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Papers relating to the West Indies: vis. correspondence between the Earl of Liverpool and Governor Elliot, in reference to the trial and execution of Arthur Hodge for the murder of a Negro slave [London?: publisher not identified, 1811?]; 34 cm. Hicks classification: TrialsB H655 xtall. Call # Rare46 08-0004.
Relates to the construction in 1869 of the Wesleyan Methodist Church at 21 Tod Street [Gawler Uniting Church], opposite the original Wesleyan Church at 10 Tod Street [built 1850].
Relating observations to the Problem of Practice - How are teachers using formative assessment data to differentiate instruction?
This relates to the bar pic, a singer that had some help of a guy from the audience!!! She was great, together with the guy it got even better...
Tried to capture the mood of a bar here, stage light on the singer and the rest in darkness with only silhouettes.
Leica M 4-P with Summicron 35 on Fomapan B/W
The Panel numbers (or Pier and Face) quoted at the end of each entry relate to the panels dedicated to the Regiment served with. In some instances where a casualty is recorded as attached to another Regiment, his name may alternatively appear within their Regimental Panel (or Pier and Face). Please refer to the on-site Memorial Register Introduction to determine the alternative panel numbers (or Pier and Face) if you do not find the name within the quoted Panels (or Pier and Face).
On 1 July 1916, supported by a French attack to the south, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth forces launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences were barely touched and the attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losses were catastrophic and with only minimal advances on the southern flank, the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest successes of the first day. However, the German Army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks and counter attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of 1 July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November in increasingly difficult weather conditions. The Battle of the Somme finally ended on 18 November with the onset of winter.
In the spring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepared defences, the Hindenburg Line, and there were no further significant engagements in the Somme sector until the Germans mounted their major offensive in March 1918.
The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial.
The memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of the President of France, on 1 August 1932 (originally scheduled for 16 May but due to the death of French President Doumer the ceremony was postponed until August).
The dead of other Commonwealth countries, who died on the Somme and have no known graves, are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.
The name ‘Treasurer’s House’ relates to the building that first stood on this site which was built for the medieval Treasurers of York Minster. The first Treasurer was appointed in 1091 AD. The Treasurer controlled the finances of the Minster but also entertained important guests, which is why he was provided with a grand residence. All that remains of the original Treasurer’s House is an external wall from the 12th century.
The Reformation of the English Church in the 1540s brought an end to the job of Treasurer and the house passed into the hands of the Archbishops of York. Thomas Young, Archbishop between 1562 and 1568, and his descendants are responsible for the structure of Treasurer’s House as it is today. The symmetrical front was part of changes made by the Young family in the early 17th century which involved almost entirely rebuilding the house. Treasurer’s House played host to royalty when Sir George Young entertained King James I in 1617.
During the 18th century Treasurer’s House became the town residence of gentry families, lawyers and clergy. The greatest changes made during this period were the division of the building into several residences and the various extensions made. By the end of the 19th century, the house was very decayed and poorly cared for. However, just at the turn of the century Frank Green came to the rescue.
Frank Green was a wealthy collector, and owned Treasurer’s House between 1897 and 1930. He demolished the additions made to the building in the 19th century and restored the house to what he thought was its original shape. He turned Treasurer’s House into a stage for his collection, designing rooms of different periods to display his antique furniture. It was at this time that Treasurer’s House received a second royal visit, in June 1900. Edward VII and Queen Alexandra visited as Prince and Princess of Wales along with their daughter Victoria. It was in their honour that the King’s Room, Queen’s Room and Princess Victoria’s Room were so named.
Frank Green was a very precise man, in both his own appearance and the way he ran his home. He was a bit of a ‘dandy’, neatly dressed and often seen wearing a floppy silk bow tie. He had studs fixed to the floor in the rooms of Treasurer’s House so the house maids knew exactly where furniture should stand. Frank was also careful about the state of his house; signs can be seen at Treasurer’s House with careful instructions to the staff. A former kitchen maid told how Frank would inspect the kitchen, turning out any drawers he thought were untidy. Frank Green retired to Somerset in 1930 and gave Treasurer’s House to the National Trust, complete with his vast collection. It was the first historic house acquired by the Trust with its contents complete.
The Problems Relating to the Management & Excavations of the Archaeological Ruins of Herculaneum / Pompeii as Reported in Foreign Press (1904-2002). [Prof. A. Maiuri ] "Ruins of Pompeii Disintegrating..." The N. Y. Times, Nov. 16, 1955. p. 55 [2/2].
Cranleigh is in Surrey, I am unable to relate to any Jemmett’s having been in this area although it would appear that Daniel must have been here before going out to Australia (1873).
The sender is unknown; the hand writing does not appear to match either that of George or Alice.
Governor Abercrombie and the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission held a joint press conference to announce the PUC's issuance of four major decisions and orders.
The PUC's decisions and orders relate to:
• Integrated Resource Planning (IRP)
• Reliability Standards Working Group (RSWG)
• Policy Statement and Order Regarding Demand Response (DR) Programs Maui Electric Company (MECO) Rate Case Follow Up
Just wanted to relate to you all how important it is in life to cherish every moment God lets you live with your loved ones. For two weeks my father had asked me to take him to a special place he wanted to eat lunch and taste the shrimp in that area. At 81, and in a fairly good health after his last stroke, my father wanted to eat shrimp by the bay. I was busy, doing my every day things and took me two weeks to take him. Once there my father told me the story why he wanted to go to that special place. When he was very young, my grandfather had a factory in the city and shipped his goods all thru the country from that special shipping port. They lived close by and he remembered dearly those moments when his father used to take him there (fishers market down town) and he ate those same shrimps over 70 years ago. He was so happy there, he enjoyed every moment, ate slowly and remembered grandma and grandpa who have longed passed away. He felt close to them and just lived the moment second by second every bite he took was just like being there again 70 years before.
I write this with the deepest pain in my heart, so bad it hearts deeply, as I felt God was telling me he is getting ready to reunite my Dad with my grand parents, let him live again but now forever, those unforgettable moments he carries in his heart for all his life, let him have a well deserved peace and tranquility he has more than earned thru his 80 years of being the best Dad anyone can have, the most amazing example of a brave man, who never gave up to give us all the best any one can give and get.
