Model: Elizabeth Culley

Location: Sausalito, CA

FED 2 Rangefinder

The Story Starts Here

According to the time register on the file there is a thirty minute gap between the previous photo and this photo. Technology may be physically accurate but it doesn't express the emotional time I went through. I can't say if it felt longer or shorter than thirty minutes, it was one of those timeless moments in life, neither long nor short.

 

I find it hard to piece the events back together, simply because my mind was empty, I was running on autopilot, all conscious efforts going forth to stop the rising panic coursing through my body and keep me moving forward. The following is the best I can do.

 

We reach the last rest house before the two kilometer hike to the summit. The teahouse is two buildings built sloping upwards at the end of which is a fork. The right is for people coming down the mountain, the left for people going up. We head left and here there is a gap in my memory. I remember seeing that the right path was only a steep wooden staircase that disappeared around the side of the mountain, and that the left way is slowly turning from a steep mountain path into a jagged formation of rocky cliffs and crags. I don't remember what came first, the steps or the crags, but there were at least 4-5 crags to climb over and back down, some with chains to help at the straight up parts. The steps were long steep wooden staircases, twisting left and right at a few points, without any railing, and with drop offs on both sides.

 

Here I must again explain my two point problem. The first I already stated; I have a deep-seated panic inducing phobia of heights/falling. The second is that I have no innate or learned sense of balance. I have never learnt to ride a bicycle, I am an avid tripper, and have amazed a few friends on my ability to be hipchecked far distances. Whether this stems from or fuels my phobia is not clear, but it is a factor in some way.

 

It is thus that I felt much more comfortable walking up the many hundred stairs on all fours, crawling like an animal, head bowed to the summit, one step at a time. While a safer method, it was much more physically tiring and probably contributed to losing my grip and slipping a few times while on the rocks.

 

This shot was taking on a wooden platform before the last of the cliff/crags, which only two of our group climbed over, luckily there was a flatter, but still rocky, path around the side joining back to the main path of the summit, and up a few more smaller cliffs and crags.

 

Did I say that the only concious thoughts in my head were trying to supress panic? I was wrong. There was a single sentence constantly cycling in the background the whole time, "Up is the easy part, you still have to go back down."

Captive representing Spain, Martin Van Den Bogaert, 1685 - Louvre Museum, Paris-FR

  

Four Captives also known as Four Defeated Nations: Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Brandenburg, and Holland

 

Taken from the pedestal of the statue in the Place des Victoires, these captives represent the nations defeated by the Treaty of Nijmegen (1679). Each expresses a different reaction to captivity: revolt, hope, resignation, or grief. They were first kept in the Invalides (1804-1939) then allocated to the Louvre in 1960 and placed in the grounds of the Château de Sceaux from 1961 to 1992.

  

To the glory of the king

 

The Captives surrounded the pedestal of the statue of Louis XIV on foot in the Place des Victoires. They are by Martin Desjardins, the gallicized name of an eminent Dutch sculptor active during the reign of Louis XIV, who had already made his name with the decoration of the Hôtel Salé (now the Musée Picasso). The monument was commissioned in 1679 by François d'Aubusson, duke of La Feuillade and marshal of France, who had distinguished himself in the campaigns in Franche-Comté and Sicily. He was an astute courtier, and thought it opportune to raise a grandiose monument to the glory of his king. As a setting for the statue, he persuaded the city to open up an immense square and he had the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart design it. The square was named Place des Victoires in homage to France's victories in the Dutch War, which ended in 1679 with the Treaty of Nijmegen. The monument was inaugurated in 1686.

  

Four defeated nations

 

The captives, four larger-than-life bronze figures, symbolize the four nations defeated at the time of the Treaty of Nijmegen. Each represents one of the ages of man and a different attitude to captivity. Spain is a smooth-faced young man with streaming hair. His naked, upright body and heavenward gaze all indicate hope. The Holy Roman Empire is a bearded old man dressed in an ancient tunic. His head is bowed and his body sags in dejected resignation. Holland is young man with virile features and a short beard. His naked body poised to leap, his shoulder thrust forward in a defiant gesture and his wild expression speak of rebellion. Brandenburg is a mature man dressed like an ancient barbarian (like the Farnese Prisoners, classical marbles highly appreciated by many artists). The hand clutching his cloak, the drooping right shoulder and contorted face express grief. The Captives are all turned to the right, which encourages viewers to walk around the monument in a clockwise direction. Desjardins brilliantly varied his figures, alternating old and young, nude and clothed, upright and stooping figures, and arranging their arms and legs in different positions.

 

Louvre Museum Website

A bit of work, a bit of fun! It's all about the mix.

The past few weeks has been drama drama drama like whoa.

 

seriously.

 

and it has been kicking my butt.

 

thank God it's about over and no one cares anymore and I can move on with my life.

 

I miss doing a 365, I really really do. I miss being able to take a photo a day and rant and rave about how good or how bad my day was, I miss being able to be on flickr all the time checking everyone's photos and sharing my life with you guys as I follow along with all your lives.

 

i miss you guys dreadfully.

 

- Zee

The Dakshinkali Temple is located 22 kilometers from Kathmandu next to the village of Pharping. It's one of the main temples in Nepal. Twice every week thousands of people come here to worship the goddess Kali by sacrificing life animals, particularly cockerels and uncastrated male goats.

 

GODDESS KALI

Kālī (/ˈkɑːli/; Sanskrit: काली & Bengali: কালী; IPA: [kɑːliː]), also known as Kālikā (Sanskrit: कालिका), is the Hindu goddess associated with empowerment, or shakti. She is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga. The name of Kali means black one and force of time; she is therefore called the Goddess of Time, Change, Power, Creation, Preservation, and Destruction. Her earliest appearance is that of a destroyer principally of evil forces. Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shākta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman; and recent devotional movements re-imagine Kāli as a benevolent mother goddess. She is often portrayed standing or dancing on her husband, the god Shiva, who lies calm and prostrate beneath her. Worshipped throughout India but particularly South India, Bengal, and Assam, Kali is both geographically and culturally marginal.

 

ETYMOLOGY

Kālī is the feminine form of kālam ("black, dark coloured"). Kāla primarily means "time", but also means "black"; hence, Kālī means "the black one" or "beyond time". Kāli is strongly associated with Shiva, and Shaivas derive the masculine Kāla (an epithet of Shiva) from her feminine name. A nineteenth-century Sanskrit dictionary, the Shabdakalpadrum, states: कालः शिवः। तस्य पत्नीति - काली। kālaḥ śivaḥ। tasya patnīti kālī - "Shiva is Kāla, thus, his consort is Kāli".

 

Other names include Kālarātri ("black night"), as described above, and Kālikā ("relating to time"), and Kallie ("black alchemist"). Coburn notes that the name Kālī can be used as a proper name, or as a description of color.

 

Kāli's association with darkness stands in contrast to her consort, Shiva, whose body is covered by the white ashes of the cremation ground (Sanskrit: śmaśāna) where he meditates, and with which Kāli is also associated, as śmaśāna-kālī.

 

ORIGINS

Hugh Urban notes that although the word Kālī appears as early as the Atharva Veda, the first use of it as a proper name is in the Kathaka Grhya Sutra (19.7). Kali is the name of one of the seven tongues of Agni, the [Rigvedic] God of Fire, in the Mundaka Upanishad (2:4), but it is unlikely that this refers to the goddess. The first appearance of Kāli in her present form is in the Sauptika Parvan of the Mahabharata (10.8.64). She is called Kālarātri (literally, "black night") and appears to the Pandava soldiers in dreams, until finally she appears amidst the fighting during an attack by Drona's son Ashwatthama. She most famously appears in the sixth century Devi Mahatmyam as one of the shaktis of Mahadevi, and defeats the demon Raktabija ("Bloodseed"). The tenth-century Kalika Purana venerates Kāli as the ultimate reality.

 

According to David Kinsley, Kāli is first mentioned in Hinduism as a distinct goddess around 600 CE, and these texts "usually place her on the periphery of Hindu society or on the battlefield." She is often regarded as the Shakti of Shiva, and is closely associated with him in various Puranas. The Kalika Purana depicts her as the "Adi Shakti" (Fundamental Power) and "Para Prakriti" or beyond nature.

 

WORSHIP AND MANTRA

Kali could be considered a general concept, like Durga, and is mostly worshiped in the Kali Kula sect of worship. The closest way of direct worship is Maha Kali or Bhadra Kali (Bhadra in Sanskrit means 'gentle'). Kali is worshiped as one of the 10 Mahavidya forms of Adi Parashakti (Goddess Durga) or Bhagavathy according to the region. The mantra for worship is

 

Sanskrit: सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके । शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

 

ॐ जयंती मंगल काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी । दुर्गा शिवा क्षमा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तु‍ते ॥

 

(Sarvamaṅgalamāṅgalyē śivē sarvārthasādhikē . śaraṇyē tryambakē gauri nārāyaṇi namō'stu tē.

 

Oṃ jayantī mangala kālī bhadrakālī kapālinī . durgā śivā ksamā dhātrī svāhā svadhā namō'stu‍tē.)

 

YANTRA

Goddesses play an important role in the study and practice of Tantra Yoga, and are affirmed to be as central to discerning the nature of reality as are the male deities. Although Parvati is often said to be the recipient and student of Shiva's wisdom in the form of Tantras, it is Kali who seems to dominate much of the Tantric iconography, texts, and rituals. In many sources Kāli is praised as the highest reality or greatest of all deities. The Nirvana-tantra says the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva all arise from her like bubbles in the sea, ceaselessly arising and passing away, leaving their original source unchanged. The Niruttara-tantra and the Picchila-tantra declare all of Kāli's mantras to be the greatest and the Yogini-tantra, Kamakhya-tantra and the Niruttara-tantra all proclaim Kāli vidyas (manifestations of Mahadevi, or "divinity itself"). They declare her to be an essence of her own form (svarupa) of the Mahadevi.In the Mahanirvana-tantra, Kāli is one of the epithets for the primordial sakti, and in one passage Shiva praises her:At the dissolution of things, it is Kāla [Time]. Who will devour all, and by reason of this He is called Mahākāla [an epithet of Lord Shiva], and since Thou devourest Mahākāla Himself, it is Thou who art the Supreme Primordial Kālika. Because Thou devourest Kāla, Thou art Kāli, the original form of all things, and because Thou art the Origin of and devourest all things Thou art called the Adya [the Primordial One]. Re-assuming after Dissolution Thine own form, dark and formless, Thou alone remainest as One ineffable and inconceivable. Though having a form, yet art Thou formless; though Thyself without beginning, multiform by the power of Maya, Thou art the Beginning of all, Creatrix, Protectress, and Destructress that Thou art. The figure of Kāli conveys death, destruction, and the consuming aspects of reality. As such, she is also a "forbidden thing", or even death itself. In the Pancatattva ritual, the sadhaka boldly seeks to confront Kali, and thereby assimilates and transforms her into a vehicle of salvation. This is clear in the work of the Karpuradi-stotra, a short praise of Kāli describing the Pancatattva ritual unto her, performed on cremation grounds. (Samahana-sadhana)He, O Mahākāli who in the cremation-ground, naked, and with dishevelled hair, intently meditates upon Thee and recites Thy mantra, and with each recitation makes offering to Thee of a thousand Akanda flowers with seed, becomes without any effort a Lord of the earth. Oh Kāli, whoever on Tuesday at midnight, having uttered Thy mantra, makes offering even but once with devotion to Thee of a hair of his Shakti [his energy/female companion] in the cremation-ground, becomes a great poet, a Lord of the earth, and ever goes mounted upon an elephant.The Karpuradi-stotra clearly indicates that Kāli is more than a terrible, vicious, slayer of demons who serves Durga or Shiva. Here, she is identified as the supreme mistress of the universe, associated with the five elements. In union with Lord Shiva, she creates and destroys worlds. Her appearance also takes a different turn, befitting her role as ruler of the world and object of meditation. In contrast to her terrible aspects, she takes on hints of a more benign dimension. She is described as young and beautiful, has a gentle smile, and makes gestures with her two right hands to dispel any fear and offer boons. The more positive features exposed offer the distillation of divine wrath into a goddess of salvation, who rids the sadhaka of fear. Here, Kali appears as a symbol of triumph over death.

 

BENGALI TRADITION

Kali is also a central figure in late medieval Bengali devotional literature, with such devotees as Ramprasad Sen (1718–75). With the exception of being associated with Parvati as Shiva's consort, Kāli is rarely pictured in Hindu legends and iconography as a motherly figure until Bengali devotions beginning in the early eighteenth century. Even in Bengāli tradition her appearance and habits change little, if at all.

 

The Tantric approach to Kāli is to display courage by confronting her on cremation grounds in the dead of night, despite her terrible appearance. In contrast, the Bengali devotee appropriates Kāli's teachings adopting the attitude of a child, coming to love her unreservedly. In both cases, the goal of the devotee is to become reconciled with death and to learn acceptance of the way that things are. These themes are well addressed in Rāmprasād's work. Rāmprasād comments in many of his other songs that Kāli is indifferent to his wellbeing, causes him to suffer, brings his worldly desires to nothing and his worldly goods to ruin. He also states that she does not behave like a mother should and that she ignores his pleas:

 

Can mercy be found in the heart of her who was born of the stone? [a reference to Kali as the daughter of Himalaya]

Were she not merciless, would she kick the breast of her lord?

Men call you merciful, but there is no trace of mercy in you, Mother.

You have cut off the heads of the children of others, and these you wear as a garland around your neck.

It matters not how much I call you "Mother, Mother." You hear me, but you will not listen.

 

To be a child of Kāli, Rāmprasād asserts, is to be denied of earthly delights and pleasures. Kāli is said to refrain from giving that which is expected. To the devotee, it is perhaps her very refusal to do so that enables her devotees to reflect on dimensions of themselves and of reality that go beyond the material world.

 

A significant portion of Bengali devotional music features Kāli as its central theme and is known as Shyama Sangeet ("Music of the Night"). Mostly sung by male vocalists, today even women have taken to this form of music. One of the finest singers of Shyāma Sāngeet is Pannalal Bhattacharya.

 

In Bengal, Kāli is venerated in the festival Kali Puja, the new moon day of Ashwin month which coincides with Diwali festival.

 

In a unique form of Kāli worship, Shantipur worships Kāli in the form of a hand painted image of the deity known as Poteshwari (meaning the deity drawn on a piece of cloth).

 

LEGENDS

SLAYER AND RAKTABIJA

In Kāli's most famous legend, Devi Durga (Adi Parashakti) and her assistants, the Matrikas, wound the demon Raktabija, in various ways and with a variety of weapons in an attempt to destroy him. They soon find that they have worsened the situation for with every drop of blood that is dripped from Raktabija he reproduces a clone of himself. The battlefield becomes increasingly filled with his duplicates. Durga, in need of help, summons Kāli to combat the demons. It is said, in some versions, that Goddess Durga actually assumes the form of Goddess Kāli at this time. The Devi Mahatmyam describes:

 

Out of the surface of her (Durga's) forehead, fierce with frown, issued suddenly Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange khatvanga (skull-topped staff ), decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger's skin, very appalling owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having deep reddish eyes, filling the regions of the sky with her roars, falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hordes of the foes of the devas.

 

Kali consumes Raktabija and his duplicates, and dances on the corpses of the slain. In the Devi Mahatmya version of this story, Kali is also described as a Matrika and as a Shakti or power of Devi. She is given the epithet Cāṃuṇḍā (Chamunda), i.e. the slayer of the demons Chanda and Munda. Chamunda is very often identified with Kali and is very much like her in appearance and habit.

  

DAKSHINA KALI

In her most famous pose as Daksinakali, popular legends say that Kali, drunk on the blood of her victims, is about to destroy the whole universe when, urged by all the gods, Shiva lies in her way to stop her, and she steps upon his chest. Recognizing Shiva beneath her feet, she calms herself. Though not included in any of the puranas, popular legends state that Kali was ashamed at the prospect of keeping her husband beneath her feet and thus stuck her tongue out in shame. The Devi-Bhagavata Purana, which goes into great depths about the goddess Kali, reveals the tongue's actual symbolism.

 

The characteristic icons that depict Kali are the following; unbridled matted hair, open blood shot eyes, open mouth and a drooping tongue; in her hands, she holds a Khadga (bent sword or scimitar) and a human head; she has a girdle of human hands across her waist, and Shiva lies beneath her feet. The drooping out-stuck tongue represents her blood-thirst. Lord Shiva beneath her feet represents matter, as Kali energy. The depiction of Kali on Shiva shows that without energy, matter lies "dead". This concept has been simplified to a folk-tale depicting a wife placing her foot

 

on her husband and sticking her tongue out in shame. In tantric contexts, the tongue is seen to denote the element (guna) of rajas (energy and action) controlled by sattva.

 

If Kali steps on Shiva with her right foot and holds the sword in her left hand, she is considered to be Dakshina Kali. The Dakshina Kali Temple has important religious associations with the Jagannath Temple and it is believed that Daksinakali is the guardian of the kitchen of the Lord Jagannath Temple. Puranic tradition says that in Puri, Lord Jagannath is regarded as Daksinakalika. Goddess Dakshinakali plays an important role in the 'Niti' of Saptapuri Amavasya.

 

One South Indian tradition tells of a dance contest between Shiva and Kali. After defeating the two demons Sumbha and Nisumbha, Kali takes up residence in the forest of Thiruvalankadu or Thiruvalangadu. She terrorizes the surrounding area with her fierce, disruptive nature. One of Shiva's devotees becomes distracted while performing austerities, and asks Shiva to rid the forest of the destructive goddess. When Shiva arrives, Kali threatens him, and Shiva challenges Kali to a dance contest, wherein Kali matches Shiva until Shiva takes the "Urdhvatandava" step, vertically raising his right leg. Kali refuses to perform this step, which would not befit her as a woman, and becomes pacified.

 

SMASHAN KALI

If the Kali steps out with the left foot and holds the sword in her right hand, she is the terrible form of Mother, the Smashan Kali of the cremation ground. She is worshiped by tantrics, the followers of Tantra, who believe that one's spiritual discipline practiced in a smashan (cremation ground) brings success quickly. Sarda Devi, the consort of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, worshipped Smashan Kali at Dakshineshwar.

 

MATERNAL KALI

At the time of samundra manthan when amrit came out, along with that came out poison which was going to destroy the world hence on the request of all the gods, Lord Shiva drank it to save the world but as he is beyond death he didn't die but was very much in pain due to the poison effect hence he became a child so that Kali can feed him with her milk which will sooth out the poison effect.

 

MAHAKALI

Mahakali (Sanskrit: Mahākālī, Devanagari: महाकाली), literally translated as Great Kali, is sometimes considered as a greater form of Kali, identified with the Ultimate reality of Brahman. It can also be used as an honorific of the Goddess Kali, signifying her greatness by the prefix "Mahā-". Mahakali, in Sanskrit, is etymologically the feminized variant of Mahakala or Great Time (which is interpreted also as Death), an epithet of the God Shiva in Hinduism. Mahakali is the presiding Goddess of the first episode of the Devi Mahatmya. Here she is depicted as Devi in her universal form as Shakti. Here Devi serves as the agent who allows the cosmic order to be restored.

 

Kali is depicted in the Mahakali form as having ten heads, ten arms, and ten legs. Each of her ten hands is carrying a various implement which vary in different accounts, but each of these represent the power of one of the Devas or Hindu Gods and are often the identifying weapon or ritual item of a given Deva. The implication is that Mahakali subsumes and is responsible for the powers that these deities possess and this is in line with the interpretation that Mahakali is identical with Brahman. While not displaying ten heads, an "ekamukhi" or one headed image may be displayed with ten arms, signifying the same concept: the powers of the various Gods come only through Her grace.

 

ICONOGRAPHY

Kali is portrayed mostly in two forms: the popular four-armed form and the ten-armed Mahakali form. In both of her forms, she is described as being black in color but is most often depicted as blue in popular Indian art. Her eyes are described as red with intoxication, and in absolute rage, her hair is shown disheveled, small fangs sometimes protrude out of her mouth, and her tongue is lolling. She is often shown naked or just wearing a skirt made of human arms and a garland of human heads. She is also accompanied by serpents and a jackal while standing on a seemingly dead Shiva, usually right foot forward to symbolize the more popular Dakshinamarga or right-handed path, as opposed to the more infamous and transgressive Vamamarga or left-handed path.

 

In the ten-armed form of Mahakali she is depicted as shining like a blue stone. She has ten faces, ten feet, and three eyes for each head. She has ornaments decked on all her limbs. There is no association with Shiva.

 

The Kalika Purana describes Kali as possessing a soothing dark complexion, as perfectly beautiful, riding a lion, four-armed, holding a sword and blue lotuses, her hair unrestrained, body firm and youthful.

 

In spite of her seemingly terrible form, Kali Ma is often considered the kindest and most loving of all the Hindu goddesses, as she is regarded by her devotees as the Mother of the whole Universe. And because of her terrible form, she is also often seen as a great protector. When the Bengali saint Ramakrishna once asked a devotee why one would prefer to worship Mother over him, this devotee rhetorically replied, "Maharaj", when they are in trouble your devotees come running to you. But, where do you run when you are in trouble?"

