who worked on it. This is the first building in India to employ Islamic architecture principles in its construction and ornamentation.
The Slave dynasty did not employ true Islamic architecture styles and used false domes and false arches. This makes the Alai Darwaza, the earliest example of first true arches and true domes in India. It is considered to be one of the most important buildings built in the Delhi sultanate period. With its pointed arches and spearhead of fringes, identified as lotus buds, it adds grace to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque to which it served as an entrance.
QUTB MINAR
The Qutb Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world, inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan, it is an important example of early Afghan architecture, which later evolved into Indo-Islamic Architecture. The Qutb Minar is 72.5 metres high, has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony carried on muqarnas corbel and tapers from a diameter 14.3 metres at the base to 2.7 metres at the top, which is 379 steps away. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with surrounding buildings and monuments.
Built as a Victory Tower, to celebrate the victory of Mohammed Ghori over the Rajput king, Prithviraj Chauhan, in 1192 AD, by his then viceroy, Qutbuddin Aibak, later the first Sultan of Mamluk dynasty. Its construction also marked the beginning of Muslim rule in India. Even today the Qutb remains one of the most important "Towers of Victory" in the Islamic world. Aibak however, could only build the first storey, for this reason the lower storey is replete with eulogies to Mohammed Ghori. The next three floors were added by his son-in-law and successor, Iltutmish. The minar was first struck by lightning in 1368 AD, which knocked off its top storey, after that it was replaced by the existing two floors by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a later Sultan of Delhi 1351 to 1388, and faced with white marble and sandstone enhancing the distinctive variegated look of the minar, as seen in lower three storeys. Thus the structure displays a marked variation in architectural styles from Aibak to that of Tughlaq dynasty. The inside has intricate carvings of the verses from the Quran.
The minar made with numerous superimposed flanged and cylindrical shafts in the interior, and fluted columns on the exterior, which have a 40 cm thick veneer of red and buff coloured sandstone; all surrounded by bands of intricate carving in Kufic style of Islamic calligraphy, giving the minar the appearance of bundled reeds. It stands just outside the Quwwatul mosque, and an Arabic inscription suggests that it might have been built to serve as a place for the muezzin, to call the faithfuls for namaz. Also marking a progression in era, is the appearance of inscriptions in a bold and cursive Thuluth script of calligraphy on the Qutb Minar, distinguished by strokes that thicken on the top, as compared to Kufic in earlier part of the construction.
Inscriptions also indicate further repairs by Sultan Sikander Lodi in 1503, when it was struck by lightning once again. In 1802, the cupola on the top was thrown down and the whole pillar was damaged by an earthquake. It was repaired by Major R. Smith of the Royal Engineers who restored the Qutub Minar in 1823 replacing the cupola with a Bengali-style chhatri which was later removed by Governor General, Lord Hardinge in 1848, as it looked out of place, and now stands in the outer lawns of the complex, popularly known as Smith's Folly.
After an accident involving school children, entry to the Qutub Minar is closed to public since 1981, while Qutub archaeological area remains open for public. In 2004, Seismic monitors were installed on the minar, which revealed in 2005 Delhi earthquake, no damage or substantial record of shakes. The reason for this has been cited as the use of lime mortar and rubble masonry which absorbs the tremors; it is also built on rocky soil, which further protects it during earthquakes.
QUWWAT-UL-ISLAM MOSQUE
Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque(Arabic: قوة الإسلام ) (might of Islam) (also known as the Qutub Mosque or the Great Mosque of Delhi) was built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, founder of the Mamluk or Slave dynasty. It was the first mosque built in Delhi after the Islamic conquest of India and the oldest surviving example of Ghurids architecture in Indian subcontinent. The construction of this Jami Masjid (Friday Mosque), started in the year 1193 AD, when Aibak was the commander of Muhammad Ghori's garrison that occupied Delhi. The Qutub Minar was built simultaneously with the mosque but appears to be a stand-alone structure, built as the 'Minar of Jami Masjid', for the muezzin to perform adhan, call for prayer, and also as a qutub, an Axis or Pole of Islam. It is reminiscent in style and design of the Adhai-din-ka Jhonpra or Ajmer mosque at Ajmer, Rajasthan, also built by Aibak during the same time, also constructed by demolishing earlier temples and a Sanskrit school, at the site.
According to a Persian inscription still on the inner eastern gateway, the mosque was built by the parts taken by destruction of twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples built previously during Tomars and Prithvi Raj Chauhan, and leaving certain parts of the temple outside the mosque proper. Historical records compiled by Muslim historian Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai attest to the iconoclasm of Qutb-ud-din Aibak. This pattern of iconoclasm was common during his reign, although an argument goes that such iconoclasm was motivated more by politics than by religion.
However, many historians were unanimous regarding the fact that Qutb ud-Din Aibaq like many other Muslim rulers, had a pathological bigotry and distaste towards henotheistic values, and intolerance on cultures considered anathema in Islamic dogma, which had impelled him to vandalise those historic monuments.
The mosque is built on a raised and paved courtyard, measuring 43x32 m, surrounded by pillared cloisters added by Iltutmish between 1210 and 1220 AD. The stone screen between prayer hall and the courtyard, stood 16 m at its highest was added in 1196 AD, the corbelled arches had Arabic inscriptions and motifs. Entrances to the courtyard, also uses ornate mandap dome from temples, whose pillars are used extensively throughout the edifice, and in the sanctuary beyond the tall arched screens. What survives today of the sanctuary on the western side are the arched screens in between, which once led to a series of aisles with low-domed ceilings for worshippers. Expansion of the mosque continued after the death of Qutb. Qutbuddin's successor Iltutmish, extended the original prayer hall screen by three more arches. By the time of Iltutmish, the Mamluk empire had stabilised enough that the Sultan could replace most of his conscripted Hindu masons with Muslims. This explains why the arches added under Iltutmish are stylistically more Islamic than the ones erected under Qutb's rule, also because the material used wasn't from demolished temples. Some additions to the mosque were also done by Alauddin Khilji, including the Alai Darwaza, the formal entrance to the mosque in red sandstone and white marble, and a court to the east of the mosque in 1300 AD.