As I sit here praying to God he lets me reimburse my Dad for all he has given us, I wanted to make it public, and ask any of you out there to take one minute and ask God to keep him with us for as much as he wishes so we can all enjoy him for the last days, months o years of his life he has left. We certainly can’t change the past but can absolutely change the future. God I made my deepest desire to you public in my most sincere hope you hear us all and have mercy upon us. God Bless you all.
Actress Rita Moreno and Playwright Tony Kushner (now shown in photo) took a tour of the El Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos/Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College Archives, which included assets relating to West Side Story. Also in photo: CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez (c). They wore masks due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Postcard
The Fay Thomas Collection includes family archives relating to the Thomas family. Moses Thomas (1825-1878) was a significant figure in the history of the area now known as the City of Whittlesea, Victoria, Australia. Thomas and Ann and their family lived at "Mayfield", Mernda, Victoria.
Miss Lily Thomas (1871-1946), Thomas and Ann’s fourth daughter lived there all her life. She collected postcards which her family and friends sent her on a very regular basis. It was an easy and enjoyable way to keep in touch. Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lily’s collection encompasses the so-called Golden Age (1890-1915) with many postmarked 1906-1907. Some were sent to other members of the family.
The collection document the natural landscape as well as the built environment—buildings, gardens, parks, and tourist sites. Topographical Postcards showing street scenes and general views from Australian and international locations, some of which are artistic views. Popular postcard manufacturers such as Tuck’s Postcards are included in the collection.
Decorative cards, many embellished with floral motives (as a nod to the receiver Lily?) and embossing. Greeting cards are common for Christmas, New Year, Easter and of course birthdays.
Regular senders can be identified from Kyneton and the Great Ocean Road area, Victoria and there is a siginifant collection from Scotland (but not sent from there).
YPRL hold digital copies of the Papers of the Moses Thomas Family held at State Library Victoria
Copyright for these images is Public domain but a credit to the Fay Thomas Collection and YPRL would be appreciated.
Enquiries: Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Many of us relate axes to the essential chopping tools used to cut wood, however, the fact is that axes are available for multi purposes. In ancient times, a wide variety of axes were used as the first choice weapons of warriors. For instance, if we talk about the Vikings, they used to carry axes into battles. Since then, there has been significant change in the making of these axes. The custom carbon steel Ragnar Viking axe is the replica of historical Ragnar Viking axe. Its fully functional custom hand forged carbon steel head has been weathered to perform in any situation. The hand forged Damascus Viking throwing axe is an implement used to split, shape, and cut wood. The hand forged Damascus Viking axe resembles a bearded Viking axe are universally as simple as they are effective.
All the above knives are deadly tools that are well balanced, light and fast in operation. In addition to cutting woods, they are used for chopping, chipping, splitting, and piercing meat. The handle of the axe acts as a lever and tenders the users to increase force at the cutting edge.
Visit Our Website For Further Information: handcraftdamascusart.com/collections/axes
When the seasons change,
Leaves will still be blowing through my brain
Can you feel your heart ache?
Do you relate to me?
- the voyces
texture by: www.flickr.com/photos/65667607@N00/
HB632 (Relating to Open Data) requires state departments to make electronic data sets available to the public. The bill also requires the chief information officer (CIO) to develop policies and procedures to implement the Open Data Initiative, and appropriates $100,000 each fiscal year of the biennium to Office of Information Practices (OIP).
HB635 (Relating to Broadband) requires the state and counties to take action in advancing the Hawaii Broadband Initiative within 60 days (for conservation districts, the state must take action within 145 days). The initiative's goal is to provide ultra high-speed Internet access by 2018, and this clear and decisive timeline will reduce uncertainty for broadband companies and serve as an incentive to invest in increased bandwidth.
SB1003 (Relating to Information Technology), another of the administration's bills, authorizes the CIO to conduct security audits and direct remedial actions, as necessary, in the management of the state's cyber security.
Host Muhammad Ali Raza Wadding Pictures . . . . . . Wedding photography is a specialty in photography that is primarily focused on the photography of events and activities relating to weddings. It may include other types of portrait photography of the couple before the official wedding day, such as a pre-wedding engagement session (photographs are later used for the couple wedding invitations). On the official wedding day, the photographer(s) will attempt to provide portrait photography, as well as documentary photography coverage to document the different events and rituals throughout the wedding day(s).
Host Muhammad Ali Raza Poetry
Host Muhammad Ali Raza Poetry | Waseela-e-Bakhshish part ii | Abaai Ghar | Rooh-ul-Ali
#hostmuhammadaliraza @hostmuhammadaliraza #hostmuhammadalirazapoetry #hostmuhammadalirazafamily #hostmuhammadalirazawife #hostmuhammadalirazatvprogram #hostmuhammadalirazason #hostmuhammadalirazabooks #hostmuhammadalirazaqurantranslation #hostmuhammadalirazabiography #hostmuhammadalirazaAge #hostmuhammadalirazaRoohulAli #AbaaiGharPoetry #hostmuhammadalirazanetworth #hostmuhammadalirazaDivocedIssue #hostmuhammadalirazaFirstWife #hostmuhammadalirazaUnwaneDard #hostmuhammadalirazaWaseela_e_Bakhshish @urdupoetry #sadurdupoetry #UrduShayri #UrduHindiGhazal #FamousPoetryUrdu #BestQoutesoftheWorldUrdu @everyone #everyone #HindiPoetry #mirzaGhalibPoetry
#beautifulSadPoetry
#DaghDehalwiPoetry #ImamAhmadRazaBarelviPoetry
This relates to my theme of selective photography because the bee and the flower and colored. I like the vibrant colors of the bee and the flower. Instead of just one color, I chose to highlight two colors because they are "connected." I took this photo on accident when I saw a bee flying around. Somehow, the photo ended up showing the bee clearly.
March 19, 2014. Boston, MA.
Kick Butts Day 2014. Representatives from the Department of Public Health (DPH) today joined more than 250 young people from across the Commonwealth at the State House for the national observance of Kick Butts Day, recognizing the contributions of teenagers in smoking cessation and prevention efforts.
The young people participating in today’s event are part of DPH’s youth movement, The 84, which represents the 84 percent of young people in Massachusetts who don’t smoke.
High school students involved in The 84 have been educating their communities and their local lawmakers about issues relating to tobacco and, working with local health boards and other programs; have promoted effective tobacco prevention strategies in their communities. Members of The 84 Movement have been vital in fighting the way tobacco industry markets its products to youth.
© 2014 Marilyn Humphries
View this map on the BL Georeferencer service.