 

According to Ramakrishna, darkness is the Ultimate Mother, or Kali:

 

My Mother is the principle of consciousness. She is Akhanda Satchidananda;

indivisible Reality, Awareness, and Bliss. The night sky between the stars is perfectly black.

The waters of the ocean depths are the same; The infinite is always mysteriously dark.

This inebriating darkness is my beloved Kali.

—Sri Ramakrishna

This is clear in the works of such contemporary artists as Charles Wish, and Tyeb Mehta, who sometimes take great liberties with the traditional, accepted symbolism, but still demonstrate a true reverence for the Shakta sect.

 

POPULAR FORM

Classic depictions of Kali share several features, as follows:

 

Kali's most common four armed iconographic image shows each hand carrying variously a sword, a trishul (trident), a severed head, and a bowl or skull-cup (kapala) catching the blood of the severed head.

 

Two of these hands (usually the left) are holding a sword and a severed head. The Sword signifies Divine Knowledge and the Human Head signifies human Ego which must be slain by Divine Knowledge in order to attain Moksha. The other two hands (usually the right) are in the abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (blessing) mudras, which means her initiated devotees (or anyone worshipping her with a true heart) will be saved as she will guide them here and in the hereafter.

 

She has a garland consisting of human heads, variously enumerated at 108 (an auspicious number in Hinduism and the number of countable beads on a Japa Mala or rosary for repetition of Mantras) or 51, which represents Varnamala or the Garland of letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, Devanagari. Hindus believe Sanskrit is a language of dynamism, and each of these letters represents a form of energy, or a form of Kali. Therefore, she is generally seen as the mother of language, and all mantras.

 

She is often depicted naked which symbolizes her being beyond the covering of Maya since she is pure (nirguna) being-consciousness-bliss and far above prakriti. She is shown as very dark as she is brahman in its supreme unmanifest state. She has no permanent qualities - she will continue to exist even when the universe ends. It is therefore believed that the concepts of color, light, good, bad do not apply to her - she is the pure, un-manifested energy, the Adi-shakti.

 

Kali as the Symbol of Creation , Freedom , Preservation and Destruction

 

The head that hangs in Kali's hand is a symbol of Ego and the scimitar which she is holding represents power and energy.It is believed that Kali is protecting the human race by that scimitar and also destroying the negativity and ego within human being. The body lying under Kali symbolizes ruination, is actually a form of Shiva. Kali steps her leg on the chest of the body and suppress ruination . Since she is standing on the pure white chest of Lord Shiva who, as pure primal awareness, lays in a passive reclining position, peacefully lies with his eyes half open in a state of bliss. Her hair is long, black and flowing freely depicting Her freedom from convention and the confines of conceptualization. The white teeth which Kali has stands for conscience and her red tongue represents greed. By pressing her white teeth on her tongue Kali refers to control greed.The goddess may appear terrible from outside but every symbol in Kali signifies truth of life. Since the earth was created out of darkness, the dark black color of Kali symbolizes the color from which everything was born. Her right hand side arms she shows the Abhaya mudra(gesture of fearlessness) and Vara mudra (gesture of welcome and charity) respectively . But on the other arm in left side she holds a bloody scimitar and a severed head depicting destruction and end of ego.

Kali as the Symbol of Mother Nature

 

The name Kali means Kala or force of time. When there were neither the creation, nor the sun, the moon, the planets, and the earth, there was only darkness and everything was created from the darkness. The Dark appearance of kali represents the darkness from which everything was born. Her complexion is deep blue, like the sky and ocean water as blue. As she is also the goddess of Preservation Kali is worshiped as mother to preserve the nature.Kali is standing calm on Shiva, her appearance represents the preservation of mother nature. Her free, long and black hair represents nature's freedom from civilization. Under the third eye of kali, the signs of both sun, moon and fire are visible which represent the driving forces of nature.

 

SHIVA IN KALI ICONOGRAPHY

In both these images she is shown standing on the prone, inert or dead body of Shiva. There is a legend for the reason behind her standing on what appears to be Shiva's corpse, which translates as follows:

 

Once Kali had destroyed all the demons in battle, she began a terrific dance out of the sheer joy of victory. All the worlds or lokas began to tremble and sway under the impact of her dance. So, at the request of all the Gods, Shiva himself asked her to desist from this behavior. However, she was too intoxicated to listen. Hence, Shiva lay like a corpse among the slain demons in order to absorb the shock of the dance into himself. When Kali eventually stepped upon Shiva, she realized she was trampling and hurting her husband and bit her tongue in shame.

 

The story described here is a popular folk tale and not described or hinted in any of the puranas. The puranic interpretation is as follows:

 

Once, Parvati asks Shiva to chose the one form among her 10 forms which he likes most. To her surprise, Shiva reveals that he is most comfortable with her Kali form, in which she is bereft of her jewellery, her human-form, her clothes, her emotions and where she is only raw, chaotic energy, where she is as terrible as time itself and even greater than time. As Parvati takes the form of Kali, Shiva lies at her feet and requests her to place her foot on his chest, upon his heart. Once in this form, Shiva requests her to have this place, below her feet in her iconic image which would be worshiped throughout.

 

This idea has been explored in the Devi-Bhagavata Purana [28] and is most popular in the Shyama Sangeet, devotional songs to Kali from the 12th to 15th centuries.

 

The Tantric interpretation of Kali standing on top of her husband is as follows:

 

The Shiv tattava (Divine Consciousness as Shiva) is inactive, while the Shakti tattava (Divine Energy as Kali) is active. Shiva and Kali represent Brahman, the Absolute pure consciousness which is beyond all names, forms and activities. Kali, on the other hand, represents the potential (and manifested) energy responsible for all names, forms and activities. She is his Shakti, or creative power, and is seen as the substance behind the entire content of all consciousness. She can never exist apart from Shiva or act independently of him, just as Shiva remains a mere corpse without Kali i.e., Shakti, all the matter/energy of the universe, is not distinct from Shiva, or Brahman, but is rather the dynamic power of Brahman. Hence, Kali is Para Brahman in the feminine and dynamic aspect while Shiva is the male aspect and static. She stands as the absolute basis for all life, energy and beneath her feet lies, Shiva, a metaphor for mass, which cannot retain its form without energy.

 

While this is an advanced concept in monistic Shaktism, it also agrees with the Nondual Trika philosophy of Kashmir, popularly known as Kashmir Shaivism and associated most famously with Abhinavagupta. There is a colloquial saying that "Shiva without Shakti is Shava" which means that without the power of action (Shakti) that is Mahakali (represented as the short "i" in Devanagari) Shiva (or consciousness itself) is inactive; Shava means corpse in Sanskrit and the play on words is that all Sanskrit consonants are assumed to be followed by a short letter "a" unless otherwise noted. The short letter "i" represents the female power or Shakti that activates Creation. This is often the explanation for why She is standing on Shiva, who is either Her husband and complement in Shaktism or the Supreme Godhead in Shaivism.

 

To properly understand this complex Tantric symbolism it is important to remember that the meaning behind Shiva and Kali does not stray from the non-dualistic parlance of Shankara or the Upanisads. According to both the Mahanirvana and Kularnava Tantras, there are two distinct ways of perceiving the same absolute reality. The first is a transcendental plane which is often described as static, yet infinite. It is here that there is no matter, there is no universe and only consciousness exists. This form of reality is known as Shiva, the absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda - existence, knowledge and bliss. The second is an active plane, an immanent plane, the plane of matter, of Maya, i.e., where the illusion of space-time and the appearance of an actual universe does exist. This form of reality is known as Kali or Shakti, and (in its entirety) is still specified as the same Absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda. It is here in this second plane that the universe (as we commonly know it) is experienced and is described by the Tantric seer as the play of Shakti, or God as Mother Kali.

 

From a Tantric perspective, when one meditates on reality at rest, as absolute pure consciousness (without the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to this as Shiva or Brahman. When one meditates on reality as dynamic and creative, as the Absolute content of pure consciousness (with all the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to it as Kali or Shakti. However, in either case the yogini or yogi is interested in one and the same reality - the only difference being in name and fluctuating aspects of appearance. It is this which is generally accepted as the meaning of Kali standing on the chest of Shiva.

 

Although there is often controversy surrounding the images of divine copulation, the general consensus is benign and free from any carnal impurities in its substance. In Tantra the human body is a symbol for the microcosm of the universe; therefore sexual process is responsible for the creation of the world. Although theoretically Shiva and Kali (or Shakti) are inseparable, like fire and its power to burn, in the case of creation they are often seen as having separate roles. With Shiva as male and Kali as female it is only by their union that creation may transpire. This reminds us of the prakrti and purusa doctrine of Samkhya wherein prakāśa- vimarśa has no practical value, just as without prakrti, purusa is quite inactive. This (once again) stresses the interdependencies of Shiva and Shakti and the vitality of their union.

 

Gopi Krishna proposed that Kali standing on the dead Shiva or Shava (Sanskrit for dead body) symbolised the helplessness of a person undergoing the changing process (psychologically and physiologically) in the body conducted by the Kundalini Shakti.

 

DEVELOPMENT

In the later traditions, Kali has become inextricably linked with Shiva. The unleashed form of Kali often becomes wild and uncontrollable, and only Shiva is able to tame her just as only Kali can tame Shiva. This is both because she is often a transformed version of one of his consorts and because he is able to match her wildness.

 

The ancient text of Kali Kautuvam describes her competition with Shiva in dance, from which the sacred 108 Karanas appeared. Shiva won the competition by acting the urdva tandava, one of the Karanas, by raising his feet to his head. Other texts describe Shiva appearing as a crying infant and appealing to her maternal instincts. While Shiva is said to be able to tame her, the iconography often presents her dancing on his fallen body, and there are accounts of the two of them dancing together, and driving each other to such wildness that the world comes close to unravelling.

 

Shiva's involvement with Tantra and Kali's dark nature have led to her becoming an important Tantric figure. To the Tantric worshippers, it was essential to face her Curse, the terror of death, as willingly as they accepted Blessings from her beautiful, nurturing, maternal aspect. For them, wisdom meant learning that no coin has only one side: as death cannot exist without life, so life cannot exist without death. Kali's role sometimes grew beyond that of a chaos - which could be confronted - to that of one who could bring wisdom, and she is given great metaphysical significance by some Tantric texts. The Nirvāna-tantra clearly presents her uncontrolled nature as the Ultimate Reality, claiming that the trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra arise and disappear from her like bubbles from the sea. Although this is an extreme case, the Yogini-tantra, Kamakhya-tantra and the Niruttara-tantra declare her the svarupa (own-being) of the Mahadevi (the great Goddess, who is in this case seen as the combination of all devis).The final stage of development is the worshipping of Kali as the Great Mother, devoid of her usual violence. This practice is a break from the more traditional depictions. The pioneers of this tradition are the 18th century Shakta poets such as Ramprasad Sen, who show an awareness of Kali's ambivalent nature. Ramakrishna, the 19th century Bengali saint, was also a great devotee of Kali; the western popularity of whom may have contributed to the more modern, equivocal interpretations of this Goddess. Rachel McDermott's work, however, suggests that for the common, modern worshipper, Kali is not seen as fearful, and only those educated in old traditions see her as having a wrathful component. Some credit to the development of Devi must also be given to Samkhya. Commonly referred to as the Devi of delusion, Mahamaya or Durga, acting in the confines of (but not being bound by) the nature of the three gunas, takes three forms: Maha-Kali, Maha-Lakshmi and Maha-Saraswati, being her tamas-ika, rajas-ika and sattva-ika forms. In this sense, Kali is simply part of a larger whole.

 

Like Sir John Woodroffe and Georg Feuerstein, many Tantric scholars (as well as sincere practitioners) agree that, no matter how propitious or appalling you describe them, Shiva and Devi are simply recognizable symbols for everyday, abstract (yet tangible) concepts such as perception, knowledge, space-time, causation and the process of liberating oneself from the confines of such things. Shiva, symbolizing pure, absolute consciousness, and Devi, symbolizing the entire content of that consciousness, are ultimately one and the same - totality incarnate, a micro-macro-cosmic amalgamation of all subjects, all objects and all phenomenal relations between the "two." Like man and woman who both share many common, human traits yet at the same time they are still different and, therefore, may also be seen as complementary.

 

Worshippers prescribe various benign and horrific qualities to Devi simply out of practicality. They do this so they may have a variety of symbols to choose from, symbols which they can identify and relate with from the perspective of their own, ever-changing time, place and personal level of unfolding. Just like modern chemists or physicists use a variety of molecular and atomic models to describe what is unperceivable through rudimentary, sensory input, the scientists of ontology and epistemology must do the same. One of the underlying distinctions of Tantra, in comparison to other religions, is that it allows the devotee the liberty to choose from a vast array of complementary symbols and rhetoric which suit one's evolving needs and tastes. From an aesthetic standpoint, nothing is interdict and nothing is orthodox. In this sense, the projection of some of Devi's more gentle qualities onto Kali is not sacrilege and the development of Kali really lies in the practitioner, not the murthi.

 

A TIME magazine article of October 27, 1947, used Kali as a symbol and metaphor for the human suffering in British India during its partition that year. In 1971, Ms. Magazine used an image of Kali, her multiple arms juggling modern tasks, as a symbol of modern womanhood on its inaugural issue.

 

Swami Vivekananda wrote his favorite poem Kali the Mother in 1898.

 

KALI IN NEOPAGAN AND NEW AGE PRACTICE

An academic study of Western Kali enthusiasts noted that, "as shown in the histories of all cross-cultural religious transplants, Kali devotionalism in the West must take on its own indigenous forms if it is to adapt to its new environment."[60] The adoption of Kali by the West has raised accusations of cultural appropriation:

 

A variety of writers and thinkers have found Kali an exciting figure for reflection and exploration, notably feminists and participants in New Age spirituality who are attracted to goddess worship. [For them], Kali is a symbol of wholeness and healing, associated especially with repressed female power and sexuality. [However, such interpretations often exhibit] confusion and misrepresentation, stemming from a lack of knowledge of Hindu history among these authors, [who only rarely] draw upon materials written by scholars of the Hindu religious tradition. The majority instead rely chiefly on other popular feminist sources, almost none of which base their interpretations on a close reading of Kali's Indian background. The most important issue arising from this discussion - even more important than the question of 'correct' interpretation - concerns the adoption of other people's religious symbols. It is hard to import the worship of a goddess from another culture: religious associations and connotations have to be learned, imagined or intuited when the deep symbolic meanings embedded in the native culture are not available.

 

INCARNATIONS OF KALI

Draupadi, Wife of Pandavas, was an avatar of Kali, who born to assist Lord Krishna to destroy arrogant kings of India. There is a temple dedicated to this incarnation at Banni Mata Temple at Himachal Pradesh. The vedic deity Nirriti or the Puranic deity Alakshmi is often considered as incarnations of Kali.

 

WIKIPEDIA

See also my album of photos of the Darab region that includes the Sasanian relief at Darab and the two rock-cut mosques named the Stone Mosque (Masjid-i Sang) at Darab and at Ij.

 

They are included in my Iran Collection.

 

There are six Sasanian rock reliefs in this area, four on the cliff on the north side of the Shapur River (Bishapur III-VI) and two on the south side (Bishapur I & II). The designations Bishapur I-VI are taken from Vanden Berghe's list and his descriptions of the reliefs have been used for these photos. See also the historical background given below.

 

BISHAPUR V: The Investiture of Bahram I (273-276 A.D.), on horseback on the right, by the supreme god of the Zoroastrian religion Ahura Mazda, who approaches on the left and gives Bahram the ring of power, the cydaris. The body of a defeated enemy lies under Bahram's horse.

 

According to Roman Ghirshman ("Iran", Pelican Books 1954) "The Sasanian Empire was the finest period in the history of Iran". The following HISTORICAL BACKGROUND is extracted from "Persia: An Archaeological Guide", by Sylvia A. Matheson (second edition, Faber 1976). I have replaced “Sassanian” and “Shahpur” in her text by the more commonly used “Sasanian” and “Shapur”. Text in square brackets are my additions.

 

[Achaemenians]

"The history of Iran....properly begins with the rise of the Medes in the western and northern parts of the Plateau from at least the eighth century B.C. onwards. The royal houses of the Medes and the Persians, both of Indo-European stock, were united when the daughter of the Median King Astyages married Cambyses I, son of Cyrus I, king of Fars. Cyrus II (The Great), the offspring of this marriage, defeated his grandfather, Astyages, in battle c. 550 B.C., reaffirmed the fortunes of the Achaemenian dynasty and established his new empire with capitals in at least Pasargadae (Fars), Babylon and Ecbatana, present-day Hamadan.”

 

[Zoroastrian religion]

“The later Achaemenians combined the worship of Ahura Mazda, 'the wise lord' of the prophet Zoroaster, with the worship of Mithras and that of Anahita, goddess of water and fertility.”

 

“Cyrus, whose conquests ranged from Central Asia to the Mediterranean, treated his vanquished enemies with a generosity and tolerance remarkable for his time. It was he who liberated the Jewish exiles in Babylon and restored Jerusalem to them. His successors, particularly Darius the Great and his son Xerxes (who defeated the Spartans at Thermopylae and incurred the lasting hatred of the Greeks by burning the Acropolis in Athens), continued the expansion of the empire which included many of the Greek islands; it reached north to the banks of the Danube, south to Egypt and Ethiopia, and north and east to Afghanistan and India. The most outstanding monument of the Achaemenians existing today is the magnificent ceremonial city of Persepolis, near Shiraz…”

 

[Alexander the Great]

“It was Alexander of Macedon who defeated the last of the Achaemenians, Darius III Codamanus, in 331-330 B.C., and burned Persepolis, some say in revenge for the destruction of the Acropolis.

 

[Seleucids]

Alexander, who married Darius' daughter, died only a few years later and his empire was divided between his generals, Seleucus I ultimately winning Iran and founding the Hellenistic dynasty of the Seleucids, with a new capital at Ctesiphon on the Tigris.”

 

[Parthians]

“....the dynasty was soon challenged by the Arsacid Parthians from the north-east, who first achieved a measure of permanent control of the Iranian Plateau c. 238 B.C..…The last of the Parthians, Artabanus V, fell in battle in A.D. 224 with.....Ardashir I, ruler of Fars and Kirman...”

 

[Sasanians]

“Ardashir founded the great dynasty of the Sasanians during whose 400-year rule the country became wealthier than ever before, with an efficient administration in which heavy taxes supported a social welfare system including state hospitals, schools and colleges.”

“Town planning, irrigation and industrialisation were carried out on a lavish scale; the empire was expanded; Ardashir and his son Shapur I defeated Roman emperors such as Valerian, Philip the Arab and Gordion III, carrying many to captivity with thousands of prisoners….[Valerian was captured in a great victory near Edessa (modern Urfa or Şanlıurfa). 70,000 Roman legionaries were captured and settled in Khuzestan in Iran (Shushtar, Dezful...), where they were employed in building bridges, roads and dams.]

 

[Sasanian Reliefs]

“Many of the Sasanian victories are commemorated in huge bas-reliefs, mostly in the province of Fars. Christian communities were established in Iran, but the official religion was that of Zoroaster. The magnificence and ceremonial of Sasanian court life influenced the later Europeans courts, while the excellence of Sasanian architecture, sculpture, textiles and metal work left an unmistakeable and lasting impression on the culture of the west.”

 

"Most vital of all, perhaps, the Sasanian empire formed a protective barrier between the ruthless nomadic tribes of Central Asia and western civilization."

 

[Arab Conquest]

"The Sasanians succumbed to the invasion of the Umayyad Caliphs, desert Arabs who brought with them a new, austere, religion, that of Islam, when they invaded Iran and defeated [the Sasanian king] Yazdigird III in the years after 637 A.D."

 

Satellite image of this location. At the lower left of this image the site of Bishapur can also be seen on the south bank of the river on the west (left) side of the main road.

 

The 2017 Paris Sevens was the 15th edition of the France Sevens, and the ninth tournament of the 2016–17 World Rugby Sevens Series. The tournament was played on 13–14 May 2017 at Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris.

South Africa won the Cup final, defeating Scotland by 15–5 to clinch the overall series title for the season with an unassailable lead over the defending champions Fiji New Zealand finished third in the Paris tournament, and Argentina won the Challenge trophy for ninth place.

The teams were drawn into four pools of four teams each. Each team played all the others in their pool once. The top two teams from each pool advanced to the Cup quarter finals. The bottom two teams from each group advanced to the Challenge Trophy quarter finals.

The 2016–17 World Rugby Sevens Series, known for sponsorship reasons as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, is the 18th annual series of rugby sevens tournaments for national rugby sevens teams. The Sevens Series has been run by World Rugby since 1999–2000.

The 2016–17 Series also serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Nine of the core teams have already qualified for that tournament. The top four finishers in the 2016–17 Series from among the remaining six core teams will qualify for the 2018 RWC Sevens.

In this series, World Rugby abolished the minor trophies of Plate, Bowl and Shield that were previously awarded in the finals play-offs at each tournament. While the winner's Cup was retained as the major trophy, the awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals to players from the three respective top-placed teams was introduced for this series. A Challenge Trophy was established for teams competing in the lower bracket of the finals play-offs at each tournament. Additionally, the playing time for Cup final matches was reduced from 20 minutes to 14 minutes, in line with all other tournament matches.

Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40 minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the body responsible for Rugby Union worldwide. The game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Sevens is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby, and is popular in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and especially in the South Pacific. Rugby sevens is commonly referred to by rugby union media and fans as simply "sevens".

Rugby sevens originated in Melrose, Scotland in the 1880s; the Melrose Sevens tournament is still played annually. The popularity of rugby sevens increased further with the development of the Hong Kong Sevens in the 1970s, the World Rugby Sevens Series in 1999, and more recently with the 2009 vote by the International Olympic Committee to bring rugby back to the Olympics beginning in 2016.

The main competition for rugby sevens is the World Rugby Sevens Series, a series of seven to twelve tournaments played each year from approximately November to May. Rugby sevens is also played at some quadrennial events. The main quadrennial events are the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Summer Olympics. Rugby sevens is now recognised as an Olympic sport and made its debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics. This followed a vote by the International Olympic Committee in 2009 to include the sport. Rugby sevens is also played at regional events, such as the Commonwealth Games and the Pan American Games.

Rugby sevens is sanctioned by World Rugby, and is played under similar laws (with exceptions noted below) and on a field of the same dimensions as the 15 player game. While a regular rugby union match lasts at least 80 minutes, a normal sevens match consists of two halves of seven minutes with a two-minute half-time break. The final of a competition can be played over two halves of ten minutes each. (In the World Rugby Sevens Series, only the Cup final, which determines the overall winner of an event, is played with 10 minute halves; all finals for lower-level trophies are played with 7 minute halves). Sevens scores are generally comparable to regular rugby scores, but scoring occurs much more frequently in sevens, since the defenders are more spaced out. The scoring system is the same as regular rugby union, namely five points for a try, three points for a drop goal (whether from penalty or open play) and two points for a post-try conversion.

The shorter match length allows rugby sevens tournaments to be completed in a day or a weekend. Many sevens tournaments have a competition for a cup, a plate, a bowl, and a shield, allowing many teams of different standards to avoid leaving empty-handed.

Sevens tournaments are traditionally known for having more of a relaxed atmosphere than fifteen-a-side games, and are often known as "festivals". Sevens tournaments gained their "popularity as an end of season diversion from the dourer and sterner stuff that provides the bulk of a normal season's watching." Fans frequently attend in fancy dress, and entertainment is put on for them.

The Hong Kong Sevens tournament has been especially important in popularising the game in Asia, and rugby sevens has been important as a form of international rugby "evangelism", hence is perhaps the most widely played form of the game, with tournaments in places as far apart as Bogota and Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Kenya, Singapore and Scandinavia, as well as the countries in which rugby union is well known

Women's rugby sevens has been dominated by New Zealand, with either the New Zealand team (1999–2001) or Aotearoa Maori Women's Rugby sevens team (playing as New Zealand) winning the annual Hong Kong Sevens tournament from 1997 until 2007. The United States won the Hong Kong Sevens in 2008 by defeating Canada in the final (New Zealand failed to send a team).

A women's rugby sevens game in the USA

The inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament took place in Dubai together with the men's tournament during the first weekend of March 2009. England defeated Canada 12–0 in the Bowl final while Australia edged New Zealand 15–10 in extra-time to become the first to win the Women's Rugby World Cup.

WR, then known as the International Rugby Board (IRB), organised its first official women's sevens tournament outside of the World Cup as part of the 2011 Dubai Sevens. This was part of a plan to launch a full IRB International Women's Sevens Series for 2012–13. The international series was officially christened as the IRB Women's Sevens World Series in an IRB announcement on 4 October 2012. The series, as planned, launched for the 2012–13 season and initially featured events in Dubai, the USA, China and the Netherlands. Two additional events were planned for the 2013–14 series, but in the end only one of these events, in Brazil, took place. For the 2014–15 series, China dropped from the schedule, while Canada and England hosted new events. The series was rechristened for 2014–15 as the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, following the November 2014 renaming of the IRB as World Rugby. The 2015–16 series included only five events; the England and Netherlands events were dropped and an event in France was added. The 2016–17 series returned to six events with the launch of an event in Japan.

Women's rugby sevens was included in the 2016 Olympic Games due to the IRB's successful bid to reintroduce rugby to the Summer games. Australia claimed the gold medal for the event, beating New Zealand in the final with a score of 24-17. Canada claimed the bronze medal after beating Great Britain 33-10 in the third place play-off. WR also successfully pushed for the inclusion of women's sevens in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

 

Paris accueillera la 9ème étape du HSBC Seven series.

Le Paris Sevens aura lieu du 13 au 15 mai, au Stade Jean-Bouin.

A l’issue du Tournoi de Singapour qui à vue le premier sacre du Canada, les poules pour Paris ont été dévoilées.

La France devra se défaire de l’Angleterre, du Kenya et de l’Espagne.

Devant ses fans, l’Equipe de France sera opposée à l’Angleterre, au Kenya et à l’Espagne dans la poule C. Pour se qualifier en quart-de-finale de Cup, les Bleus devront terminer à l’une des deux meilleures places de la poule C, au terme de la journée du samedi 13 mai.

POULE A : Afrique du Sud, Ecosse, Japon

POULE B : Nouvelle Zélande, Pays de Galles, Argentine

POULE C : Angleterre, Kenya, France, Espagne

POULE D : Australie, Fidji, Samoa, Russie

France Sevens , actuellement hébergé comme le Paris Sevens , est un tournoi international annuel de séminaires de rugby . L' événement fait partie de la Sevens World Series et a été accueilli à Bordeauxen 2004. La France a également accueilli des tournois dans la série Sevens Grand Prix , à Lyon .

De 1996 à 1999, le tournoi était connu sous le nom de Air France Sevens et, en 2000, il faisait partie de la série inaugurale IRB Sevens World Series.

La CISR a accueilli le tournoi à Bordeaux en 2004, avant de retourner à Paris pour 2005 et 2006 . L'événement a effectivement été remplacé dans la World Sevens Series par Scotland Sevens à Edinburgh pour lasaison 2006.

Entre 2011 et 2015, Lyon a organisé une étape du circuit européen, la Sevens Grand Prix Series .

La Série mondiale Sevens est revenue en France pour la saison 2015-16, avec la reprise du tournoi Paris Sevens en 2016.

Les IRB Sevens World Series sont créés en 1999-2000 et le tournoi parisien en fait partie. Les Néo-Zélandais conservent leur titre et s'imposent de nouveau en dominant largement l'Afrique du Sud sur le score de 69 à 10. Entre 2000 et 2004, les World Sevens Series passent par Cardiff, abandonnant le tournoi français.

En 2004, l'étape est cependant réintégré aux programme mondial. Elle se dispute cette année-là au Stade Chaban-Delmas à Bordeaux où la Nouvelle-Zélande l'emporte à nouveau en battant les Anglais 28 à 19 en finale. La saison suivante, elle fait son retour à Paris mais cette fois au Stade Jean-Bouin. C'est l'équipe de France qui est sacrée grâce à sa victoire 28 à 19 contre les fidjiens, première victoire française lors d'un tournoi des World Series. La compétition fait son retour à Charléty la saison suivante et elle connaît sa dernière édition avec une victoire de l'Afrique du Sud aux dépens de l'équipe des Samoa (33 à 12). La France n'organise pas l'édition 2007 en raison de la coupe du monde de rugby à XV qui disputera la même année. Les World Sevens Series intègrent alors l'Écosse dans le circuit mondial et Glasgow reste par la suite une étape annuelle.

L’élite mondiale du rugby à 7 a rendez-vous à Paris. Venez partager l’esprit Sevens et soutenir les Bleus les 13 & 14 mai prochains à Paris au stade Jean-Bouin !LES STARS DU RUGBY À 7 ONT RENDEZ-VOUS À PARIS

Avant dernière étape du circuit mondial rugby à 7 (HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series), les seize meilleures équipes internationales du rugby à 7 se réunissent pour s'affronter sur la pelouse de Jean-Bouin.

Le jeu à 7 est connu pour sa rapidité et son spectacle. Il va donc y avoir du jeu et de l’enjeu !

2 JOURS DE FÊTE NON STOP

Amateurs de rugby et/ou de fête, le HSBC Paris Sevens est fait pour vous !

Avec le Sevens, le spectacle est sur le terrain mais aussi dans les tribunes où l’ambiance bat son plein avec des supporters chantant et dansant parés de leur plus beau déguisement.

Paris ne va pas déroger à la règle : les 13 & 14 mai 2017, Jean-Bouin sera sportif ET festif ! Rempli de supporters français et du monde entier, remontés à bloc, l'Esprit Sevens sera au rendez-vous.

LE PROGRAMME Samedi 13 mai 2017 :

Le premier jour du tournoi est réservé aux matches de poules, décisifs pour accéder aux phases finales.

Dimanche 14 mai 2017 :

Le second jour est réservé aux phases finales, très importantes pour établir le classement final.

Sans oublier les nombreuses animations qui seront proposées dans les tribunes, dans les coursives et sur le parvis qui permettront aux spectateurs de vivre une expérience unique de fête, d’échange et de partage pendant ces 2 jours de compétition.

C’est la bonne nouvelle de ce samedi midi ! À Jean Bouin, les Bleus sont parfaitement entrés dans le Paris Sevens. Auteurs de quatre essais face à des Kenyans redoutables, récents vainqueurs du tournoi de Singapoure, les coéquipiers de Julien Candelon ont effectué une formidable deuxième mi-temps pour emporter le premier round du tournoi à 7 hexagonal (22-14). Visiblement revigorés par le retour à la compétition de Virimi Vakatawa, dont la puissance a causé de nombreux problèmes aux défenseurs kenyans, les Bleus ont envoyé un signal fort aux quelques 10 000 spectateurs présents depuis 11 heures ce matin, Porte d’Auteuil.

En fin de match, le tricolore Manuel Dall’Igna analysait : « Les Kenyans nous ont cueillis à froid par un essai magnifique. De notre côté, nous nous sommes un peu précipités en rendant des ballons au pied. A 14-5, on s’est fait peur et, à l’avenir, nous devrons également resserrer les boulons en défense. Mais l’essentiel est sauf ». De ce match, on retiendra le « off-load » magnifique de Virimi Vakatawa et l’essai de cinquante mètres aplati par Julien Candelon, après un raffut magnifique. La prochaine étape, pour les Bleus, se disputera à 16 heures contre l’Angleterre.

Vainqueurs de l'Ecosse lors de la finale du Paris Sevens (15-5), ce dimanche, l'Afrique du Sud est déjà assurée de remporter le circuit mondial.

L'Afrique du Sud a remporté dimanche le tournoi de rugby à 7 de Paris en battant l'Écosse en finale (15-5). C'est le cinquième tournoi (sur neuf joués) remporté par les Blitzboks cette saison. Les Sud-Africains sont assurés de remporter le circuit mondial avant même la dernière étape à Londres, le week-end prochain. Ils succèdent au palmarès aux Fidji, victorieux des deux dernières éditions.

La troisième place du tournoi a été prise par la Nouvelle-Zélande, qui a battu l'Angleterre en petite finale (12-5). Les Bleus, eux, ont terminé septièmes.

Le rugby à sept (ou rugby à 7) est la variante du rugby à XV qui se joue par équipes de sept joueurs sur le terrain (plus les remplaçants). Le rugby à sept reprend les caractères communs du rugby à XV : deux équipes qui se disputent un ballon ovale, le ballon joué à la main (passes) ou au pied (coups), des formes de mêlées et de touches, un objectif qui consiste à marquer plus de points que l'adversaire en réussissant soit des essais soit des buts.

Le rugby à sept est originaire d'Écosse et s'est développé dans la seconde moitié du xxème siècle dans les pays anglo-saxons (Afrique du Sud, Nouvelle-Zélande, Australie, Royaume-Uni), puis en France. Le 9 octobre 2009, le rugby à sept devient un sport olympique à partir des Jeux olympiques de Rio de Janeiro 2016, où l'équipe masculine des Fidji et l'Australie du côté des dames, ont remporté les premières médailles d'or.

En 1976, Ian Gow et Tokkie Smith, président de la filiale de Rothmans à Hong-Kong et entrepreneur sud-africain ressuscitent le jeu à sept en organisant un tournoi réunissant douze équipes à Hong-Kong. C'est un succès qui va entraîner la création de plusieurs autres tournois.

En 1993 à Édimbourg en Écosse a lieu la première coupe du monde de rugby à sept mettant aux prises 24 équipes nationales. Cette coupe du monde de rugby à sept aura désormais lieu tous les quatre ans.

En 1999-2000, l'IRB (International Rugby Board) organise une série de dix tournois internationaux, l'IRB World Sevens Series, qui couronne la meilleure nation sur l'ensemble de la saison.

Le 9 octobre 2009, le Comité international olympique intègre le rugby à 7 parmi les sports présents aux Jeux olympiques d'été et ce à compter des jeux de 2016 L'arrivée du rugby à 7 dans le programme olympique entraîne d'abord un arrêt de la Coupe du monde de rugby à 7 après l'édition de 2013 en Russie (qui est attribuée à la Nouvelle-Zélande après son écrasante victoire face à l'Angleterre 33 à 0). Cependant, en juin 2013, l'IRB décide que la compétition sera maintenue et se tiendra tous les quatre ans à partir de 2018.

Les règles de base du rugby à 7 sont fondées sur celles de son homologue à XV. Les différences y sont, comme on peut s'y attendre, principalement liées au nombre réduit de joueurs. La liste de variations officielles est détaillée dans un document de World Rugby. (Ci-dessous, entre parenthèses figure la version correspondante du rugby à XV.)

Joueurs : Par équipe, il y a 7 joueurs sur le terrain (15). Hors terrain, 5 remplaçants (7) et 3 remplacements possibles (8) au maximum sont permis par équipe. Un joueur remplacé peut revenir en jeu sauf en cas de blessure ouverte ou saignante (c'est possible à 15). Les mêlées se font avec 3 avants (8) par camp. Comme au rugby à XV, les joueurs sont classés par poste : en ligne avant, deux piliers et un talonneur qui forment la mêlée ; les arrières, 2 demis de mêlée et d'ouverture, 1 centre, et un ailier-arrière. Du fait que le terrain est le même qu'à 15, la faible densité de joueurs rend le jeu plus dynamique et les essais beaucoup plus fréquents. De ce fait également, le gabarit des joueurs est moins massif.

Temps de jeu : Un match est joué en deux mi-temps de 7 minutes (40) au plus de temps de jeu (non arrêté), avec une pause de 1 minute au plus (10 à 15) pour changer de côté. Une finale de tournoi peut durer 2 fois 10 min, avec au plus 2 min de pause. En cas d'égalité (match nul), ce temps de jeu est suivi d'une ou plusieurs prolongations de 5 min jusqu'à ce qu'une équipe l'emporte par les premiers points marqués (ordinairement 2 prolongations de 10 min, puis tirs au but).

Marque : Une transformation se fait par coup de pied tombé (anglais drop goal), dans les 40 secondes (ordinairement par coup de pied placé, et 90 s). L'équipe qui a marqué effectue la remise en jeu (c'est l'adversaire qui remet en jeu), par un drop goal qui doit atteindre la ligne des 10 mètres adverse. En prolongations, les premiers points marqués déterminent le vainqueur final.

Arbitrage : Il y a un juge d'en-but par côté (les juges de touche vont dans l'en-but) qui aidé par un juge de touche signale le passage de pénalités et transformations. Un joueur exclu temporairement pour anti-jeu ou jeu dangereux (carton jaune) l'est pour une durée de 2 min (10 min) : une telle suspension engendre une faiblesse très sévère de son équipe du fait qu'1 joueur sur 7 est exclu (1 sur 15). La règle de l'avantage est rapide, durant habituellement un temps de jeu (plusieurs). Nombre de pénalités suivant des fautes de jeu se font par un tir libre (free kick) du centre de la ligne médiane (proche du lieu de la faute), au choix à la volée ou en drop goal (en coup de pied placé). pour un tir au but, cela doit se faire dans les 30 secondes (60 s)

   

Taken from the pedestal of the statue in the Place des Victoires, these captives represent the nations defeated by the Treaty of Nijmegen (1679). Each expresses a different reaction to captivity: revolt, hope, resignation, or grief. They were first kept in the Invalides (1804-1939) then allocated to the Louvre in 1960 and placed in the grounds of the Château de Sceaux from 1961 to 1992.

    

The Captives surrounded the pedestal of the statue of Louis XIV on foot in the Place des Victoires. They are by Martin Desjardins, the gallicized name of an eminent Dutch sculptor active during the reign of Louis XIV, who had already made his name with the decoration of the Hôtel Salé (now the Musée Picasso). The monument was commissioned in 1679 by François d'Aubusson, duke of La Feuillade and marshal of France, who had distinguished himself in the campaigns in Franche-Comté and Sicily. He was an astute courtier, and thought it opportune to raise a grandiose monument to the glory of his king. As a setting for the statue, he persuaded the city to open up an immense square and he had the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart design it. The square was named Place des Victoires in homage to France's victories in the Dutch War, which ended in 1679 with the Treaty of Nijmegen. The monument was inaugurated in 1686.

 

The captives, four larger-than-life bronze figures, symbolize the four nations defeated at the time of the Treaty of Nijmegen. Each represents one of the ages of man and a different attitude to captivity.

Spain is a smooth-faced young man with streaming hair. His naked, upright body and heavenward gaze all indicate hope.

The Holy Roman Empire is a bearded old man dressed in an ancient tunic. His head is bowed and his body sags in dejected resignation.

Holland is young man with virile features and a short beard. His naked body poised to leap, his shoulder thrust forward in a defiant gesture and his wild expression speak of rebellion.

Brandenburg is a mature man dressed like an ancient barbarian (like the Farnese Prisoners, classical marbles highly appreciated by many artists). The hand clutching his cloak, the drooping right shoulder and contorted face express grief.

The Captives are all turned to the right, which encourages viewers to walk around the monument in a clockwise direction.

Desjardins brilliantly varied his figures, alternating old and young, nude and clothed, upright and stooping figures, and arranging their arms and legs in different positions.

  

Captives were a favorite theme in Roman art. The trophies that La Feuillade had added to the statue in 1685 - helmets, shields, insignia, fasces, halberds, oars - strengthen the analogy with ancient triumphs. But there is a prestigious antecedent in France, The Four Captives (Louvre) executed by Pierre Franquville to flank the pedestal of the equestrian statue of Henry IV on the Pont Neuf.

The contemptuous iconography of the monument became inappropriate as alliances were formed and it ran counter to the spirit of the Enlightenment. During the Revolution, the gilt bronze statue of the king was melted down, but the Captives, seen as victims of absolute power, were spared and the chains that shackled them were broken. Taken to the Louvre in 1790, they were subsequently placed in the Invalides (1804-1962) then in the Parc de Sceaux, before returning to the Louvre in 1992.

  

www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/four-captives-also-known-...

  

"The Musée du Louvre, or officially Grand Louvre — in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre — is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet).

 

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of antique sculpture.

 

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 (the first anniversary of the monarchy's demise) with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After the defeat of Napoléon at Waterloo, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic, except during the two World Wars. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

 

By 1874, the Louvre Palace had achieved its present form of an almost rectangular structure with the Sully Wing to the east containing the square Cour Carrée and the oldest parts of the Louvre; and two wings which wrap the Cour Napoléon, the Richelieu Wing to the north and the Denon Wing, which borders the Seine to the south. In 1983, French President François Mitterrand proposed the Grand Louvre plan to renovate the building and relocate the Finance Ministry, allowing displays throughout the building. Architect I. M. Pei was awarded the project and proposed a glass pyramid to stand over a new entrance in the main court, the Cour Napoléon. The pyramid and its underground lobby were inaugurated on 15 October 1988. The second phase of the Grand Louvre plan, La Pyramide Inversée (The Inverted Pyramid), was completed in 1993."

