DISTRIBUTED photos on Flickr

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A BNSF unit is the distributed motive power on this westbound manifest freight passing through Eaton, Ohio, on the New Castle District.

Solar radios distributed in Western Visayas by IOM - UN Migration

IOM distributes solar radios to survivors of typhoon Haiyan still living in temporary shelters in western Visayas, Philippines. © IOM 2014 (Photo by Alan Motus)

PZ20210125-027.jpg by Menlo School

Distributing POM devices at Menlo School. Photo by Pete Zivkov.

Juice by Mike Burns

Distributing our juice for the day.

Distributing Tech by Phil Roeder

The largest school district in Iowa is not going to finish the year in the classroom but through distance learning. A big first step is making sure students have access to technology at home. I dropped by North and Roosevelt high schools as laptops were being distributed to high school seniors in need.

Liberal Flyer 2013 Election by AS 1979

1

Liberal flyer distributed around the electorate of Bruce in June 2013, just on three months from the Federal election. It ties incumbent Labor MP Alan Griffin to the current political turmoil in the Labor government held with backing from The Greens and several independents.

The Division of Bruce is currently held by Labor on a margin of 7.7% (after a redistribution) and internal polling has revealed it as a potential gain, along with the adjacent electorate Isaacs (10.4%). Alan Griffin was noted in the news in weeks before as having packed up his office prior to the end of this Parliament.

“The Liberator v1.1”, 3D-printed gun by artistic bokeh

Defense Distributed (2013)

The Liberator is a 3D-printable single shot handgun, designed by Defense Distributed and released to the Internet on May 6, 2013. It was downloaded over 100,000 times in the two days before the US Department of State demanded its takedown. Its name relates to the FP-45 Liberator, a $2 gun produced by the USA in 1942 to be dropped in Europe and Asia to arm rebels.

Defense Distributed is an online, open-source organization that designs firearms, or “wiki weapons”, that may be downloaded from the Internet and “printed” with a 3D printer.

The debate around the Liberator gun can be seen as a critique on copyright and regulations of digital designs - should CAD-constructions and open designs be censored? Defense Distributed stated that “The problem is not the object but what you do with it. Just as with a cooking knife.” (Wilson, 2013). Wilson is indirectly referring to the unofficial slogan of the NRA (National Rifle Association) - “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people”. The release of The Liberator has been described as “the greatest piece of political performance art of [the 21st] century.” (Blouin News, 29.3.2013)

artistictechnology.at

outofthebox.gruchalski.at/?page_id=36

Consumers Distributing 2 by Sean Marshall

Consumers Distributing went bankrupt in 1996 - this retail space was taken over by Blockbuster, and closed before it was out of business in Canada. The removal of the Blockbuster Video signage revealed the older Consumers signs.

Corporal Joseph L. Pokorny, Jr. PSP/Dedication by Tri-State Troopers Fund, Inc.

Photos Courtesy of PSP/FSU

Loved ones recall slain trooper

Buzz up! By Michael Hasch, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Cpl. Joseph Pokorny was many things -- a fearless policeman, an avid hunter, a private person who would give a friend the shirt off his back -- but most of all, he was a devoted father.

"He cared for his kids more than anything in the world," said his brother, Frank Pokorny, wiping tears from his eyes Monday outside his family's home in Beaver County.

Pokorny, 45, of Moon, a 22-year state police veteran, was shot and killed while making a traffic stop early yesterday near the Rosslyn Farms on-ramp to the Parkway West in Carnegie.

"He was a dedicated trooper and devoted father to his two children," said Robinson District Judge Carla Swearingen, one of the small but trusted circle of people Pokorny called friends.

Pokorny opted to work a steady midnight shift so he could be home during the day with his son, Joseph, 17, known as Jake, and daughter, Alexandre, 15, known as Ali.

"If he gave you his word, he stood by it. His biggest priority was his children. Everybody that knew him liked him," said Swearingen.

Pokorny was nearly 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, but he was small in childhood and learned at an early age how to defend himself from larger bullies, Frank Pokorny said.

"He was extremely fearless. He didn't take anything from anybody. He was a very hard-nosed person," his brother said.

Joseph Pokorny received a letter of commendation for bravery after an incident on July 8 when state police began chasing a man suspected of drunken driving and pulling a gun on a trooper.

When troopers tried to end the high-speed chase by putting spike strips on the Beaver Valley Expressway, the motorist turned around and began driving the wrong way.

When Pokorny saw the motorist trying to ram the side of a police car, he steered his cruiser into the path of the speeding car, hitting it head-on in a fiery collision.

"He saved one of our guys by taking on the other guy head-on," said state police Cpl. Kenneth Yuhas, one of several troopers offering condolences and support yesterday to Pokorny's parents, Florence and Joseph R. Pokorny, in Center Township.

"He actually put his life on the line by ramming the vehicle and stopping (it)," said Col. Jeffrey Miller, the head of the state police. "He was a very aggressive and conscientious corporal, always out there backing up the troops."

Pokorny, who joined the state police in 1983 after graduation from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., spent much of his career working dangerous undercover narcotics and vice details, his brother said.

In 1990, he joined the state police Tactical Narcotics Team based in Greensburg, Westmoreland County.

"He would never tell me stories about it except that it was scary and it was ugly," Frank Pokorny said. "(Other troopers) tell me he was always the first one through the front door with the battering ram."

Tom Alexander, who was Pokorny's football coach at Center Area High School, remembers "Joey" as a student who gave his all on the football field and in the classroom.

"Joey was one of those kids who played hard. He chose a rough career. He was a good student," Alexander said.

Pokorny's smile is what impressed state police Cpl. David Bova. "The thing I'll miss the most is his laugh and his big smile," Bova said.

"He was a great kid, a great adult who was fun-loving in high school but took his job seriously," said Anthony Mendicino, principal of Center Area High School, where Pokorny graduated in 1978.

Frank Pokorny said his brother did not decide to pursue a career in law enforcement until his last semester in school.

Following his promotion to corporal in September 2000, Joseph Pokorny served at various stations --including Belle Vernon, Fayette County -- until January 2003 when he became the vice supervisor for Troop B headquarters in Washington County.

Pokorny, who also is survived by a sister, Laura Hill, of Center, became a patrol supervisor in Moon in July 2004, but refused to be tied to a desk reading reports.

"He was, like, caffeinated. He was high-speed. He would go out and get the job done. He was not a slug," said Trooper Robin Mungo, a state police spokeswoman.

"He always wanted to be out on the road with the guys," Yuhas said.

But Frank Pokorny said his brother was "a very private" man.

"He certainly was not a mixer. He had a very small circle of friends. He was very guarded until you earned his trust and respect. Then he'd give you the shirt off his back," Frank Pokorny said.

"He was like a brother to me," said Ronald Evans, who often went hunting with the Pokorny brothers. "He was a great guy, the best. You knew you could count on him."

Crystal Hoffman, who lives near Joseph Pokorny's home in the Sharon Hill Manor neighborhood of Moon, said she regularly returned Pokorny's golden retriever when it broke free of its tether and ended up at her home.