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Title: "Memoirs relating to European and Asiatic Turkey; edited from manuscript journals, by R. Walpole. (Travels in various countries of the East; being a continuation of Memoirs relating to European and Asiatic Turkey, &c.)"
Author: WALPOLE, Robert - Rev
Shelfmark: "British Library HMNTS 1786.d.13.", "British Library HMNTS 982.i.7."
Page: 620
Place of Publishing: London
Date of Publishing: 1817
Publisher: Longman & Co.
Issuance: monographic
Identifier: 003842704
Explore:
Find this item in the British Library catalogue, 'Explore'.
Open the page in the British Library's itemViewer (page image 620)
Download the PDF for this book Image found on book scan 620 (NB not a pagenumber)Download the OCR-derived text for this volume: (plain text) or (json)
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Postal Museum (Liechtenstein)
The postal museum in the English building in Vaduz
The Postal Museum of the Principality of Liechtenstein exhibits documents relating to philately and postal history in the Principality of Liechtenstein . The museum is affiliated with the Liechtenstein State Museum . It is located in the center of Vaduz in the so-called English building - the first steel-framed building in the country.
History
The museum was founded in 1930 to collect stamp issues and other important documents from the country's philately and postal history and make them accessible to the public. The museum opened in 1936. Hermann E. Sieger carried out significant curatorial work .
After the museum was housed in various rooms, it has been in the English building since 2002 .
Exhibition
The focus of the exhibition is on the stamps issued by the Principality of Liechtenstein since 1912. The museum also presents the most important designs, proofs and engraving plates as well as other important documents of postal history and historical postal equipment. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, changing exhibitions are also held periodically.
Postage stamps in the pedestrian zone
Since May 2011, a selection of oversized Liechtenstein stamps has been on display in the Städtle – Vaduz's pedestrian zone. The 25 stamp reproductions function here as pavement slabs.
Vaduz is the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein . The municipality in the Oberland is the residence of the prince as well as the seat of the state government , the state parliament and all courts . It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of the same name .
Vaduz is particularly well-known for its role as an international financial center . The municipality has six exclaves and is therefore an administrative unit divided into seven. The inhabitants are called Vaduzer , the adjective is Vaduzisch .
The municipality has an area of 17,284 km² and includes the village of Vaduz and its immediate surroundings as well as six exclaves. The area with the village of Vaduz borders Schaan to the north , Triesenberg to the east, Triesen to the south and the Swiss communities of Sevelen and Buchs SG , located on the other side of the Rhine , to the west . The highest point in the municipality is 2150 m above sea level. M. the silver horn .
Four exclaves are located in the Rhine Valley. These are the agriculturally used Vaduzer Riet between the Schaaner industrial area and Eschen / Nendeln , the forests of Forst at the foot of the Three Sisters massif and Rüttistein and Dachsegg above Planken . The forest plots are owned by the Vaduz citizens' cooperative , whose members are entitled to the annual loose wood. At around 900 m above sea level. Traces of a prehistoric settlement were found in Dachsegg.
Two exclaves are located in the mountain area: on the one hand, the cooperative Alps Pradamee and Hahnenspiel and on the other hand, the Alp Hinter Valorsch . The Pradamee and Hahnenspiel Alps in the Malbun high valley were formerly known as Vaduz Malbun .
The Alp Hintervalorsch was separated from Vorder- and Mittlervalorsch in 1643 because of a dispute between Vaduz and Schaan and has belonged to Vaduz ever since. [8th]
In 1781, the use of the alpine pastures was divided between the Vaduz upper and lower villages and separate alpine buildings were built on the Under Pradamee (1500 m above sea level) and the Upper Pradamee (1700 m above sea level). Since 1930, the municipality of Vaduz has received around one million cubic meters of drinking water from Pradamee every year. The separate dairy operation ended around the middle of the 20th century. Since then, part of the milk has been made into cheese on the Ober Pradamee.
In 1962, the first ski lift in Malbun was built in the Alp Pradamee area, which was replaced by new chairlifts in 2006 along with other old lifts.
The Alp Hahnenspiel is used as Galtalp . One at approx. 2000 m above sea level. The small cave located M. served as a burial place for a dead person during the early Bronze Age .
Alp Gaflei, which was purchased by the municipality of Vaduz in 1952, is located in the Triesenberg municipality. Although the alpine buildings have been demolished since 2006, the alpine pastures continue to be used.
Vaduz was first mentioned in 1175/1200 as de Faduzes , two mentions from 1021 are later forgeries. The name, like many others in the Rhine Valley, is of Romanesque origin and goes back to Old Romansh auadutg “moat; Canal for mills and sawmills; Mill flume”, which in turn comes from the Latin aquaeductus .
On May 3, 1342, the then dominion of the Counts of Bregenz was divided, creating the County of Vaduz . In 1392, under Counts Henry V. (I.) and Hartmann IV. (II.) of Werdenberg-Sargans-Vaduz, it gained imperial immediacy through a privilege from King Wenceslas . In the following decades and centuries, the county repeatedly became the scene of wars and looting, e.g. B. in the Old Zurich War (1444–1446) or in the Swabian War (1499–1500).
Over time, the rulers of Hohenems became increasingly indebted, so that they were ultimately forced to sell the county of Vaduz and the neighboring lordship of Schellenberg . In 1699, Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein acquired the rule of Schellenberg and in 1712 the county of Vaduz. On January 23, 1719, a diploma from Emperor Charles VI united. the county of Vaduz with the rule of Schellenberg and raised it to an imperial principality with the name Liechtenstein. As a result, Vaduz became increasingly important.
In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Confederation of the Rhine , which also included Liechtenstein and thereby effectively became independent. This independence was confirmed at the Congress of Vienna and Liechtenstein was accepted into the German Confederation .
However, Liechtenstein – and thus also Vaduz – remained very backward for a long time. It was only the customs treaty concluded with Austria in 1852 that enabled economic conditions to improve, and a constitutional constitution of 1862 brought political change so that the prince could no longer rule without restrictions.
The First World War impoverished the population, and at the end of the war the customs agreement with the war loser Austria-Hungary was dissolved.
After the customs treaty with Austria was dissolved in 1919, Liechtenstein became increasingly closer to Switzerland , and in 1923 the customs treaty with Switzerland, which still exists today, was signed. After Austria was annexed to the German Reich in March 1938, the newly ruling Prince Franz Josef II, the first prince of Liechtenstein, decided - because of his rejection of National Socialism - to move his residence to Liechtenstein to Vaduz Castle . Liechtenstein remained neutral during the Second World War and was never involved in direct hostilities. Instead, the principality was able to use its locational advantages (no loss of army personnel, central location, customs union with Switzerland, tax advantages, political stability), so that many new industrial companies were founded in Vaduz, but also in the wider principality, and progress in the country began to make rapid progress .