  

Wikipedia

Spain 2002 - Toledo - Castile-La Mancha

 

Antiquity

 

Toledo (Latin: Toletum) is mentioned by the Roman historian Livy (ca. 59 BCE – 17 CE) as urbs parva, sed loco munita ("a small city, but fortified by location"). Roman general Marcus Fulvius Nobilior fought a battle near the city in 193 BCE against a confederation of Celtic tribes including the Vaccaei, Vettones, and Celtiberi, defeating them and capturing a king called Hilermus.[2][3] At that time, Toletum was a city of the Carpetani tribe, and part of the region of Carpetania.[4] It was incorporated into the Roman Empire as a civitas stipendiaria, that is, a tributary city of non-citizens. It later achieved the status of municipium by Flavian times.[5] With this status, city officials, even of Carpetani origin, obtained Roman citizenship for public service, and the forms of Roman law and politics were increasingly adopted.[6] At approximately this time were constructed in Toletum a Roman circus, city walls, public baths, and a municipal water supply and storage system.[7]

 

The Roman circus in Toledo was one of the largest in Hispania, at 423 metres (1,388 feet) long and 100 metres (330 feet) wide, with a track dimension of 408 metres (1,339 feet) long and 86 metres (282 feet) wide.[7] Chariot races were held on special holidays and were also commissioned by private citizens to celebrate career achievements. A fragmentary stone inscription records circus games paid for by a citizen of unknown name to celebrate his achieving the sevirate, a kind of priesthood conferring high status. Archaeologists have also identified portions of a special seat of the sort used by the city elites to attend circus games, called a sella curulis. The circus could hold up to 15000 spectators.[7]

 

During Roman times, Toledo was never a provincial capital nor a conventus iuridicus.[8] It started to gain importance in late antiquity. There are indications that large private houses (domus) within the city walls were enlarged, while several large villas were built north of the city through the third and fourth centuries.[9] Games were held in the circus into the late fourth and early fifth centuries C.E., also an indication of active city life and ongoing patronage by wealthy elites.[10] A church council was held in Toledo in the year 400 to discuss the conflict with Priscillianism.[11] A second council of Toledo was held in 527. The Visigothic king Theudis was in Toledo in 546, where he promulgated a law. This is strong though not certain evidence that Toledo was the chief residence for Theudis.[8] King Athanagild died in Toledo, probably in 568. Although Theudis and Athangild based themselves in Toledo, Toledo was not yet the capital city of the Iberian peninsula, as Theudis and Athangild's power was limited in extent, the Suevi ruling Galicia and local elites dominating Lusitania, Betica, and Cantabria.[12][13] This changed with Liuvigild (Leovigild), who brought the peninsula under his control. The Visigoths ruled from Toledo until the Moors conquered the Iberian peninsula in the early years of 8th century (711–719).

 

Today the historic center is pierced of basements, passages, wells, baths and ancient water pipes that since Roman times have been used in the city.

Visigothic Toledo

The city of Toledo as depicted in the Codex Vigilanus in 976.

 

A series of church councils was held in Toledo under the Visigoths. A synod of Arian bishops was held in 580 to discuss theological reconciliation with Nicene Christianity.[14] Liuvigild's successor, Reccared, hosted the third council of Toledo, at which the Visigothic kings abandoned Arianism and reconciled with the existing Hispano-Roman episcopate.[15] A synod held in 610 transferred the metropolitanate of the old province of Carthaginensis from Cartagena to Toledo.[16] At that time, Cartagena was ruled by the Byzantines, and this move ensured a closer relation between the bishops of Spain and the Visigothic kings. King Sisebut forced Jews in the Visigothic kingdom to convert to Christianity; this act was criticized and efforts were made to reverse it at the Fourth Council of Toledo in 633.[17] The Fifth and Sixth Councils of Toledo placed church sanctions on anyone who would challenge the Visigothic kings.[18] The Seventh Council of Toledo instituted a requirement that all bishops in the area of a royal city, that is, of Toledo, must reside for one month per year in Toledo. This was a stage in "the elevation of Toledo as the primatial see of the whole church of the Visgothic kingdom".[19] In addition, the seventh council declared that any clergy fleeing the kingdom, assisting conspirators against the king, or aiding conspirators, would be excommunicated and no one should remove this sentence. The ban on lifing these sentences of excommunication was lifted at the Eighth Council of Toledo in 653, at which, for the first time, decisions were signed by palace officials as well as bishops.[20]

 

The eighth council of Toledo took measures that enhanced Toledo's significance as the center of royal power in the Iberian peninsula. The council declared that the election of a new king following the death of the old one should only take place in the royal city, or wherever the old king died.[21] In practice this handed the power to choose kings to only such palace officials and military commanders who were in regular attendance on the king. The decision also took king-making power away from the bishops, who would be in their own sees and would not have time to come together to attend the royal election. The decision did allow the bishop of Toledo, alone among bishops, to be involved in decisions concerning the royal Visigothic succession. The ninth and tenth councils were held in rapid succession in 655 and 656.[21]

 

When Reccesuinth died in 672 at his villa in Gerticos, his successor Wamba was elected on the spot, then went to Toledo to be anointed king by the bishop of Toledo, according to the procedures laid out in prior church councils.[22] In 673, Wamba defeated a rebel duke named Paul, and held his victory parade in Toledo. The parade included ritual humiliation and scalping of the defeated Paul.[23] Wamba carried out renovation works in Toledo in 674-675, marking these with inscriptions above the city gates that are no longer extant but were recorded in the eighth century.[24] The Eleventh Council of Toledo was held in 675 under king Wamba. Wamba weakened the power of the bishop of Toledo by creating a new bishopric outside Toledo at the church of Saints Peter and Paul. This was one of the main churches of Toledo and was the church where Wamba was anointed king, and the church from which Visigothic kings departed for war after special ceremonies in which they were presented with a relic of the True Cross. By creating a new bishopric there, Wamba removed power over royal succession from the bishop of Toledo and granted it to the new bishop.[25] The Twelfth Council of Toledo was held in 681 after Wamba's removal from office. Convinced that he was dying, Wamba had accepted a state of penitence that according to the decision of a previous church council, made him inelegible to remain king. The Twelfth Council, led by newly installed bishop Julian confirmed the validity of Wamba's removal from office and his succession by Ervig. The Twelfth Council eliminated the new bishopric that Wamba had created and returned the powers over succession to the bishop of Toledo.[26]

 

The Twelfth Council of Toledo approved 28 laws against the Jews. Julian of Toledo, despite a Jewish origin, was strongly anti-Semitic as reflected in his writings and activities.[27] The leading Jews of Toledo were assembled in the church of Saint Mary on January 27, 681, where the new laws were read out to them.

 

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Councils of Toledo were held in 683, 684, and 688. The Thirteenth Council restored property and legal rights to those who had rebelled against King Wamba in 673.[28] The Thirteenth Council also approved laws protecting the king's family after the king's death. In 687, Ervig took the penitent state before dying, and the kingship passed to Egica, who was anointed king in Toledo on November 24.[29] In 688, the Fifteenth Council lifted the ban on taking property from the families of former kings, whereupon Egica was able to plunder Ervig's family properties.[30]

 

In the late seventh century, Toledo became a main center of literacy and writing in the Iberian peninsula. Toledo's development as a center of learning was influenced by Isidore of Seville, an author and advocate of literacy who attended several church councils in Toledo.[31] King Chindasuinth had a royal library in Toledo, and at least one count called Laurentius had a private library.[32] Sometime before 651, Chindasuinth sent the bishop of Zaragoza, Taio, to Rome to obtain books that were not available in Toledo. Taio obtained, at least, parts of pope Gregory's Moralia.[33] The library also contained a copy of a Hexameron by Dracontius, which Chindasuinth liked so much that he commissioned Eugenius II to revise it by adding a new part dealing with the seventh day of creation.[34] Chindasuinth issued laws that were gathered together in a book called Liber Iudiciorum by his successor Reccesuinth in 654; this book was revised twice, widely copied, and was an important influence on medieval Spanish law.[35] Three bishops of Toledo wrote works that were widely copied and disseminated in western Europe and parts of which survive to this day: Eugenius II, Ildefonsus, and Julian.[36] "In intellectual terms the leading Spanish churchmen of the seventh century had no equals before the appearance of Bede."[37]

 

In 693, the Sixteenth Council of Toledo condemned Sisebert, Julian's successor as bishop of Toledo, for having rebelled against King Egica in alliance with Liuvigoto, the widow of king Ervig.[38] A rebel king called Suniefred seized power in Toledo briefly at about this time. Whether or not Sisebert's and Suniefred's rebellions were the same or separate is unknown. Suniefred is known only from having minted coins in Toledo during what should have been Egica's reign.[39] The Seventeenth Council of Toledo was held in 694. The Eighteenth Council of Toledo, the last one, took place shortly after Egica's death around 702 or 703.[40]

 

By the end of the seventh century the bishop of Toledo was the leader of the Spanish bishops, a situation unusual in Europe: "The metropolitan bishops of Toledo had achieved by the last quarter of the seventh century an authority and a primacy that was unique in Western Europe. Not even the pope could count on such support from neighbouring metropolitans."[37] Toledo "had been matched by no other city in western Europe outside Italy as the governmental and symbolic center of a powerful monarchy."[41] Toledo had "emerged from relative obscurity to become the permanent governmental centre of the Visigothic monarchy; a true capital, whose only equivalent in western Europe was to be Lombard Pavia."[42]

 

When Wittiza died around 710, Ruderic became Visigothic king in Toledo, but the kingdom was split, as a rival king Achila ruled Tarraconensis and Narbonensis.[43] Meanwhile, Arabic and Berber troops under Musa ibn Nusayr had conquered Tangiers and Ceuta between 705 and 710, and commenced raids into the Visigothic kingdom in 711.[44] Ruderic led an army to confront the raiders. He was defeated and killed in battle, apparently after being betrayed by Visigothic nobles who wished to replace him as king and did not consider the Arabs and Berbers a serious threat. The commander of the invading forces was Tariq bin Ziyad, a Luwata Berber freedman in the service of governor Musa.[45] It is possible that a king called Oppa ruled in Toledo between Ruderic's death and the fall of Toledo.[46] Tariq, seizing the opportunity presented by the death of Ruderic and the internal divisions of the Visigothic nobles, captured Toledo, in 711 or 712.[47] Governor Musa disembarked in Cádiz and proceeded to Toledo, where he executed numerous Visigothic nobles, thus destroying much of the Visigothic power structure.[48][49] Collins suggests that the Visigothic emphasis on Toledo as the center of royal ceremony became a weakness. Since the king was chosen in or around Toledo, by nobles based in Toledo, and had to be anointed king by the bishop of Toledo in a church in Toledo, when Tariq captured Toledo and executed the Visigothic nobles, having already killed the king, there was no way for the Visigoths to select a legitimate king.[50][51]

Toledo under Arab rule

 

Soon after the conquest, Musa and Tariq returned to Damascus. The Arab center of administration was placed first in Seville, then moved to Cordoba. With most of the rest of the Iberian peninsula, Toledo was ruled from Cordoba by the governor of Al-Andalus, under the ultimate notional command of the Umayyad Caliph in Damascus. Arab conquerors had often replaced former capital cities with new ones to mark the change in political power, and they did so here: "Toledo suffered a period of profound decline throughout much of the earlier centuries of Arab dominance in the peninsula."[52] The invaders were ethnically diverse, and available evidence suggests that in the area of Toledo, Berber settlement predominated over Arab.[53]

 

In 742 the Berbers in Al-Andalus rebelled against the Arab Omeyyad governors. They took control of the north and marched south, laying siege to Toledo. After a siege of one month the Berber troops were defeated outside Toledo by troops sent from Cordoba by the governor Abd al-Malik ibn Katan and commanded by the governor's son.[54] However, while Ibn Katan's troops were engaged with the Berbers, his Arab allies betrayed and killed him and took over Cordoba. After the Arabs' first leader, Talama ibn Salama, died, Yusuf al-Fihri became ruler of Al-Andalus. The Omeyyad dynasty in Damascus collapsed and Yusuf ruled independently with the support of his Syrian Arab forces. The Qays Arab commander As-Sumayl was made governor of Toledo under Yusuf around 753.[55]

 

There is evidence that Toledo retained its importance as a literary and ecclesiastical center into the middle 700s, in the Chronicle of 754, the life of Saint Ildefonsus by Cixila, and ecclesiastical letters sent from Toledo.[56] The eighth century bishop of Toledo, Cixila, wrote a life of Saint Ildefonsus of Toledo, probably before 737.[57] This life of Ildefonsus emphasized two episodes in the life of the bishop of Toledo. In the first episode the covering of the tomb of Saint Leocadia levitated while Ildefonsus was saying mass, with king Reccesuinth present. In the second episode Mary appears to Ildefonsus and Reccesuinth. These episodes are said to have resulted from Ildefonsus' devotion to Saint Leocadia, patroness saint of Toledo.[58] Collins suggests that Cixila's life of Ildefonsus helped maintain Ildefonsus' appeal and helped the church in Toledo to retain some of its authority among Christian churches in the Iberian peninsula.[59]

 

An archdeacon in Toledo called Evantius, who was active around 720 and died in 737, wrote a letter to address the existence of judaizing tendencies among the Christians of Zaragoza, specifically the belief that there are unclean forms of meat and the literal interpretation of Deuteronomic law.[60] A deacon and cantor from Toledo called Peter wrote a second letter, to Seville, in about the year 750, to explain that they were celebrating Easter and a September liturgical fast incorrectly, again confusing them with Jewish feasts celebrated at the same time.[61] These letters show that some of the primacy of the church of Toledo within the Iberian peninsula still existed in the 700s: "Not only were its clerics still well enough equipped in intellectual terms to provide authoritative guidance on a wide range of ecclesiastical discipline and doctrine, but this was also actively sought."[62]

 

There is a strong possibility that the Chronicle of 754 was written in Toledo (though scholars have also proposed Cordoba and Guadix) based on the information available to the chronicler.[63] The chronicler showed awareness of the Historia Gothorum, the Etymologiae, and the chronicle of Isidore of Seville, the work of Braulio of Zaragoza, the acts of the councils of Toledo, De Perpetua Virginitate by Ildefonsus, and De Comprobatione Sextae Aetatis and Historia Wambae by Julian of Toledo, all works that would have existed in the Visigothic libraries of seventh century Toledo and whose existence together "makes more sense in a Toledan context than in any other."[64]

 

In 756 Abd ar-Rahman, a descendant of the fallen Omeyyad caliphs, came to Al-Andalus and initiated a revolt against Yusuf. He defeated Yusuf and forced him to reside in Cordoba, but Yusuf broke the agreement and raised a Berber army to fight Abd ar-Rahman. In this conflict, Toledo was held against Abd ar-Rahman by Yusuf's cousin Hisham ibn Urwa. Yusuf attempted to march on Seville, but was defeated and instead attempted to reach his cousin in Toledo. He was either killed on his way to Toledo, or he reached Toledo and held out there for as many as two or three years before being betrayed and killed by his own people. Whether or not Yusuf himself held out in Toledo, Hisham ibn Urwa did hold power in Toledo for several years, resisting the authority of Abd ar-Rahman. In 761 Hisham is reported as again being in rebellion in Toledo against Abd ar-Rahman. Abd ar-Rahman failed to take Toledo by force and instead signed a treaty allowing Hisham to remain in control of Toledo, but giving one of his sons as hostage to Abd ar-Rahman. Hisham continued to defy Abd ar-Rahman, who had Hisham's son executed and the head catapulted over the city walls into Toledo. Abd ar-Rahman attacked Toledo in 764, winning only when some of Hisham's own people betrayed him and turned him over to Abd ar-Rahman and his freedman Badr.[65] Ibn al-Athir states that towards the end of Abd ar-Rahman's reign, a governor of Toledo raided in force into the Kingdom of Asturias during the reign of Mauregatus,[66] though the Asturian chronicles do not record the event.[67]

 

Under the Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba, Toledo was the centre of numerous insurrections dating from 761 to 857.[68] Twenty years after the rebellion of Hisham ibn Urwa, the last of Yusuf's sons, Abu al-Aswad ibn Yusuf, rebelled in Toledo in 785.[69][70] After the suppression of ibn Yusuf's revolt, Abd ar-Rahman's oldest son Sulayman was made governor of Toledo. However, Abd ar-Rahman designated as his successor a younger son, Hisham. On Hisham's accession to the Emirate in 788, Sulayman refused to make the oath of allegiance at the mosque, as succession custom would have dictated, and thus declared himself in rebellion. He was joined in Toledo by his brother Abdallah. Hisham laid siege to Toledo. While Abdallah held Toledo against Hisham, Sulayman escaped and attempted to find support elsewhere, but was unsuccessful. In 789, Abdallah submitted and Hisham took control of Toledo. The following year, Sulayman gave up the fight and went into exile.[71] Hisham's son Al-Hakam was governor of Toledo from 792 to 796 when he succeeded his father as emir in Cordoba.

 

After Al-Hakam's accession and departure, a poet resident in Toledo named Girbib ibn-Abdallah wrote verses against the Omeyyads, helping to inspire a revolt in Toledo against the new emir in 797. Chroniclers disagree as to the leader of this revolt, though Ibn Hayyan states that it was led by Ibn Hamir. Al-Hakam sent Amrus ibn Yusuf to fight the rebellion. Amrus took control of the Berber troops in Talavera. From there, Amrus negotiated with a faction inside Toledo called the Banu Mahsa, promising to make them governors if they would betray Ibn Hamir. The Banu Mahsa brought Ibn Hamir's head to Amrus at Talavera, but instead of making them governors, Amrus executed them. Amrus now persuaded the remaining factions in Toledo to submit to him. Once he entered Toledo, he invited the leaders to a celebratory feast. As they entered Amrus' fortress, the guests were beheaded one by one and their bodies thrown in a specially dug ditch. The massacre was thus called "The Day of the Ditch." Amrus' soldiers killed about 700 people that day. Amrus was governor of Toledo until 802.[72][73]

 

"In 785, Bishop Elipandus of Toledo wrote a letter condemning the teaching of a certain Migetius."[74] In his letter, Elipandus asserted that Christ had adopted his humanity, a position that came to be known as Adoptionism.[75] Two Asturian bishops, Beatus and Eterius, bishop of Osma, wrote a treatise condemning Elipandus' views.[76] Pope Hadrian wrote a letter between 785 and 791 in which he condemned Migetius, but also the terminology used by Elipandus.[77] The Frankish court of Charlemagne also condemned Adoptionism at the Synod of Frankfurt in 794.[78] Although Ramon Abadals y de Vinyals argued that this controversy represented an ideological assertion of independence by the Asturian church against the Moslem-ruled church of Toledo,[79] Collins believes this argument applies eleventh century ideology to the eighth century and is anachronistic.[80] However, Collins notes that the controversy and the alliances formed during it between Asturias and the Franks broke the old unity of the Spanish church.[81] The influence of the bishops of Toledo would be much more limited until the eleventh century.[82]

 

By the end of the 700s, the Omeyyads had created three frontier districts stretching out from the southern core of their Iberian territories. These were called Lower March (al-Tagr al-Adna), Central March (al-Tagr al-Awsat), and Upper March (al-Tagr al-A'la). Toledo became the administrative center of the Central March, while Merida became the center of the Lower March and Zaragoza, of the Upper March.[83]

 

Following the death of Abd al-Rahman II, a new revolt broke out in Toledo. The Omeyyad governor was held hostage in order to secure the return of Toledan hostages held in Córdoba. Toledo now engaged in an inter-city feud with the nearby city of Calatrava la Vieja. Toledan soldiers attacked Calatrava, destroyed the walls, and massacred or expelled many inhabitants of Calatrava in 853. Soldiers from Cordoba came to restore the walls and protect Calatrava from Toledo. The new emir, Muhammad I, sent a second army to attack the Toledans, but was defeated. Toledo now made an alliance with King Ordoño I of Asturias. The Toledans and Asturians were defeated at the Battle of Guadacelete, with sources claiming 8000 Toledan and Asturian soldiers were killed and their heads sent back to Cordoba for display throughout Al-Andalus. Despite this defeat, Toledo did not surrender to Cordoba. The Omeyyads reinforced nearby fortresses with cavalry forces to try to contain the Toledans. Toledans attacked Talavera in 857, but were again defeated. In 858 emir Muhammad I personally led an expedition against Toledo and destroyed a bridge, but was unable to take the city. In 859, Muhammad I negotiated a truce with Toledo. Toledo became virtually independent for twenty years, though locked in conflict with neighboring cities. Muhammad I recovered control of Toledo in 873, when he successfully besieged the city and forced it to submit.[84]

Azulejo in Seville's Plaza de España despicting the conquest of Toledo in 1085.

