Sushruta Samhita, Ayurveda

  

Sushruta Samhita is one of the oldest books in Ayurveda that was written by Sushruta, the legendary Ayurvedic Physician of ancient India. The Sushruta Samhita is the complete book that deals with the practical problems of surgery and midwifery or obstetrics. In India the practice of surgery is very ancient that dates back to around 800 BC. Surgery was termed as ‘Sastrakarma’ and was one of the eight branches of Ayurveda, which is the ancient Indian system of medicine.

Sushruta: Composer of Sushruta Samhita
Sushruta is recognized today as the ‘Father of Plastic Surgery’ all over the world. He was the first person who studied human anatomy. Sushruta was the specialist of Rhinoplasty or plastic surgery and Opthalmology or the elimination of cataracts. He was equipped with excellent surgical skills and elevated the practical science of surgery to the level of art.

Context of Sushruta Samhita
In the Sushruta Samhita this detailed study of anatomy is described. It consists of 184 chapters and is divided into two parts, The Purva Tantra and Uttara Tantra.

The Purva Tantra gives the signs and symptoms of important surgical diseases, obstetrics, geriatrics, anatomy, embryology, nature of poisons and their removal.

The Uttara Tantra gives account of various diseases of the ear, eye, head and nose and solutions to complications that may arise out of surgery.

Sushruta Samhita mentions about 1,120 medical conditions, including injuries and illnesses relating to ageing and mental illness. There are eight main divisions of human surgery in Sushruta Samhita namely;

Chedya (excision)

Lekhya (scarification)

Vedhya (puncturing)

Esya (exploration)

Ahrya (extraction)

Vsraya (evacuation)

Sivya (Suturing)

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Tourism In Andhra Pradesh

  Tourism in Andhra Pradesh deals with the many tourists' spots like Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Alisagar Deer Park, Vijayawada and many other spots.

Andhra Pradesh is a tourist's paradise and is promoted by the tourism department as the 'Kohinoor of India'. This Indian state is rich in culture and heritage. There is a wide array of ancient sculptured temples, modern cities, scenic hill ranges, unexplored forests and endless beaches. This diverse nature is due to the fact that since history this place has been a seat of power for many dynasties such as the Mauryas, Pallavas, Cholas, Satavahanas, Chalukyas and the empire of Vijayanagar who have had their own culture and tradition that is reflected in the monuments and buildings of each era. Various religions have also cast its influence and contributed to the rich heritage of Andhra Pradesh. The wild life, caves and museums offer imposing vista that has continued to fascinate the observer over the years.

Pilgrimage Tourism in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is a popular pilgrim site. It is the home to many religious pilgrim centres. The Tirupati temple situated on the Tirumala hills is the major religious center of the state. The temple is the abode to Lord Venkateshwara and is the richest Hindu temple in the world. People from all over the world come here to offer prayers to the lord. Apart from this Amaravati's Shiva temple is also a renowned religious place. Srikalahasti temple in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh is one of the ancient Hindu pilgrimage sites. The Shiva temple here is renowned for its magnificent 'gopuras'. The Ramappa temple and Thousand Pillars temple in Warangal are famous for their temple carvings.

The state has numerous Buddhist centers at Amaravati, Bhattiprolu, Nagarjunakonda, Ghantasala, Nelakondapalli, Phanigiri and Kolanpaka. Islam, too, is one of the important religions here. Hyderabad is dotted with mosques that are worth visiting. Once the abode of Nizams this city is has been quintessentially shaped by Muslim culture. Rajahmundry or Rajamahendri is another impressive city in this state which houses several sacred temples. The Basar Temple is yet another ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Sarawathi, as well as Goddess Kali and Goddess Lakshmi.

Nature Tourism in Andhra Pradesh
The flora and fauna of Andhra Pradesh has enabled the survival of wild species and has, in turn, led to the several national parks. The breathing spaces of the state are the gardens. Vizag in the state of Andhra Pradesh is nestled among the hills of the Eastern Ghats and facing the Bay of Bengal. The beaches of Vizag are a major tourist haunt. The scenic Araku valley and the Borra caves enhance the natural beauty of Andhra Pradesh. The natural caves at Yaganti such as Rokalla cave, Venkateswara cave, Sanka cave, and Veera Brahmam caves add serenity to this place. Vijayawada is a beautiful city of Andhra Pradesh and is located on the banks of the Krishna River bounded by the Indrakeeladri Hills on the west and the Budameru stream on the north. Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is more popularly known as the land of golden beaches.

Wild life is an integral part of Andhra Pradesh tourism. The Alisagar Deer Park established in 1985 is flanked by natural hillocks and attractive flower gardens, the lake and its environs are loaded with picturesque exquisiteness. The park is a home to many deer species and is also a good picnic spot for tourists. The Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the oldest sanctuaries of Andhra Pradesh and has tropical dry deciduous type of teak, thiruman, bamboo etc. The fauna comprises a number of endangered animals like tiger, four horned antelope, chinkara, black buck among others. The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam houses eighty species of animals.