As of December 31, 2018, Vaduz had 5,625 inhabitants and was the second largest municipality in Liechtenstein after Schaan (with 6,016 inhabitants). At around 42 percent, the proportion of foreigners in Vaduz was higher than in all other Liechtenstein communities.
According to the 2015 census, 66.5 percent of the total population is Roman Catholic , with the proportion of Catholics among the population with Liechtenstein citizenship (80.8 percent) being significantly higher than among the population with foreign citizenship (47.1 percent Catholics). 10.1 percent of Vaduz's residents are Protestants , and 2.6 percent belong to another Christian church (majority Christian Orthodox churches ). 7.7 percent are Muslim , and other religions make up 0.75 percent of the population. Non-religious people make up 9.2 percent of the population - the highest proportion in Liechtenstein.
In the historical lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Vaduz is defined as the main town. Despite these official declarations, the term main location appears to be controversial among the general public. The principality's tourism website often refers to Vaduz as the capital, as do several Vaduz hotels, several media outlets (such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Die Welt , the Geo , the Kronen Zeitung or the Deutschlandfunk), the Association of the Consular Corps in the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Hubert Büchel said during his lecture in the Feldkirch Palais Liechtenstein in 1988 : “Vaduz with 5,000 inhabitants is of a size where we do not yet dare to speak of a ‘capital’, but at best of a ‘capital town’.”
In a travel magazine, the moderator Hape Kerkeling asked the FBP politician and former mayor of Vaduz, Manfred Bischof, whether one could “seriously speak of a capital” for a place with 6,000 inhabitants. Bishop replied that Vaduz could seriously be called a capital, since Liechtenstein is its own country and a country also has a capital.
The former Vaduz local councilor and former president of the Johann Schädler Agra Foundation , Stefanie Hasler, said on “ Vaterland TV ” at the end of 2022 that Vaduz is actually a capital and that “every now and then” he doesn’t dare to say so .
In March 2023, the Munich Merkur described Vaduz as the “de facto capital” of Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein Art Museum : Opened in 2000, the state museum for modern and contemporary art houses the state art collection of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The facade, a colored and seamlessly cast concrete made of predominantly black basalt rock and colored river gravel, is treated in such a way that “a lively play is created on the reflective surface”.
Liechtenstein State Museum : The cultural and natural history of Liechtenstein is presented here . The museum includes two old buildings and a new building in Vaduz. In addition, the postal museum in Vaduz and a rural living museum in Schellenberg are assigned to the state museum.
“ Engländerbau ” with postal museum : The “Engländerbau” was built in 1933/1934 on behalf of an English company as a commercial building. Today it is an exhibition building that shows changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Since 2002, it has also been home to the Postal Museum, which is part of the State Museum and collects, preserves and makes available to the public important documents and artifacts from Liechtenstein philately and postal history.
Kurt Beck Watch Museum : Opened in March 2018 at Lettstrasse 39, the privately run museum shows around 250 antique watches by the collector Kurt Beck.
Vaduz Castle : The landmark of Vaduz was built in the 12th century and finally expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle has been owned by the Princes of Liechtenstein since 1712, but was not inhabited for a long time and fell increasingly into disrepair. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that it was extensively renovated, and in 1938 Prince Franz Josef II became the first prince of Liechtenstein to move his permanent residence to the castle. Since then it has no longer been open to the public.
Schalun ruins : The medieval Schalun castle ruins (also called the “Wildschloss”) were built in the 12th century and were supplemented by other parts of the building over time. The ruins are located above Vaduz Castle at an altitude of approx. 850 m above sea level. M. Large parts of the foundation walls are still preserved today, especially the core of the castle with building remains up to ten meters high. The castle has been owned by the municipality of Vaduz since 1933.
“ Red House ”: It is a listed medieval stepped-gable house in the middle village of Vaduz. It belonged to the Vaistli between 1400 and 1500 : The house was acquired by an heir of the Vaistlis in 1525 from the monastery of St. Johann im Thurtal, and the associated vineyard ( Wingert ) has retained its resulting name, Abtswingert, to this day.
St. Florin Chapel: The St. Florin Chapel was a sacred building in the municipality of Vaduz that was probably built in the early modern period. In 1872 the tower and sacristy and in 1874 the remaining parts of the building were demolished, so that the chapel is no longer preserved today. A paving on the floor plan in the center of Vaduz refers to the former location of the chapel. In addition, a large part of the equipment has been preserved or found a new use: the bells of the chapel, for example, were used in the casting of the four bells of the new parish church of St. Florin.
St. Florin Cathedral : The neo-Gothic church was built between 1868 and 1873 and inaugurated on October 5, 1873. With the inauguration of the parish church, Vaduz became a parish, as the community had until then been attached to the original parish of Schaan . Until 1997, Liechtenstein belonged to the diocese of Chur . On December 2, 1997, the Archdiocese of Vaduz was established by Pope John Paul II and separated from the Diocese of Chur. At the same time as the founding of the Archdiocese of Vaduz, the parish church of St. Florin was elevated to the status of a cathedral.
St. Josef Chapel: It was built in 1930 and 1931. It is located in the Ebenholz district and is a branch church of the municipality of Vaduz. The chapel can be seen as an example of a clearly structured church type, as was often built in the 1930s.
The Ebenholz Evangelical Church is located in the Ebenholz district and was built in 1962 and 1963. The modern church building has a clear structure with a choir and a tower in the north and an organ gallery above the main entrance. The three bells come from the Schellenberg monastery church and were cast in 1880.
The Johanneskirche is the sacred building of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The church building was built in 1947 as an emergency church in Stuttgart and finally transferred to Liechtenstein as a gift in 1956. The organ, which dates from the early 18th century, is particularly significant.
Princely crypt : Until the Second World War, the princely crypt in Wranau served as a burial place for the princely family of Liechtenstein. When Franz Josef II became the first prince to move his residence to Vaduz, a new grave was built between 1958 and 1960 in the park south of the cathedral. Prince Franz Josef II was the first sovereign to be buried here in 1989. Since 1992 there has been a relief on the wings of the entrance door showing the resurrection of Lazarus .
