The prehistory of the Indus civilization can be identified through the discoveries of cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and the evidences of the Mesopotamian civilisation.The Indo-Aryans were supposed to be the first early civlization of the subcontinent. They were regarded to have come down to the Indian plains in the second millennium BC. But the history of the Indian subcontinent attained a new dimension after the discoveries of great cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the year 1920s. The great cities of the Indus civilisation proved to be much older, reaching back into the third and fourth millennia. After ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, this Indus civilisation emerged as the third major early civilisation of mankind.
Both the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro share a similarity although they were separated by about 350 miles. Archaeological reports say that in both the cities there was an acropolis and a lower city. The acropolis located to the west of each city were used for religious cults. In Mohenjo-Daro there was a ‘Great Bath’ (39 by 23 feet, with a depth of 8 feet) at the centre of the acropolis which may have been used for ritual purposes. This bath was connected to an elaboratwater supply system and sewers. To the east of this bath there was a big building (about 230 by 78 feet) which is thought to have been a palace either of a king or of a high priest.
The Great Bath
A special feature of each of these cities were the large platforms which have been interpreted by the excavators as the foundations of granaries. In Mohenjo-Daro it was situated in the acropolis where as in Harappa it was immediately adjacent to it. The next similarity between the two cities is the system of weights and measures based on binary numbers and the decimal system. Evidence show that there was international trade when seals of the Indus culture were found in Mesopotamia.Further more the artclies made of copper and ornaments with precious stones show that there was a flourishing international trade. It was believed that Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were merely outposts of the Mesopotamian civilisation, either constructed by migrants or at least designed according to their specifications.
Mohenjo-Daro
The Indus civilisation was thought to be based on a theocratic state whose twin capitals Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro obviously showed the traces of a highly centralised organisation. The reasons for the sudden decline of these cities may br due to the Scholars since scattered skeletons which showed traces of violent death were found in the uppermost strata of Mohenjo-Daro. It appeared that men, women and children had been exterminated by conquerors in a ‘last massacre’. The conquerors were assumed to be the Aryans who invaded India around the middle of the second millennium BC.
Harappa
After the Second World War, intensive archaeological research in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India greatly enhanced our knowledge of the historical evolution and the spatial extension of the Indus civilisation.Earlier assessments of the rise and fall of this civilisation had to be revised. The new excavations showed that this civilisation, at its height early in the late third millennium BC, had encompassed an area larger than western Europe.
The other important cities of the Indus valley civilisation were Kot Diji to the east of Mohenjo-Daro and Amri in the Dadu District on the lower Indus, were discovered in the years after 1958. In Kathiawar and on the coast of Gujarat similar centres were traced. Thus in 1954 Lothal was excavated south of Ahmadabad. It is claimed that Lothal was a major port of this period. Another 100 miles further south Malwan was also identified in 1967 as a site of the Indus civilisation. It is located close to Surat and so far marks, together with Daimabad in the Ahmadnagar District of Maharashtra, the southernmost extension of this culture. The spread of the Indus civilisation to the east was documented by the 1961 excavations at Kalibangan in Rajasthan about 200 miles west of Delhi.
The amazing extension of our knowledge about the spatial spread of the Indus civilisation was accompanied by an equally successful exploration of its history. Earlier strata of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa as well as of Kalibangan, Amri and Kot Diji were excavated in a second round of archaeological research. In this way continuous sequence of strata, showing the gradual development to the high standard of the full-fledged Indus civilisation, was established. These strata have been named Pre-Harappan, Early Harappan, Mature Harappan and Late Harappan. The most important result of this research is the clear proof of the long-term indigenous evolution of this civilisation which obviously began on the periphery of the Indus valley in the hills of eastern Baluchistan and then extended into the plains. There were certainly connections with Mesopotamia, but the earlier hypothesis that the Indus civilisation was merely an extension of Mesopotamian civilisation had to be rejected.
The Magnetic appeal of Abu Dhabi
In this article, I am going to take you to the wonderful city of Abu Dhabi that is fast gaining a place in the global map as a major tourist attraction and a must see for travelers and travel journalists. Abu Dhabi is the capital of United Arab Emirates .Today the UAE is known for its magnificent towering buildings and incredible hotels. Not many are aware of Abu Dhabi as a fast emerging competitor to Dubai.
It is home to one of the world’s most beautiful architectural splendors-The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which looks like a picture straight out of the 1001 Arabian night’s tales. The Grand Mosque was built at a whopping cost of 2.27 billion dirham under the patronage of Sheikh Zayed who is no more today. He is the father of modern UAE and rests today in a mausoleum inside the mosque premises.
The mosque has created many records. It houses the single largest carpet in the world. It has the world’s largest Swarovski crystal chandelier .9, 000 people can pray at a single time. Many expats have made Abu Dhabi their home and live in harmony with people of various multi cultures. This year The Formula 1 Abu Dhabi on 1st November, 2009 is gaining world wide recognition. The newly opened 5 star hotel Yas Marina is another marvel not to be missed by tourists.
