Close view to Asian Continent Here I would like to give some major details of Asian Continent. Just go through this article. Asia is the largest continent in the world. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, Caspian sea on the west, Arctic Ocean on the north and Indian Ocean on the south. The area of Asia is 44.25 Million square kilometers. It occupies 29.81 of the world’s area. Largest country in Asia is Russia and the smallest is Maldives. Physical features of Asia: The land forms of Asia are divided in to six parts. They are Plains Mountains Plateaus Rivers Deserts Group of Islands. Plains: Plains cover 32% of land in Asia. The Indo-Gangetic plains of India are one to the largest alluvium plains in the world. Mountains: Mountains cover 20% area of Asia. Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world. The height of it is 8.848 mts. It is located in the Himalayan Range of Nepal. Plateaus: Asia is having different plateaus in different regions. Asia’s highest plateau is located in Tibet. It is situated in between Himalayas and Kurlun. Rivers: Rivers which flow in Asia are Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Krishna, Cauvery, Tigris, Euphratise, Hwang Ho, Yangtge Kiang, Sikiyang, Irrawadi, Mekang, Ural River and Amur river. Amur river is the longest river in Asia the length of it is 4,060 kilometers. Deserts: The Deserts in Asia are Thar,Arabia,Syria and Gobi. In all these deserts Thar desert is the biggest desert. Island Groups: Indonesia is the largest island group in the world. It consists of 13,500 islands Climatic conditions in Asia: Asia has different types of climatic conditions. It experiences continental type of climate. Asia is having very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Asia receives highest rainfall due to the South West Monsoons. Mawsynram and Chirapunji receive the highest rainfall where as Thar and Arabian deserts receive less rainfall. Wild Life and greenlands in Asia: The northern part of Asia is totally covered with snow. This area is called “Tundra region”. In South of Tundra forests we find Confireous forests. In these forests we find Pine, Fir, Spruce, Laschis and Birch trees. These are the important trees also and we find Wild animals like Fox, Sable and Mink. The South of Tundra region is called “Taiga region” and also called as “Steppes”. In These grasslands we find animals like Deer’s, Camels, Donkeys and Cheetah. Population in Asia: Asia is the most populated continent in the world. This continent occupied 65% of the world’s population. The most populated country in the world is China. Tokyo, Basaka and Nagasaki are the main cities in Japan. Japan also known as “Land of Rising Sun”. Singapore is having less population in Asia. Density of population is low in Gulf Countries, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Siberia, Iraq, Tibet and Iran. About Agriculture in Asia: Nearly 70% of Asia’s population depends on the agriculture. Asia has rich agricultural resources because of fertile alluvial soils, irrigation facilities and suitable climate. The Asian crops are divided into food crops and Commercial crops. Some of the food crops are Rice, Wheat, Dates, Millets, Jower, Ragi and Bajra e.t.c. China, India, Bangladesh, Japan and South west Asian countries are the main producers of Rice. Wheat is grown mostly in China and Northern India. Some of the commercial crops are Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Turmeric, Coffee e.t.c these are some of the commercial crops grown in Asian continent. Asian people mostly follow shifting cultivation, Intensive agriculture and extensive agriculture these are the methods of cultivation in Asia. In all the methods extensive agriculture is the best one. In this method large area is cultivated with machinery. Mineral Resources in Asia: The minerals in Asia are classified into three categories. 1. Metallic Minerals. 2. Non-Metallic Minerals. 3. Fuel Minerals 1.Metallic Minerals: Iron, Manganese, Bauxite, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Chromite, Gold, Silver, Limestone, Gypsum and Dolomite are the most important metallic minerals of Asia. Russia occupies the first place in the production of Iron ore.China produces 11% of the world’s Iron ore. Gold is available in large amounts in China, Japan and less in India. Mercury is available in Russia and China. 2.Non-Metallic Minerals: Asbestos, Graphite, Mica, Salt, Diamonds, Pearls, Fuels, Coal, Lignite, Crude oil are the non metallic minerals available in Asia.India is the major exporter and producer of Mica in the world. Salt is highly produced inChina, Russia and India. Pearls are available in Japan, China, Srilanka, India and Oman. 3.Fuel Minerals: The most important fuel minerals are Coal, Lignite, Crude Oil and Natural gases. Most of the Lignite deposits are found in Russia. Oil resources are mostly found in Russia, Saudi Arabia,China and Indonesia. We find natural gas in Russia, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Brunai, Iranand UAE. Industrial sector in Asia: Iron and steel industries are mainly concentrated in Russia, Japan and china. Cement and Cotton textile industries are seen in Russia, India, China and Pakistan. Electronic goods are produced largely in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Chemical industries are located mostly in Russia, China, India and Japan. Timber industries are found in Indonesia. Coal mines are largely found in China and India. Transportation and Trade in Asia: Asia has three modes of transportation. Roads and Railways. Waterways. Airway. Roads and Railways: Asia has the modern highways. Japan and India have well laid highways. Japan is well developed country so it has good roads when compared with other countries. In India cities are well connected with national and state highways. It has 3.34 million kilometers of roadways. The Indian railway is the longest in Asia. India has 62,700 km long railway line. Japan has extensive railway line of 32,200 km. In Soviet Union railways play a very important role in transportation. The longest railway in the world is over 8,640 km between Volyagrad and Vladisvotak in Russia. Waterways: Foreign trade is carried on through water ways to a large extent due to large manufacture of ships. Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yang-Tse-Kiang, Irrawadi, Volga, Don rivers are the most useful water ways. Airways: Airways are useful in the speedy transportation of goods and passengers. The domestic airways had been developed in many other countries of Asia. International Trade: The trade among the various countries of the world is called international trade. Japan imports food stuffs, raw materials, Petroleum, Iron Ore, Coal and Cotton. It exports industrial good machinery, Steel, Automobile and Chemicals. Iran, Iraq, SaudiArabia, Kuwait and U.A.E export petroleum. The important exports of India are Gems, Jewellery, Tea, Coffee, Spices, Sea products, Leather, Ready made garments, Machinery, Iron ore and Chemicals. Petroleum, Machinery, Food grains, Edible oils, Iron, Steel, Fertilizers and Chemicals are the chief imports of India. This is the brief Article on Asian continent.