"I didn't know Joe well, but he seemed to have a very a good sense of humor. He seemed like the kind of guy who really enjoyed life," Hoffman said.

The Pokorny brothers were avid hunters who made a number of trips together to hunt elk out West.

They last saw each other last week when Joseph Pokorny visited his brother's home in Hanover, Beaver County.

"He went out in the back woods to go hunting. He was an incredible woodsman. When he came back, he said he saw a buck but didn't shoot it. He smiled and said, 'I didn't want to.'"

Frank Pokorny, known as "Fearless Frank" for his special teams play for the Steelers in 1985 and '86, made no effort to hide his pain and tears.

"He was my older brother. I loved and miss everything about him."

Distributing food to flood-displaced people in Sukkur by DFID - UK Department for International Development

Photo taken by a DFID humanitarian advisor, on a needs assessment visit to Sukkur, northern Sindh Province . An area equivalent to the size of England has been flooded and more than 12.5 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. DFID has earmarked £64million in response to the UN's Pakistan appeal.

To read the latest on the UK's response please visit: www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/News-Stories/2010/Floods-in-Pa...

Photo credit: Rob Holden / Department for International Development

30-IMG_6055 by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Social Distance ambassadors distribute masks and information flyers. Photos by Joe O'Connor

Distributed Urban Agriculture by TEDxSanAntonio Fiesta for the Mind

Mitch Hagney

Distributed Urban Agriculture

While the majority of the population now lives in urban areas, the vast majority of our food still comes from far distant rural farms using increasingly destructive strategies to maximize their yield. All of a sudden, however, technology and the market are giving producers the opportunity to scale urban agriculture up to help make cities sustainable. Innovations in remote sensing, data conglomeration, irrigation design, and lighting are enabling farmers to grow healthy produce on a tiny footprint with fewer dangerous chemicals. In the process, urban farmers can reuse waste as construction material and fertilizer, while operating farms distributed throughout cities in derelict and underutilized spaces.

MTA Chairman Pat Foye Distributes Masks on NYC Transit Subways by Metropolitan Transportation Authority

MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye joins the Mask Force to distribute free masks to customers on Mon., September 14, 2020.

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

AAAA - McLane Distributing by tnsamiam

And There You Are by Chris Pitzer

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by Ronnie del Carmen.

Distributed by AdHouse Books

Pixar artist Ronnie del Carmen documents the life of fan-favorite muse Nina within the pages of And There You Are. It’s a story of the real and the imagined told via journals and art. Some might recall Nina from Ronnie’s previous works in the Paper Biscuit series.

details:

4C cover

64 4C pages

5.5" x 7 " SC

$15.00 US funds

ISBN 978-0-9727090-6-4

Shipping March 2009

Despite obstacles facing Mona Relief's crew to carry out our humanitarian work, our crew succeeding to delivering 200 families in Zaid city of Hodeidah urgent food aid baskets and dignity kits by Mona Relief

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On November 16th , 2016

As I'm still in the capital Sana'a and before our new mission in Hodeidah, I coordinated with Authorities in targeted areas telling them that Mona Releif Yemen that is going to distribute food in some areas in Hodeidah governorate and especially in Zabid , al-Turibah, Bait al-Raei, al-Jarahi and Hess areas.

Everything was good before heading to Hodeidah and especially to Zabid area. Our new area that we are going to deliver food there to 200 vulnerable families. As monareliefye.org ground crew has arrived in Zabid area in the night planning to distribute food packages in the next morning. In that night I had received a call from authorities there telling me that Mona Relief is not allowed to distribute any food in the city of Zabid and if we did that we will carry the whole responsibly towards our action. I told them then that I had coordinated with the local and security authorities before coming to Zabid city, who giving us the permission to distribute food aid along with dignity kits.

In addition, I told them that we had told all beneficiaries that we are going to distribute food supplies to them and we can't tell beneficiaries to return, because most of them came from far areas to the place of distribution, however, authorities repeated that me and my crew are not welcome in the city and we have to leave city quickly.

I wasn’t able to take any decision at that time because authorities warned me not to distribute any food. I tried to persuade them but I failed indeed.

Anyway, I tried to do my best, so I contacted my friends in the capital Sana'a and Hodeidah governorates to help me to sort out this problem with local authorities in Zabid city. After hours I make it and I succeeded in persuading authorities to allow me to distribute food baskets in the next morning after my great friends who interfered and persuaded them. The day of distribution in the morning I received a phone call telling me that I'm going to fail and authorities will send some people to hinder me along with your crew, confirming that none NGOs succeeded in distribution food in Zabid city because and due the situation of people in Zabid who they are in dire need and they are hungry, so they are always attacking trucks loading food and took the food packages inside. Saying no food aid trucks reached the area of distribution at all and I have to be careful with people's behavior there.

After I heard that I told my crew about the situation and obstacles that going to face us during the distribution process. At that time I asked my colleague and the director of Mona Relief office in Hodeidah Shukria al-Hamdani to help me to sort out the problem telling her that I'm going to distribute food anyway and under any circumstances.

Then, we agreed to allocate a closed area to allow us to complete our mission without problems.

In the morning of food delivery, as I planned , I found a closed area but that area wasn’t big enough to help us carrying out our food aid distribution another problem that area was full of weeds along with remnants of building that will hinder us to do our work. Our crew made it and cleaned that area in order to be suitable for our work, indeed in sorted out that matter. However, I still worried of attacking our food truck by residents in Zabid city, how can I sort out this matter.

Anyway, I hired 18 armed men to assist us to control the situation and in order to complete our work normally and also in order to prevent anyone from attacking or stealing our supplies from the truck that loading the food aid. Without these armed men Mona Relief won't able to complete its mission.

Anyway, Mona Relief Yemen had overcome all challenges and obstacles that facing us in this work. Actually that work was the hardest ever to be done by our humanitarian crew in Zabid city of Hodeidah.

After finishing our work in Zabid that morning we decided to do another humanitarian work in another area. That area was al-Turibah town in western Zabid which we distributed there 100 food aid packages with another 100 dignity kits in the next day.

Our project in Zabid city targeted 200 families with food aid packages funded by the UK based charity Khalsa aid as we delivered also 200 dignity kits funded by International Organization for Migration in Yemen (IOM Yemen).

Somerset - Dunster - Yarn Market and Castle in the 1960's. And the Theft of 32 Dolls. by pepandtim

The Postcard

A postally unused Natural Colour Series postcard that was published by the Photographic Greetings Card Co. Ltd. of London.

The card was distributed by L. T. Blackmore of Minehead.

Dunster

Dunster is a village within the English county of Somerset, just within the north-eastern boundary of the Exmoor National Park. The United Kingdom Census of 2011 recorded a parish population of 817.

Iron Age hillforts testify to occupation of the area for thousands of years. The village grew up around Dunster Castle which was built on the Tor by the Norman warrior William I de Moyon shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Castle is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The Castle was remodelled on several occasions by the Luttrell family who were lords of the manor from the 14th. to the 20th. centuries.