The mosque is in ruins today but indigenous corbelled arches, floral motifs, and geometric patterns can be seen among the Islamic architectural structures. To the west of the Quwwat ul-Islam mosque is the tomb of Iltutmish which was built by the monarch in 1235.
IRON PILLAR
The iron pillar is one of the world’s foremost metallurgical curiosities. The pillar, 7.21-metre high and weighing more than six tonnes, was originally erected by Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375–414 AD) in front of a Vishnu Temple complex at Udayagiri around 402 AD, and later shifted by Anangpal in 10th century CE from Udaygiri to its present location. Anangpal built a Vishnu Temple here and wanted this pillar to be a part of that temple.
The estimated weight of the decorative bell of the pillar is 646 kg while the main body weighs 5865 kg, thus making the entire pillar weigh 6511 kg. The pillar bears an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi script dating 4th century AD, which indicates that the pillar was set up as a Vishnudhvaja, standard of god, on the hill known as Vishnupada in memory of a mighty king named Chandra, believed to Chandragupta II. A deep socket on the top of this ornate capital suggests that probably an image of Garuda was fixed into it, as common in such flagpoles.
TOMS
IOMB OF ILTUTMISH
The tomb of the Delhi Sultanate ruler, Iltutmish, the second Sultan of Delhi (r. 1211–1236 AD), built 1235 CE, is also part of the Qutb Minar Complex in Mehrauli, New Delhi. The central chamber is a 9 mt. sq. and has squinches, suggesting the existence of a dome, which has since collapsed. The main cenotaph, in white marble, is placed on a raised platform in the centre of the chamber. The facade is known for its ornate carving, both at the entrance and the interior walls. The interior west wall has a prayer niche (mihrab) decorated with marble, and a rich amalgamation of Hindu motives into Islamic architecture, such as bell-and-chain, tassel, lotus, diamond emblems.
In 1914, during excavations by Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) Gordon Sanderson, the grave chamber was discovered. From the north of the tomb 20 steps lead down to the actual burial vault.
ALA-UD-DIN KHILJI´S TOMB AND MADRASA
At the back of the complex, southwest of the mosque, stands an L-shaped construction, consisting of Alauddin Khilji's tomb dating ca 1316 AD, and a madrasa, an Islamic seminary built by him. Khilji was the second Sultan of Delhi from Khilji dynasty, who ruled from 1296 to 1316 AD.
The central room of the building, which has his tomb, has now lost its dome, though many rooms of the seminary or college are intact, and since been restored. There were two small chambers connected to the tomb by passages on either side. Fergusson in his book suggested the existence, to the west of the tomb, of seven rooms, two of which had domes and windows. The remains of the tomb building suggest that there was an open courtyard on the south and west sides of the tomb building, and that one room in the north served as an entrance.
It was the first example in India, of a tomb standing alongside a madarsa. Nearby stands the Alai Minar, an ambitious tower, he started constructing to rival the Qutub Minar, though he died when only its first storey was built and its construction abandoned thereafter. It now stands, north of the mosque.
The tomb is in a very dilapidated condition. It is believed that Ala-ud-din's body was brought to the complex from Siri and buried in front of the mosque, which formed part of the madrasa adjoining the tomb. Firoz Shah Tughluq, who undertook repairs of the tomb complex, mentioned a mosque within the madrasa.
ALAI MINAR
Alauddin Khilji started building the Alai Minar, after he had doubled the size of Quwwat ul-Islam mosque. He conceived this tower to be two times higher than Qutb Minar in proportion with the enlarged mosque. The construction was however abandoned, just after the completion of the 24.5-metre-high first-story core; soon after death of Ala-ud-din in 1316, and never taken up by his successors of Khilji dynasty. The first story of the Alai Minar, a giant rubble masonry core, still stands today, which was evidently intended to be covered with dressed stone later on. Noted Sufi poet and saint of his times, Amir Khusro in his work, Tarikh-i-Alai, mentions Ala-ud-din's intentions to extend the mosque and also constructing another minar.
OTHER MONUMENTS
A short distance west of the enclosure, in Mehrauli village, is the Tomb of Adham Khan who, according to legend drove the beautiful Hindu singer Roopmati to suicide following the capture of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh. When Akbar became displeased with him he ended up being heaved off a terrace in the Agra Fort. Several archaeological monuments dot the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, including the Balban's tomb, Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb.
There are some summer palaces in the area: the Zafar Mahal, the Jahaz Mahal next to Hauz-i-Shamsi lake, and the tombs of the later Mughal kings of Delhi, inside a royal enclosure near the dargah shrine of Sufi saint, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. Here an empty space between two of the tombs, sargah, was intended for the last king of Delhi, who died in exile in Rangoon, Burma, in 1862, following his implication in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Also standing nearby is the Moti Masjid mosque in white marble. The ruins of the alai minar are currently in the qutb complex.
WIKIPEDIA
ISLANDS off CARIA, Rhodos. Rhodes. Circa 404-385 BC. AR Tetradrachm (15.22 g, 1h). Head of Helios facing slightly right / Rose with bud to left; POΔION above; to right, Φ above wreath; all within incuse square. Hecatomnus 69a (A45/P57) = Bérend 40 (this coin); Ashton 35; SNG Keckman -; SNG von Aulock -; BMC -; SNG Copenhagen -. EF, beautifully toned. Very rare, only five examples known of this issue, from two obverse and two reverse dies.
Ex Millenia Collection (Goldberg 46B, 26 May 2008), lot 45; de Guermantes Collection (Leu 86, 5 May 2003), lot 411; Marmaris Hoard (IGCH 1209).