Liechtenstein State Parliament Building : The state parliament building was opened in 2008 after 7 years of construction. Since then, it has served as a plenary hall for the state parliament of the Principality of Liechtenstein , where all members of the state parliament can sit at a single round table. Over a million clinker bricks, 600 tons of steel and 5,800 cubic meters of concrete were used in the construction, which cost 42.2 million Swiss francs.
Government building of Liechtenstein : The government building was built from 1903 to 1905 in the neo-baroque style. It contained major technical innovations for Liechtenstein, which was poor at the time: the first central heating system in Liechtenstein was installed in the government building. The building, popularly known as the “Big House”, has been a listed building since 1992.
Vaduz town hall : The town hall was built in 1932 and 1933. Of particular importance is a balcony fresco on the south facade depicting Saint Urban , the patron saint of winegrowers. The coat of arms of the municipality of Vaduz is carved on the entrance front .
“ Rheinbergerhaus ”: The building was built around 1550 and was first mentioned in documents in 1613. It is significant because the composer Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839–1901) was born in this house. At the age of twelve he left his hometown to receive musical training in Munich . He worked in Munich his entire life and died there. After the Second World War, he and his wife were transferred to Vaduz in 1945. A bronze portrait of Josef Gabriel Rheinberger was erected in front of his birthplace in 1939/1940.
Old Rhine Bridge : Since 1901, the old Rhine Bridge has connected Vaduz with the Swiss community of Sevelen . The 135 meter long bridge is the only remaining wooden Rhine bridge in Liechtenstein. The bridges of the other Liechtenstein communities were abandoned due to dilapidation or fires and replaced by concrete bridges. Since the opening of the new Rhine bridge, the bridge, which consists of five pillars, has only been accessible to non-motorized private transport. It was extensively renovated in 2009/2010.
The most important sports club is FC Vaduz . As of 2022, he has won the Liechtenstein Cup 48 times and plays in the second highest Swiss league, the Challenge League . FC Vaduz's venue is the Rheinpark Stadium , where the Liechtenstein national football team also plays its home games.
Urban (ɜːʳbən) adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Urban means belonging to, or relating to, a town or city.
Arborist (ˈɑːrbərɪst)
noun
A specialist in the cultivation and care of trees and shrubs, including tree surgery, the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tree diseases, and the control of pests
collinsdictionary.com
How do you manage trees that were planted in the 1960s as part of post-war housing development in the third decade of the 21st Millennium? With great care, dinosaur smoke and mankind’s great pursuit in conquest over nature.
The process being undertaken in these photos is what's called pollarding, where a trees limbs are removed entirely to encourage later dense growth within 1 to 2 years. Only certain species of trees can handle this brutal operation, like these London Plane trees here. Once a tree is pollarded, it has to be regularly maintained in 5-10 year operations.
Historically, wood harvested from this method would be used to feed livestock or for light timber, but these days, thanks to the infernal combustion engine, two operatives can pollard five trees in as many hours, with the tree limbs being quite violently mechanically separated and carted off to be used either as mulch or biofuel.
I find arboriculture rather fascinating; living amongst the trees in an urban environment, arborists have been a regular sight over the years, performing everything from whole tree clearings to dead wood pruning, I’ve seen them do a lot.
It’s a highly skilled profession with some of the most dangerous and violent tools possible in the workplace – Darwin Award nominees are quickly weeded out.
There is a strange beauty to the brutality of efficiency, especially towards articles of nature.
At first I thought “How does the Church relate to Science?” but then I realized that the early Church (especially in Rome) did support lots of Arts and even some scientific discoveries. Many of the greatest early scientists were also great artists (think DaVinci) and were attempting to quantify God’s influence on the natural world through their studies. Photographically, this image exhibits dramatic lighting and composition. The diagonal beams draw your eye down through the picture to back-light the tourists and these lines are counterbalanced by the converging lines of the barriers. All these leading lines provide the wonderful depth in the image.
Postal Museum (Liechtenstein)
The postal museum in the English building in Vaduz
The Postal Museum of the Principality of Liechtenstein exhibits documents relating to philately and postal history in the Principality of Liechtenstein . The museum is affiliated with the Liechtenstein State Museum . It is located in the center of Vaduz in the so-called English building - the first steel-framed building in the country.
History
The museum was founded in 1930 to collect stamp issues and other important documents from the country's philately and postal history and make them accessible to the public. The museum opened in 1936. Hermann E. Sieger carried out significant curatorial work .
After the museum was housed in various rooms, it has been in the English building since 2002 .
Exhibition
The focus of the exhibition is on the stamps issued by the Principality of Liechtenstein since 1912. The museum also presents the most important designs, proofs and engraving plates as well as other important documents of postal history and historical postal equipment. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, changing exhibitions are also held periodically.
Postage stamps in the pedestrian zone
Since May 2011, a selection of oversized Liechtenstein stamps has been on display in the Städtle – Vaduz's pedestrian zone. The 25 stamp reproductions function here as pavement slabs.
Vaduz is the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein . The municipality in the Oberland is the residence of the prince as well as the seat of the state government , the state parliament and all courts . It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of the same name .
Vaduz is particularly well-known for its role as an international financial center . The municipality has six exclaves and is therefore an administrative unit divided into seven. The inhabitants are called Vaduzer , the adjective is Vaduzisch .
The municipality has an area of 17,284 km² and includes the village of Vaduz and its immediate surroundings as well as six exclaves. The area with the village of Vaduz borders Schaan to the north , Triesenberg to the east, Triesen to the south and the Swiss communities of Sevelen and Buchs SG , located on the other side of the Rhine , to the west . The highest point in the municipality is 2150 m above sea level. M. the silver horn .
Four exclaves are located in the Rhine Valley. These are the agriculturally used Vaduzer Riet between the Schaaner industrial area and Eschen / Nendeln , the forests of Forst at the foot of the Three Sisters massif and Rüttistein and Dachsegg above Planken . The forest plots are owned by the Vaduz citizens' cooperative , whose members are entitled to the annual loose wood. At around 900 m above sea level. Traces of a prehistoric settlement were found in Dachsegg.
Two exclaves are located in the mountain area: on the one hand, the cooperative Alps Pradamee and Hahnenspiel and on the other hand, the Alp Hinter Valorsch . The Pradamee and Hahnenspiel Alps in the Malbun high valley were formerly known as Vaduz Malbun .