కొన్ని వింతైన విషయాలు: సాధారణముగా పొరపాటున వేలు కోసుకుంటే మనకు చాల బాధ వేస్తుంది. కాని ఒక కుటుంబంలో ఒక మనషి పోయినప్పుడల్లా ఒక వేలును కత్తిరిస్తుంటే ఆ బాధ వర్ణనాతీతం. ఇండోనేషియాలో షాపువ తెగ ప్రజలు చనిపోయిన వారి ఆత్మలు ఆ కుటుంబంలో ఉన్న ఆడపిల్లలను పట్టిపీడిస్తాయని అంత్యక్రియలలో భాగంగా అమ్మాయిల వేళ్ళని కత్తిరిస్తారు. కొందరు మరణిస్తే బాధ ఉంటుంది. కాని ఆ బాధను శారీరకంగా అనుభవిస్తే ఇంకా ఏడుపు వస్తుందని వేళ్ళు కత్తిరించు కుంటారు మరికొందరు. ఆధునిక పరిజ్ఞానముతో చాల వరకు ఈ మూడనమ్మకము తగ్గుముఖము పట్టిన్నప్పటికి ఈ దేశములో చాలా మంది ముసలి వాళ్ళకు వేళ్ళు ఉండవు. సాధారణముగా చెట్టు గాలి వానకు పడిపోతే ప్రక్కకు తప్పిస్తాము. కాని కాలిఫోర్నియాలోని సేక్యోయియా నేషనల్ పార్కు లో గాలి వానల తాకిడికి ఓ చెట్టు పడిపోయింది. అది దాదాపు ఎనిమిది మీటరుల వెడల్పు మరియు 85 మీటరుల ఎత్తు ఉన్న రెడ్ వుడ్ చెట్టు అయ్యేసరికి దానిని ప్రక్కకు తొలగించడము ఇబ్బంది కావటము వల్ల దానిలోనించి సొరంగ మార్గం చేసారు. ప్రపంచములోని అతి పెద్ద చెట్ల జాతికి సంబంధించిన చెట్టు ఇది. ఈ సొరంగమార్గం చేసి ఇప్పటికి సుమారుగా 75 సంవత్సరాలు అయినది. ఇప్పటికి ఈ చెట్టు సొరంగము చెక్కుచెదరకుండా పర్యాటకులను ఆకర్షిస్తున్నది. ఈ చెట్టు వయస్సు సుమారుగా 2000 సంవత్సరాలు ఉంటుందని అంచనా. తిరుమలలో ఉత్సవాలలో ఉత్సవ విగ్రహాలను మోయుటకు మరియు ఇతర పూజ విధానాలలో ఏనుగులను సాధారణముగా ఉపయోగిస్తారు. తమిళనాడు లో మదురై ఉన్న మీనాక్షి ఆలయము మరియు ఇతర ఆలయాలలో ఉన్న ఏనుగులకు వాటి పనితనానికి విలువను ఇస్తూ వాటికి సుమారుగా 48 రోజులు విశ్రాంతి సెలవులు ఇస్తారు. ఈ సెలవు దినాలలో వాటిని అక్కడ దగ్గర ఉన్న ముడుములయ్ నేషనల్ పార్కుకు తీసుకువెళతారు. అచ్చట కొత్త మావటి వాళ్లకు శిక్షణ ఇవ్వటానికి ఉపయోగిస్తారు.