The polis Rhodes was created out of a synoecism of the cities of Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos in 408/7 BC, and immediately began to issue a series of coinage that endured until the Roman era. The rose was chosen as the perennial reverse type, a punning allusion to the city's name. The obverse type was usually the head of Helios, the patron deity of the new polis, but occasionally the nymph Rhodos appeared. Until the end of the Rhodian series, these types adorned the coins, with a few exceptional issues that featured novel designs. The Chian standard was employed, although after a reduction in the late 340s, the standard is commonly called 'Rhodian.' The first issue of Rhodian coinage was a brief, yet large issue of tetradrachms, that stand among the finest pieces of Classical Greek art. On the obverse, the head of Helios is displayed in a nearly frontal position. Such facing head coins were not novel by this time, but the boldness of the design and the particularly high relief of the dies sets the Rhodian coinage apart from all others. Moreover, this facing head type was the standard obverse type for most of the Rhodian issues. The tetradrachm was the primary denomination until the later 4th century, when the didrachm became preeminent. Both of these denominations were supplemented by a wide variety of fractions, in both silver and bronze, and the tetradrachm was also issued on occasion after the 4th century. Around 190 BC, the coinage system was completely reorganized, with the primary denomination being the drachm, struck on a standard called 'plinthophoric' for the square incuse around the reverse type (plinthos = brick or ingot). Gold coinage was issued on only very rare occasions, and not until the 2nd century BC. As noted by Ashton, the coinage was issued fairly regularly, with occasional spikes in production that correlate to either construction work (e.g. the building of the Colossus) or military necessity. As a primary trading center in the Mediterranean, it is not surprising that the bulk of the coinage of Rhodes appears to have been used for regular state expenditure, such as maintaining its fleet, paying mercenaries, making contributions to the Nesiotic League (revived by Rhodes circa 200 BC), paying state officials, and maintaining a system that cared for its needy citizens (Ashton, pp. 96-7). The massive amount of coinage struck by Rhodes is evidenced by the adoption of the Rhodian weight standard by many other cities in the Hellenistic period, as well as the large amounts of Rhodian coins found in hoards today.
CNGTriton13, 210
This is an Ottoman illuminated and illustrated Turkish version of ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt (Wonders of creation) by Zakarīyā al-Qazwīnī (d. 692 AH / 1293 CE), made at the request of the Vizier Murtaza Paşa (Murtaḍá Pāshā) (fl. eleventh century AH / seventeenth CE). The codex was completed in 1121 AH / 1717 CE by Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad Shākir Rūzmah-ʾi Nāthānī. There are 444 paintings illustrating the text. The binding is not original to the manuscript.
Bastien und Bastienne (Bastien and Bastienne), K. 50 (revised in 1964 to K. 46b) is a one-act singspiel, a comic opera, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Bastien und Bastienne was one of Mozart's earliest operas, written in 1768 when he was only twelve years old. It was allegedly commissioned by Viennese physician and 'magnetist' Dr. Franz Mesmer (who himself would later be parodied in Così fan tutte) as a satire of the 'pastoral' genre then prevalent, and specifically as a parody of the opera Le devin du village by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.[1] The German libretto is by Friedrich Wilhelm Weiskern, Johann Heinrich Friedrich Müller (de) and Johann Andreas Schachtner, based on Les Amours de Bastien et Bastienne by Justine Favart and Harny de Guerville. After its supposed premiere in Mesmer's garden theater (that is only corroborated by an unverified account of Nissen), it was not revived again until 1890. It is not clear whether this piece was performed in Mozart's lifetime. The first known performance was on 2 October 1890 at Architektenhaus in Berlin.[2]
The opera is written in both French and German manners. Many of the melodies are French in manner, but Bastienne's first aria is true German lied. This melody is also used in Mozart's Trio in G for Piano, Violin and Violoncello, K. 564 (1788). Another purely German lied is Bastienne's aria "I feel certain of his heart".[1] Mozart utilizes the orchestra sparingly, with the exception of the reconciliation scene.[1]
The opening theme of Mozart's overture resembles that of the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony no. 3, Eroica (in a different key). It is unlikely that Beethoven was familiar with Mozart's youthful opera. In any case, opening a movement with an arpeggio of the tonic chord was an extremely common occurrence in the Classical period. The resemblance is likely coincidental.
Although he was very young, Mozart already had excellent vocal writing skills and a knack for parody and whimsy which would reach full flower in his later works. Bastien und Bastienne is possibly the easiest to perform of Mozart's juvenile works. wikipedia
A Persian version of the famous "Wonders of creation" (ʿAjā’ib al-makhlūqāt) by Zakariyāʾ al-Qazwīnī (d. 682 AH / 1283 CE). Composed by Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Ṭūsī (fl. 6th century AH /12th CE), this manuscript, which may have been copied by an Iranian scribe, was illustrated with 181 miniatures (including a double-page map of the world) by several artists probably in Turkey in the 10th century AH / 16th CE. First half of a double-page opening decoration carrying the title of the book and the first page of the text.
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Gwalior Fort (Hindi: ग्वालियर क़िला Gwalior Qila) is an 8th-century hill fort near Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, central India. The fort consists of a defensive structure and two main palaces, Gurjari Mahal and Man Mandir, built by Man Singh Tomar. The fort has been controlled by a number of different rulers over time. The Gurjari Mahal palace was built for Queen Mrignayani. It is now an archaeological museum.
ETYMOLOGY
The word Gwalior is derived from one of the Hindu words for saint, Gwalipa.
TOPOGRAPHY
The fort is built on an outcrop of Vindhyan sandstone on a solitary, rocky, long, thin, steep hill called Gopachal. The geology of the Gwalior range rock formations is ochre coloured sandstone covered with basalt. There is a horizontal strata, 104 m at its highest point (length 2.4 km and average width 910 m). The stratum forms a near perpendicular precipice. A small river, the Swarnrekha, flows close to the palace.
RULERS
Legend tells that Suraj Sen Kachwaha, chieftain of the nearby Silhonia village was on a hunting trip. He came upon the hermit, Gwalipa (Galava) who gave the chieftain healing water from the Surajkund reservoir. In gratitude for the healing of leprosy, the chieftain founded Gwalior, naming it after Gwalipa. The earliest record of the fort is 525 AD where it is mentioned in an inscription in the temple of the Huna emperor, Mihirakula (510 AD). Near the fort is an 875 AD Chaturbhuj temple associated with Telika Mandir.