 

The Banu Qasi gained nominal control of the city until 920 and in 932 Abd-ar-Rahman III captured the city following an extensive siege.[85] According to the Chronicle of Alfonso III, Musa ibn Musa of the Banu Qasi had, partly by war and partly by strategy, made himself master of Zaragoza, Tudela, Huesca, and Toledo. He had installed his son Lupus (Lubb) as governor of Toledo. King Ordoño I of Asturias fought a series of battles with Musa ibn Musa. According to the Chronicle, Musa ibn Musa allied with his brother-in-law Garcia, identified as Garcia Iñiquez, King of Pamplona. Ordoño defeated Musa's forces at the Battle of Monte Laturce. Musa died of injuries, and his son Lubb submitted to Ordoño's authority in 862 or 863, for the duration of Ordoño's reign (up to 866). Thus, according to the Chronicle of Alfonso III, Toledo was ruled by the Asturian kings. However, Arabic sources do not confirm these campaigns, instead stating that Musa ibn Musa was killed in a failed attack on Guadalajara, and that Andalusi forces repeatedly defeated Asturian forces in the area of Alava from 862 to 866.[86]

 

By the 870s the Omeyyads had regained control over Toledo. In 878 Al-Mundhir led an expedition against Asturias, of which one of the main components was a force from Toledo. One source portrays this raid as an attack by the 'King of Toledo', but other sources portray it as an Omeyyad raid involving substantial Toledan forces. The forces from Toledo were defeated by Alfonso III of Asturias at the Battle of Polvoraria. Spanish chronicles state that twelve to thirteen thousand in the Toledo army were killed in the battle. Collins states that these figures are "totally unreliable" but demonstrate that Asturian chroniclers thought of this as an important and decisive battle.[87]

 

In 920s and 930s, the governors of Toledo were in rebellion against the Umayyad regime in Cordoba, led by Abd al-Rahman III. In 930, Abd al-Rahman III, having now adopted the title of caliph, attacked Toledo.[88] The governor of Toledo asked for help from King Ramiro II of Leon, but Ramiro was preocuppied with a civil war against his brother Alfonso IV and was unable to help.[89] In 932, Abd al-Rahman III conquered Toledo, re-establishing control of al-Tagr al-Awsat, the Central March of the Omeyyad state.[90]

 

In 1009 one of the last Umayyad caliphs, Muhammad II al-Mahdi, fled to Toledo after being expelled from Cordoba by Berber forces backing the rival claimant Sulayman. Al-Mahdi and his Saqaliba general Wadih formed an alliance with the Count of Barcelona and his brother the Count of Urgell. These Catalans joined with Wadih and al-Mahdi in Toledo in 1010 and marched on Cordoba. The combination of Wadih's army and the Catalans defeated the Berbers in a battle outside Cordoba in 1010.[91]

 

After the fall of the Omeyyad caliphate in the early 11th century, Toledo became an independent taifa kingdom. The population of Toledo at this time was about 28 thousand, including a Jewish population estimated at 4 thousand.[92] The Mozarab community had its own Christian bishop, and after the Christian conquest of Toledo, the city was a destination for Mozarab immigration from the Muslim south.[93] The taifa of Toledo was centered on the Tajo River. The border with the taifa of Badajoz was on the Tajo between Talavera de la Reina and Coria. North, the border was the Sierra de Guadarrama. Northeast, Toledo lands stretched past Guadalajara to Medinaceli. Southeast was the border with the taifa of Valencia, in La Mancha between Cuenca and Albacete. South were the borders with Badajoz around the Mountains of Toledo.[94]

 

In 1062, Fernando I of Leon and Castile attacked the taifa of Toledo. He conquered Talamanca de Jarama and besieged Alcala de Henares. To secure Fernando's withdrawal, king al-Mamun of Toledo agreed to pay an annual tribute, or parias, to Fernando.[95] Three years later in 1065, al-Mamun invaded the taifa of Valencia through La Mancha, successfully conquering it. Toledo controlled the taifa of Valencia until al-Mamun's death in 1075.[96]

 

After the death of Fernando I in 1065, the kingdom of Leon and Castilla was divided in three: the kingdoms of Galicia, Leon, and Castilla. The parias that had been paid by Toledo to Fernando I were assigned to the Kingdom of León, which was inherited by Alfonso VI.[97] However, in 1071, Alfonso's older brother Sancho II invaded Leon and defeated his younger brother. Alfonso VI was allowed to go into exile with al-Mamun in Toledo.[98] Alfonso VI was in exile in Toledo approximately from June to October 1071, but after Sancho II was killed later in the same year, Alfonso left Toledo and returned to Leon. Some sources state that al-Mamun forced Alfonso to swear support for al-Mamun and his heirs before allowing him to leave.[99]

 

In 1074, Alfonso VI campaigned against the taifa of Granada with the assistance of al-Mamun of Toledo. Alfonso received troops from al-Mamun in addition to the parias payment, facilitating his military campaigns. The campaign was successful, and Granada was forced to begin parias payments to Alfonso VI. After this, al-Mamun proceeded to attack Cordoba, which was then under the control of his enemy al-Mutamid, taifa king of Sevilla. He conquered Cordoba in January 1075.[100]

 

The parias of Toledo to Alfonso VI in the 1070s amounted to approximately 12 thousand gold dinars. This money contributed strongly to Alfonso VI's ability to project military strength throughout the Iberian peninsula.[101]

 

In 1076, al-Mamun of Toledo was killed in the city of Cordoba, which he had conquered only the year before. The taifa king of Sevilla took the opportunity to reconquer Cordoba and seize other territory on the borderlands between the taifas of Sevilla and Toledo. Al-Mamun was succeeded by his son, al-Qadir, the last taifa king of Toledo. Possibly keeping an earlier promise to al-Mamun, Alfonso VI at first supported the succession of al-Qadir. The taifa of Valencia, which had been conquered by al-Mamun, revolted against al-Qadir and ceased parias payments to Toledo.[102]

 

Taking advantage of al-Qadir's weakness, al-Mutamid of Sevilla took lands in La Mancha from the taifa of Toledo, and from there conquered the taifas of Valencia and Denia in 1078. After this, al-Qadir lost popularity in Toledo. There was a revolt against him, and he was forced to flee the city and appeal to Alfonso VI for help. The rebels invited the king of Badajoz, al-Mutawakkil, to rule Toledo. The king of Badajoz occupied Toledo in 1079, but Alfonso VI sent forces to help al-Qadir recover Toledo. Alfonso captured the fortress town of Coria, which controlled a pass from Castilian lands into the lands of the taifa of Badajoz. Since Alfonso now threatened him through Coria, al-Mutawakkil withdrew from Toledo and al-Qadir was able to return to Toledo. As the price of his help, Alfonso obtained the right to station two garrisons of his soldiers on the lands of Toledo, at al-Qadir's expense.[103]

 

A second revolt against al-Qadir took place in 1082. This time al-Qadir defeated the rebels in Toledo, chased them to Madrid, and defeated them there.[104] It was about this time at the latest that Alfonso VI decided to seize Toledo for himself, though some authors have argued that the plan to conquer Toledo existed by 1078.[105] In 1083, Alfonso VI campaigned against al-Mutamid, bringing his forces right up against Sevilla and reaching the city of Tarifa, with the intention of dissuading al-Mutamid from any resistance against the coming seizure of Toledo.[106] In 1084, Alfonso set siege to Toledo, preventing the city from being supplied and also preventing agricultural work in the area. Over the winter of 1084 to 1085 the siege was maintained, while the king spent the winter north in Leon and Sahagun. In spring 1085 Alfonso personally rejoined the siege with new forces. The city soon fell and Alfonso made his triumphant entry to the city on May 24, 1085.

 

Toledo experienced a period known as La Convivencia, i.e. the co-existence of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Under Islamic Arab rule, Toledo was called Ṭulayṭulah. After the fall of the caliphate, Toledo was the capital city of one of the richest Taifas of Al-Andalus. Its population was overwhelmingly Muladi, and, because of its central location in the Iberian Peninsula, Toledo took a central position in the struggles between the Muslim and Christian rulers of northern Spain. The conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI of Castile in 1085 marked the first time a major city in Al-Andalus was captured by Christian forces; it served to sharpen the religious aspect of the Christian reconquest.

Medieval Toledo after the Reconquest

Toledo in the 16th century

View of Toledo by resident El Greco c. 1608.

 

On May 25, 1085, Alfonso VI of Castile took Toledo and established direct personal control over the Moorish city from which he had been exacting tribute, ending the medieval Taifa's Kingdom of Toledo. This was the first concrete step taken by the combined kingdom of Leon-Castile in the Reconquista by Christian forces. After Castilian conquest, Toledo continued to be a major cultural centre; its Arab libraries were not pillaged, and a tag-team translation centre was established in which books in Arabic or Hebrew would be translated into Castilian by Muslim and Jewish scholars, and from Castilian into Latin by Castilian scholars, thus letting long-lost knowledge spread through Christian Europe again. Toledo served as the capital city of Castile intermittently (Castile did not have a permanent capital) from 1085, and the city flourished. Charles I of Spain's court was set in Toledo, serving as the imperial capital.[107] However, in 1561, in the first years of his son Philip II of Spain reign, the Spanish court was moved to Madrid, thus letting the city's importance dwindle until the late 20th century, when it became the capital of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Nevertheless, the economic decline of the city helped to preserve its cultural and architectural heritage. Today, because of this rich heritage, Toledo is one of Spain's foremost cities, receiving thousands of visitors yearly. Under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toledo multiple persecutions (633, 653, 693) and stake burnings of Jews (638 CE) occurred; the Kingdom of Toledo followed up on this tradition (1368, 1391, 1449, 1486–1490 CE) including forced conversions and mass murder and the rioting and blood bath against the Jews of Toledo (1212 CE).[108][109]

 

During the persecution of the Jews in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, members of the Jewish community of Toledo produced texts on their long history in Toledo. It was at this time that Don Isaac Abrabanel, a prominent Jewish figure in Spain in the 15th century and one of the king's trusted courtiers who witnessed the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, wrote that Toledo was named Ṭulayṭulah by its first Jewish inhabitants who, he stated, settled there in the 5th century BCE, and which name – by way of conjecture – may have been related to its Hebrew cognate טלטול (= wandering), on account of their wandering from Jerusalem. He says, furthermore, that the original name of the city was Pirisvalle, so-called by its early pagan inhabitants.[110] However, there is no archaeological or historical evidence for Jewish presence in this region prior to the time of the Roman Empire; when the Romans first wrote about Toledo it was a Celtic city.[111][112]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±%

1991 59,000 —

1996 66,006 +11.9%

2001 68,382 +3.6%

2004 73,485 +7.5%

2006 77,601 +5.6%

Modern Era

Toledo's Alcázar (Latinized Arabic word for palace-castle, from the Arabic القصر, al-qasr) became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.

Grace Campbell (11)

 

Dani Barton (1)

 

Dani managed to block Grace's ball. This was a moment later as everyone and everything started to fall back to Earth.

 

Stanford University

Palo Alto, CA

The 2017 Paris Sevens was the 15th edition of the France Sevens, and the ninth tournament of the 2016–17 World Rugby Sevens Series. The tournament was played on 13–14 May 2017 at Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris.

South Africa won the Cup final, defeating Scotland by 15–5 to clinch the overall series title for the season with an unassailable lead over the defending champions Fiji New Zealand finished third in the Paris tournament, and Argentina won the Challenge trophy for ninth place.

The teams were drawn into four pools of four teams each. Each team played all the others in their pool once. The top two teams from each pool advanced to the Cup quarter finals. The bottom two teams from each group advanced to the Challenge Trophy quarter finals.

The 2016–17 World Rugby Sevens Series, known for sponsorship reasons as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, is the 18th annual series of rugby sevens tournaments for national rugby sevens teams. The Sevens Series has been run by World Rugby since 1999–2000.

The 2016–17 Series also serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Nine of the core teams have already qualified for that tournament. The top four finishers in the 2016–17 Series from among the remaining six core teams will qualify for the 2018 RWC Sevens.

In this series, World Rugby abolished the minor trophies of Plate, Bowl and Shield that were previously awarded in the finals play-offs at each tournament. While the winner's Cup was retained as the major trophy, the awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals to players from the three respective top-placed teams was introduced for this series. A Challenge Trophy was established for teams competing in the lower bracket of the finals play-offs at each tournament. Additionally, the playing time for Cup final matches was reduced from 20 minutes to 14 minutes, in line with all other tournament matches.

Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40 minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the body responsible for Rugby Union worldwide. The game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Sevens is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby, and is popular in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and especially in the South Pacific. Rugby sevens is commonly referred to by rugby union media and fans as simply "sevens".

Rugby sevens originated in Melrose, Scotland in the 1880s; the Melrose Sevens tournament is still played annually. The popularity of rugby sevens increased further with the development of the Hong Kong Sevens in the 1970s, the World Rugby Sevens Series in 1999, and more recently with the 2009 vote by the International Olympic Committee to bring rugby back to the Olympics beginning in 2016.

The main competition for rugby sevens is the World Rugby Sevens Series, a series of seven to twelve tournaments played each year from approximately November to May. Rugby sevens is also played at some quadrennial events. The main quadrennial events are the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Summer Olympics. Rugby sevens is now recognised as an Olympic sport and made its debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics. This followed a vote by the International Olympic Committee in 2009 to include the sport. Rugby sevens is also played at regional events, such as the Commonwealth Games and the Pan American Games.

Rugby sevens is sanctioned by World Rugby, and is played under similar laws (with exceptions noted below) and on a field of the same dimensions as the 15 player game. While a regular rugby union match lasts at least 80 minutes, a normal sevens match consists of two halves of seven minutes with a two-minute half-time break. The final of a competition can be played over two halves of ten minutes each. (In the World Rugby Sevens Series, only the Cup final, which determines the overall winner of an event, is played with 10 minute halves; all finals for lower-level trophies are played with 7 minute halves). Sevens scores are generally comparable to regular rugby scores, but scoring occurs much more frequently in sevens, since the defenders are more spaced out. The scoring system is the same as regular rugby union, namely five points for a try, three points for a drop goal (whether from penalty or open play) and two points for a post-try conversion.

The shorter match length allows rugby sevens tournaments to be completed in a day or a weekend. Many sevens tournaments have a competition for a cup, a plate, a bowl, and a shield, allowing many teams of different standards to avoid leaving empty-handed.

Sevens tournaments are traditionally known for having more of a relaxed atmosphere than fifteen-a-side games, and are often known as "festivals". Sevens tournaments gained their "popularity as an end of season diversion from the dourer and sterner stuff that provides the bulk of a normal season's watching." Fans frequently attend in fancy dress, and entertainment is put on for them.

The Hong Kong Sevens tournament has been especially important in popularising the game in Asia, and rugby sevens has been important as a form of international rugby "evangelism", hence is perhaps the most widely played form of the game, with tournaments in places as far apart as Bogota and Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Kenya, Singapore and Scandinavia, as well as the countries in which rugby union is well known

Women's rugby sevens has been dominated by New Zealand, with either the New Zealand team (1999–2001) or Aotearoa Maori Women's Rugby sevens team (playing as New Zealand) winning the annual Hong Kong Sevens tournament from 1997 until 2007. The United States won the Hong Kong Sevens in 2008 by defeating Canada in the final (New Zealand failed to send a team).

A women's rugby sevens game in the USA

The inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament took place in Dubai together with the men's tournament during the first weekend of March 2009. England defeated Canada 12–0 in the Bowl final while Australia edged New Zealand 15–10 in extra-time to become the first to win the Women's Rugby World Cup.

WR, then known as the International Rugby Board (IRB), organised its first official women's sevens tournament outside of the World Cup as part of the 2011 Dubai Sevens. This was part of a plan to launch a full IRB International Women's Sevens Series for 2012–13. The international series was officially christened as the IRB Women's Sevens World Series in an IRB announcement on 4 October 2012. The series, as planned, launched for the 2012–13 season and initially featured events in Dubai, the USA, China and the Netherlands. Two additional events were planned for the 2013–14 series, but in the end only one of these events, in Brazil, took place. For the 2014–15 series, China dropped from the schedule, while Canada and England hosted new events. The series was rechristened for 2014–15 as the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, following the November 2014 renaming of the IRB as World Rugby. The 2015–16 series included only five events; the England and Netherlands events were dropped and an event in France was added. The 2016–17 series returned to six events with the launch of an event in Japan.

Women's rugby sevens was included in the 2016 Olympic Games due to the IRB's successful bid to reintroduce rugby to the Summer games. Australia claimed the gold medal for the event, beating New Zealand in the final with a score of 24-17. Canada claimed the bronze medal after beating Great Britain 33-10 in the third place play-off. WR also successfully pushed for the inclusion of women's sevens in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

 

Paris accueillera la 9ème étape du HSBC Seven series.

Le Paris Sevens aura lieu du 13 au 15 mai, au Stade Jean-Bouin.

A l’issue du Tournoi de Singapour qui à vue le premier sacre du Canada, les poules pour Paris ont été dévoilées.

La France devra se défaire de l’Angleterre, du Kenya et de l’Espagne.

Devant ses fans, l’Equipe de France sera opposée à l’Angleterre, au Kenya et à l’Espagne dans la poule C. Pour se qualifier en quart-de-finale de Cup, les Bleus devront terminer à l’une des deux meilleures places de la poule C, au terme de la journée du samedi 13 mai.

POULE A : Afrique du Sud, Ecosse, Japon

POULE B : Nouvelle Zélande, Pays de Galles, Argentine

POULE C : Angleterre, Kenya, France, Espagne

POULE D : Australie, Fidji, Samoa, Russie

France Sevens , actuellement hébergé comme le Paris Sevens , est un tournoi international annuel de séminaires de rugby . L' événement fait partie de la Sevens World Series et a été accueilli à Bordeauxen 2004. La France a également accueilli des tournois dans la série Sevens Grand Prix , à Lyon .

De 1996 à 1999, le tournoi était connu sous le nom de Air France Sevens et, en 2000, il faisait partie de la série inaugurale IRB Sevens World Series.

La CISR a accueilli le tournoi à Bordeaux en 2004, avant de retourner à Paris pour 2005 et 2006 . L'événement a effectivement été remplacé dans la World Sevens Series par Scotland Sevens à Edinburgh pour lasaison 2006.

Entre 2011 et 2015, Lyon a organisé une étape du circuit européen, la Sevens Grand Prix Series .

La Série mondiale Sevens est revenue en France pour la saison 2015-16, avec la reprise du tournoi Paris Sevens en 2016.

Les IRB Sevens World Series sont créés en 1999-2000 et le tournoi parisien en fait partie. Les Néo-Zélandais conservent leur titre et s'imposent de nouveau en dominant largement l'Afrique du Sud sur le score de 69 à 10. Entre 2000 et 2004, les World Sevens Series passent par Cardiff, abandonnant le tournoi français.

En 2004, l'étape est cependant réintégré aux programme mondial. Elle se dispute cette année-là au Stade Chaban-Delmas à Bordeaux où la Nouvelle-Zélande l'emporte à nouveau en battant les Anglais 28 à 19 en finale. La saison suivante, elle fait son retour à Paris mais cette fois au Stade Jean-Bouin. C'est l'équipe de France qui est sacrée grâce à sa victoire 28 à 19 contre les fidjiens, première victoire française lors d'un tournoi des World Series. La compétition fait son retour à Charléty la saison suivante et elle connaît sa dernière édition avec une victoire de l'Afrique du Sud aux dépens de l'équipe des Samoa (33 à 12). La France n'organise pas l'édition 2007 en raison de la coupe du monde de rugby à XV qui disputera la même année. Les World Sevens Series intègrent alors l'Écosse dans le circuit mondial et Glasgow reste par la suite une étape annuelle.

L’élite mondiale du rugby à 7 a rendez-vous à Paris. Venez partager l’esprit Sevens et soutenir les Bleus les 13 & 14 mai prochains à Paris au stade Jean-Bouin !LES STARS DU RUGBY À 7 ONT RENDEZ-VOUS À PARIS

Avant dernière étape du circuit mondial rugby à 7 (HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series), les seize meilleures équipes internationales du rugby à 7 se réunissent pour s'affronter sur la pelouse de Jean-Bouin.

Le jeu à 7 est connu pour sa rapidité et son spectacle. Il va donc y avoir du jeu et de l’enjeu !

2 JOURS DE FÊTE NON STOP

Amateurs de rugby et/ou de fête, le HSBC Paris Sevens est fait pour vous !

Avec le Sevens, le spectacle est sur le terrain mais aussi dans les tribunes où l’ambiance bat son plein avec des supporters chantant et dansant parés de leur plus beau déguisement.

Paris ne va pas déroger à la règle : les 13 & 14 mai 2017, Jean-Bouin sera sportif ET festif ! Rempli de supporters français et du monde entier, remontés à bloc, l'Esprit Sevens sera au rendez-vous.

LE PROGRAMME Samedi 13 mai 2017 :

Le premier jour du tournoi est réservé aux matches de poules, décisifs pour accéder aux phases finales.

Dimanche 14 mai 2017 :

Le second jour est réservé aux phases finales, très importantes pour établir le classement final.

Sans oublier les nombreuses animations qui seront proposées dans les tribunes, dans les coursives et sur le parvis qui permettront aux spectateurs de vivre une expérience unique de fête, d’échange et de partage pendant ces 2 jours de compétition.

C’est la bonne nouvelle de ce samedi midi ! À Jean Bouin, les Bleus sont parfaitement entrés dans le Paris Sevens. Auteurs de quatre essais face à des Kenyans redoutables, récents vainqueurs du tournoi de Singapoure, les coéquipiers de Julien Candelon ont effectué une formidable deuxième mi-temps pour emporter le premier round du tournoi à 7 hexagonal (22-14). Visiblement revigorés par le retour à la compétition de Virimi Vakatawa, dont la puissance a causé de nombreux problèmes aux défenseurs kenyans, les Bleus ont envoyé un signal fort aux quelques 10 000 spectateurs présents depuis 11 heures ce matin, Porte d’Auteuil.

En fin de match, le tricolore Manuel Dall’Igna analysait : « Les Kenyans nous ont cueillis à froid par un essai magnifique. De notre côté, nous nous sommes un peu précipités en rendant des ballons au pied. A 14-5, on s’est fait peur et, à l’avenir, nous devrons également resserrer les boulons en défense. Mais l’essentiel est sauf ». De ce match, on retiendra le « off-load » magnifique de Virimi Vakatawa et l’essai de cinquante mètres aplati par Julien Candelon, après un raffut magnifique. La prochaine étape, pour les Bleus, se disputera à 16 heures contre l’Angleterre.

Vainqueurs de l'Ecosse lors de la finale du Paris Sevens (15-5), ce dimanche, l'Afrique du Sud est déjà assurée de remporter le circuit mondial.