There are many festivals around the world and each one has its own significance but Diwali or Deepavali is the brightest festival of all. The reason is due to, glittering clay lamps in the premises of every house and the sparkling crackers in the sky, which brings brightness by removing the darkness around the world. On this auspicious day, if we observer, the night will be brighter with full of lights than the day. That is why Diwali is also called as festival of lights and the word Deepavali mean array of lamps in Sanskrit. It is having different names and various religions follow it on the day of Amavasya according to Hindu calendar. The main theme and euphoria of the festival is accomplishment of good over evil in the world or oneself. It depicts that good will always succeed evil, where good here is indicated with brightness or lights and evil is the damp darkness. In general, damp darkness is the breeding ground for most of the iniquity things and light eliminates those things. From the ancient times where Vedic culture was followed, it is believed that this festival guides everyone to annihilate shadow and find self-illuminated inner light, which is concealed in every person. The social and gender equality is the goal of this festival along with removing evil from oneself.

diwali-india

The festival has different mythological events affiliated with it such as in North India it is celebrated on return of Lord Rama after 14 years exile and destroying evil called Ravan. Whereas in South India it is celebrated on the account of, lord Krishna defeating demon Narakasura. Other than these mythological reasons, it is believed that praying to Goddess Laxshmi gives prosperity for the rest of year. And most of the merchants offer prayer to Goddess Laxshmi and start their new account books on this day. In real Diwali is celebrate for 5 consecutive days in some places of India where the first day is known as Dhanteras followed by Naraka Chadurdashi, Lakshmi Puja, Govardhana Puja and finally Bhai Dooj. Here each day has importance such as Dhanteras is meant for purchasing any new gold or silver items, Bhai Dooj is meant for sister- brother relationship and Lakshmi puja is meant to offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi. However, irrespective of the significance associated with each day all around the world many people celebrate on one day which is Diwali.

What in done on this day?

Similar to other festivals, Diwali is also an occasion to purchase new clothes, lot of sweets, flowers, precious jewelry etc. In addition to all those items, fire crackers are also purchased in huge quantity to brighten the night of Diwali. People start the diwali day by putting new clothes and offering prayers to god for spiritual progression. The tradition of putting Rangoli is also followed by many people, where the diyas are decorated in the evening. And in the evening relatives and friends are given gifts such as dry fruits, gift hampers, sweets and chocolates. Goddess Lakshmi is offered prayer with family and some sweets are consumed in the form of "prashad". Then diya or clay lamps are put in the premises and surroundings. The exact celebrations start when the entire family and friends together burst fire crackers. There is no religious difference on this occasion and everyone is welcomed to join the celebration as Diwali is not just a festival but also a belief to remove evil from this world.