The Benedictine Dunster Priory was established in about 1100. The Priory Church of St George, dovecote and tithe barn are all relics from the Priory.

The village became a centre for wool and cloth production and trade, of which the Yarn Market, built by George Luttrell (d. 1629), is a relic.

There existed formerly a harbour, known as Dunster Haven, at the mouth of the River Avill, yet today the coast having receded is now about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the village, and no sign of the harbour can be seen on the low lying marshes between the village and the coast.

Dunster Castle

At the end of the 14th. century the de Mohuns sold the castle to the Luttrell family, who continued to occupy the property until the late 20th. century. During the English Civil War, Dunster was initially held as a garrison for the Royalists. It fell to the Parliamentarians in 1645, and orders were sent out for the castle to be demolished. However, these orders were not carried out, and the castle remained the garrison for Parliamentarian troops until 1650.

Major alterations to the castle were undertaken by Henry Fownes Luttrell who had acquired it through marriage to Margaret Fownes-Luttrell in 1747. Following the death of Alexander Luttrell in 1944, the family was unable to afford the death duties on his estate.

The castle and surrounding lands were sold off to a property firm, the family continuing to live in the castle as tenants. The Luttrells bought back the castle in 1954, but in 1976 Colonel Walter Luttrell gave Dunster Castle and most of its contents to the National Trust, which operates it as a tourist attraction. It is a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument.

Dunster Priory was established as a Benedictine monastery around 1100. The first church in Dunster was built by William de Mohun who gave the church and the tithes of several manors and two fisheries, to the Benedictine Abbey at Bath. The priory, which was situated just north of the church, became a cell of the abbey.

The church was shared for worship by the monks and the parishioners, however this led to several conflicts between them. One outcome was the carved rood screen which divided the church in two, with the parish using the west chancel and the monks the east.

The priory church is now in parochial use as the Priory Church of St George. It still contains 12th. and 13th. century work, although most of the current building dates from the 15th. century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

In 1346 Cleeve Abbey built a nunnery in Dunster, but it was never inhabited by nuns, and was used as a guest house.

Gallox Bridge

Dunster had become a centre for woollen and clothing production by the 13th. century, with the market dating back to at least 1222, and a particular kind of kersey or broadcloth became known as 'Dunsters'.

The prosperity of Dunster was based on the wool trade, with profits helping to pay for the construction of the tower of the Priory Church of St. George, and to provide other amenities. The 15th. century Gallox Bridge was one of the main routes over the River Avill on the southern outskirts. The market was held in "The Shambles". However these shops were demolished in 1825, and now only the Yarn Market remains.

Dunster in WWII

During the Second World War, considerable defences were built along the coast as a part of British anti-invasion preparations, though the north coast of Somerset was an unlikely invasion site. Some of the structures remain to this day. Most notable are the pillboxes on the foreshore of Dunster Beach.

These are strong buildings made from pebbles taken from the beach and bonded together with concrete. From these, soldiers could have held their ground if the Germans had ever invaded.

Beach Huts

The beach site has a number of privately owned beach huts (or chalets as some owners call them) along with a small shop, a tennis court and a putting green. The chalets, measuring 18 by 14 feet (5.5 by 4.3 m), can be let out for holidays; some owners live in them all the year round.

Dunster Culture

Dunster was the birthplace of the song "All Things Bright and Beautiful" when Cecil Alexander was staying with Mary Martin, the daughter of one of the owners of Martins Bank.

The nearby hill, Grabbist, was originally heather-covered before its re-forestation, and was described as the "Purple-headed mountain".

On the evening of the 1st. May each year, the Minehead Hobby Horse visits Dunster and is received at the Castle. A local newspaper that was printed in May 1863 records:

"The origin professes to be in commemoration

of the wreck of a vessel at Minehead in remote

times, or the advent of a sort of phantom ship

which entered the harbour without Captain or

crew.

Once the custom was encouraged, but now is

much neglected, and perhaps soon will fall into

desuetude."

Another conjecture about its origin is that the hobby horse was the ancient King of the May. The Hobby Horse tradition begins with the waking of the inhabitants of Minehead by the beating of a loud drum. The hobby horse dances its way about the town and on to Dunster Castle.

Annually on the third Friday in August the village hosts the Dunster Show where local businesses and producers come together to showcase what Exmoor and West Somerset have to offer. A major part of the show is the showing of livestock, especially horses, cattle and sheep.

A more recent tradition (started in 1987) is Dunster by Candlelight which takes place every year on the first Friday and Saturday in December when this remarkably preserved medieval village turns its back on the present and lights its streets with candles.

To mark the beginning of the festival on Friday at 5 pm, there is the Lantern Lighting Procession that starts on the Steep and continues through the village until all the lanterns in the streets have been lit. The procession of children and their families is accompanied by colourful stilt walkers in costumes who put up the lanterns.

The old English Christmas tradition of burning the Ashen faggot takes place at the Luttrell Arms hotel every Christmas Eve. The pub was formerly a guest house for the Abbots of Cleeve; its oldest section dates from 1443.

The Dunster Yarn Market

The 17th. century Yarn Market is a market cross which was probably built in 1609 by the Luttrell family who were the local lords of the manor in order to maintain the importance of the village as a market, particularly for wool and cloth.

The Yarn Market is an octagonal building constructed around a central pier. The building contains a hole in one of the roof beams, a result of cannon fire in the Civil War. A bell at the top was rung to indicate the start of trading.

The Dunster Dovecote

The Dovecote was probably built in the late 16th. century. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is approximately 19 feet (5.8 m) high and 19 feet (5.8 m) in diameter, with walls around 4 feet (1.2 m) thick.[81]

In the 18th. century the floor level and door were raised among several major alterations. The lower tiers of nest holes were blocked to protect against brown rats which had arrived in the Britain in 1720 and had reached Somerset by 1760.

A revolving ladder, known as a "potence", was installed to allow the pigeon keeper to search the nest holes more easily. In the 19th. century two feeding platforms were added to the axis of the revolving ladder.

When the ladder was installed in the 16th. century the base rested on a pin driven into a beam on the floor. The head of the pin sits in a metal cup in the base of the wooden pillar, which means the mechanism has never had to be oiled. When the Dunster Castle estate was sold, the dovecote was bought by the Parochial church council and opened to the public. Extensive repairs were undertaken in 1989.

The Dunster Tithe Barn

The Tithe Barn was originally part of the Benedictine Priory. It has been much altered since the 14th. century, and only a limited amount of the original features survive.

In the "Valor Ecclesiasticus" of 1535, the net annual income of the Dunster Tithe Barn is recorded as being £37. 4s. 8d (£37.23p), with £6. 13s. 7d (£6.68p) being passed on to the priory in Bath. The Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust has co-ordinated a £550,000 renovation project, turning the barn into a multi-purpose community hall under a 99-year lease at a pepper-corn rent, by the Crown Estate Commissioners who own the building.