L'Afrique du Sud a remporté dimanche le tournoi de rugby à 7 de Paris en battant l'Écosse en finale (15-5). C'est le cinquième tournoi (sur neuf joués) remporté par les Blitzboks cette saison. Les Sud-Africains sont assurés de remporter le circuit mondial avant même la dernière étape à Londres, le week-end prochain. Ils succèdent au palmarès aux Fidji, victorieux des deux dernières éditions.

La troisième place du tournoi a été prise par la Nouvelle-Zélande, qui a battu l'Angleterre en petite finale (12-5). Les Bleus, eux, ont terminé septièmes.

Le rugby à sept (ou rugby à 7) est la variante du rugby à XV qui se joue par équipes de sept joueurs sur le terrain (plus les remplaçants). Le rugby à sept reprend les caractères communs du rugby à XV : deux équipes qui se disputent un ballon ovale, le ballon joué à la main (passes) ou au pied (coups), des formes de mêlées et de touches, un objectif qui consiste à marquer plus de points que l'adversaire en réussissant soit des essais soit des buts.

Le rugby à sept est originaire d'Écosse et s'est développé dans la seconde moitié du xxème siècle dans les pays anglo-saxons (Afrique du Sud, Nouvelle-Zélande, Australie, Royaume-Uni), puis en France. Le 9 octobre 2009, le rugby à sept devient un sport olympique à partir des Jeux olympiques de Rio de Janeiro 2016, où l'équipe masculine des Fidji et l'Australie du côté des dames, ont remporté les premières médailles d'or.

En 1976, Ian Gow et Tokkie Smith, président de la filiale de Rothmans à Hong-Kong et entrepreneur sud-africain ressuscitent le jeu à sept en organisant un tournoi réunissant douze équipes à Hong-Kong. C'est un succès qui va entraîner la création de plusieurs autres tournois.

En 1993 à Édimbourg en Écosse a lieu la première coupe du monde de rugby à sept mettant aux prises 24 équipes nationales. Cette coupe du monde de rugby à sept aura désormais lieu tous les quatre ans.

En 1999-2000, l'IRB (International Rugby Board) organise une série de dix tournois internationaux, l'IRB World Sevens Series, qui couronne la meilleure nation sur l'ensemble de la saison.

Le 9 octobre 2009, le Comité international olympique intègre le rugby à 7 parmi les sports présents aux Jeux olympiques d'été et ce à compter des jeux de 2016 L'arrivée du rugby à 7 dans le programme olympique entraîne d'abord un arrêt de la Coupe du monde de rugby à 7 après l'édition de 2013 en Russie (qui est attribuée à la Nouvelle-Zélande après son écrasante victoire face à l'Angleterre 33 à 0). Cependant, en juin 2013, l'IRB décide que la compétition sera maintenue et se tiendra tous les quatre ans à partir de 2018.

Les règles de base du rugby à 7 sont fondées sur celles de son homologue à XV. Les différences y sont, comme on peut s'y attendre, principalement liées au nombre réduit de joueurs. La liste de variations officielles est détaillée dans un document de World Rugby. (Ci-dessous, entre parenthèses figure la version correspondante du rugby à XV.)

Joueurs : Par équipe, il y a 7 joueurs sur le terrain (15). Hors terrain, 5 remplaçants (7) et 3 remplacements possibles (8) au maximum sont permis par équipe. Un joueur remplacé peut revenir en jeu sauf en cas de blessure ouverte ou saignante (c'est possible à 15). Les mêlées se font avec 3 avants (8) par camp. Comme au rugby à XV, les joueurs sont classés par poste : en ligne avant, deux piliers et un talonneur qui forment la mêlée ; les arrières, 2 demis de mêlée et d'ouverture, 1 centre, et un ailier-arrière. Du fait que le terrain est le même qu'à 15, la faible densité de joueurs rend le jeu plus dynamique et les essais beaucoup plus fréquents. De ce fait également, le gabarit des joueurs est moins massif.

Temps de jeu : Un match est joué en deux mi-temps de 7 minutes (40) au plus de temps de jeu (non arrêté), avec une pause de 1 minute au plus (10 à 15) pour changer de côté. Une finale de tournoi peut durer 2 fois 10 min, avec au plus 2 min de pause. En cas d'égalité (match nul), ce temps de jeu est suivi d'une ou plusieurs prolongations de 5 min jusqu'à ce qu'une équipe l'emporte par les premiers points marqués (ordinairement 2 prolongations de 10 min, puis tirs au but).

Marque : Une transformation se fait par coup de pied tombé (anglais drop goal), dans les 40 secondes (ordinairement par coup de pied placé, et 90 s). L'équipe qui a marqué effectue la remise en jeu (c'est l'adversaire qui remet en jeu), par un drop goal qui doit atteindre la ligne des 10 mètres adverse. En prolongations, les premiers points marqués déterminent le vainqueur final.

Arbitrage : Il y a un juge d'en-but par côté (les juges de touche vont dans l'en-but) qui aidé par un juge de touche signale le passage de pénalités et transformations. Un joueur exclu temporairement pour anti-jeu ou jeu dangereux (carton jaune) l'est pour une durée de 2 min (10 min) : une telle suspension engendre une faiblesse très sévère de son équipe du fait qu'1 joueur sur 7 est exclu (1 sur 15). La règle de l'avantage est rapide, durant habituellement un temps de jeu (plusieurs). Nombre de pénalités suivant des fautes de jeu se font par un tir libre (free kick) du centre de la ligne médiane (proche du lieu de la faute), au choix à la volée ou en drop goal (en coup de pied placé). pour un tir au but, cela doit se faire dans les 30 secondes (60 s)

Defeat

Thousands of U.S. troops made the ultimate sacrifice during WWII to help defeat a fascist scourge that cruelly forced Europeans of other than Aryan origin to wear special markings and carry identifying papers.

 

More recently, an incensed global community assisted Nelson Mandela and his courageous freedom fighters in abolishing a despised apartheid system infamous for the “pass books” that South African blacks always had to have in their possession.

 

Now, via the signature of Arizona’s Republican governor, police in that state, where children continue to recite a flag pledge that ends with “with liberty and justice for all,” will have the totalitarian authority to profile Hispanics or “foreign-looking” people, and demand to see their documentation, at arbitrary whim.

 

As a 13-year-old Latino citizen from Phoenix told the Associated Press, “It’s going to change our lives. We can’t walk to school anymore. We can’t be in the streets without the pigs thinking we’re illegal immigrants.”

 

The measure means that countless brown-skinned souls will be politically, legally and economically discriminated against, and effectively segregated.

 

Remarkably, this profoundly unconstitutional lurch toward tyranny will not be protested, in the least, by white Tea Party types who show up at rallies with holstered handguns and huge placards declaring “Don’t tread on me!”

 

Their only concern is the demented belief that freedom’s erosion in this nation comes from a duly-elected President they crazily see as being either a Kenyan by birth, a Muslim, a Marxist, or the anti-christ.

 

Stewing in unacknowledged racism, their prejudice poisonously flood the immigration issue. Totally absent from their understanding is this pivotal truth:

 

Nearly 200 million people work outside their countries of birth, and an equal number are migrants inside their own countries. Nativists blame immigrants for flat wages, scarce jobs, and our declining labor movement. However, the responsibility lies with corporations that launched an all-out assault on wages and unions in the 1970s — well before today’s wave of migration began…The IMF and World Bank reproduced this scenario around the world, driving down wages and worker rights in at least 90 countries under IMF ’structural adjustment programs.’ Immigrants aren’t destroying the ‘blue collar middle class,’ corporations are. — Center for Labor Renewal Statement on Worker Migration

 

It’s in every wage-earning American’s best bread-and-butter interest to make common cause with all minorities to gain the pivotal strength that, alone, will give us the united power to curb monopolies, bust trusts, and end divisive hatreds so useful to those who constantly plunder Main Street to lavish Wall Street.

 

Terrorizing darker-skinned folks whose worst “crime” might be fleeing the poverty that global economic injustice perpetuates in their places of birth — to find a dubiously better life toiling from sun to sun in dusty Southwestern farm fields — is entirely wrong, and ultimately self-defeating.

 

It was Jesus who said, “As you do unto the least of these, so too you do unto me.”

 

And it was Martin Luther King who echoed an age-old axiom that liberty denied to some places chains around us all.

 

Absolute clarity, and coordinated protest, are now urgently required to reverse this alarming move that comprises the most shameful, dangerous assault on our national freedom since Japanese Americans were interned in concentration camps many decades ago.

Is he defeated?

defeat

BRAZIL CHAMPS, DEFEAT SPAIN 3-0

Brazil emerged the champs defeating Spain 3-0 in the finals of the Confederation Cup today. The early scoring victors proved their superiority against Spain. Fred drew first blood scoring, lying on the ground, in the 2nd minute of the game. Nehmar increased the lead in the 43rd minute with a stinging left footer. In the second half, Fred scored within two minutes of resumption, placing the ball deftly fast the advancing Spanish goalkeeper. David Luiz effected an excellent save for Brazil from the goal-line with the goalkeeper out of position. Spain could not convert a penalty to reduce the score and even lost one player for the Red in the second half. Viva Brazil!

PS: The picture of Neymar (left) and Fred, the scorers) is a screen shot from Star Sports telecast during the finals.

[ Listen + View On Black ]

 

Mi dici che sei qui:

tra gli aghi arrossati

che trapassano sottopelle,

nei morsi della carne

come malattia cruda:

mi dici che sei qui.

 

Tra le gocce di pianto

che nutrono i miei fiori,

le corolle in attesa di

un abbraccio silenzioso

che nel buio della notte

le riporti in vita ancora.

 

Ma non lo sei, non sei qui,

non può esserci vita dentro

al lutto dell'assenza,

c'è soltanto aria soffocata lasciata lì

a decadere.

Aria rarefatta che continua a marcire.

 

Non lo sei, non sei qui,

e nemmeno ti sfiora

il desiderio di tornare,

sei dispersa tra faccende

di cui nemmeno conosco il nome

hai i tuoi pianti, le tue distanze,

le tue cose.

  

frammentisparsi.wordpress.com

It is funny how a bunch of children can make Vader leave about 12 times a day! Thanks for looking and have a great day!

The aftermath of the hunt in Kingdom Death Monster.

Every picture tells a story ... N.Z. walk off after losing by the only goal to G.B.

Defeater @ YMCA HQ, Perth

 

www.facebook.com/defeaterband

 

website // facebook // tumblr // twitter // email // 500px

LEWISTON, Maine — The Bates men’s swimming and diving team defeated NESCAC rival Middlebury in a dual meet for the first time in at least 20 years on Sunday, scoring a 152-142 head-to-head win marked in part by junior captain Travis Jones’ record-setting diving.

 

The Bates women also performed well in a 154-134 head-to-head loss against the perennial powerhouse Panthers.

 

Jones (Ithaca, N.Y.) made his first-ever national cut by scoring 312.00 points on six dives in the 3-meter diving competition, breaking the former pool record of 304.80 set by seven-time All-America Andrew Hastings ’02 in 2002. Jones won the 3-meter and the 1-meter diving, in which he scored 267.75 points.

 

First-year Matthew Gagne (Wilmette, Ill.) also had a tremendous day at Tarbell Pool. Gagne won the 200 fly in 1:59.18, as well as the 100 fy in 52.83 and the 200 individual medley in 2:00.79.

 

Other event winners for the Bates men included:

 

* Senior captain Tom Boniface (Youngstown, Ohio) won the 200 free in 1:46.35.

* Senior Dan Aupi (Branford, Conn.) won the 50 free in 22.17

* First-year Andrew Briggs (York, Maine) won the 200 breaststroke in 2:18.53.

* First-year Alex Smachlo (Rexford, N.Y.) won the 500 free in 4:57.96.

* Bates also swam under the former pool record in the 400 free relay, but the Bobcats’ 3:14.20 time was edged by Middlebury’s 3:14.07. Swimming the race for Bates were Aupi, senior Nathaniel Depew (Hudson, Ohio), Gagne and Boniface. The former pool record of 3:14.77 was set by Bates’ Aupi, Depew, Boniface and Ned Scott ’12 on Jan. 23, 2010.

 

“We had tremendous victories from our freshman and senior class today,” said Bates head coach Peter Casares. “I couldn’t have been more impressive with the heart the team showed.”

 

Bates head coach Peter Casares gives captain Kara Leasure '12 a hug after the women's 1,650-yard freestyle race against Middlebury.

 

Sophomore Emilie Geissinger (Bismarck, N.D.) had an outstanding meet for the Bates women’s team, including a win in the 100 free, with a time of 55.55 seconds. She also finished second by .14 seconds in the 200 free at 1:58.27 and was the runner-up in the 50 free by .21 seconds, in a time of 25.38. “She is well on her way to a breakthrough season,” commented Casares.

 

First-year Sarah Bouchard (Annapolis, Md.) was the Bobcats’ other event winner, winning the mile freestyle race in 18:12.73, less than two seconds ahead of senior captain Kara Leasure’s (Los Alamos, N.M.) time of 18:14.31.

 

“The women swam terrific, too,” said Casares. “Bates showed that we are very tough — and deeper than ever. Middlebury is clearly more talented and we are hoping our hard work helps us get even closer come NESCACs.”

  

Taken with a Sony A-350.

One Sony HVL F42AM on a Cactus Trigger (Bare) at 1/16 power in front of helmet facing up.

Peter Pan's Flight - Defeated Pirate Crew

While the world may never know the noble sacrifices made to defeat Thanos, I honor the memories of the fallen with the addition of the Hot Toys Avengers: Endgame Black Widow figure into my one sixth figure collection, which if I'm being honest, is somewhere in the vicinity of 25% nothing but Black Widow.

 

It's actually been out in the real world since July 2020, so you can imagine by the time I received mine last week, I've had to time formulate some thoughts on the figure even before I received it.

 

This figure comes in a standard windowed cardboard box with a cardboard slip cover with glorious art work depicting the only worthy Avenger in the group.

 

You get the figure with open palm hands, six additional hands (pistol specific, baton specific, closed fists), two baton handles for storage in the backpack, two full size batons, a combined staff form for the batons, a pair of Glock 26s, and a stand. The actual contents of said box are a bit on the scant side, though quite honestly I'm not sure really sure what else you could have added.. maybe a few gesture specific hands?

 

Also, for the anal retentive readers, neither the batons or the Glocks have any paint on them. In fact, I was kind of confused at first that the Glocks were pure black... well turns out they were always pure black (at least going back to CW) so it's possible the silver painted ones we kept getting were overstock from years past. Detailing on the Glocks and the batons are pretty much what you'd expect - pretty much scaled down replicas of the real ones.

 

The Glocks have moving Slides, but no longer have removable magazines, undoubtedly due to cost savings as nobody ever really used that function for Widow.

 

If you've followed news of this figure, you've undoubtedly heard claims that Hot Toys FINALLY nailed Scarlett Johansson in this latest release.

 

Nope. No. Absolutely not. Nein. Hell no.

 

I feel much of this hype has to do with the most obvious change between the previous releases and this one - the use of sculpted hair. I get that many a collector avoided the other Widow figures due to their desire not to get involved in hair styling, and I get that.. The ironic thing is that if Hot Toys were to choose one sculpt to use rooted hair on, it would have been THIS one, as the hair is basically controlled in a pony tail.. missed opportunity, IMHO.

 

Speaking of hair, the tip of the flexible pony tail definitely could use more that Bronze. Sculpting on it is nice enough, including an ornamental braid that goes from the top of her head along the right side. Unlike Dr. Strange 2.0, the hair doesn't seem to add too much volume to her head.

 

Then there's the face itself, which I've shown in comparison to the IW and CW version (which, really are the same thing). Endgame Widow certainly has a healthier complexion compared to the IW version, seemingly a mixture between the CW and IW colours.

 

Even in sunlight you can the differences in colour, though in comparison to the real deal it's a bit too flushed. I feel the IW version wasn't actually that far off.

 

The actual shape of the face has improved, having more pronounced cheeks and a sharper chin. Having said that, the overall size of the face is generally just too wide compared to the real deal. They also gave her one hell of a jawline to make her more feminine, including a much smaller neck area. This all gives her a great profile, but causes her head to look too big from the front.

 

Then there's the eyes... the eyes aren't even close to the real thing. It's something that I've come to accept on Hot Toys sculpts, so it's not to say they're badly done. They just don't look like Scar Jo and for me, throw the whole face off.

 

Hot Toys also gave Nat a kind of constipated looking expression, but you know what? I'll take that over the dead eye stares of AoU and Winter Soldier.. at least there's some sort of soul in the figure. As expected, the face is expertly painted, a hallmark of Hot Toys products.

 

So in summary, there are certain aspects of the Sculpt where things have improved, and the right light can now bring out those improved features, but to call it as the definitive Scarlett Johansson Black Widow sculpt is too much of a stretch for me. It's just like the previous one - features make it easy to recognize as Scar Jo as Black Widow, but none are perfect.

 

The Body is an interesting discussion, though not as contested as the I don't know model names and all that, but to me the actual body itself hasn't changed, down to the rubber piece for her Clavicle and Bust Line... probably going back to Avengers. The padding is slightly different this time, though, probably to accommodate the newly designed suit. I'm guessing that unless it was done with my needs in mind, its likely that it was due to some manufacturing limitations and/or labour issues.

 

The outfit that Hot Toys gave the Widow figure is what I would call the Black Widow stunt outfit.

 

Based on appearances, it really should be made of whatever Captain America's costume is made from. While it would look cool, such a suit would likely cost more than what she actually got, while at the same time being effectively crap when it comes to articulation as it would be form fitting.

 

Instead, Hot Toys gave her a rubber body sock with harder plastic shoulder and knee guards glued on. To my untrained eyes and hands seems to be the stuff they made the BvS Batman suit from. Using this material, a suit that LOOKS like the one on screen is used, but has range of motion in mind. All the patterns and textures, for example, are present, but the Widows Bite are no longer removable from the body.

 

The end result is the form fitting nature of the suit is maintained, but the suit has ample give in the abdomen and hip area, along with stretch of the material itself, for improved range of motion over its predecessors. Again, maybe the padding was done with this in mind.. maybe it was a happy accident.

 

The articulation of the shoulders and arms are about the same as before, not quite enabling her to hold her arms out past 90 degrees from the resting position. Sadly, they never fixed the lack of ankle articulation.

 

All-in-all, I've found the Endgame body to be more poseable as compared to the CW and IW versions, and is probably on par with the AoU version without having that baggy look for her suit (or the flaking/tearing issues).

 

The materials used for the holster/belt, backpack, and boots appear to be unchanged from the IW release Hands are effectively reuses of the ones for the IW release, with the exception of the Quantum Tracker on the back of her left hand.

 

Paint work is the usual Hot Toys level of quality, which is kind of important when you're dropping $250 USD for a single figure.

 

In conclusion, an interesting figure. You're getting your usual Hot Toys level of paint and build quality. I like the new suit, even if seems like a cost cutting measure, because I'm giving Hot Toys the benefit of the doubt that they chose function over form, and I've been able to do a few things that none of the previous suits could do.. or at least do without fear of tearing.

 

Besides, the new Glocks let me check off that "cost cutting" box anyway.

 

Is it THE DEFINITIVE Black Widow though? I'd have to say no, unless your definition includes not having rooted hair. The lack of ankles is still a sore point, and more importantly, none of the Widows have screamed "HOLY CRAP THEY SHRUNK HER HEAD AND STUCK IT ON THIS FIGURE" though, again, they're getting closer (especially that profile view).

 

So, if getting a Hot Toys Widow into an action pose is your deal, then the Endgame version will probably do you right. But if you want a classy looking Widow, the CW version is still where its at.

Shams-ud-din Iltutmish (reigned: 1211–36) was the founder of the Delhi Sultanate (actually the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate was done by Qutub-uddin-Aibak, but the Sultanate consolidated its position in India during the reign of Iltutmish).

 

Shams-ud-din Iltutmish was the third ruler of the Slave dynasty. He founded the Delhi Sultanate in 1211 and received the Caliph's investiture in his rule. He conquered Multan and Bengal from contesting rulers, and Ranathambhore and Siwalik from their rulers.

 

He expanded his domain by defeating the Muslim rulers of Ghazni, Multan and Bengal, which had previously annexed some of his territories and threatened his domain. He conquered the latter two territories and made further conquests in the Hindu lands, conquering the fort of Ranathambhore and the lands of Gawalior and the fort of Mandur.

 

He instituted many changes to the Sultanate, re-organising the monetary system and the nobility as well as the distribution of grounds and fiefs, and erected many buildings, including Mosques, Khanqas (Monasteries), Dargahs (Graves) and a Hauz (reservoir) for pilgrims.

 

Shams ud-din Iltutmish founded the Delhi Sultanate and much strengthened the power of the slave dynasty and of Islam in the India, although his kindred and heirs were not as politically gifted, with no ruler comparable to him in the area until the time of Ghiyas ud din Balban.

 

NAME AND TUTELAGE

The name Iltutmish is a Turkic name, meaning "he has held/owned land" (İltutmuş, in modern Turkish). Another theory concerning the meaning of the name suggests a connection with an eclipse that supposedly occurred at his birth (an event of some importance in the view of the people of the time). The other etymologies for his name include Altamash, which donates the number sixty, or the guard of the army, which is the ancient Turkic Khanates numbered at sixty; but this theory falsely draws its source from that he is often referred to as "Al-Tamash", which is most likely an Arabic variation of his Turkic name.