PAL DYNASTY OF KACHAWAHA
The Pal dynasty of 86 kings ruled for 989 years. It began with Budha Pal and concluded with Suraj Pal. Budha Pal's son was Tej Karan (1127 - 1128). Gwalipa prophesied that the Pal dynasty would continue while the patronym, Pal was kept. Tej Keran married the daughter of Ran Mul, ruler of Amber (Jaipur) and received a valuable dowry. Tej Keran was offered the reign of Amber as long as he made it his residence. He did so, leaving Gwalior under Ram Deva Pratihar.
GUJARA-PRATIHARA DYNASTY
The Gurjara-Pratihar dynasty at Gwalior included Pramal Dev, Salam Dev, Bikram Dev, Ratan Dev, Shobhang Dev, Narsinh Dev and Pramal Dev.
TURKIC CONQUEST
In 1023 AD, Mahmud of Ghazni unsuccessfully attacked the fort. In 1196 AD, after a long siege, Qutubuddin Aibak, first Turkic sultan of Delhi took the fort, ruling till 1211 AD. In 1231 AD, the fort taken by Iltumish, Turkic sultan of Delhi. Under attack from Timurlane, Narasingh Rao, a Jaina chieftain captured the fort.
TOMAR RULERS
The Rajput Tomara clan ruled Gwalior from 1398 (when Pramal Dev captured the fort from a Muslim ruler) to 1518 (when Vikramaditya was defeated by Ibrahim lodhi).
Pramal Dev (Ver Singh, Bir Sing Deo) 1375.
Uddhharan Dev (brother of Pramal Dev).
Lakshman Dev Tomar
Viramdev 1400 (son of Virsingh Dev).
Ganapati Dev Tomar 1419.
Dugarendra (Dungar) Singh 1424.
Kirti Singh Tomar 1454.
Mangal Dev (younger son of Kirti Singh).
Kalyanmalla Tomar 1479.
Man Singh Tomar 1486 - 1516 (builder of the Man mandir).
Vikramaditya Tomar 1516.
Ramshah Tomar 1526.
Salivahan Tomar 1576.
SURI DYNASTY
In 1519, Ibrahim Lodi took the fort. After his death, control passed to the Mughal emperor Babur. Barber's son, Humayun, was defeated by Sher Shah Suri. After Suri's death in 1540, his son, Islam Shah, moved power from Delhi to Gwalior for strategic reasons. After the death of Islam Shah in 1553, his incumbent, Adil Shah Suri, appointed the Hindu warrior, Hemu (Hem Chandra Vikramaditya) as manager of Gwalior. From 1553 - 1556, Hemu attacked Adil Shah Suri and others from the fort.
MUGHAL DYNASTY
When the Mughal leader, Akbar captured the fort, he made it a prison for political prisoners. For example, Kamran, Akbar's cousin was held and executed at the fort. Aurangzeb's brother, Murad and nephews Suleman and Sepher Shikoh were also executed at the fort. The killings took place in the Man Madir palace.
RANA JAT DYNASTY
The Jats of Gohad occupied the fort on three occasions between 1740 and 1783. (Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana 1740 - 1756; Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana 1761 - 1767; and Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana 1780 - 1783).
MARATHA RULE
In 1779, the Scindia clan of the Maratha Empire stationed a garrison at the fort however, it was taken by the East India Company. In 1784, the Marathas under Mahadji Sinde, recovered the fort. There were frequent changes in the control of the fort between the Scindias and the British between 1808 and 1844. In January 1844, after the battle of Maharajpur, the fort was occupied by the Marathas as protectorate of the British government.
REBELLION OF 1857
On 1 June 1858, Rani Lakshmi Bai led a rebellion. The Central India Field Force, under General Hugh Rose, besieged the fort. Bai died on 17 June 1858.
STRUCTURES
The fort and its premises are well maintained and house many historic monuments including palaces, temples and water tanks. There are eleven temples to Gautama Buddha and the tirthankaras of Jainism. There are also a number of palaces (mahal) including the Man mandir, the Gujari, the Jahangir, the Karan, and the Shah Jahan. The fort covers an area of 3 square kilometres and rises 11 m. Its rampart is built around the edge of the hill, connected by six bastions or towers. The profile of the fort has an irregular appearance due to the undulating ground beneath. On the southern side are 21 temples cut into the rock with intricately carved tirthankaras. One, Pārśva, the 23rd local saint, is 12 m high.
There are two gates; one on the northeast side with a long access ramp and the other on the southwest. The main entrance is the ornate Elephant gate (Hathi Pol). The other is the Badalgarh Gate. The Man Mandir palace or citadel is located at the northeast end of the fort. It was built in the 1400s and refurbished in 1648. The water tanks or reservoirs of the fort could provide water to a 15,000 strong garrison, the number required to secure the fort.
MAN MANDIR PALACE
The Man mandir palace was built by the King of Tomar Dynasty - Maharaja Man Singh. It is a big palace with wonderful architecture, and beautiful art work done on its front as well as some interior walls.
HATHI POL
The Hathi Pol gate (or Hathiya Paur), located on the southeast, leads to the Man mandir palace. It is the last of a series of seven gates. It is named for a life-sized statue of an elephant (hathi) that once adorned the gate. The gate was built in stone with cylindrical towers crowned with cupola domes. Carved parapets link the domes.
GUJARI MAHAL MUSEUM
Gujari Mahal was built by Raja Man Singh for his wife Mrignayani, a Gujar princess. She demanded a separate palace for herself with a regular water supply through an aqueduct from the nearby Rai River. The palace has been converted into an archaeological museum. Rare artefacts at the museum include Hindu and Jain sculptures dated to the 1st and 2nd centuries BC; miniature statue of Salabhanjika; Terracotta items and replicas of frescoes seen in the Bagh Caves.