It is worthwhile to visit Abu Dhabi when making a trip to the Middle East as it is a melting pot of various cultures and is tolerable to tourists and residents equally.
Where is Cape Breton Island?
Cape Breton Island, is usally a irregularly shaped island. This island is a hilly island and it is present in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada,which is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
About the Island
The length of the island is 177 km and the width is 140 km. Strait of Canso is the one which separates this Cape Breton Island from the mainland of Nova Scotia and it is divided into two parts by the large Bras d'Or Lake.
The area of this island is 10,311 sq km
History of the Island
In 1497, John Cabot was the first European to discover this island and he is a famous Italian navigator .The French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534, visited this island,and it was he who named this island asCap Breton,and it is named after a region of France.
A group of Scots in 1629 founded the island's first settlement by the Europeans and after that it was captured by the French. However in 1713,by the Peace of Utrecht, this island was formally assigned to France.
During the early 18th century, at Louisbourg, in the southeast,the French built a large fortress, which is now a part of Louisbourg National Historic Park,so that they could defend the sea route to the St. Lawrence River.
But in 1745, during King George's War,this fortress was seized by British colonial forces, but three years later it was returned to French control.The British managed to destroy the fortress and they also gained possession of the island,during the Seven Years' War,in 1758.
Since 1763 this island was under the administration of Nova Scotia.But for 36 years between 1784 and 1820,it was considered as a separate British colony and it also served as a shelter for American refugees who were loyal to Britain during the American Revolution, which took place between 1775 and 1783.
Tourist Attraction
The reason why many tourists visit Cape Breton Island is due to the rugged landforms and also due to the cool summer climate. Apart from this another reason why many tourists visit here is "the Cabot Trail", because this is a scenic road which provides the tourists with a spectacular view along the northeastern coast.
This road aslo passes through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.The important thing about this Cape Breton Highlands National Park is that it contains uplands which has maximum altitude of 1,747 feet.
Apart from Tourism the important industries on the island includes
i)coal mining
ii)Steelmaking
iii)Fishing and
iv)Lumbering
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is the region which contains the principal coal mines.The Cape Breton Regional Municipality is very popular as it has the island's main urban center,that also includes some large steel mills.
Other than this town,there are also some other important towns like
i)Port Hawkesbury
ii)Baddeck and
iii)Ingonish
Inhabitants of the Island
When it comes to the inhabitants of this Island most of them are descended from the Highland Scots and they got settled there by the beggining of the 19th century.Apart from these inhabitants some of the French-Canadians and a small number of Mi’kmaq are also live in this island.
The population was around 161,806 in 1991
State Governments in India are on a renaming spree. Cities or prominent towns in Indian States which had English names earlier have been renamed into regional names. According to politicians these cities or towns were not renamed, but in fact reverted to their original names. According to their contention, Britishers had changed names of cities in India to suit their pronunciation for example they have changed Halasuru to Ulsoor so that they can pronounce better. The current State Governments by reverting to Halsuru has undone the damage.
While many places were renamed, the most notable of them are Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkatta, Cochin to Kochi and Bangalore to Bengaluru. Cities like Bangalore and Bombay are international cities are are on par with cities like Sydney, Tokyo and New York. When lot of Indians outside Chennai but living in India, struggle to pronounce "Chennai" how can you expect a foreigner to pronounce chennai. A Bangalore, Bombay or a Madras any day sounds more majestic than its current names.
As Indians why should we feel bad when we own such a majestic name like Bangalore or a Bombay?. If we have discarded everything that was started by Brtishers then it is acceptable. When we do not have any problems in copying smoking which we copied form British, their style of clothing and accept, then why cant we accept a name that sounds well to us and internationally?
Regards
Satish
Lassen Volcanic National Park,is one of the national park of America and it is located in northeastern part of California.Lassen Volcanic National Park was established in 1907.
The main feature of this park is the volcanic Lassen Peak which is 3,187 m or 10,457 ft of height.The picture of the Lassen Peak is shown below,
The volcano located in this park remained silent for more that 400 years and after remaining inactive for more than 400 years, it was in 1914, this volcano erupted and till 1917 it continued to erupt more or less constantly intermittently until 1921.It was during this period when the volcano was very active it was characterized by a number of explosions and also by a massive and destructive mudslide,which was formed when hot lava melted snow on the mountain’s slopes.
Apart from this volcano peak other smaller volcanic peaks in this park includes
1)Cinder Cone (2,107 m/6,913 ft)
2)Prospect Peak (2,543 m/8,342 ft)
3)Harkness Peak (2,450 m/8,039 ft).
Out of the above three peaks,Cinder Cone is usually devoid of any kind of vegetation and it is surrounded by piles of volcanic cinder and ash. Apart from these peaks , the park also features many
1)Alpine lakes
2)Fumaroles (vapor-emitting vents)
3)Hot springs
4)Boiling mud pots
5)Lava formations.
The picture below is that of the Bumpass Hell which contains boiling springs, mudpots, and fumaroles
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