The Alp Hintervalorsch was separated from Vorder- and Mittlervalorsch in 1643 because of a dispute between Vaduz and Schaan and has belonged to Vaduz ever since. [8th]
In 1781, the use of the alpine pastures was divided between the Vaduz upper and lower villages and separate alpine buildings were built on the Under Pradamee (1500 m above sea level) and the Upper Pradamee (1700 m above sea level). Since 1930, the municipality of Vaduz has received around one million cubic meters of drinking water from Pradamee every year. The separate dairy operation ended around the middle of the 20th century. Since then, part of the milk has been made into cheese on the Ober Pradamee.
In 1962, the first ski lift in Malbun was built in the Alp Pradamee area, which was replaced by new chairlifts in 2006 along with other old lifts.
The Alp Hahnenspiel is used as Galtalp . One at approx. 2000 m above sea level. The small cave located M. served as a burial place for a dead person during the early Bronze Age .
Alp Gaflei, which was purchased by the municipality of Vaduz in 1952, is located in the Triesenberg municipality. Although the alpine buildings have been demolished since 2006, the alpine pastures continue to be used.
Vaduz was first mentioned in 1175/1200 as de Faduzes , two mentions from 1021 are later forgeries. The name, like many others in the Rhine Valley, is of Romanesque origin and goes back to Old Romansh auadutg “moat; Canal for mills and sawmills; Mill flume”, which in turn comes from the Latin aquaeductus .
On May 3, 1342, the then dominion of the Counts of Bregenz was divided, creating the County of Vaduz . In 1392, under Counts Henry V. (I.) and Hartmann IV. (II.) of Werdenberg-Sargans-Vaduz, it gained imperial immediacy through a privilege from King Wenceslas . In the following decades and centuries, the county repeatedly became the scene of wars and looting, e.g. B. in the Old Zurich War (1444–1446) or in the Swabian War (1499–1500).
Over time, the rulers of Hohenems became increasingly indebted, so that they were ultimately forced to sell the county of Vaduz and the neighboring lordship of Schellenberg . In 1699, Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein acquired the rule of Schellenberg and in 1712 the county of Vaduz. On January 23, 1719, a diploma from Emperor Charles VI united. the county of Vaduz with the rule of Schellenberg and raised it to an imperial principality with the name Liechtenstein. As a result, Vaduz became increasingly important.
In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Confederation of the Rhine , which also included Liechtenstein and thereby effectively became independent. This independence was confirmed at the Congress of Vienna and Liechtenstein was accepted into the German Confederation .
However, Liechtenstein – and thus also Vaduz – remained very backward for a long time. It was only the customs treaty concluded with Austria in 1852 that enabled economic conditions to improve, and a constitutional constitution of 1862 brought political change so that the prince could no longer rule without restrictions.
The First World War impoverished the population, and at the end of the war the customs agreement with the war loser Austria-Hungary was dissolved.
After the customs treaty with Austria was dissolved in 1919, Liechtenstein became increasingly closer to Switzerland , and in 1923 the customs treaty with Switzerland, which still exists today, was signed. After Austria was annexed to the German Reich in March 1938, the newly ruling Prince Franz Josef II, the first prince of Liechtenstein, decided - because of his rejection of National Socialism - to move his residence to Liechtenstein to Vaduz Castle . Liechtenstein remained neutral during the Second World War and was never involved in direct hostilities. Instead, the principality was able to use its locational advantages (no loss of army personnel, central location, customs union with Switzerland, tax advantages, political stability), so that many new industrial companies were founded in Vaduz, but also in the wider principality, and progress in the country began to make rapid progress .
As of December 31, 2018, Vaduz had 5,625 inhabitants and was the second largest municipality in Liechtenstein after Schaan (with 6,016 inhabitants). At around 42 percent, the proportion of foreigners in Vaduz was higher than in all other Liechtenstein communities.
According to the 2015 census, 66.5 percent of the total population is Roman Catholic , with the proportion of Catholics among the population with Liechtenstein citizenship (80.8 percent) being significantly higher than among the population with foreign citizenship (47.1 percent Catholics). 10.1 percent of Vaduz's residents are Protestants , and 2.6 percent belong to another Christian church (majority Christian Orthodox churches ). 7.7 percent are Muslim , and other religions make up 0.75 percent of the population. Non-religious people make up 9.2 percent of the population - the highest proportion in Liechtenstein.
In the historical lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Vaduz is defined as the main town. Despite these official declarations, the term main location appears to be controversial among the general public. The principality's tourism website often refers to Vaduz as the capital, as do several Vaduz hotels, several media outlets (such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Die Welt , the Geo , the Kronen Zeitung or the Deutschlandfunk), the Association of the Consular Corps in the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Hubert Büchel said during his lecture in the Feldkirch Palais Liechtenstein in 1988 : “Vaduz with 5,000 inhabitants is of a size where we do not yet dare to speak of a ‘capital’, but at best of a ‘capital town’.”
In a travel magazine, the moderator Hape Kerkeling asked the FBP politician and former mayor of Vaduz, Manfred Bischof, whether one could “seriously speak of a capital” for a place with 6,000 inhabitants. Bishop replied that Vaduz could seriously be called a capital, since Liechtenstein is its own country and a country also has a capital.
The former Vaduz local councilor and former president of the Johann Schädler Agra Foundation , Stefanie Hasler, said on “ Vaterland TV ” at the end of 2022 that Vaduz is actually a capital and that “every now and then” he doesn’t dare to say so .
In March 2023, the Munich Merkur described Vaduz as the “de facto capital” of Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein Art Museum : Opened in 2000, the state museum for modern and contemporary art houses the state art collection of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The facade, a colored and seamlessly cast concrete made of predominantly black basalt rock and colored river gravel, is treated in such a way that “a lively play is created on the reflective surface”.
Liechtenstein State Museum : The cultural and natural history of Liechtenstein is presented here . The museum includes two old buildings and a new building in Vaduz. In addition, the postal museum in Vaduz and a rural living museum in Schellenberg are assigned to the state museum.
“ Engländerbau ” with postal museum : The “Engländerbau” was built in 1933/1934 on behalf of an English company as a commercial building. Today it is an exhibition building that shows changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Since 2002, it has also been home to the Postal Museum, which is part of the State Museum and collects, preserves and makes available to the public important documents and artifacts from Liechtenstein philately and postal history.
Kurt Beck Watch Museum : Opened in March 2018 at Lettstrasse 39, the privately run museum shows around 250 antique watches by the collector Kurt Beck.