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Tourism in Arunachal Pradesh

  

Tourism in Arunachal Pradesh is one of the major earners for the state. Arunachal Pradesh boasts of its tourism as it possesses countryside views which attract tourists from all over the world. Arunachal Pradesh means "land of the dawn lit mountains" in Sanskrit. Major tourist attractions include Tawang, Ziro, the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Changlang district and Sela Lake near Bomdila with its bamboo bridges overhanging the river. Religious places of interest include Malinithan in Lekhabali, Rukhmininagar near Roing and Parshuram Kund in Lohit district. Other than that, Tourism in Arunachal Pradesh includes several festivals, local sports and traditional art and crafts of the state.

Tawang
Tawang has a unique historic perspective mixed with natural beauty and solitude of Gudpi and Chong-Chugmi ranges and Tawang Chu River and Valley. It is an important seat of Mahayana Buddhism famous for Tawang Monastery of the Gelukpa founded by Mera Lama Lodre Gyaltso during the 17th century. It is the second largest monastery in Asia and the largest one of its kind in the country. The most imposing part is the three-storey assembly hall which houses the temple and the 28 ft high Golden statue of Lord Buddha. Tawang is also famous for beautiful natural Lakes, like the Sangetsar Lake. It is home to snow pigeons and musk deers. Other important places in and around Tawang are the War Memorial, Craft Centre and local markets.

Ziro
This is a place which is around 167 km from Itanagar. It is a beautiful plateau and headquarters of Lower Subansiri District bounded on all sides by picturesque hills. The place has beautiful lush green forest, rivulets and elevated patches. It is known for paddy cum pisciculture cultivation. It is also renowned for the terrace paddy fields where the unique system of poly-culture and water management of the Apatani Tribe is practiced.

Sela Pass
Sela Pass is the world's second highest motorable pass which lies on the way to Tawang. There is a serene natural crystal blue water lake. It has a picturesque landscape surrounding it.

Namdapha National Park
Namdapha National Park is the 15th Tiger Reserve in the country. It is the only National Park in the country where the Royal Bengal Tiger, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard are found. Another unique feature of this park is that it covers a wide range of altitude from 200m to 4500m. The upper range is covered with snow during the major part of the year. The Noa-Dihing River meanders through the forest.

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Pehlwani, Indian Martial Art

  

Pehlwani or Kushti is a popular style of Indian wrestling that was developed during the Mughal period. Pehlwani is a fusion and combination of Varzesh-e Bastani of Persian origin and malla-yuddha of Indian origin.

Origin of Pehlwani
Pehlwani is an evolved and enhanced variation of the ancient Indian wrestling form known as Malla Yuddha, which was practiced during the 5th century BC. It can be described as the oldest and the traditional forms of Wrestling in India. Malla Yuddha is even described in the Malla Purana, a treatise formed in the 13th century. During the Mughal invasion in Indian in the 16th century, Malla Yuddha underwent a complete transformation as the Central Asian Mughals promoted Persian customs and culture. Malla Yuddha was hugely influenced by Mongolian and Persian (Varzesh-e Bastani) form of wrestling and thus Pehlwani was created. The various instructors and practitioners gradually developed it.

History of Pehlwani in India
There were several great and renowned wrestlers in India, like Ghulam Muhammad, popularly known as Gama Pehlwan, and Jatindra Charan Guha, famous as Gobar Goho, who brought the country international recognition in wrestling. In the IV Asian Games or Jakarta Games, India reached the summit of glory as all the 7 Pehlwans received medals, including 12 medals in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. Again at the Commonwealth Games, conducted at Kingston, Jamaica, all of the 8 Indian wrestlers received medals for their outstanding performances. By 1960s, the country was ranked amongst the top 8 wrestling nations in the world. Due to their glorious history in wrestling, India hosted the World Wrestling Championships in New Delhi in 1967.

Development of Pehlwani in India
The practitioners of Pehlwani nowadays incorporate various Asian martial art styles in their training routine like including the grappling aspects of Jujutsu and Judo. The conditioning and sparring techniques of Pehlwani have been introduced into various aspects of Shoot Wrestling and Catch Wrestling, including the derivative systems. These also incorporate numerous throws, takedowns and submissions of Pehlwani.

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Rajasthani Pottery

  

The terracotta tradition in Rajasthan dates back to the Harappan age. Today too it continues, as it is one of the interesting pieces of art for the tourists. Most of these are made in the villages of Rajasthan. The state's excellent artistry has been instrumental in creating some of the most phenomenal images or art forms. A mixture of clay is used to on the potter's wheel and pots of various shapes and sizes are created manually. Patience, concentration and meticulousness are highly required to make the pots. Besides pots and water jars other object of arts, such as, warriors mounted on horses, elephants and their keepers, plaques of deities and votive images are also part of the pottery in Rajasthan.