TELI KA MANDIR
The Teli-ka mandir (the oilman’s temple or oil pressers' temple) is a Brahmanical sanctuary built in the 8th (or perhaps the 11th century) and was refurbished between 1881 and 1883. It is the oldest part of the fort and has a blend of south and north Indian architectural styles. Within the rectangular structure is a shrine with no pillared pavilions (mandapa) and a Buddhist barrel-vaulted roof on a Hindu mandir. Buddhist architectural elements are found in the Chitya type hall and torana decorations at the entrance. There is a masonry tower in the nagari architectural style with a barrel vaulted roof 25 metres in height. The niches in the outer walls once housed statues but now have gavakshas (horse shoe arch) ventilator openings in the north Indian style. The gavaksha has been compared to the trefoil, a honeycomb design with a series of receding pointed arches within an arch. The entrance door has a torana or archway with sculpted images of river goddesses, romantic couples, foliation decoration and a Garuda. Diamond and lotus designs are seen on the horizontal band at the top of the arch indicating an influence from the Buddhist period. The vertical bands on either side of the door are decorated in a simple fashion with figures that are now badly damaged. Above the door are a small grouping of discs representing the finial (damalaka) of an Indo-Aryan Shikhara. The temple was originally dedicated to Vishnu, but later converted to the worship of Siva.
GARUDA MONUMENT
Close to the Teli ka Mandir temple is the Garuda monument, dedicated to Vishnu, is the highest in the fort. It has a mixture of Muslim and Indian architecture. The word Teli comes from the Hindu word Taali - a bell used in worship.
SAAS-BAHU TEMPLE
In 1093, the Pal Kachawaha rulers built two temples to Vishnu. The temples are pyramidal in shape, built of red sandstone with several stories of beams and pillars but no arches.
KAM MAHAL
The Karn mahal is another significant monument at Gwalior Fort. The Karn mahal was built by the second king of the Tomar dynasty, Kirti Singh. He was also known as Karn Singh, hence the name of the palace.
VIKRAM MAHAL
The Vikram mahal (also known as the Vikram mandir, as it once hosted a temple of Shiva) was built by Vikramaditya Singh, the elder son of Maharaja Mansingh. He was a devotee of Shiva. The temple was destroyed during Mughal period but now has been re-established in the front open space of the Vikram mahal.
CHHATRI OF BHIM SINGH RANA
This chhatri (cupola or domed shaped pavilion) was built as a memorial to Bhim Singh Rana (1707-1756), a ruler of Gohad state. It was built by his successor, Chhatra Singh. Bhim Singh occupied Gwalior fort in 1740 when the Mughal Satrap, Ali Khan, surrendered. In 1754, Bhim Singh built a bhimtal (a lake) as a monument at the fort. Chhatra Singh built the memorial chhatri near the bhimtal. Every year, the Jat Samaj Kalyan council (parishad) of Gwalior organises a fair on Rama Navami, in honor of Bhim Singh Rana.
OTHER MONUMENTS
There are several other monuments built inside the fort area. These include: the Scindia School (an exclusive school for the sons of Indian princes and nobles) that was founded by Madho Rao Scindia in 1897; and the Gurdwara Data Bandi, a memorial to the sixth Sikh, Guru Hargobind.
WIKIPEDIA
Source: Scan of an O.S. revision point photograph.
Grid: SU1687.
Date: 1953.
Copyright: Ordnance Survey/Crown.
Used here by very kind permission.
Repository: Local Studies at Swindon Central Library.
This is an illuminated and illustrated copy of Anvār-i Suhaylī (The lights of Canopus), dating to the thirteenth century AH / nineteenth CE. It is a Persian version of Kalīlah wa-Dimnah (The fables of Bīdpāy). It was completed on 26 Jumādá I 1264 AH / 1847 CE by Mīrzā Raḥīm. The text is written in nastaʿliq script in black and red ink, revealing the influence of shikastah script. There are 123 paintings illustrating the text. The Qajar binding is original to the manuscript.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
Source: Scan of an OS RP Photograph.
Grid: SU1387.
Date: April 1953.
Copyright: Ordnance Survey.
Used by their very kind permission.
Repository: Local Studies at Swindon Central Library.
PLEASE DONATE TO FUND THE LAUNCHING OF MY GROUND OPERATION
Printing service , hamradios, emitters, PC , firearms, Office, Vehicule and MONEY ARE welcome
Benjamin SIMON ruelle burton 27 5340 Gesves Belgique
BANK ING BE32 6311 1248 7302
Their SIGINT in the low frequencies is infused throughout the network and also outside. Everything going on the same frequency and is Like this, they pierce networks, draw a map and geo-referencing relative at the place where the criminals and controls. (I think bastards are emitting the entire subvocal band)
The effects are devastating and overall distruptifs
So far local cops put me in a miserable situation protecting criminals, hidding proofs, participating in crimes (false flag operations).
All my things were destroyed and perpetrators are destroying my family, I have no more money
I gave the assassins almost two years to the cops of Ciney who blocked me. My means of communication are always taken. The evidence was not take in account and others are hidden. Damages are irreversibles with worldwide impacts because criminals are using WebOps and track profiles and websites of self-defensers exposing this hightly virulent, free, and deadly crime.
ces-jeunes-devenus-criminels-belgique
Stalkers target me 24/7 with directed energy weapons and make an ordurious game of harassment in the subvocal band under the form o a triangle relay. (maybe the hidden devil scripts – cfr M.Rich)
They speak permanently (with data minored patterns on a subvocal soundwave locked on my body or near me). They target also with other weapons (low frequencies pulsed/scalar waves) who make serious body pains (genitals, head, foots, theets,…).
My electronics devices, electric tools, electric installations, car are systematicly targeted and saboted. My web is saboted, communications filtered and hacked since four years.