Lets interpret some facts from the Diwali traditions:

All the interpretations are biased and are not real facts but just imagined, there may be different views from other individuals.

Rangoli:

hindu-diwali-rangoli-art-snap

If we interpret Rangoli, it tells us many things such as equality and strength of being together. All the different materials used in the Rangoli such as flowers, Rangoli power, colored powder should be considered as people of different caste, sex and cadet etc. Though individually they may look good but if arranged together as done in Rangoli an excellent masterpiece is formed. It tells that all people are equal in the eyes of deity or god and anything should be destroyed with the strength of togetherness.

It is believed that Rangoli brings prosperity if it is designed in the front of entrance of the house. The reason is goodess Laxshmi is treated as Goddess of wealth and to impress her Rangoli is used. There is also another belief in south India that the Rangoli powder used for preparing Rangoli, can serve as food for ants and other small insects, which is consider as good deed. That is why normally cooking flour is used as Rangoli powder, rock salt and flowers are also used in some places in south India for preparing Rangoli.

Diyas or Clay Lamps:

We all know that reason for lighting lamps, which is to overcome darkness and brighten up the world. And the main theme of Deepavali is also to lit self Diyas, but if we interpret further, there is some other message associate with it, which is sincerity and sacrifice. Though any person can do anything for themselves, to sacrifice for others they need lot of guts. The diyas or clay lamp also burns itself to brighten this world for us with sincerity till the oil in it completely drains. So, one should learn that sincerity and little sacrifice are also needed in life.

diwali lamp

It is also believed that harmful insects and micro-organism which rise in rainy season are destroyed by the light and heat produced by the diyas.

Gift giving during Diwali:

There is no particular reason for giving gifts and is normally given to show our loved ones how much we care. It is also often given to impress colleagues or boss for improving relationship and status in the company. However, in general if we interpret the gift giving process, it is nothing but sharing our success with some loved one in the form of essential items.

GiftBox

It is believed in Hinduism that if we give something without expecting any favor from it, then in return we will get more in some other way. Gift giving also teaches us terms like sharing and satisfaction, for better living.

Fireworks and Crackers:

The exact reason is to alert all or to show that something has happened, whether it is bad or good reason. But, in general it signifies celebrations in the festival and each firework can be considered as signal of success. In south India, even for deaths fireworks are used by some communities, which show they are just signals for informing some news.

fireworks

To conclude, any festival is to teach something to this world irrespective of its historical significance. It is the duty of human to know it and pass the message to the future generation. They should know the good and should not exceed the limits, which is often done in case of fireworks and set an example to their next generation.

Have a safe and HAPPY DIWALI.

India is a land of festivals. Among all the festivals of Hindus, Diwali holds has its own significance. Generally, Diwali is known to be the festival of businessmen as new business year begins with it but on this day people irrespective of their caste, creed and community devote themselves in worshiping Goddess Lakshmi with great pomp and glory. The good wishes and blessings of Goddess Lakshmi is seen on the faces of people, their dresses, houses, everywhere. People get ready to welcome Goddess Lakshmi forgetting all about their griefs and worries of normal lives.

Reasons for Celebrating Diwali

rama

There are a number of reasons associated with the celebrations of Diwali and if someone says that this festival is celebrated for a single reason he/she would definitely be proved wrong. Some people believes that on this very day Lord Ram Chandra returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, the demon king. The people of Ayodhya welcomed Him by lighting diyas or earthen lamps. From that day onwards, this festival is celebrated every year in memory of Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. Moreover, some people believes that Goddess Lakshmi roams everywhere on this day and she enters only those houses which are thoroughly cleaned, white washed or well illuminated with lights. It is believed that those houses where Goddess Lakshmi enters gets relieved from poverty and other short comings. Besides, some people believes that after monsoon it is necessary to clean the houses on Diwali to maintain hygiene and well being of family members. Whatever the reason might be it is a fact that Diwali is considered as an auspicious occasion.