Conygar Tower

Conygar Tower is a folly used as a landmark for shipping. It is at the top of Conygar Hill, and overlooks the village. It is a circular, 3 storey tower built of red sandstone. It was commissioned by Henry Luttrell and designed by Richard Phelps, and stands about 18 metres (59 ft) high so that it can be seen from Dunster Castle on the opposite hillside.

There is no evidence that it ever had floors or a roof. It has no strategic or military significance. The name Conygar comes from two medieval words Coney meaning rabbit and Garth meaning garden, indicating that it was once a warren where rabbits were bred for food. In 1997 a survey carried out by The Crown Estate identified cracks in the walls which were repaired in 2000.

Dunster Doll Museum

Dunster Doll Museum houses a collection of more than 800 dolls from around the world, based on the collection of the late Mollie Hardwick, who died in 1970 and donated her collection to the village memorial hall committee.

Established in 1971, the collection includes a display of British and foreign dolls in various costumes. Thirty-two of the dolls were stolen during a burglary in 1992 and have never been recovered.

Hanami (花見) II - Triptychon | sakura chree blossom by dynamo.photography

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Sakura - chrry blossom

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Cherry Blossom" and "Sakura" redirect here. For other uses, see Cherry Blossom (disambiguation) and Sakura (disambiguation).

Cherry blossom tree in Yachounomori Garden, Tatebayashi, Gunma, Japan

The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in Prunus subgenus Cerasus. "Sakura" usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of Prunus serrulata, not trees grown for their fruit[1]: 14–18 [2] (although these also have blossoms). Cherry blossoms have been described as having a vanilla-like smell, which is mainly attributed to coumarin.

Wild species of cherry tree are widely distributed, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere.[3][4][5] They are common in East Asia, especially in Japan, where they have been cultivated, producing many varieties. The wild Himalayan cherry, Prunus cerasoides, is found in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of China, and is also cultivated.[6][7]

The Japanese word sakura (桜 or 櫻; さくら or サクラ) can mean either the tree or its flowers (see 桜).[8] The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan, and is central to the custom of hanami (flower viewing).[9]

Sakura trees are often called Japanese cherry in English.[10] (This is also a common name for Prunus serrulata.[11]) The cultivation of ornamental cherry trees began to spread in Europe and the United States in the early 20th century, particularly after Japan presented trees to the United States as a token of friendship in 1912.[1]: 119–123 British plant collector Collingwood Ingram conducted important studies of Japanese cherry trees after the First World War.[12]

Classification

Classifying cherry trees is often confusing, since they are relatively prone to mutation and have diverse flowers and characteristics, and many varieties (a sub-classification of species), hybrids between species, and cultivars exist. Researchers have assigned different scientific names to the same type of cherry tree throughout different periods.[1]: 32–37

In Europe and North America, ornamental cherry trees are classified under the subgenus Cerasus ("true cherries"), within the genus Prunus. Cerasus consists of about 100 species of cherry tree, but does not include bush cherries, bird cherries, or cherry laurels (other non-Cerasus species in Prunus are plums, peaches, apricots, and almonds). Cerasus was originally named as a genus in 1700 by de Tournefort. In 1753, Linnaeus combined it with several other groupings to form a larger Prunus genus. Cerasus was later converted into a section and then a subgenus, this system becoming widely accepted, but some botanists resurrected it as a genus instead.[13] In China and Russia, where there are many more wild cherry species than in Europe, Cerasus continues to be used as a genus.[1]: 14–18

In Japan, ornamental cherry trees were traditionally classified in the genus Prunus, as in Europe and North America, but after a 1992 paper by Hideaki Ohba of the University of Tokyo, classification in the genus Cerasus became more common.[1]: 14–18 This means that (for example) the scientific name Cerasus incisa is now used in Japan instead of Prunus incisa.[14]

Prunus speciosa (Oshima cherry), a species of cherry tree that has given rise to many cultivars[15][16]

A culture of plum blossom viewing has existed in mainland China since ancient times, and although cherry trees have many wild species, most of them had small flowers, and the distribution of wild cherry trees with large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing was limited.[17]: 160–161 In Europe and North America, there were few cherry species with characteristics suitable for cherry blossom viewing.[1]: 122 In Japan, on the other hand, the Prunus speciosa (Oshima cherry) and Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja], which have large flowers suitable for cherry blossom viewing and tend to grow into large trees, were distributed over a fairly large area of the country and were close to people's living areas. The development of cherry blossom viewing, and the production of cultivars, is therefore considered to have taken place primarily in Japan.[17]: 160–161

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan' or 'Sekiyama', one of the most popular cherry tree cultivars in Europe and North America, selected for the British Award of Garden Merit[17]: 40–42

Because cherry trees have mutable traits, many cultivars have been created for cherry blossom viewing, especially in Japan. Since the Heian period, the Japanese have produced cultivars by selecting superior or mutant trees from among the natural crossings of wild cherry trees. They were also produced by crossing trees artificially and then breeding them by grafting and cutting. Oshima, Yamazakura, Prunus pendula f. ascendens (syn, Prunus itosakura, Edo higan), and other varieties which grow naturally in Japan, mutate easily. The Oshima cherry, which is an endemic species in Japan, tends to mutate into a double-flowered tree, grows quickly, has many large flowers, and has a strong fragrance. Due to these favorable characteristics, the Oshima cherry has been used as a base for many Sakura cultivars (called the Sato-zakura Group). Two such cultivars are the Yoshino cherry and Kanzan; Yoshino cherries are actively planted in Asian countries, and Kanzan is actively planted in Western countries.[1]: 86–95, 106, 166–168 [15][16][17]: 40–42

Hanami: Flower viewing in Japan

Main article: Hanami

Woodblock print of Mount Fuji and cherry blossom from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hiroshige. 1858.

"Hanami" is the many centuries-old practice of holding feasts or parties under blooming sakura (桜 or 櫻; さくら or サクラ) or ume (梅; うめ) trees. During the Nara period (710–794), when the custom is said to have begun, it was ume blossoms that people admired. By the Heian period (794–1185), however, cherry blossoms were attracting more attention, and 'hanami' was synonymous with 'sakura'.[18] From then on, in both waka and haiku, "flowers" (花, hana) meant "cherry blossoms," as implied by one of Izumi Shikibu's poems.[19] The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court but soon spread to samurai society and, by the Edo period, to the common people as well. Tokugawa Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage this. Under the sakura trees, people held cheerful feasts where they ate, and drank sake.[1]: 2–7, 156–160

Since a book written in the Heian period mentions "weeping cherry" (しだり櫻; 糸櫻), one of the cultivars with pendulous branches, Prunus itosakura 'Pendula' (Sidare-zakura) is considered the oldest cultivar in Japan. In the Kamakura period, when the population increased in the southern Kantō region, the Oshima cherry, which originated in Izu Oshima Island, was brought to Honshu and cultivated there; it then made its way to the capital, Kyoto. The Sato-zakura Group first appeared during the Muromachi period.[1]