We are lots of victims aware, and certainly more unaware targeted by murderers. Local cops cover the crime and therefore hinders an encounter between victims and between victims and potential helpers
Could you encourage Belgium to give me the means for the emergencie. A few help/money/recommendations will be use to destruct this “stay behind an intelligence-device and computers network”
Please help me to find contacts with poeple aware/ accepting to be. With journalists or reporters interested by the publication of an ordurious ECHELON. (I have the intellectual means to take frequencies of criminals and also a team if a ground operation is needed)
I Need a good RADIO - SCANNER
Sincerely,
Benjamin Simon Corbion 46B 5590 CINEY BELGIUM bensimcorbion@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/pub/simon-benjamin/50/337/5a1
Benjamin Simon
Dilplome Gradué : Eaux et Forêts et Environnement La Reid (2000) Avec Distinction Mémoire avec Grande Distinction (Ecologie)
Employeurs AVES, Maison Liégeoise de l’Environnement (J-P. Jacob, T. Kinet) UCL, Unité des Eaux et Forêts (F. Devillers, C. Vinck, L. Misson) UCL, Gestion des Ressources en Eaux (E. Persoons, M. Vanclooster, C. Bielders, M. Javaux, B Delvaux) INDEPENDANT, chauffage industriel, énergies renouvelables (100 % statisfaction clientelle) AUTO-DIDACTISME permanent. (langues, techniques, théorie)
ACTIVITEES AUXQUELLES JE SUIS FORME OFFICIELLEMENT
OFFICIAL PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES
Nederlands
kbopub.economie.fgov.be/kbopub/toonvestigingps.html?lang=...
Francais
kbopub.economie.fgov.be/kbopub/toonvestigingps.html?onder...
C. saluenensis.x C. reticulata)
Non-extinct
New Zealand Camellia Bulletin, 1978, vol.X, No.6, p.11, Reg. No.139: A chance seedling originated by Mrs Ida Berg, Whakatane. New Zealand from an unregistered seedling C.saluenensis x C.reticulata 'Crimson Robe' (Dataohong). It first flowered 1975. The plant has upright growth and flowers mid-season. The leaves are mid-green. reticulate, 9 cm long x 5 cm wide. The flower is formal double with 48-50 petals, no stamens and measures 16 cm across x 6 cm deep. The colour is clear, bright red (Red Group RHS.CC.46B-47A), See colour photo, New Zealand Camellia Bulletin, 1982, vol.XII, No.7, p.25. Sport: Warwick Berg Variegated. Chinese synonym 'Walike'.
Source: Scan of an OS RP photograph.
Grid: SU1683.
Date: January 1953.
Copyright: Ordnance Survey.
Used here by their very kind permission.
Repository: Local Studies at Swindon Central Library.
This is a Safavid illuminated and illustrated collection of the Ḫamse (quintet), written in Çaġatāy (eastern Turkic), composed by the celebrated ʿAlī Šīr Nevāʾī (d. 906 AH / 1501 CE), and inspired by the Persian Khamse of Niẓāmī and Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī. This copy dates to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE and has five double-page illustrations in the early Safavid court style. Each double-page illustration introduces the following individual poems: Kitāb-i ḫeyrāt ül-ebrār (fols. 1b-2a), Kitāb-i Ferhād va Şīrīn (fols. 45b-46a), Kitāb-i Mecnūn va Leylā (fols. 108b-109a), Kitāb-i Heşt bihişt (fols. 147b-148a), and Kitāb-i Iskendernāme (fols. 199b-200a). Each poem is also introduced by an illuminated incipit (fols. 2b, 46b, 109b, 148b, and 200b). The brown goatskin binding has a central lobed oval with pendants and cornerpieces brushed with gold. It is possibly attributable to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE.
Leylā in her pavilion with her attendants.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
This is a Safavid illuminated and illustrated collection of the Ḫamse (quintet), written in Çaġatāy (eastern Turkic), composed by the celebrated ʿAlī Šīr Nevāʾī (d. 906 AH / 1501 CE), and inspired by the Persian Khamse of Niẓāmī and Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī. This copy dates to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE and has five double-page illustrations in the early Safavid court style. Each double-page illustration introduces the following individual poems: Kitāb-i ḫeyrāt ül-ebrār (fols. 1b-2a), Kitāb-i Ferhād va Şīrīn (fols. 45b-46a), Kitāb-i Mecnūn va Leylā (fols. 108b-109a), Kitāb-i Heşt bihişt (fols. 147b-148a), and Kitāb-i Iskendernāme (fols. 199b-200a). Each poem is also introduced by an illuminated incipit (fols. 2b, 46b, 109b, 148b, and 200b). The brown goatskin binding has a central lobed oval with pendants and cornerpieces brushed with gold. It is possibly attributable to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE.
Incipit page with illuminated titlepiece.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
Mercedes-Benz Conecto NG G n°913 du réseau CTP Cluj-Napoca sur la ligne 46B vers Cart. Zorilor sur la Piața Mărăști.
Mehrangarh Fort (Hindi: मेहरानगढ़ का किला) (Sindhi: مهراڻ ڳڙهه), located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, is one of the largest forts in India. Built around 1460 by Rao Jodha, the fort is situated 125 m above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards. A winding road leads to and from the city below. The imprints of cannonball hits by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. To the left of the fort is the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending the Mehrangarh fort.
There are seven gates, which include Jayapol (meaning 'victory'), built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol (also meaning 'victory') gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of the Mughals. The palm imprints upon these still attract much attention it is very proudes for rao rajputs.
Rao is brahmbhatt jagirdar clan of rao jodha. Rao is rajputs and in gujarat they calls "barot" and rao saheb.
The museum in the Mehrangarh fort is one of the most well-stocked museums in Rajasthan. In one section of the fort museum there is a selection of old royal palanquins, including the elaborate domed gilt Mahadol palanquin which was won in a battle from the Governor of Gujarat in 1730. The museum exhibits the heritage of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated period rooms.
HISTORY OF MEHRANGARH
Rao Jodha, the chief of the Rathore clan, is credited with the origin of Jodhpur in India. He founded Jodhpur in 1459 (Jodhpur was previously known as Marwar). He was one of Ranmal's 24 sons became the fifteenth Rathore ruler. One year after his accession to the throne, Jodha decided to move his capital to the safer location of Jodhpur, as the one thousand years old Mandore fort was no longer considered to provide sufficient security.