When and how Diwali is celebrated

Hindus celebrate this festival on the auspicious month of Kartika, that is, October/November throughout the world. Literally, Diwali means a row of lights. Just before two days of Diwali, that is , on thirteenth day of the month of Karthika(October/November) Dhanteras is celebrated. The word Dhan means wealth and tera means the thirteenth day of month. In Dhanteras, Lord Ya ma, the God of death is worshiped for well being of one and all. To celebrate the festival of Dhanteras people come out of their houses and crowd around jewellery shops to buy gold, silver etc. Some people buy utensils and other important things for their household.

In our Hindu society, Diwali is considered to bring about happiness, peace, prosperity and brotherhood among people. Weeks before Diwali people get busy to white wash and paint their house. On the day of the festival people from early morning clean and sweep their house. In the evenings, they lit thousands of diyas or earthen lamps with oils and place them at different sections of their houses like doors, balconies, terraces etc. Streets or by lanes are decorated and illuminated with different kinds of colorful lightnings. Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped in the mid night. Children enjoy themselves by lighting different kinds of crackers which emit beautiful lights and cover the night sky. Everyone seem to be happy and enjoy the festival with high spirits. Some people involve themselves in practices like drinking wine and gambling. I think these practices should be given up for the betterment of our society and in turn for ourselves.

Diwali is celebrated in different parts of India

In comparison to other festivals, Diwali is celebrated with different names and beliefs in various parts of our country.

North

The Northern part of India celebrate Diwali to commemorate Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya after defeating the demon king, Ravana, who abducted his wife Si ta. On His return to Ayodhya with His younger brother Lakshmana and wife Si ta people welcomed Him by burning diyas or earthen lamps.

South

In the southern part of India it is celebrated to rejoice the killing of Narakasura by Lord Krishna.

West

In west India Diwali is celebrated to commemorate for victory of Lord Vamana or Vishnu over the cruel demon king Bali.

Gujarat

In Gujarat, Diwali is celebrated by the people to welcome Goddess Lakshmi to their houses. They hope Goddess Lakshmi will bring them good luck, prosperity and wealth.

Bengal

In Bengal, Diwali is celebrated as Kali puja and the goddess is worshiped in every houses. Goddess Kali is very well known for power and Shakti.

Constituents of Diwali festival

Diwali is such a festival which is celebrated throughout the world. People have great faith and hope associated with this festival. Farmers hope for good harvest in their fields while shop owners and businessmen expects a new beginning of business year. They also hope for good sale of their products and commodities. Typically, Diwali is never complete without any of these things as mentioned below.

Lights

lights

Generally by Diwali we mean festival of lights. It is a fact that light plays an important role in Diwali. On this holy and pious day people burn Diyas or earthen lamps to lit their houses in the evenings. Moreover, colorful candles are now also lighted in Diwali in many houses. Now-a-days, earthen pots with different designs are available in the market.

Sweets

Sweets play an important part of this festival and different kinds of sweetmeats are prepared in the houses. Sweets like laddoos, gujiyas, rasgullas are exchanged with relatives and everyone shares their good wishes among each other.

New clothes

new clothes

People wear new dresses on this day. Really, their colorful dresses makes Diwali more colorize and enjoying. Females decorate themselves with different kinds of ornaments and jewellery.

Fire Crackers

fire

Different kinds of fire crackers are burnt in Diwali and this brings about enormous joy to everyone especially children. The night sky gets filled with different kinds of colorful firecrackers which emit colored lights.

The first three days of Diwali

Diwali is a five day celebration and among those the first three days are very important.

First Day

The first day of Diwali is known as Dhanteras. On this day, Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped and houses are cleaned or whitewashed to welcome her.