Vaduz Castle : The landmark of Vaduz was built in the 12th century and finally expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle has been owned by the Princes of Liechtenstein since 1712, but was not inhabited for a long time and fell increasingly into disrepair. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that it was extensively renovated, and in 1938 Prince Franz Josef II became the first prince of Liechtenstein to move his permanent residence to the castle. Since then it has no longer been open to the public.
Schalun ruins : The medieval Schalun castle ruins (also called the “Wildschloss”) were built in the 12th century and were supplemented by other parts of the building over time. The ruins are located above Vaduz Castle at an altitude of approx. 850 m above sea level. M. Large parts of the foundation walls are still preserved today, especially the core of the castle with building remains up to ten meters high. The castle has been owned by the municipality of Vaduz since 1933.
“ Red House ”: It is a listed medieval stepped-gable house in the middle village of Vaduz. It belonged to the Vaistli between 1400 and 1500 : The house was acquired by an heir of the Vaistlis in 1525 from the monastery of St. Johann im Thurtal, and the associated vineyard ( Wingert ) has retained its resulting name, Abtswingert, to this day.
St. Florin Chapel: The St. Florin Chapel was a sacred building in the municipality of Vaduz that was probably built in the early modern period. In 1872 the tower and sacristy and in 1874 the remaining parts of the building were demolished, so that the chapel is no longer preserved today. A paving on the floor plan in the center of Vaduz refers to the former location of the chapel. In addition, a large part of the equipment has been preserved or found a new use: the bells of the chapel, for example, were used in the casting of the four bells of the new parish church of St. Florin.
St. Florin Cathedral : The neo-Gothic church was built between 1868 and 1873 and inaugurated on October 5, 1873. With the inauguration of the parish church, Vaduz became a parish, as the community had until then been attached to the original parish of Schaan . Until 1997, Liechtenstein belonged to the diocese of Chur . On December 2, 1997, the Archdiocese of Vaduz was established by Pope John Paul II and separated from the Diocese of Chur. At the same time as the founding of the Archdiocese of Vaduz, the parish church of St. Florin was elevated to the status of a cathedral.
St. Josef Chapel: It was built in 1930 and 1931. It is located in the Ebenholz district and is a branch church of the municipality of Vaduz. The chapel can be seen as an example of a clearly structured church type, as was often built in the 1930s.
The Ebenholz Evangelical Church is located in the Ebenholz district and was built in 1962 and 1963. The modern church building has a clear structure with a choir and a tower in the north and an organ gallery above the main entrance. The three bells come from the Schellenberg monastery church and were cast in 1880.
The Johanneskirche is the sacred building of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The church building was built in 1947 as an emergency church in Stuttgart and finally transferred to Liechtenstein as a gift in 1956. The organ, which dates from the early 18th century, is particularly significant.
Princely crypt : Until the Second World War, the princely crypt in Wranau served as a burial place for the princely family of Liechtenstein. When Franz Josef II became the first prince to move his residence to Vaduz, a new grave was built between 1958 and 1960 in the park south of the cathedral. Prince Franz Josef II was the first sovereign to be buried here in 1989. Since 1992 there has been a relief on the wings of the entrance door showing the resurrection of Lazarus .
Liechtenstein State Parliament Building : The state parliament building was opened in 2008 after 7 years of construction. Since then, it has served as a plenary hall for the state parliament of the Principality of Liechtenstein , where all members of the state parliament can sit at a single round table. Over a million clinker bricks, 600 tons of steel and 5,800 cubic meters of concrete were used in the construction, which cost 42.2 million Swiss francs.
Government building of Liechtenstein : The government building was built from 1903 to 1905 in the neo-baroque style. It contained major technical innovations for Liechtenstein, which was poor at the time: the first central heating system in Liechtenstein was installed in the government building. The building, popularly known as the “Big House”, has been a listed building since 1992.
Vaduz town hall : The town hall was built in 1932 and 1933. Of particular importance is a balcony fresco on the south facade depicting Saint Urban , the patron saint of winegrowers. The coat of arms of the municipality of Vaduz is carved on the entrance front .
“ Rheinbergerhaus ”: The building was built around 1550 and was first mentioned in documents in 1613. It is significant because the composer Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839–1901) was born in this house. At the age of twelve he left his hometown to receive musical training in Munich . He worked in Munich his entire life and died there. After the Second World War, he and his wife were transferred to Vaduz in 1945. A bronze portrait of Josef Gabriel Rheinberger was erected in front of his birthplace in 1939/1940.
Old Rhine Bridge : Since 1901, the old Rhine Bridge has connected Vaduz with the Swiss community of Sevelen . The 135 meter long bridge is the only remaining wooden Rhine bridge in Liechtenstein. The bridges of the other Liechtenstein communities were abandoned due to dilapidation or fires and replaced by concrete bridges. Since the opening of the new Rhine bridge, the bridge, which consists of five pillars, has only been accessible to non-motorized private transport. It was extensively renovated in 2009/2010.
The most important sports club is FC Vaduz . As of 2022, he has won the Liechtenstein Cup 48 times and plays in the second highest Swiss league, the Challenge League . FC Vaduz's venue is the Rheinpark Stadium , where the Liechtenstein national football team also plays its home games.
Definition: Technical:
1. Of, relating to, or derived from technique.
2.
a. Having special skill or practical knowledge especially in a mechanical or scientific field: a technical adviser.
b. Used in or peculiar to a specific field or profession; specialized: technical terminology.
3.
a. Belonging or relating to a particular subject: technical expertise.
b. Of, relating to, or involving the practical, mechanical, or industrial arts or the applied sciences: a technical school.
4.
a. Abstract or theoretical: a technical analysis.
b. Of, relating to, or employing the methodology of science; scientific.
5. According to principle; formal rather than practical: a technical advantage.
6. Industrial and mechanical; technological.
7. Relating to or based on analysis of market indicators, such as trading volume and fluctuations in securities prices, rather than underlying economic conditions such as corporate earnings, inflation, and unemployment: a technical correction in the stock market.
Idea: I based the design of this tree on the design of an eclipse viewer or an old brown box camera, but instead of using a small hole, I used a tree shape.
Process: I made this tree by cutting the shape of a palm tree into the bottom of the box Optus sent me my new modem in and then painting the whole thing green. This is the view from the inside.
March 19, 2014. Boston, MA.