 

The title "Shams ad-Dunya Wa'd-Din" is a royal Laqab (regal title) of the time, translated as "Sun of the world and [of the] Faith" which he used once he was established Sultan at Delhi. Subsequent to the investiture by the Caliph, he was also addressed by the title "Yamin Amir al-Mu'minin" - The righthand man of the commander of the Faithful, or as "Naib" (lieutenant) of the Commander of the Faithful, which is the Caliph.

 

EARLY LIFE AND CAREER

Shams-ud-din belonged to the tribe of Ilbari in the Eurasian Steppe of Turkestan. While his association (by his biographers) with the Turkic nobility of that tribe confederation can be seen as dubious and anachronistic, it is possible that he was indeed high-born.

 

He was sold into slavery at an early age, reportedly after being sold by his kinsmen to slave merchants. the motif was for being handsome and particularly intelligent that Iltutmish caused jealousy among his brothers (a motif admittedly taken from the Biblical and Quranic tale of Joseph) that were all around the Steppe, supplying Turkic slaves as soldiers (Ghilman) to the military Elite of the Muslim world of the time.

 

He was taken to the great slave market of Bukhara, and later to Ghazni, which was the Western capital of the Ghurid dynasty, where he was purchased to the court of the Sultan, Muhammad Ghuri Sam, a notable Muslim ruler of the time. Earning some reputation in his court, he was quickly appointed personal attendant of the Sultan.

 

Muhammad's deputy and former slave, Qutub-ud-din-Aybak, then Viceroy of Lahore, sought to procure the slave. Due to the Sultan's refusal to sell his slave to his nobles, it was decided that Iltutmish be taken to Delhi, and there bought by Aibak, so that the Sultan's orders may not be violated in his own capital. Aibak bought Iltutmish and another slave (who would later perish) for the high price of 100,000 Tankas, the silver coin used in Muslim India.

 

He rose quickly in Aibak's service, earned the title Amir Tamghach, married Aibak's daughter, and served in succession as the Governor of Tabarind, Gwalior and Baran. In recognition of his services during the campaign of Muhammad of Ghur against the Khokhars in 1205-06, he was, by the Sultan's order, manumitted. Iltutmish was appointed Governor of Badaun in 1206 and was serving in this post when Aibak died in a polo accident and succeeded by a rumoredly incompetent man called Aram Shah. Subsequently, a group of noblemen invited Iltutmish to stake his claim on the Indian dominions of the Ghurids.

 

SULTAN OF DELHI

RISE TO POWER

In 1210, Qutb-ud-din Aibak died in a seemingly naive Polo accident in his capital of Lahore. Muizzi amirs, who had been appointed by Muhammad of Ghor, supported one Aram Shah, whose relation to Aibak is clad in mystery. Sources and estimations vary, considering him Aibak's son, brother or one of his nobles.

 

Qutbi amirs, owing allegiance to Aibak, invited Iltutmish, then Governor of Badaun, to seize power in Delhi. Aram Shah acceded to the throne in Lahore. In 1211, Iltutmish claimed the throne in Delhi. Aram Shah marched towards Delhi but was slain in battle at Bagh-i-Jud (the plains of Jud) leaving Iltutmish unopposed in Delhi.

 

The clash between Iltutmish, now Sultan Shams-ud-din, and Aram Shah, also led to the shift of capital from Lahore to Delhi. Thereby, Shams-ud-din can be viewed as the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, albeit being the third ruler in the Slave Dynasty, a fact leading to some confusion as to the periodization of the Delhi Sultanate. The shift of capital was probably supposed to shift power from the seat of Aram Shah's supporters and nobles, as well as to establish a more central and secured position of his newly founded Sultanate.

 

EARLY CHALLENGES

On his accession, Iltutmish faced a number of challenges to his rule. In the aftermath of Aibak's death, the Ghurid dominions in India had divided into four. Iltutmish controlled Delhi. Nasir-ud-Din Qabacha, the Governor of Uch and Multan asserted his independence. Ali Mardan Khilji, who had been appointed Governor of Lakhnauti in Bengal by Aibak in 1206, had thrown off his allegiance to Delhi after his death and styled himself Sultan Ala-ud-din. His successor, Ghiyasuddin, conquered Bihar. Lahore was contested by Iltutmish, Qabacha and [Tajuddin Yildoz], Muhammad of Ghor's adopted son and successor in Ghazni. Yildoz attempted to bring Delhi under his control. Initially, Iltutmish acknowledged Yildoz's suzerainty by accepting the symbolic presents of the chatr and durbash. The Hindu princes and chiefs were discontented at their loss of independence and had recovered Kannauj, Benaras, Gwalior, and Kalinjar had been lost during Qutub-ud-din's reign while Ranthambore had been reconquered by the Chauhans during Aram Shah's rule. To add to Iltutmish's troubles, some of the Amirs of Delhi expressed resentment against his rule.

 

The first order of business was to bring under control dependencies of Delhi that were under the control of Muizzi nobles and Hindu chieftains. Iltutmish launched military campaigns to assert his rule over Awadh, Badaun, Benaras and Siwalik. Iltutmish's son Nasir-ud-din Mahmud captured the Gangetic valley territories of Budaun, Kanauj, and the Hindus' holy city of Benaras. Rohilkhand was taken with heavy losses.

 

In 1215-1216, Yildoz, who had been defeated and expelled from Ghazni by the forces of the Shah of Khwarezm, moved towards Punjab and captured Lahore from Qabacha. Yildoz laid claim to the throne of Delhi as the heir to Muhammad of Ghor. Iltutmish refused, stating:

 

[T]he dominion of the world is enjoyed by the one who possesses the greatest strength. The principle of hereditary succession is not extinct but long ago destiny abolished this custom Iltutmish defeated Yildoz at Tarain. Yildoz was imprisoned in Badaun and was later executed. This ended Ghazni's aspirations to dominate northern India

 

After the death of Yildoz, Qabacha had retaken Lahore. In 1217, Iltutmish led his army towards Qabacha. Qabacha attempted to retreat from Lahore towards Multan but was defeated at Mansura. Iltutmish refrained from attacking Sindh due to the presence of Mongols on his north-west frontier. Iltutmish was preoccupied with the Mongol threat and did not threaten Qabacha until year 1227. Lahore was under Iltutmish's rule but not for long.

 

MONGOL THREAT

In 1221, the Mongols, under Genghis Khan appeared for the first time on the banks of the Indus. They had overrun the countries of Central and Western Asia with lightning rapidity. The Mongols sacked the Khwarazmian kingdom (Khwarazm-Shah), captured Khiva and forced its ruler, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu al-Khwarazmi to flee to the Punjab.

 

Mingburnu, a staunt opposer of the Mongols, entered into an alliance with the Khokhars and captured Lahore and much of the Punjab. He requested an alliance with Shams-ud-din against the Mongols . The Sultan of Delhi refused, not wishing to get into a conflict with Genghis Khan and marched towards Lahore at the head of a large army. Mingburnu retreated from Lahore and moved towards Uchch inflicting a heavy defeat on Qabacha, and plundered Sindh and northern Gujarat and returned to Persia in 1224. The Mongols invested Multan before leaving as well.

 

CONSOLDATION OF POWER

Loath to get into a conflict with the Mongols, Iltutmish turned his attention towards the Hindu east. Iltutmish marched against Ghiyasuddin in 1225 and was successful. Ghiyasuddin accepted Iltutmish's suzerainty, ceded Bihar, and paid a large tribute. However, soon after Iltutmish left, Ghiyasuddin revoked the agreement and retook control of Bihar. Iltutmish's son Nasiruddin Mahmud, Governor of Awadh was tasked with dealing with Bengal. In 1227, when Ghiyasuddin was campaigning in Assam, Mahmud launched a sudden attack, capturing Lakhnauti. Ghiyasuddin was imprisoned and then executed. Mahmud died suddenly in 1229, to the dismay of his father. This led to further revolts by the Khalji Maliks of Bengal until Iltutmish captured Lakhnauti again in 1230. Ala-ud-din Jani was appointed Governor of Lakhnauti.

 

Iltutmish then turned his attention to Qabacha. Capture of Bengal and Rajput territories had significantly enhanced the state of Iltutmish's treasury whereas Qabacha had been weakened by Mingburnu's sack of Uchch and the Mongol siege of Multan. The upheaval caused by the Mongol invasion had led to a large number of military adventurers and officers from Turkic lands to move to India. Iltutmish's replenished treasury allowed him to recruit a large army. A number of officials also defected from Qabacha's camp. In 1228, Iltutmish attacked Qabacha. Ucch was captured after a siege of three months.[10] Qabacha fled and was surrounded on all sides in the fort of Bhakkar, on the banks of Indus. He drowned while attempting to escape. Sindh and Multan were incorporated into the Delhi Sultanate and placed under separate governors.

 

In 1228-29, Iltutmish received emissaries from the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir and was presented with the Caliphal robe (khilat) and investiture (manshur) signifying the Caliphate's recognition of Iltutmish's rule over India. Such recognition was highly sought after by the Sunni Muslim rulers of India as it leant religious and political legitimacy and prestige. In Iltutmish's case, in particular, this was a symbolic declaration of the Delhi Sultanate's status as an independent kingdom rather than a client of the Ghurids. and earned Iltutmish the title of "Lieutanat" (Naib) or "righthand man" (Yamin) of the Caliph, or Commander of the Faithfull (Amir al-Mu'minin). Iltutmish also went to Egypt, the seat of the Caliph under the Ayyubid Cairo Sultanate, as part of the mutual delegations between his domain and the Caliphate. Due to his problems first with Turkic nobles and then with the Mongols, Iltutmish had also ignored the Rajputs, who had regained territory lost earlier to the Turks, for the first fifteen years of his reign. Starting in 1226, however, Iltutmish began a series of campaigns against the Rajputs. Ranthambore, considered impregnable, was taken in 1226; Mandsaur in 1227. Bayana, Ajmer and Sambhar were also captured. Ranthambore was returned to its Chauhan rulers, who served as feudatories, while Ajmer remained part of the Delhi Sultanate. Nagaur was captured in 1230 and Gwalior was captured in 1231 after a one-year siege. In 1235, Iltutmish sacked Ujjain.

 

CIVIL ADMINISTRATION

ARCHITECTURE

During his dominion in Badaun, Iltutmish built the city's fort (Kotla) and the Jama Masjid (great Friday Mosque) of the city, which remained the biggest and most famous Mosque in Mediveal India until the expansion of Delhi's Jama Masjid in Alauddin's time and is still second largest with the largest Mosque Dome.

 

Shams ud-din built several Khanqas (monasteries) and Dargahs (graves) for Sufi saints, as Sufism was dominant in the Deccan. He commenced the structure of Hamid ud-din's Khanaqa, and build the Gandhak-ki-Baoli, a stepwell for the Sufi saint, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, who moved to Delhi during his reign.

 

Near the Gandhaki Baoli, Shams ud-din also built the Hauz-i-Shamsi, a watertank (a popular means for the welfare of pilgrims), which he erected in 1230 after the Prophet Muhammad was claimed to appeared in his dream and led him there. Iltutmish claimed to have found the footprint of the Buraq, the prophet's mount, at the site. The site also encompasses the Jahaz Mahal standing on its edge, used by later Mughal Emperors.

 

In 1231, following the demise of his oldest son and heir apparent, Nasir ud-Din Mahmud, he built Sultan Ghari the mausoleum for him, which was the first Islamic Mausoleum in Delhi. The tomb lies within fortified grounds, which also include the graves of several others of Iltutmish's kindred.

 

He is said to have completed the construction of the Qutb Minar, erected by Qutb ud-din, and expanded the Qutb complex and the Quwwat al-Islam Mosque therein

 

COINAGE

The early Ghurid rulers had maintained the Rajput coinage system based on the Hindushahi bull-and horseman coins in place at the Delhi mint. Dehliwala, the standard coin, was a silver-copper alloy with a uniform weight of 3.38 grams, of which 0.59 grams was Silver. The major source of silver for the Delhi mint were coin hoards from Central Asia. Another source was European silver which made its way to Delhi via the Red Sea, Persian Gulf through the ports of Gujarat. By the 1220s, supply from Central Asia had dried up and Gujarat was under control of hostile forces.

 

In response to the lack of silver, Iltutmish introduced a new bimetallic coinage system to Northern India consisting of an 11 grams silver Tanka and the billon Jital, with 0.25 grams of silver. The Dehliwala was devalued to be on par with the Jital. This meant that a Dehliwala with 0.59 grams of silver was now equivalent to a coin with 0.25 grams of silver. Each Dehliwala paid as tax, therefore produced an excess 0.34 grams of silver which could be used to produce Tankas. The new system served as the basis for coinage for much of the Sultanate period and even beyond, though periodic shortages of silver caused further debasement. The Tanka is a forerunner to the Rupee.

 

IQTADAR

Iltutmish introduced the Iqta-dar system, which had been the common practice of the majority of the Islamic world since the time of the Buyids. The system shares some similarities with the contemporary European custom of Feudalism, and involved dedicating the profits of a certain land of fief (Quta') to warlords in payment of their martial service and political loyalty.

 

ISLAMIC CULTURE

Shams ud-din's court was abundant with poets in the Arabic and Persian languages. He is said to have rewarded a poet called Nasiri for writing him a fifty-three couplets long Qasida, by giving him fifty-three thousands Tankas; Iltutmish is also said to have learned the opening (Fatiha) of the Qasida by heart. His victories against the Hindu Rajputs of Ranathambhor was celebrated by the poet Ruhani al-Samarqandi to devote these verses to the Sultan:

 

- The faithful Gabriel carried the tidings to the dwellers in heaven,

- From the record of victories of the Sulṭán of the age Shams ud-Dín,

- Saying — Oh ye holy angels raise upon the heavens,

- Hearing this good tidings, the canopy of adornment.

- That from the land of the heretics the Sháhansháh of Islám

- Has conquered a second time the fort resembling the sky;

- The Sháh, holy warrior and Ghází, whose hand and sword

- The soul of the lion of repeated attacks praises.

 

The verses compare the Sultan to 'Ali, who is often called Asad-Illah (or Shir-i Khuda), and adornes him with the Persian title of Shanshah (King of Kings) and clearly refer to Ranathambor as "the fort resembling the sky", due to its high position in the mountains. The famous poet, Amir Khusraw, was a poet in the service of his court, as well, and has mentioned the Sultan in verses often

 

NOBILITY

Shams ud-din installed a new nobility, which was based on a confederation of Turkic and a few Mawali (new Muslims of Hindu origin) that were acquitants of him or of Qutb ud-din. They formed a council of forty (Chilanghan) which was very powerful and became the de facto rulers behind the majority of his heirs.

 

DEATH AND SUCCESSION

In 1236 Iltutmish died, and was buried in the Qutb complex in Mehrauli.

 

The death of Iltutmish was followed by years of political instability at Delhi. During this period, four descendants of Iltutmish were put on the throne and murdered. Iltutmish's eldest son, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, had died in 1229 while governing Bengal as his father's deputy. The surviving sons of the Sultan were incapable of the task of administration. In 1236, Iltutmish, on his death-bed, nominated his daughter Razia as his heiress. But, Razia did not have support of the nobles of the court, who did not want a woman ruler.

 

Iltutmish's eldest surviving son, Rukn-ud-din Firuz was raised to the throne. Firuz left governance in the hands of his mother, Shah Turken. Firuz was deposed within six months, and Razia became the ruler. Razia's growing assertiveness brought her in conflict with the nobles. In 1240, a rebellion led to the replacement of Razia by her brother, Muiz ud din Bahram. Bahram ruled for two years before he was overthrown in favour of Firuz's son, Ala ud din Masud in 1242.

 

Order was re-established only after Iltutmish's grandson Nasir-ud-din-Mahmud became Sultan with Iltutmish's prominent slave, Ghias-ud-din-Balban as his Deputy Sultan (Naib) in 1246. Balban held all the power at the time and became Sultan in 1266. There was internal stability from 1246 until 1290 when Jalal-ud-din Khilji overthrew Balban's great-grandson Kayumarath, thus ending the Mamluk Dynasty and founded the Khilji Dynasty.

 

IN ART

Poet-diplomat Abhay K's poem 'Iltutmish' is a reflection of the Sultan from his grave.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Badami formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for its rock cut structural temples. It is located in a ravine at the foot of a rugged, red sandstone outcrop that surrounds Agastya lake. Badami has been selected as one of the heritage cities for HRIDAY - Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India.

 

HISTORY

- Dravidian architecture - Badami Chalukyas

- Hindu temple architecture - Badami Chalukya architecture

- Political history of medieval Karnataka - Badami Chalukyas

- Architecture of Karnataka - Badami Chalukya architecture

- Chalukyas of Badami

 

PRE-HISTORIC

Badami is surrounded by many pre-historic places including Khyad area of Badami, Hiregudda, Sidlaphadi and Kutkankeri (Junjunpadi, Shigipadi and Anipadi), there we can see the rock shelters megalithic burial sites and paintings.

 

BADAMI CHALUKYAS AND OTHER DYNASTIES

MYTHOLOGY

The Puranic story says the wicked asura Vatapi was killed by sage Agastya (as per Agastya-Vatapi story), the area in which the incident happened so named as Vatapi. At Aihole there was a merchant guild known as Ayyavole Ainuravaru lived in the area have reformed. As per scholar Dr. D. P. Dikshit, the first Chalukya king was Jayasimha (a feudatory lord in the Kadamba dynasty), who in 500 AD established the Chalukya kingdom. His grandson Pulakeshin Ibuilt a fort at Vatapi.

 

BADAMI CHALUKYAS

It was founded in 540 AD by Pulakeshin I (535-566 AD), an early ruler of the Chalukyas. His sons Kirtivarma I (567-598 AD) and his brother Mangalesha (598-610 AD) constructed the cave temples.Kirtivarma I strengthened Vatapi and had three sons Pulakeshin II, Vishnuvardhana and Buddhavarasa, who at his death were minors, thus making them ineligible to rule, so Kirtivarma I's brother Mangalesha took the throne and tried to establish rule, only to be killed by Pulakeshin II who ruled between 610 A.D to 642 A.D. Vatapi was the capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Few parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh between the 6th and 8th centuries. The greatest among them was Pulakeshin II (610-642 AD) who defeated many kings including the Pallavas of Kanchipuram.

 

The rock-cut Badami Cave Temples were sculpted mostly between the 6th and 8th centuries. The four cave temples represent the secular nature of the rulers then, with tolerance and a religious following that inclines towards Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. cave 1 is devoted to Shiva, and Caves 2 and 3 are dedicated to Vishnu, whereas cave 4 displays reliefs of Jain Tirthankaras. Deep caverns with carved images of the various incarnations of Hindu gods are strewn across the area, under boulders and in the red sandstone. From an architectural and archaeological perspective, they provide critical evidence of the early styles and stages of the southern Indian architecture.

 

The Pallavas under the king Narasimhavarma I seized it in 642 AD & destroyed the vatapi. Pulakeshin II's son Vikramaditya I of Chalukyas drove back Pallavas in 654 AD and led a successful attack on Kanchipuram, the capital of Pallavas. Then Rashtrakutas came to power in Karnataka including Badami around 757 AD and the town lost its importance. Later it was ruled by the Hoysalas.

 

Then it passed on to Vijayanagara empire, The Adil Shahis, Mughal Empire, The Savanur Nawabs (They were vassals of Nizams and Marathas), The Maratha, Hyder Ali. The Britishers made it part of the Bombay Presidency.

 

INSCRIPTIONS

Badami has eighteen inscriptions, among them some inscriptions are important. The first Sanskrit inscription in old Kannada script, on a hillock dates back to 543 CE, from the period of Pulakeshin I (Vallabheswara), the second is the 578 CE cave inscription of Mangalesha in Kannada language and script and the third is the Kappe Arabhatta records, the earliest available Kannada poetry in tripadi (three line) metre. one inscription near the Bhuthanatha temple also has inscriptions dating back to the 12th century in Jain rock-cut temple dedicated to the Tirtankara Adinatha.

 

VATAPI GANAPATI

In the Carnatic music and Hamsadhwani raga the Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje by the composer Muthuswami Dikshitar. The idol of Vatapi Ganapati brought from Badami by Pallavas, is now in the Uthrapathiswaraswamy Temple, near Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu.

 

In 7th century, Vatapi Ganapati idol was brought from Badami (Vatapi - Chalukya capital) by Pallava who defeated Chalukyas.

 

TOURISM

Landmarks in Badami include cave temples, gateways, forts, inscriptions and sculptures.

 

- A Buddhist cave in a natural setting that can be entered only by crawling on knees.

- The Bhuhtanatha temple, a small shrine, facing the lake, constructed in 5th century.

- Badami Fort situated on top of the hill.

- Many Shivalayas including the Malegatti Shivalaya with 7th century origins.

- The Dattatreya temple.

- The Mallikarjuna temple dating back to the 11th century, built on a star shaped plan.

- a Dargah, a dome of an Islamic place of worship on the south fort side.

- Vista points on top of the North Fort for the view of the ancient town below.

- Temple of Banashankari, a Kuladevata (family deity) for many families, is located near Badami.

- Archaeological museum, that has collection of sculptures from Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal.