Second Day

On the second day, Goddess Kali , also known for her shakti or power, is worshiped. This day is also known as Kali Chaudas or Narak Chaudas. People pay homage to their expired loved and dear ones.

Third Day

Diwali is celebrated on the third day and earthen pots, candles , lamps are lit in every houses. Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are also worshiped in the night. People believe that Goddess Lakshmi will relieve them from all sorts of debt, poverty and sufferings.

Benefits of Diwali

If we go by scientific view, Diwali has its own importance. It is a fact that the monsoon season brings a lot of downpour and destroys highways, roads, houses etc. Therefore before the coming of this festival all these are repaired and constructed. Besides, the huge amount of garb ages that accumulates are breeding grounds of harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses which effects our health very badly. It is believed that these harmful viruses gets killed by the celebration of Diwali. Besides, we need festivals to rewind ourselves so that we could work with energy throughout the year. The first harvest that we collect on Diwali day is given to the Gods to pay our love, respect and homage. Businessmen begins a new calender year from this day. Diwali is our national festival hence its color and blessing is for the entire humanity.

Negatives of Diwali

gambling

We considered Diwali as a festival which is a symbol and hallmark of victory of good over evil. But due to some narrow minded people living in society evil things like gambling, playing cards and dice are very much prevalent. They take these evil things as a sort of Diwali custom and end up loosing huge sums of money or valuables which they later suffer.

But why Diwali is to be blamed for this kind of people? I believe this kind of people should move out of their age old superstition and try to celebrate the festival happily along with everyone.

Conclusion

2011

Diwali is about to come and we are going to celebrate this festival on 26th of October, 2011. Come let us make ourselves clean from within our heart so that the holy lights of Diwali touches us and we get good blessings or wishes. Hence, open all the doors and windows of your hearts to welcome this festival so that we could celebrate it wholeheartedly. Let us welcome Goddess Lakshmi and clean the path through which she will come to us so that we get blessed with divine blessing. If we could do so, then our life will sparkle like the lights of Diwali.

Hello friends! we all are aware of the famous and popular festivals of India. Among Holi, Diwali, Baisakhi, Id, Christmas, etc. Dasheera ( or Durga Puja in Kolkata) is very famous. If we are talking about Bengali festivals it is Durga Puja. It is festival that make us feel happy and excited .

100 days before puja, all artists are called from different villages. They are provided with the work of creation of "Devi Durga's Diety". Drumists are arranged and budgets are made. The "Pandals" are designed by the painters, architectures, craftsmen and other designers. They try their level best to design the pandals in the form of either a temple or mountain or monuments, etc.

Dieties of the famous Durga Puja Pandals in Kolkata are mostly designed by the artists considering no limit in the budget. The maximum budget that rouse this year is Rs. 6,00,000. The diety was moulded in brass. Many other dieties are made of thermochol and clay.The jewellery and clothes of God and Goddesses are designed in special ways.

Festivals in Kolkata means prayer to God, lots of enjoyment and fun. All of us gather together with our friends and family members. Visit different pandals and have fun. For such purposes, many refreshment stalls are made in the campus. Many companies launch their new products in the market and advertise them in exciting ways. Marketing companies starts booking stalls for such purposes in advance. Businessmen starts planning new and innovative schemes of earning good profits during Puja. Many new items starting from food items to furnitures and clothings are seen at an attractive prices with good advertisement posters.

On behalf of the Government, they try their level best to provide protection and security to the people. Loud speakers are loud at very low decibles. Frequent services of trains and bus facilities are provided and government laid down plans to avoid confusion during Puja. Municipality starts the maintenance work. Roads are pitched properly and drains are cleaned. Disinfectants are spread to avoid germs and diseases.

Students start counting days remaining in Puja. They planned many ideas to spend their holidays in the best way forgeting all about studies. It is just fun.

Continent Asia

కొన్ని ఆశ్చర్యకరమైన వింతైన విషయాలు

Diwali- The brightest festival in the world