Jindai-zakura [ja], a 2,000-year-old Prunus itosakura[1]: 178–182

Prunus itosakura (syn. Prunus subhirtella, Edo higan) is a wild species that grows slowly. However, it has the longest life span among cherry trees and is easy to grow into large trees. For this reason, there are many large, old specimens of this species in Japan. They are often regarded as sacred and have become landmarks that symbolize Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and local areas. For example, Jindai-zakura [ja], which is around 2,000 years old, Usuzumi-zakura [ja], which is around 1,500 years old, and Daigo-zakura [ja], which is around 1,000 years old, are famous for their age.[1]: 178–182

'Kanzan' is a double-flowered cultivar developed in the Edo period. It has 20 to 50 petals in a flower.[1]: 93, 103–104

In the Edo period, various double-flowered cultivars were produced and planted on the banks of rivers, in Buddhist temples, in Shinto shrines, and in daimyo gardens in urban areas such as Edo; the common people living in urban areas could enjoy them. Books from the period record more than 200 varieties of cherry blossoms and mention many varieties that are currently known, such as 'Kanzan'. However, this situation was limited to urban areas, and the main objects of hanami across the country were still wild species such as Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja] and Oshima cherry.[1]

Since Japan was modernized in the Meiji period, the Yoshino cherry has spread throughout Japan, and it has become the main object of hanami.[1]: 2–7, 156–160 Various other cultivars were cut down one after another during changes related to the rapid modernization of cities, such as the reclamation of waterways and the demolition of daimyo gardens. The gardener Takagi Magoemon and the village mayor of Kohoku Village, Shimizu Kengo, were concerned about this situation and preserved a few by planting a row of cherry trees, of various cultivars, along the Arakawa River bank. In Kyoto, Sano Toemon XIV, a gardener, collected various cultivars and propagated them. After World War II, these cultivars were inherited by the National Institute of Genetics, Tama Forest Science Garden and the Flower Association of Japan, and from the 1960s onwards were again used for hanami.[1]: 115–119

Every year, the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the public track the sakura zensen ("cherry blossom front") as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather, via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs.[20][21] Since 2009, tracking of the sakura zensen has been largely taken over by private forecasting companies, with the JMA switching to focus only on data collection that than forecasting.[22] The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the beginning of April, though recent years have trended towards earlier flowerings near the end of March.[23] It proceeds northward and into areas of higher altitude, arriving in Hokkaido a few weeks later. Japanese locals, in addition to overseas tourists, pay close attention to these forecasts.[22]

Most Japanese schools and public buildings have cherry blossom trees planted outside of them. Since the fiscal and school years both begin in April, in many parts of Honshu the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season. However, while most cherry blossom trees bloom in the spring, there are also lesser-known winter cherry blossoms (fuyuzakura in Japanese) that bloom between October and December.[24]

The Japan Cherry Blossom Association has published a list of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots (日本さくら名所100選 [ja]),[25] with at least one location in every prefecture.

Blooming season

Yoshino cherry, a cultivar propagated through grafting, consistently reaches full bloom simultaneously between individuals if under the same environmental conditions.

Many cherry species and cultivars bloom between March and April in the Northern Hemisphere. Wild cherry trees, even if they are the same species, differ genetically from one individual to another. Even if they are planted in the same area, there is some variation in the time when they reach full bloom. In contrast, cultivars are clones propagated by grafting or cutting, so each tree of the same cultivar planted in the same area will come into full bloom all at once due to their genetic similarity.[26]

Some wild species, such as Edo higan and the cultivars developed from them, are in full bloom before the leaves open. Yoshino cherry became popular for cherry-blossom viewing because of these characteristics of simultaneous flowering and blooming before the leaves open; it also bears many flowers and grows into a large tree. Many cultivars of the Sato-zakura group, which were developed from complex interspecific hybrids based on Oshima cherry, are often used for ornamental purposes. They generally reach full bloom a few days to two weeks after Yoshino cherry does.[1]: 40–56

The flowering time of cherry trees is thought to be affected by global warming and the heat island effect of urbanization. According to the record of full bloom dates of Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja] in Kyoto, Japan, which has been recorded for about 1200 years, the time of full bloom was relatively stable from 812 to the 1800s. After that, the time of full color rapidly became earlier, and in 2021, the earliest full bloom date in 1200 years was recorded. The average peak bloom day in the 1850s was around April 17, but by the 2020s, it was April 5; the average temperature rose by about 3.4 °C (6.1 °F) during this time. According to the record of full bloom dates of the Yoshino cherry in the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., the bloom date was April 5 in 1921, but it was March 31 in 2021. These records are consistent with the history of rapid increases in global mean temperature since the mid-1800s.[27][28]

Japanese cherry trees grown in the Southern Hemisphere will bloom at a different time of the year. For example, in Australia, while the trees in the Cowra Japanese Garden bloom in late September to mid-October, the Sydney cherry blossom festival is in late August.[29][30]

Symbolism in Japan

A 100 yen coin depicting cherry blossoms

Cherry blossoms are a frequent topic in waka composition, where they commonly symbolize impermanence.[31] Due to their characteristic of blooming en masse, cherry blossoms and are considered an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life.[32] Cherry blossoms frequently appear in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as stage set designs for musical performances. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", in addition to several later pop songs bearing the name. The flower is also used on all manner of historical and contemporary consumer goods, including kimonos,[33] stationery,[34] and dishware.[35]

Mono no aware

The traditional symbolism of cherry blossoms as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life is associated with the influence of Shinto,[36] embodied in the concept of mono no aware (物の哀れ)[a] (the pathos of things).[37] The connection between cherry blossoms and mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga.[37] The transience of the blossoms, their beauty, and their volatility have often been associated with mortality[32] and the graceful and ready acceptance of destiny and karma.

Nationalism and militarism

The Sakurakai, or Cherry Blossom Society, was the name chosen by young officers within the Imperial Japanese Army in September 1930 for their secret society established to reorganize the state along totalitarian militaristic lines, via a military coup d'état if necessary.[38]

During World War II, cherry blossoms were used as a symbol to motivate the Japanese people and stoke nationalism and militarism.[39] The Japanese proverb hana wa sakuragi, hito wa bushi ("the best blossom is the cherry blossom, the best man is a warrior") was evoked in the Imperial Japanese army as a motivation during the war.[40] Even before the war, cherry blossoms were used in propaganda to inspire the "Japanese spirit", as in the "Song of Young Japan", exulting in "warriors" who were "ready like the myriad cherry blossoms to scatter".[41] In 1894, Sasaki Nobutsuna composed a poem, Shina seibatsu no uta (The Song of the Conquest of the Chinese) to coincide with the First Sino-Japanese War. The poem compares falling cherry blossoms to the sacrifice of Japanese soldiers who fall in battles for their country and emperor.[42][43] In 1932, Akiko Yosano's poetry urged Japanese soldiers to endure suffering in China and compared the dead soldiers to cherry blossoms.[44] Arguments that the plans for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, involving all Japanese ships, would expose Japan to danger if they failed were countered with the plea that the Navy be permitted to "bloom as flowers of death".[45] The last message of the forces on Peleliu was "Sakura, Sakura".[46] Japanese pilots would paint sakura flowers on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions.[39] A cherry blossom painted on the side of a bomber symbolized the intensity and ephemerality of life;[47] in this way, falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor.[39][48] The first kamikaze unit had a subunit called Yamazakura, or wild cherry blossom.[48] The Japanese government encouraged the people to believe that the souls of downed warriors were reincarnated in the blossoms.[39]