Kick Butts Day 2014. Representatives from the Department of Public Health (DPH) today joined more than 250 young people from across the Commonwealth at the State House for the national observance of Kick Butts Day, recognizing the contributions of teenagers in smoking cessation and prevention efforts.
The young people participating in today’s event are part of DPH’s youth movement, The 84, which represents the 84 percent of young people in Massachusetts who don’t smoke.
High school students involved in The 84 have been educating their communities and their local lawmakers about issues relating to tobacco and, working with local health boards and other programs; have promoted effective tobacco prevention strategies in their communities. Members of The 84 Movement have been vital in fighting the way tobacco industry markets its products to youth.
© 2014 Marilyn Humphries
Urban (ɜːʳbən) adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Urban means belonging to, or relating to, a town or city.
Arborist (ˈɑːrbərɪst)
noun
A specialist in the cultivation and care of trees and shrubs, including tree surgery, the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tree diseases, and the control of pests
collinsdictionary.com
How do you manage trees that were planted in the 1960s as part of post-war housing development in the third decade of the 21st Millennium? With great care, dinosaur smoke and mankind’s great pursuit in conquest over nature.
The process being undertaken in these photos is what's called pollarding, where a trees limbs are removed entirely to encourage later dense growth within 1 to 2 years. Only certain species of trees can handle this brutal operation, like these London Plane trees here. Once a tree is pollarded, it has to be regularly maintained in 5-10 year operations.
Historically, wood harvested from this method would be used to feed livestock or for light timber, but these days, thanks to the infernal combustion engine, two operatives can pollard five trees in as many hours, with the tree limbs being quite violently mechanically separated and carted off to be used either as mulch or biofuel.
I find arboriculture rather fascinating; living amongst the trees in an urban environment, arborists have been a regular sight over the years, performing everything from whole tree clearings to dead wood pruning, I’ve seen them do a lot.
It’s a highly skilled profession with some of the most dangerous and violent tools possible in the workplace – Darwin Award nominees are quickly weeded out.
There is a strange beauty to the brutality of efficiency, especially towards articles of nature.
Postcard
The Fay Thomas Collection includes family archives relating to the Thomas family. Moses Thomas (1825-1878) was a significant figure in the history of the area now known as the City of Whittlesea, Victoria, Australia. Thomas and Ann and their family lived at "Mayfield", Mernda, Victoria.
Miss Lily Thomas (1871-1946), Thomas and Ann’s fourth daughter lived there all her life. She collected postcards which her family and friends sent her on a very regular basis. It was an easy and enjoyable way to keep in touch. Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lily’s collection encompasses the so-called Golden Age (1890-1915) with many postmarked 1906-1907. Some were sent to other members of the family.
The collection document the natural landscape as well as the built environment—buildings, gardens, parks, and tourist sites. Topographical Postcards showing street scenes and general views from Australian and international locations, some of which are artistic views. Popular postcard manufacturers such as Tuck’s Postcards are included in the collection.
Decorative cards, many embellished with floral motives (as a nod to the receiver Lily?) and embossing. Greeting cards are common for Christmas, New Year, Easter and of course birthdays.
Regular senders can be identified from Kyneton and the Great Ocean Road area, Victoria and there is a siginifant collection from Scotland (but not sent from there).
YPRL hold digital copies of the Papers of the Moses Thomas Family held at State Library Victoria
Copyright for these images is Public domain but a credit to the Fay Thomas Collection and YPRL would be appreciated.
Enquiries: Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Image from '[Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey ... relating to its history and antiquities, with geographical descriptions of every township in the State. [With illustrations.]]', 000194808
Author: BARBER, John Warner and HOWE (Henry)
Page: 333
Year: 1852
Place: Newark, N.J
Publisher: J. H. Bradley
Following the link above will take you to the British Library's integrated catalogue. You will be able to download a PDF of the book this image is taken from, as well as view the pages up close with the 'itemViewer'. Click on the 'related items' to search for the electronic version of this work.
Lomography relates to Lomographic photographers who advocate creative and experimental film photography. The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC of Saint Petersburg, Russia that created and produced the 35 mm LOMO LC-A Compact Automat camera, now central to lomography. This camera was loosely based upon the Cosina CX-1 and introduced in the early 1980's.
If my health is spared I'll be long relating
Of that boat that sailed out of Anach Cuain.
And the keening after of mother and father
And child by the harbour, the mournful croon!
King of Graces, who died to save us,
T'were a small affair but for one or two,
But a boat-load bravely in calm day sailing
Without storm or rain to be swept to doom.
What wild despair was on all the faces
To see them there in the light of day,
In every place there was lamentation,
And tearing of hair as the wreck was shared.
And boys there lying when crops were ripening,
From the strength of life they were borne to clay
In their wedding clothes for their wake they robed them
O King of Glory, man's hope is in vain.
- ANTOINE Ó RAIFTEIRI
Unutterable grief expressed through the scent of balsam, frankincense, blackberry leaf, oud, white rose, driftwood, zdravetz, and bitter clove, beneath the cold waters of the River Corrib.
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
Postcard
The Fay Thomas Collection includes family archives relating to the Thomas family. Moses Thomas (1825-1878) was a significant figure in the history of the area now known as the City of Whittlesea, Victoria, Australia. Thomas and Ann and their family lived at "Mayfield", Mernda, Victoria.
Miss Lily Thomas (1871-1946), Thomas and Ann’s fourth daughter lived there all her life. She collected postcards which her family and friends sent her on a very regular basis. It was an easy and enjoyable way to keep in touch. Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lily’s collection encompasses the so-called Golden Age (1890-1915) with many postmarked 1906-1907. Some were sent to other members of the family.
The collection document the natural landscape as well as the built environment—buildings, gardens, parks, and tourist sites. Topographical Postcards showing street scenes and general views from Australian and international locations, some of which are artistic views. Popular postcard manufacturers such as Tuck’s Postcards are included in the collection.
Decorative cards, many embellished with floral motives (as a nod to the receiver Lily?) and embossing. Greeting cards are common for Christmas, New Year, Easter and of course birthdays.
Regular senders can be identified from Kyneton and the Great Ocean Road area, Victoria and there is a siginifant collection from Scotland (but not sent from there).
YPRL hold digital copies of the Papers of the Moses Thomas Family held at State Library Victoria
Copyright for these images is Public domain but a credit to the Fay Thomas Collection and YPRL would be appreciated.
Enquiries: Yarra Plenty Regional Library