With the trusted aid of Rao Nara (son of Rao Samra), the Mewar forces were subdued at Mandore. With that, Rao Jodha gave Rao Nara the title of Diwan. With the help of Rao Nara, the foundation of the fort was laid on 1/ May 1459 by Jodha on a rocky hill 9 kilometres to the south of Mandore. This hill was known as Bhaurcheeria, the mountain of birds. According to legend to build the fort he had to displace the hill's sole human occupant, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji, the lord of birds. Upset at being forced to move Cheeria Nathji cursed Rao Jodha with "Jodha! May your citadel ever suffer a scarcity of water!". Rao Jodha managed to appease the hermit by building a house and a temple in the fort very near the cave the hermit had used for meditation, though only to the extent that even today the area is plagued by a drought every 3 to 4 years. Jodha then took an extreme measure to ensure that the new site proved propitious; he buried a man called "Raja Ram Meghwal" alive in the foundations. "Raja Ram Meghwal" was promised that in return his family would be looked after by the Rathores. To this day his descendants still live in Raj Bagh, "Raja Ram Meghwal's" Garden, an estate bequeathed them by Jodha.
Mehrangarh (etymology: 'Mihir' (Sanskrit) -sun or Sun-deity; 'garh' (Sanskrit)-fort; i.e.'Sun-fort'); according to Rajasthani language pronunciation conventions,'Mihirgarh' has changed to 'Mehrangarh'; the Sun-deity has been the chief deity of the Rathore dynasty. Though the fortress was originally started in 1459 by Rao Jodha, founder of Jodhpur, most of the fort which stands today dates from the period of Jaswant Singh of Marwar (1638–78). The fort is located at the centre of the city spreading over 5 kilometres on top of a high hill. Its walls, which are up to 36 metres high and 21 metres wide, protect some of the most beautiful and historic palaces in Rajasthan.
Entry to the fort is gained though a series of seven gates. The most famous of the gates are:
- Jai Pol ("Gate of Victory"), built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806 to celebrate his victory in a war with Jaipur and Bikaner.
- Fateh Pol, built to celebrate a victory over the Mughals in 1707;
- Dedh Kamgra Pol, which still bears the scars of bombardment by cannonballs;
- Loha Pol, which is the final gate into the main part of the fort complex. Immediately to the left are the handprints (sati marks) of the ranis who in 1843 immolated themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Maharaja Man Singh.
Within the fort are several brilliantly crafted and decorated palaces. These include, Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesha Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana and Daulat Khana. The museum houses a collection of palanquins, howdahs, royal cradles, miniatures, musical instruments, costumes and furniture. The ramparts of the fort house preserved old cannon (including the famous Kilkila), and provided a breath-taking view of the city.
GALLERIES IN MEHRANGARH MUSEUM
ELEPHANT´S HOWDAHS
The howdahs were a kind of two-compartment wooden seat (mostly covered with gold and silver embossed sheets), which were fastened onto the elephant's back. The front compartment, with more leg space and a raised protective metal sheet, was meant for kings or royalty, and the rear smaller one for a reliable bodyguard disguised as a fly-whisk attendant.
PALANQUINS
Palanquins were a popular means of travel and circumambulation for the ladies of the nobility up to the second quarter of the 20th century. They were also used by male nobility and royals on special occasions.
DAULAT KHANA - TREASURES OF MEHRANGARH MUSEUM
This gallery displays one of the most important and best preserved collections of fine and applied arts of the Mughal period of Indian history, during which the Rathore rulers of Jodhpur maintained close links with the Mughal emperors. It also has the remains of Emperor Akbar.
ARMOURY
This gallery displays a rare collection of armour from every period in Jodhpur. On display are sword hilts in jade, silver, rhino horn, ivory, shields studded with rubies, emeralds and pearls and guns with gold and silver work on the barrels. The gallery also has on display the personal swords of many emperors, among them outstanding historical piece like the Khaanda of Rao Jodha, weighing over 3 kg, the sword of Akbar the Great and the sword of Timur.
PAINTINGS
This Gallery displays colours of Marwar-Jodhpur, the finest example of Marwar paintings.
THE TURBAN GALLERY
The Turban Gallery in the Mehrangarh Museum seeks to preserve, document and display the many different types of turbans once prevalent in Rajasthan; every community, region and festival having had its own head-gear.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN MEHRANGARH
NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL MONUMENT
The Jodhpur Group - Malani Igneous Suite Contact on which the Mehrangarh Fort has been built has been declared a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India to encourage Geotourism in the country. This unique geological feature is part of the Malani Igenus Suite seen in the Thar desert region, spread over an area of 43,500 km2. This unique geological feature represents the last phase of igneous activity of Precambrian age in the Indian Subcontinent.
THE CHAMUNDA MATAJI TEMPLE
The Chamunda Mataji was Rao Jodha's favorite goddess, he brought her idol from the old capital of Mandore in 1460 and installed her in Mehrangarh (Maa Chamunda was the kul devi of Parihar rulers of Mandore). She remains the Maharaja's and the Royal Family's Isht Devi or adopted goddess and is worshipped by most of Jodhpur's citizens as well. Crowds throng Mehrangarh during the Dussehra celebrations.
2008 STAMPEDE
A human stampede occurred on 30 September 2008, at the Chamunda Devi temple inside of the Mehrangarh Fort, in which 249 people were killed and more than 400 injured.
CULTURE
The fort has musicians performing folk music at the entrance and houses museum, restaurants, exhibitions, and craft bazaars. The fort was one of the filming locations for the 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises. Principal photography commenced on 6 May 2011.
In 2015, the fort was used to record a collaborative album by musicians including Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, English composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. The recording was the subject of a documentary, Junun, by the American directory Paul Thomas Anderson.