Artistic and popular uses

The Japan national rugby union team is nicknamed the "Brave Blossoms", and have sakura embroidered on their chests.[49]

Cherry blossoms have been used symbolically in Japanese sports; the Japan national rugby union team has used the flower as an emblem on its uniforms since the team's first international matches in the 1930s, depicted as a "bud, half-open and full-bloomed".[50] The team is known as the "Brave Blossoms" (ブレイブ・ブロッサムズ), and has had their current logo since 1952.[49] The cherry blossom is also seen in the logo of the Japan Cricket Association[51] and the Japan national American football team.[52][53]

Cherry blossoms are a prevalent symbol in irezumi, the traditional art of Japanese tattoos. In this art form, cherry blossoms are often combined with other classic Japanese symbols like koi fish, dragons, or tigers.[54]

The cherry blossom remains symbolic today. It was used for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics mascot, Someity.[55] It is also a common way to indicate the start of spring, such as in the Animal Crossing series of video games, where many of the game's trees are flowering cherries.[56]

Cultivars

"Miharu Takizakura", a tree of species Prunus itosakura that is over 1,000 years old[57]

Prunus × subhirtella 'Omoigawa' [ja], a cultivar produced in Oyama City in 1954[58]

Japan has a wide diversity of cherry trees, including hundreds of cultivars.[59] By one classification method, there are more than 600 cultivars in Japan,[60][61] while the Tokyo Shimbun claims that there are 800.[62] According to the results of DNA analysis of 215 cultivars carried out by Japan's Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in 2014, many of the cultivars that have spread around the world are hybrids produced by crossing Oshima cherry and Prunus jamasakura (Yamazakura) [ja] with various wild species.[15][16] Among these cultivars, the Sato-zakura Group and many other cultivars have a large number of petals, and the representative cultivar is Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'.[1]: 137

The following species, hybrids, and varieties are used for Sakura cultivars:[63][64]

Prunus apetala[65]

Prunus campanulata[66][65][67]

Prunus × furuseana (P. incisa × P. jamasakura[68])

Prunus × incam[69] (P. incisa × P. campanulata[70])

Prunus incisa var. incisa[65]

Prunus incisa var. kinkiensis[65]

Prunus × introrsa[66][65]

Prunus itosakura[15] (Prunus subhirtella, Prunus pendula)

Prunus jamasakura [ja][65]

Prunus × kanzakura[66] (P. campanulata × P. jamasakura and P. campanulata × P. speciosa[68])

Prunus leveilleana[71] (Prunus verecunda)

Prunus × miyoshii[65]

Prunus nipponica[72]

Prunus padus

Prunus × parvifolia (P. incisa × P. speciosa[68])

Prunus pseudocerasus[67]

Prunus × sacra[66][65] (P. itosakura × P. jamasakura[68])

Prunus sargentii[65][67]

Prunus serrulata var. lannesiana, Prunus lannesiana (Prunus Sato-zakura group. Complex interspecific hybrids based on Prunus speciosa.[1]: 86–95, 137 )

Prunus × sieboldii[65]

Prunus speciosa[73][1]: 89–95, 103–106, 166–170

Prunus × subhirtella[65] (P. incisa × P. itosakura[68])

Prunus × syodoi[66][65]

Prunus × tajimensis[65]

Prunus × takenakae[66][65]

Prunus × yedoensis[66] (P. itosakura × P. speciosa[68])

Prunus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' (Yoshino cherry)

The most popular cherry blossom cultivar in Japan is 'Somei-yoshino' (Yoshino cherry). Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The cultivar takes its name from the village of Somei, which is now part of Toshima in Tokyo. It was developed in the mid- to late-19th century, at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The 'Somei-yoshino' is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that jidaigeki and other works of fiction often show the trees being cultivated in the Edo period or earlier, although such depictions are anachronisms.[1]: 40–45

Prunus × kanzakura 'Kawazu-zakura' (Kawazu cherry) [ja], a representative cultivar of the cold season that blooms from late February to early March in Japan

''Prunus'' × ''kanzakura'' 'Kawazu-zakura' [ja] is a representative cultivar that blooms before the arrival of spring. It is a natural hybrid between the Oshima cherry and Prunus campanulata and is characterized by deep pink petals. Wild cherry trees usually do not bloom in cold seasons because they cannot produce offspring if they bloom before spring, when pollinating insects become active. However, it is thought that 'Kawazu-zakura' blooms earlier because Prunus campanulata from Okinawa, which did not originally grow naturally in Honshu, was crossed with the Oshima cherry. In wild species, flowering before spring is a disadvantageous feature of selection; in cultivars such as 'Kawazu-zakura', early flowering and flower characteristics are preferred, and they are propagated by grafting.[1]: 98–100

Cherry trees are generally classified by species and cultivar, but in Japan they are also classified using names based on the characteristics of the flowers and trees. Cherry trees with more petals than the ordinary five are classified as yae-zakura (double-flowered sakura), and those with drooping branches are classified as shidare-zakura, or weeping cherry. Most yae-zakura and shidare-zakura are cultivars. Famous shidare-zakura cultivars include 'Shidare-zakura', 'Beni-shidare', and 'Yae-beni-shidare', all derived from the wild species Prunus itosakura (syn, Prunus subhirtella or Edo higan).[1]: 86–87

The color of cherry blossoms is generally a gradation between white and red, but there are cultivars with unusual colors such as yellow and green. The representative cultivars of these colors are ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner (Ukon) [ja] and ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Gioiko' Koidz (Gyoiko) [ja], which were developed in the Edo period of Japan.[1]: 86–95, 104

In 2007, Riken produced a new cultivar named 'Nishina zao' by irradiating cherry trees with a heavy-ion beam. This cultivar is a mutation of the green-petaled ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Gioiko' (Gyoiko) [ja]; it is characterized by its pale yellow-green-white flowers when it blooms and pale yellow-pink flowers when they fall. Riken produced the cultivars 'Nishina otome' (blooms in both spring and autumn, or year-round in a greenhouse), 'Nishina haruka' (larger flowers), and 'Nishina komachi' ('lantern-like' flowers that remain partially closed) in the same way.[74][75]

Prunus itosakura 'Pendula' (Shidare-zakura)

Prunus itosakura 'Plena Rosea' (Yae-beni-shidare) is a cultivar having characteristics of both yae-zakura and shidare-zakura.

''Prunus serrulata'' 'Grandiflora' A. Wagner (Ukon) [ja] with rare yellow flowers developed in the Edo period of Japan. One of the cultivars selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.