 

BADAMI CAVE TEMPLES

The Badami cave temples are a complex of four cave temples located at Badami, a town in the Bagalkot district in the north part of Karnataka, India. They are considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya architecture initiated during the 6th century. Badami was previously known as Vataapi Badami, the capital of the early Chalukya dynasty, who ruled much of Karnataka from middle of the sixth until the middle of the eighth centuries. Badami is situated on the west bank of an artificial lake filled with greenish water dammed by an earthen wall faced with stone steps. Badami is surrounded in the north and south by forts built in later times from the ramparts that crown their summits.

 

The Badami cave temples represent some of the earliest known experimentation of Hindu temple prototypes for later temples in the Indian peninsula. Along with Aihole, states UNESCO, their pioneering designs transformed the Malaprabha river valley into a cradle of Temple Architecture, whose ideas defined the components of later Hindu Temples elsewhere. Caves 1 to 3 feature Hindu themes of Shiva and Vishnu, while Cave 4 features Jain icons. There is also a Buddhist Cave 5 which has been converted into a Hindu temple of Vishnu. Another cave identified in 2013 has a number of carvings of Vishnu and other Hindu deities, and water is seen gushing out through the cave all the time.

 

GEOGRAPHY

The Badami cave temples are located in the Badami town in the north central part of Karnataka, India. The temples are about 110 km northeast from Hubli-Dharwad, the second largest metropolitan area of the state. Malaprabha river is 4.8 km away. Badami, also referred to as Vatapi, Vatapipuri and Vatapinagari in historical texts, and the 6th-century capital of Chalukya dynasty, is at the exit point of the ravine between two steep mountain cliffs. Four cave temples have been excavated in the escarpment of the hill to the south-east of the town above the artificial lake called Agastya Lake created by an earthen dam faced with stone steps. To the west end of this cliff, at its lowest point, is the first cave temple dedicated to Shiva, followed by a cave north east to it dedicated to Vishnu but is at a much higher level. The largest is Cave 3, mostly a Vaishnava cave, is further to the east on the northern face of the hill. The first three caves are dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses including Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The fourth cave, dedicated to Jainism, is a short distance away.

 

HISTORY OF CAVE TEMPLES

The cave temples, numbered 1 to 4 in the order of their creation, identified in the town of Badami, the capital city of the Chalukya kingdom (also known as Early Chalukyas) are dated from the late 6th century onwards. The exact dating is known only for cave 3 which is a Brahmanical temple dedicated to Vishnu. An inscription found here records the creation of the shrine by Mangalesha in Saka 500 (lunar calendar, spanning 578 to 579 CE). These inscriptions are in Kannada language, and have been the source for dating these rock cave temples to the 6th-century. The Badami caves complex are part of the UNESCO inscribed World Heritage Site under the title "Evolution of Temple Architecture – Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal" in the Malaprabha river valley which is considered a cradle of Temple Architecture, which formed the template for later Hindu temples in the region. The art work in Cave 1 and Cave 2 exhibit the northern Deccan style of 6th- and 7th-century, while those in Cave 3 show a simultaneous co-exhibition of two different ancient Indian artistic traditions – the northern Nagara and the southern Dravida styles. The Cave 3 also shows icons and reliefs in the Vesara style – a creative fusion of ideas from the two styles, as well as some of the earliest surviving historical examples of yantra-chakra motifs and colored fresco paintings in Karnataka. The first three caves feature sculpture of Hindu icons and legends focusing on Shiva and Vishnu, while Cave 4 features Jain icons and themes.

 

TEMPLE CAVES

The Badami cave temples are composed of mainly four caves, all carved out of the soft Badami sandstone on a hill cliff, dated to the late 6th to 7th centuries. The planning of four caves (1 to 4) is simple. The entrance is a verandah (mukha mandapa) with stone columns and brackets, a distinctive feature of these caves, leading to a columned mandapa – main hall (also maha mandapa) and then to the small square shrine (sanctum sanctorum, garbhaghrha) cut deep into the cave. The cave temples are linked by stepped path with intermediate terraces looking over the town and lake. Cave temples are labelled 1–4 in their ascending series even though this numbering does not necessarily reflect the sequence of excavation.

 

The cave temples are dated to 6th to 8th century, with an inscription dated to 579 CE. The inscriptions are in old Kannada script. The architecture includes structures built in Nagara style and Dravidian style which is the first and most persistent architectural idiom to be adopted by the early chalukyas There is also the fifth natural cave temple in Badami – a Buddhist temple, a natural cave, which can be entered kneeling on all fours.

 

CAVE 1

The cave is just about 18 m above the street level on the northwest part of the hill. Access is through series of steps which depict carvings of dwarfish ganas (with "bovine and equine heads") in different postures. The verandah with 21 m length with a width of 20 m in the interior, has four columns all sculpted with reliefs of the god Shiva in different dancing positions and different incarnations. The guardian dwarapalas at the entrance to the cave stand to a height of 1.879 m.

 

The cave portrays the Tandava-dancing Shiva, as Nataraja. The image, (1.5 m tall, has 18 arms, in a form that express the dance positions arranged in a geometric pattern, which Alice Boner states, is a time division symbolizing the cosmic wheel. Some of the arms hold objects while most express mudras (symbolic hand postures). The objects include drums, trident and axe. Some arms also have serpents coiled around them. Shiva has his son Ganesha and the bull Nandi by his side. Adjoining to the Nataraja, a wall depicts the goddess Durga, depicted slaying the buffalo-demon Mahishasura. Elsewhere, the two sons of Shiva, Ganesha and Kartikkeya, the god of war and family deity of the Chalukya dynasty are seen in one of the carved sculptures on the walls of the cave with Kartikkeya riding a peacock.

 

The cave also has carved sculptures of the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati flanking Harihara, a 2.36 m high sculpture of a fused image that is half Shiva and half Vishnu. To the right, Ardhanarishvara, a composite androgynous form of Shiva and his consort Parvati, is sculpted towards the end of the walls. All the carved sculptures show ornaments worn by them, as well as borders with reliefs of various animals and birds. Lotus design is a common theme. On the ceiling are images of the Vidyadhara couples. Through a cleavage in the back side of the cave is a square sanctuary with more images carved.

 

Other prominent images in the cave are Nandi, the bull, in the sculptural form of Dharmadeva, the god of justice, Bhringi, a devotee of Shiva, a female decorated goddess holding a flat object in her left hand, which are all part of Ardhanarishvara described earlier. The roof in the cave has five carved panels with the central panel depicting the serpent Shesha. The head and bust are well formed and project boldly from the centre of the coil. In another compartment a bass-relief of 0.76 m diameter has carvings of a male and female; the male is Yaksha carrying a sword and the female is Apsara with a flying veil. The succeeding panel has carvings of two small figures; and the panel at the end is carved with lotuses.

 

CAVE 2

Cave 2, facing north, to the west of Cave 3, created in late 6th century AD, is almost same as cave 1 in terms of its layout and dimensions but it is dedicated primarily to Vishnu. Cave is reached by climbing 64 steps from the first cave. The cave entrance is the verandah, divided by four square pillars, which has carvings from its middle section to the top where there are yali brackets with sculptures within them. The cave is adorned with reliefs of guardians. Like the Cave 1, the cave art carved is a pantheon of Hindu divinities.

 

The largest relief in Cave 2 shows Vishnu as Trivikrama – with one foot on Earth and another – directed to the north. Other representations of Vishnu in this cave include Varaha (boar) where he is shown rescuing Bhudevi (symbolism for earth) from the depths of ocean, and Krishna avatars – legends found in Hindu Puranas text such as the Bhagavata Purana. Like other major murti (forms) in this and other Badami caves, the Varaha sculpture is set in a circle, the panel is an upright rectangle, states Alice Boner, whose "height is equal to the octopartite directing circle and sides are aligned to essential geometric ratios, in this case to the second vertical chord of the circle". The doorway is framed by pilasters carrying an entablature with three blocks embellished with gavaksha ornament. The entrance of the cave also has two armed guardians holding flowers rather than weapons. The end walls of the outer verandah is occupied by sculpted panels, to the right, Trivikrama; to the left, Varaha rescuing Bhudevi, with a penitent multi-headed snake (Nag) below. The adjacent side walls and ceiling have traces of colored paintwork, suggesting that the cave used to have fresco paintings. The columns show gods and battle scenes, the churning of cosmic ocean (Samudra Manthan), Gajalakshmi and figures, Brahma, Vishnu asleep on Shesha, illustrations of the birth of Krishna, Krishna's youth, Krishna with gopis and cows.

 

The ceiling of Cave 2 shows a wheel with sixteen fish spokes in a square frame along with swastikas and flying couples. The end bays have a flying couple and Vishnu on Garuda.[8] The main hall in the cave is 10.16 m in width, 7.188 m deep and 3.45 m high and is supported by eight square pillars in two rows. The roof of this hall has panels which have carvings. At the upper end of the wall a frieze runs all along the wall with engravings of episodes from the Krishna or Vishnu legends.

 

The sculptures of Cave 2, like Cave 1, are of the northern Deccan style of 6th-and 7th-century similar to that found in Ellora caves.

 

CAVE 3

The Cave 3 is dedicated to Vishnu, and is the most intricately carved and the biggest. It has well carved giant figures of Trivikrama, Anantasayana, Paravasudeva, Bhuvaraha, Harihara and Narasimha. The theme on which the Cave 3 is carved is primarily Vaishnavite, however the cave also shows Harihara on its southern wall – half Vishnu and half Shiva shown fused as one, making the cave important to Shaivism studies as well. Cave 3, facing north, is 60 steps away from the Cave 2. This cave temple's veranda, 21 m in length with an interior width of 20 m, has been sculpted 15 m deep into the mountain, and an added square shrine at the end extends the cave some 3.7 m further inside. The verandah itself is 2.1 m wide and has four free standing carved pillars separating it from the hall. The cave is 4.6 m high, supported by six pillars each measuring 0.76 m square. Each column and pilaster is carved with wide and deep bases crowned by capitals which are camouflaged by brackets on three sides. Each bracket, except for one bracket, has carvings of standing human figures, under foliage in different postures, of a male and female mythological characters, along with attendant figure of a dwarf. A moulded cornice in the facia, with a dado of blocks below it (generally in 2.1 m lengths), have about thirty compartments carved with series of two fat dwarfs called ganas. The cave shows a Kama scene on one pillar, where a woman and man are in maithuna (erotic) embrace beneath a tree.

 

Cave 3 also shows fresco paintings on the ceiling, but some of these are faded, broken and unclear. These are among the earliest known and surviving evidence of fresco painting in Indian art.[14] The Hindu god Brahma is seen in one of the murals, while the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, attended by various Hindu deities, is the theme of another. There is a lotus medallion on the floor underneath the mural of four armed Brahma. The sculpture is well preserved, and a large number of Vishnu's reliefs including standing Vishnu with 8 arms, Vishnu seated on a hooded serpent called Sesha or Ananta on the eastern side of the verandha, Vishnu as Narasimha (half human – half lion), Varaha fully armed, a boar incarnation of Vishnu in the back wall of the cave, Harihara (a syncretic sculpture of Vishnu and Shiva), and Trivikrama avatars. The back wall also has carvings of Vidhyadaras holding offerings to Varaha, and adjoining this is an inscription dated 579 AD with the name Mangalis inscribed on it. At one end of the pilaster there is a sculpture of the fourth incarnation of Vishnu as Vamana shown with eight arms called Ashtabhuja decorated with various types of weapons. A crescent moon is crafted above his face, crown of Vishnu decorates his head and is flanked by Varaha and two other figures and below on his right is his attendant Garuda. The images in front of Vamana are three figures of Bali and his wife with Shukra, his councilor. Reliefs stand 4 metres tall. The culture and clothing embedded in the sixth century is visible in the art sculpted in this cave. The roof in the verandha has seven panels created by cross beams, each is painted in circular compartments with images of Shiva, Vishnu, Indra, Brahma, Kama and so forth with smaller images of Dikpalas (cardinal guardians) with geometric mosaics filling the gaps at the corners.

 

The front aisle's roof has panels with murals in the center of male and female figurines flying in the clouds; the male figure is yaksha holding a sword and a shield. Decoration of lotus blooms are also seen on the panels. The roof in the hall is divided into nine panels slightly above the level of the ceiling. The central panel here depicts a deva mounted on a ram – conjectured as Agni. Images of Brahma and Varuna are also painted in the central panels while the floating figures are seen in the balance panels.

 

CAVE 4

The Cave 4, to the east of Cave 3, excavated around 650 AD, is located higher than other caves. It is dedicated to revered figures of Jainism and was constructed last among all the caves. It also features detailed carvings and diverse range of motifs. The cave has five bayed entrance with four square columns with brackets and capitals, and to the back of this verandah is a hall with two standalone and two joined pillars. The first aisle is a verandah 9.4 m in length, 2.0 m wide and extends to 4.9 m deep. From the hall, steps lead to the sanctum sanctorum, which is 7.8 m wide extending to a depth of 1.8 m. On the back part of this, Mahavira is represented, sitting on lion throne, flanked by bas-reliefs of attendants with chauri (fans), sardulas and makara's heads. The end walls have Parshvanath (about 2.3 m tall) with his head decorated to represent protection and reverence by a multi-headed cobra, Indrabhuti Gautama covered by four snakes and Bahubali are seen; Bahubali is present to the left of Gautama shown with his lower legs surrounded by snakes along with his daughters Brahmi and Sundari. The sanctum, which is adorned by the image of Mahavira, has pedestal which contains an old Kannada inscription of the 12th century A.D. which registers the death of one Jakkave. Many Jaina Tirthankara images have been engraved in the inner pillars and walls. In addition, there are some idols of Yakshas, Yakshis, Padmavati and other Tirthankaras. Some scholars also assign the cave to the 8th century.

 

CAVE 5

It is a natural cave of small dimensions, undated, is approached by crawling as it has a narrow opening. Inside, there is a carved statue seated over a sculpted throne with reliefs showing people holding chauris (fans), tree, elephants and lions in an attacking mode. The face of this statue was reasonably intact till about 1995, and is now damaged and missing. There are several theories as to who the statue represents.

 

The first theory states that it is a Buddha relief, in a sitting posture. Those holding the chauris are Bodhisattvas flanking the Buddha, states this theory, and that the cave has been converted to a Hindu shrine of Vishnu, in later years, as seen from the white religious markings painted on the face of the Buddha as the 9th incarnation of Vishnu. Shetti suggests that the cave was not converted, but from the start represented a tribute to Mayamoha of the Hindu Puranas, or Buddhavatara Vishnu, its style suggesting it was likely carved in or before 8th century CE.

 

The second theory, found in colonial era texts such as one by John Murray, suggested that the main image carved in the smallest fifth cave is that of Jaina figure.

 

The third theory, by Henry Cousens as well as A. Sundara, and based by local legends, states that the statue is of an ancient king because the statue's photo, when its face was not damaged, lacked Ushnisha lump that typically goes with Buddha's image. Further, the statue has unusual non-Buddha ornaments such as rings for fingers, necklace and chest-band, it wears a Hindu Yajnopavita thread, and its head is stylistically closer to a Jina head than a Buddha head. These features suggest that the statue may be of a king represented with features of various traditions. The date and identity of the main statue in Cave 5, states Bolon, remains enigmatic.

 

OTHER CAVES

In 2013, Manjunath Sullolli reported the discovery of another cave with 27 rock carvings, about 500 metres from the four caves, from which water gushes year round. It depicts Vishnu and other Hindu deities, and features inscription in Devanagari script. The dating of these carvings is unknown.

 

OTHER TEMPLES AT BADAMI

On the north hill, there are three temples, of which Malegitti-Shivalaya is perhaps the oldest temple and also the finest in Badami, and has a Dravidian tower. Out of the two inscriptions found here, one states that Aryaminchi upadhyaya, as the sculptor who got this temple constructed and the other dated 1543 speaks of the erection of a bastion during the Vijayanagara rule. The lower Shivalaya has a Dravidian tower, and only the sanctum remains now.

 

Jambhulinga temple, situated in the town, is presumably the oldest known trikutachala temple in Karnataka. An inscription dated 699 ascribes construction of this temple to Vinayavathi mother of Emperor Vijayaditya.

 

The place also has Agasthya Tirtha, temples of Goddess Yellamma, Mallikarjuna, Datttreya and Virupaksha. Bhuthanatha group of temples are most important in Badami.

 

BADAMI FORT

Badami fort lies east of the Bhuthnatha temple, atop a cliff right opposite the Badami cave temples. The entrance to this temple is right through the Badami museum. It is a steep climb with many view points and dotted with little shrines. The path is laid with neatly cut stone, the same that adores all the architecture around.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The name Vatapi has origin in the Vatapi legend of Ramayana relating to Sage Agastya.There were two demon siblings Vatapi and Ilvala. They used to kill all mendicants by tricking them in a peculiar way. The elder Ilvala would turn Vatapi into a ram and would offer its meat to the guest. As soon as the person ate the meat, Ilvala would call out the name of Vatapi. As he had a boon that whomsoever Ilvala calls would return from even the netherland, Vatapi would emerge ripping through the body of the person, thus killing him. Their trick worked until Sage Agastya countered them by digesting Vatapi before Ilvala could call for him, thus ending the life of Vatapi at the hands of Ilvala. Two of the hills in Badami represent the demons Vatapi and Ilvala.

 

It is also believed that name Badami has come from colour of its stone (badam - Almond).

 

CULTURE

The main language is Kannada. The local population wears traditional Indian cotton wear.

 

GEOGRAPHY

Badami is located at 15.92°N 75.68°E. It has an average elevation of 586 metres. It is located at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills and surrounds Agastya tirtha water reservoir on the three other sides. The total area of the town is 10.3 square kilometers.

 

It is located 30 kilometers from Bagalkot, 128 kilometers from Bijapur, 132 kilometers from Hubli, 46 kilometers from Aihole, another ancient town, and 589 kilometers from Bangalore, the state capital.

 

WIKIPEDIA

August 9, 2018. Greek teenage star Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final with a stunning performance to defeat Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

 

Tsitsipas, who turns 20 on Sunday, followed up his defeat of seventh seed Dominic Thiem by ending Djokovic's hopes of landing a fifth Rogers Cup title with a calm and composed 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 victory on Thursday.*

 

*Excerpt from an article published by Tennis News, Sky Sports

LSU defeated Georgia 197.050-196.825

HELP DEFEAT ARIZONA'S ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT...

 

If you live in Arizona, please vote NO on Proposition 102. I am voting NO because of what the Arizona Senate did in order to put this measure on the ballot. And also because it's just simply WRONG.

 

Here is a link of the video on YouTube showing what had happened in the AZ Senate.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YATXI0sOGKk

 

They broke their own rules in order to force the anti-gay marriage amendment vote which happened on June 27, 2008. I am not proud of how the AZ Senate handled itself in regard to this issue.

 

Here is a post that my partner did on his blog about what happened:

A Shameful, Corrupted Vote To Send Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment To November Ballot!

 

Here is a quote from Equality Arizona:

 

"Tonight's debate was intense for everyone on the Senate floor and those of us watching in the gallery. But what happened to our openly-gay Senators by their colleagues was absolutely disgusting. Senate extremists strategically broke the rules of the Senate, which govern the processes for discussion and voting on bills. During a filibuster-like discussion on another bill during Committee of the Whole, Majority Leader Thayer Verschoor (R-22) and Majority Whip John Huppenthal (R-20), among others, devised a scheme with committee chairman Jack Harper (R-4) to outright violate the rules of the Senate and the rights of Senators Aboud and Cheuvront.

 

In the middle of their discussion, Senator Harper turned off the microphones of Senators Paula Aboud (D-28) and Ken Cheuvront (D-15) and called on the Majority Leader to make a motion. Then, when Senators Aboud and Cheuvront loudly called for a Point of Order several times, even walking to the front desk where Senator Harper sat, he deliberately ignored their calls. To add insult to injury, these people attempted to justify their actions, even after the Senate President and other Senators admonished them for deliberately breaking the rules. Tonight's actions of these and other Senators have forever tainted that body, and it's important that we all let the people of Arizona know how these individuals acted so unethically."

 

And a quote from my partner's blog posting:

 

"To give you an example of how breathtakingly two-faced and idiotic the extremist became - earlier they voted against a proposal by Meg Burton-Cahill (D) to make the capitol more accessible to the handicapped even after assuring her, prior to the session, that voting for the measure was "no problem." This clearly smacked of political pay-back for her strong and vocal opposition to the marriage amendment. Following this debacle, Senator Ken Cheuvront (D), who is openly gay, proposed a ban on the sale and use of plastic coverings that slip over license plates and obscure the numbers when a picture is taken of someone speeding. Breaking the law and getting away with it is the sole purpose for these coverings but the Senate Republicans (who are the majority) chose to ignore the logic of the proposal and voted it down. They obviously wanted to "put these people in their place" and couldn't have cared less about the handicapped or the lawbreakers (who, by the way, have been clocked at speeds as high as 120 mph). This is extremism run amok."

 

I hope you will ACT now and help defeat this measure that the AZ Senate cowardly forced through. If you can donate money or volunteer your time please click HERE. This will take you to thee Vote NO on Prop 102 website.