WIKIPEDIA
This is a Safavid illuminated and illustrated collection of the Ḫamse (quintet), written in Çaġatāy (eastern Turkic), composed by the celebrated ʿAlī Šīr Nevāʾī (d. 906 AH / 1501 CE), and inspired by the Persian Khamse of Niẓāmī and Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī. This copy dates to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE and has five double-page illustrations in the early Safavid court style. Each double-page illustration introduces the following individual poems: Kitāb-i ḫeyrāt ül-ebrār (fols. 1b-2a), Kitāb-i Ferhād va Şīrīn (fols. 45b-46a), Kitāb-i Mecnūn va Leylā (fols. 108b-109a), Kitāb-i Heşt bihişt (fols. 147b-148a), and Kitāb-i Iskendernāme (fols. 199b-200a). Each poem is also introduced by an illuminated incipit (fols. 2b, 46b, 109b, 148b, and 200b). The brown goatskin binding has a central lobed oval with pendants and cornerpieces brushed with gold. It is possibly attributable to the tenth century AH / sixteenth CE.
Incipit page with illuminated titlepiece.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
Dublin Bus (Donnybrook) Volvo B7TL / Alexander ALX400 AV 197 (01-D-10197) on O' Connell Street, Dublin 21st February 2004.
Noted with Leonards of Donabate in 2018.
The Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city.
HISTORY
The present-day structure was built by the Mughals, though a fort had stood there since at least the 11th century. Agra Fort was originally a brick fort known as Badalgarh, held by Raja Badal Singh Hindu Sikarwar Rajput king (c. 1475). It was mentioned for the first time in 1080 AD when a Ghaznavide force captured it. Sikandar Lodi (1488–1517) was the first Sultan of Delhi who shifted to Agra and lived in the fort. He governed the country from here and Agra assumed the importance of the second capital. He died in the fort at 1517 and his son, Ibrahim Lodi, held it for nine years until he was defeated and killed at Panipat in 1526. Several palaces, wells and a mosque were built by him in the fort during his period.
After the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, Mughals captured the fort and seized a vast treasure, including the diamond later known as the Koh-i-Noor. The victorious Babur stayed in the fort in the palace of Ibrahim and built a baoli (step well) in it. The emperor Humayun was crowned here in 1530. Humayun was defeated at Bilgram in 1540 by Sher Shah. The fort remained with Suris till 1555, when Humanyun recaptured it. The Hindu king Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also called 'Hemu', defeated Humanyun's army, led by Iskandar Khan Uzbek, and won Agra. Hemu got a huge booty from this fort and went on to capture Delhi from the Mughals. The Mughals under Akbar defeated King Hemu finally at the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556.
Realizing the importance of its central situation, Akbar made it his capital and arrived in Agra in 1558. His historian, Abdul Fazal, recorded that this was a brick fort known as 'Badalgarh'. It was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone from Barauli area in Rajasthan. Architects laid the foundation and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Some 4,000 builders worked on it daily for eight years, completing it in 1573.
It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site took on its current state. Legend has it that Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan tended to have buildings made from white marble, often inlaid with gold or semi-precious gems. He destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort to make his own.
At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was deposed and restrained by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort. It is rumoured that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.
The fort was invaded by the Maratha Empire during the mid 18th century. Thereafter, it changed hands between the Marathas and their foes many times. After their catastrophic defeat at Third Battle of Panipat by Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761, Marathas remained out of the region for the next decade. Finally Mahadji Shinde took the fort in 1785. It was lost by the Marathas to the British during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, in 1803.
The fort was the site of a battle during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company's rule in India, and led to a century of direct rule of India by Britain.
LAYOUT
The 380,000 m2 (94-acre) fort has a semicircular plan, its chord lies parallel to the river and its walls are seventy feet high. Double ramparts have massive circular bastions at intervals, with battlements, embrasures, machicolations and string courses. Four gates were provided on its four sides, one Khizri gate opening on to the river.
Two of the fort's gates are notable: the "Delhi Gate" and the "Lahore Gate." The Lahore Gate is also popularly also known as the "Amar Singh Gate," for Amar Singh Rathore.
The monumental Delhi Gate, which faces the city on the western side of the fort, is considered the grandest of the four gates and a masterpiece of Akbar's time. It was built circa 1568 both to enhance security and as the king's formal gate, and includes features related to both. It is embellished with inlay work in white marble. A wooden drawbridge was used to cross the moat and reach the gate from the mainland; inside, an inner gateway called Hathi Pol ("Elephant Gate") – guarded by two life-sized stone elephants with their riders – added another layer of security. The drawbridge, slight ascent, and 90-degree turn between the outer and inner gates make the entrance impregnable. During a siege, attackers would employ elephants to crush a fort's gates. Without a level, straight run-up to gather speed, however, something prevented by this layout, elephants are ineffective.
Because the Indian military (the Parachute Brigade in particular) is still using the northern portion of the Agra Fort, the Delhi Gate cannot be used by the public. Tourists enter via the Amar Singh Gate.
The site is very important in terms of architectural history. Abul Fazal recorded that five hundred buildings in the beautiful designs of Bengal and Gujarat were built in the fort. Some of them were demolished by Shahjahan to make way for his white marble palaces. Most of the others were destroyed by the British between 1803 and 1862 for raising barracks. Hardly thirty Mughal buildings have survived on the south-eastern side, facing the river. Of these, the Delhi Gate and Akbar Gate and one palace – "Bengali Mahal" – are representative Akbari buildings.
Akbar Darwazza (Akbar Gate) was renamed Amar Singh Gate by the British.
POPULAR CULTURE
- The Agra Fort won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004. India Post issued a stamp to commemorate this event.
- The Agra Fort plays a key role in the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Sign of the Four, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
- The Agra Fort was featured in the music video for Habibi Da, a hit song of Egyptian pop star Hisham Abbas.
- Shivaji came to Agra in 1666 as per the "Purandar Treaty" entered into with Mirza Raje Jaisingh to met Aurangzeb in the Diwan-i-Khas. In the audience he was deliberately placed behind men of lower rank. Insulted, he stormed out of the imperial audience and was confined to Jai Sing's quarters on 12 May 1666.
- In the second expansion pack for the videogame Age of Empires 3, the Asian Dynasties, Agra fort is one of five wonders for the Indian civilisation.
WIKIPEDIA