''Prunus serrulata'' 'Gioiko' Koidz (Gyoiko) [ja] with rare green flowers developed in the Edo period of Japan.

''Prunus × sieboldii'' 'Beni-yutaka' [ja]. One of the cultivars selected for the British Award of Garden Merit.

All wild cherry trees produce small, unpalatable fruit or edible cherries, however, some cultivars have structural modifications to render the plant unable to naturally reproduce.[76] For example, ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Hisakura' (Ichiyo) [ja] and ''Prunus serrulata'' 'Albo-rosea' Makino (Fugenzo) [ja], which originated from the Oshima cherry, have a modified pistil that develops into a leaf-like structure, and can only be propagated by artificial methods such as grafting and cutting.[1]: 107 Cherry trees grown for their fruit are generally cultivars of the related species Prunus avium, Prunus cerasus, and Prunus fruticosa.[77]

Cultivation by country

Cherry blossoms at Kungsträdgården in Stockholm, Sweden

Main article: Cherry blossom cultivation by country

In the present day, ornamental cherry blossom trees are distributed and cultivated worldwide.[78] While flowering cherry trees were historically present in Europe, North America, and China,[1]: 122 the practice of cultivating ornamental cherry trees was centered in Japan,[17]: 160–161 and many of the cultivars planted worldwide, such as that of Prunus × yedoensis,[79] have been developed from Japanese hybrids.

The global distribution of ornamental cherry trees, along with flower viewing festivals or hanami, largely started in the early 20th century, often as gifts from Japan.[80][81][82] However, some regions have historically cultivated their own native species of flowering cherry trees, a notable variety of which is the Himalayan wild cherry tree Prunus cerasoides.[83][6][84]

Culinary use

Pickled blossoms

A cup of sakurayu

Cherry blossoms and leaves are edible,[85] and both are used as food ingredients in Japan:

The blossoms are pickled in salt and umezu (ume vinegar),[86] and used for coaxing out flavor in wagashi, a traditional Japanese confectionery, or anpan, a Japanese sweet bun most-commonly filled with red bean paste.[87] The pickling method, known as sakurazuke (桜漬け), is said to date back to the end of the Edo period,[88] though the general method of pickling vegetables in salt to produce tsukemono has been known as early as the Jōmon period.[89]

Salt-pickled blossoms in hot water are called sakurayu[90] and drunk at festive events like weddings in place of green tea.[88][91]

The leaves are pickled in salted water and used for sakuramochi.[86]

Cherry blossoms are used as a flavoring botanical in Japanese Roku gin.[92]

Toxicity

Cherry leaves and blossoms contain coumarin,[93][94] which is potentially hepatotoxic and is banned in high doses by the Food and Drug Administration.[95] However, coumarin has a desirable vanilla-like scent, and the salt curing process used prior to most culinary applications, which involves washing, drying, and salting the blossoms or leaves for a full day, reduces the concentration of coumarin to acceptable levels while preserving its scent.[85] Coumarin may also be isolated from the plant for use in perfumes,[96] pipe tobacco, or as an adulterant in vanilla flavorings, though the tonka bean is a more common natural source of this chemical.[97]

Cherry seeds and bark contain amygdalin and should not be eaten.[98][99]

Distributed by Buena Vista by Bart Solenthaler

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Nepal - Patan - Durbar Square - Temple - 60 by Manfred Sommer

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Patan (Sanskrit: पाटन Pātan, Newar: यल Yala), officially Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, is the third largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara and it is located in the south-central part of Kathmandu Valley. Patan is also known as Manigal. It is best known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly its tradition of arts and crafts. It is called city of festival and feast, fine ancient art, making of metallic and stone carving statue. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 226,728 in 54,748 individual households. The city received extensive damage from an earthquake on 25 April 2015.

GEOGRAPHY

Patan is on the elevated tract of land in Kathmandu Valley on the south side of the Bagmati River, which separates it from the city of Kathmandu on the northern and western side. The Nakkhu Khola acts as the boundary on the southern side. It was developed on relatively thin layers of deposited clay and gravel in the central part of a dried ancient lake known as the Nagdaha.

It is the third largest city of the country, after Kathmandu, and Pokhara.

The city has an area of 15.43 square kilometres and is divided into 22 municipal wards. It is bounded by:

East: Imadol VDC and Harisiddhi VDC

West: Kirtipur Municipality and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)

North: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)

South: Saibu VDC, Sunakothi VDC and Dhapakhel VDC

CLIMATE

Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).

HISTORY

Lalitpur is believed to have been founded in the third century BC by the Kirat dynasty and later expanded by Licchavis in the sixth century. It was further expanded by the Mallas during the medieval period.

There are many legends about its name. The most popular one is the legend of the God Rato Machhindranath, who was brought to the valley from Kamaru Kamachhya, located in Assam, India, by a group of three people representing the three kingdoms centered in the Kathmandu Valley.

One of them was called Lalit, a farmer who carried God Rato Machhindranath to the valley all the way from Assam, India. The purpose of bringing the God Rato Machhindranath to the valley was to overcome the worst drought there. There was a strong belief that the God Rato Machhindranath would bring rain in the valley. It was due to Lalit's effort that the God Rato Machhindranath was settled in Lalitpur. Many believe that the name of the town is kept after his name Lalit and pur meaning township.

In May, a chariot festival honoring the deity known as Bunga Dyah Jatra is held in Patan. It is the longest and one of the most important religious celebrations in Patan.

During the month-long festival, an image of Rato Machhendanath is placed on a tall chariot and pulled through the city streets in stages.

Lalitpur said to have been founded by King Veer Deva in 299 AD, but there is unanimity among scholars that Patan was a well established and developed town since ancient times. Several historical records including many other legends indicate that Patan is the oldest of all the cities of Kathmandu Valley. According to a very old Kirat chronicle, Patan was founded by Kirat rulers long before the Licchavi rulers came into the political scene in Kathmandu Valley. According to that chronicle, the earliest known capital of Kirat rulers was Thankot. Kathmandu, the present capital was most possibly removed from Thankot to Patan after the Kirati King Yalamber came into power sometimes around second century AD.

One of the most used and typical Newar names of Patan is Yala. It is said that King Yalamber or Yellung Hang named this city after himself, and ever since this ancient city was known as Yala.

In 1768, Lalitpur was annexed to the Gorkha Kingdom by Prithvi Narayan Shah in the Battle of Lalitpur.

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

The city was initially designed in the shape of the Buddhist Dharma-Chakra (Wheel of Righteousness). The four thurs or mounds on the perimeter of Patan are ascribed around, one at each corner of its cardinal points, which are popularly known as Asoka Stupas. Legend has it that Emperor Asoka (the legendary King of India) visited with his daughter Charumati to Kathmandu in 250 BC and erected five Asoka Stupas, four in the surrounding and one at the middle of the Patan. The size and shape of these stupas seem to breathe their antiquity in a real sense. There are more than 1,200 Buddhist monuments of various shapes and sizes scattered in and around the city.

The most important monument of the city is Patan Durbar Square, which has been listed by UNESCO as one of seven Monument Zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site. The seven monument zones were included in the World Heritage List in 1979 as one integrated site. The monument zones are declared as protected and preserved according to the Monuments Preservation Act of 1956. The Square was heavily damaged on 25 April 2015 by an earthquake.

Patan City was planned in Vihars and Bahils. Out of 295 Vihars and Bahils of the valley 56% of them are in Patan. The water conduits, stone spouts, Jaladroni (water tanks), artistic gate ways, Hindu temples and Buddhist Vihars adorn the city. The in built cultural heritage like the royal palace, with intricately carved doors and windows and beautiful courtyards adorned with exquisite icons enhance the beauty of the city. Such art pieces are found in stone, metal, terracotta ivory and other objects. All these artifacts exhibit artistic excellence of the craftsmen and the whole city looks like an open museum.

ECONOMY

A substantial portion of the population is engaged in trades, notably in traditional handicrafts and small scale cottage industries, and some residents work in agriculture. Lalitpur has produced the highest number of renowned artists and finest craftsmen ever recorded in the history of Nepali art.

Patan has maintained a culture of craftwork even in the face of rapid urbanization and many social and political upheavals.

The city is less urbanized than Kathmandu, north of the Bagmati river, but is home to many workshops, stores, restaurants, hotels, schools, embassies and other important sectors of the Kathmandu Valley economy.

Buddha Air has its headquarters in Jawalakhel, near Patan.

EDUCATION

POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Patan is home to Pulchowk Engineering Campus, one of the oldest and most reputed colleges affiliated with the Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University. Patan Academy of Health Sciences is the only medical university in the city with Patan Hospital as its primary teaching hospital, and there is another medical school - KIST Medical College in Lalitpur. Other instituitions of higher learning in Patan include Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) and Patan Multiple Campus.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

The city is served by a number of private and public instituitions providing education from primary until secondary level. Among all, the largest and reputed schools are Adarsha Vidya Mandir, St. Xavier's School, St. Mary's, Little Angels School, Graded English Medium School, Rato Bangala School, DAV Sushil Kedia, Adarsha Kanya Niketan, The British School, Adarsha Saral Madhyamik Vidyalay and Gyanodaya Bal Batika School.

LIBRARIES

Nepal National Library which was established in 1957 AD was moved to Patan from Singha Durbar in 2061 AD. It is at Harihar Bhawan. Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya which awards the Madan Puraskar and Jagadamba Shree Puraskar literary prizes is in the city.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Patan is renowned as a very artistic city. Most of the Nepalese art is devoted to Gods, and there are an abundance of temples and viharas. Notable places of interest include:

Patan Durbar Square: The palace square and residence of the Malla rulers of Patan state which now houses a museum.

Patan Dhoka: One of the historical entrances to the old city.

Bhaskerdev Samskarita Hiranyabarna Mahavihara: A Buddhist temple known locally as Golden Temple.

Mahabouddha Temple: Also known as 1000 Buddha Temple modeled liked the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya.

Kumbheswor Temple: A Shiva temple with two ponds whose water is believed to come from Gosaikunda.

Ratnakar Mahavihar: Also known as Ha Baha, the viahara complex is the official residence of the Kumari of Patan.

Krishna Mandir: One of the most beautiful stone temples of Nepal built by King Siddhinarsingh Malla in the 16th century.

Park Gallery: an artist run space founded in 1970.

TRANSPORTATION

AIRPORTS

ROADS

Walking is the easiest method of transportation within the city as the core is densely populated. In terms of motor transport, Kathmandu Valley Ring Road which encircles the central part of the valley is a strategic road in the city. Connection to Kathmandu over the Bagmati River is provided by a host of road and pedestrian bridges. The most trafficked and important bridge connecting to the centre of Kathmandu is Thapathali Bridge. Since pedestrians and vehicles often have to share the same road, traffic congestion is a major problem in Patan. Efforts are being made to widen roads to make them more suitable to vehicular traffic.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Private companies operate a number of routes connecting Patan with other places in the valley. Buses, micro-buses and electric tempos are the most common forms of public transport seen in the city. Lalitpur Yatayat buses connects the touristic Thamel area of Kathmandu with buses stopping at Patan Dhoka, a five-minute walk to Patan Durbar Square. Lagankhel Bus Park is the central transport hub.

MEDIA

To Promote local culture Patan has one FM radio station Radio Sagarmatha - 102.4 MHz which is a Community radio station.

LANGUAGE

The original native language of Patan is Nepal Bhasa's Lalitpur dialect. Though due to the migration form other places to Patan, other languages like Nepali, Tamang, etc. are also spoken.

WIKIPEDIA

Stars by mrks_sree

Galaxy

Yellow-Billed Babbler by Sandeep Gangadharan

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This species is patchily distributed in southern India and Sri Lanka. The nominate subspecies is found in Andhra Pradesh, south of the Godavari river and Karnataka south of Belgaum into Tamil Nadu. It prefers lower altitudes and drier habitats than the Jungle Babbler but sometimes is found alongside it as in my backyard where these two cousins are often found quarreling. It can be distinguished from the Jungle Babbler by its light coloured head and nape and its bluish white eye.

500 piece puzzle, "The Thames on Ice" by James McNeill Whistler, FX Schmid/USA. by Billsville Mike

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This beautiful little puzzle was made in 1993 in FX Schmid's Salem, N.H. factory, which produced a broad range of puzzles during that era for the U.S. market, altogether different from its German counterpart. They may even have distributed to mainstream chain stores, as these puzzles are fairly easy to find today on second-hand sites, but if they were, I never encountered them during that time. Ravensburger acquired FX Schmid around 2000 and their U.S. offices are now located in nearby Newton, N.H., making me wonder if part of the acquisition - besides eliminating a competitor - was to establish an American presence. After 2000, Ravensburger puzzles seem to have become more widely distributed in the U.S.

The puzzle was very enjoyable to build, and a nice change from the boring Chinese-made puzzles I've been doing recently. The cut is noteworthy - it's a ribbon-style strip cut, but in contrast to the ribbon cut puzzles I've seen (especially from Falcon and Waddingtons), the ribbons are offset on both the x and y axis, and often each ribbon is only 4 or 5 pieces long (sometimes only one) before an interruption. In some places, the ribbon makes a 90 degree turn. It reminded me of the Laurel Ink puzzle I recently made, which also has this same style - a perfect grid, but with pieces offset in both axes and with no obvious pattern. I don't see this variation described in Bob Armstrong's glossary of piece styles. I think it would be fair to call this an American style ribbon cut (or, perhaps, random ribbon cut), in contrast to the English style, probably modeled after the Victory ribbon cut.

Whistler was an American artist who is best known for his portrait of his mother, one of the most famous 19th century American portraits. His work has great texture and often a moody atmosphere. The puzzle seems darker than this photo would suggest.

Completed in 2 hr., 12 mins. with no box reference. 15.8 secs./piece; 227.3 pcs./hr. Difficulty rating: 1.6/10.