The Blue Pottery of Jaipur is quite popular amongst art lovers. There is an interesting history regarding how this kind of pottery arrived at Rajasthan. Blue glazed pottery originated in China and was later perfected by the Persians. It was the Mughals who introduced it to India. This art form was brought to Jaipur by Sawai Jai Singh II. In the middle of 11th century Kripal Singh Shekhawat started experimenting with its form and colours under the patronage of Raj Mata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur. From then on Jaipur became the pioneer of Blue Pottery.

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Bihar Cuisine, Indian Food

  

Bihar Cuisine is predominantly vegetarian because traditional Bihar society, influenced by Buddhist and Hindu values of non-violence, did not eat eggs, chicken, fish and other animal products. However unlike Gujarat and other communities of the South, non-vegetarian food is quite acceptable in few traditional homes of Bihar. The cuisine of Bihar is similar to a great extent to North Indian Cuisine but has an influence from other East Indian Cuisine for example like Bengali Cuisine.

Variety of Food in Bihar Cuisine
Bihar cuisine offers several tasty morning foods which have their immense nutritional value, some of them are "Sattu", considered as an appetizer, is taken with water and is served with pickle, onion and green chillies, is a common intake of the laboured class. Another preparation of Sattu is prepared with raisins, milk, cashew nuts and pista, a favourable drink of the elite. Other morning foods, prepared with Sattu are "Parantha" in which Sattu is mixed with spices and stuffed, and another one is "Litti" which come in large varieties, cooked with flour, ginger, garlic and pepper and served with chutney, curry or pickle. Among the popular as well as of high nutritional value food is "Chokha" which is a preparation made with mashed potatoes and other vegetables and are garnished with onion, chillies and mustard oil. "Baingan ka Chokha" is a famous dish of Bihar. "Bachka" is a fried food and it needs to slice the vegetables and fried in a chickpea batter to make these crispy fritters. "Chura Dahi" (flattened rice and curd), taken with sugar or jaggery, is a favourite breakfast among the people of Bihar. Bihar cuisine encompasses different types of bread and Parathas such as "Onion Paratha", "Potato Paratha", "Sattu Paratha", "Makai Roti", "Dal Puri", "Makuni" etc. "Samosa" and "Kachoris" are enjoyed as fast food all over Bihar. "Kachori" is prepared in various ways and are of different kinds like, "Sattu ki Kachori". "Pitha" and "Bakha", steam cooked is mainly prepared in North-Eastern Bihar. "Makhana", mainly water fruit, is prepared from lotus seeds, with milk and sugar is must during religious festivals and marriages. It can also be cooked as a salty puff. Makhana or 'Chura Bhunja' is paired with uncooked sprouts soaked in water and cherished by the locale.

Bihar Cuisine has several ramifications of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Most of the inhabitants of Bihar prefer to have vegetarian dishes which consist of ‘Rice’, ‘Roti’, ‘Lentils’, ‘Pickle’ and ‘Tarkari’, ‘Aloo Chokha’, ‘Kala Chana Ghoomni’, ‘Chana Dal ki Kachree’, ‘Subzi Jhingi’ or ‘Nenua Chana’, ‘Kafta’, ‘Shahi Paneer’, ‘Vegetable Korma’, ‘Palak Paneer’, ‘Bharwan Karela’ etc.

Bihar has a large number of Buddhists and Jains who consume a strict vegetarian diet and others prefer to have non-vegetarian foods. The Kayasthas of Bihar likes to consume healthy but vegetarian dishes as their meal. The Maithil Brahmins follow a tradition to offer goat or meat as ‘Prasad’ to God in many religious festivals. In Bihar, offering meat to a guest is considered as sacred. The Bihar cuisine has some special dishes among which "Tilba", "Chura", "Chitba", "Pitthow" and "Makhana" can be named. "Kadhi" is preferred among the Biharis, eaten with plain rice. "Dhuska" is a deep fried, salted item prepared from a mixture of powdered rice and ghee but is one of the many dishes of Bihar.

Tribal Food in Bihar Cuisine
Bihar Cuisine includes the food habits of the aboriginal tribes who are the residents of Chotanagpur, the Southern half of Bihar. The tribes mainly take boiled cereals, a curry of boiled vegetables or meat or edible roots seasoned with salt and chillies and millet. Among the tribal specialties are "Asur Pitha" (prepared from the flour of Mahua) and "Sauria Ghata" which is cooked like rice with the crushed maize. "Korwa Lata" and "Korwa Jatangi" are also famous among the tribes. The tribes relish a beverage called "Handia" which is prepared by fermenting rice with the help of biro (a medicinal cake), partially cooked over fire in a Handi (earthen cooking pot). Then it is cooked and mixed with powdered biro. Then the pot is kept in a cool place for some days and after a certain time the Handia gets ready to be distributed.

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Nagara Style of Architecture

  The Nagara style is typically characterised by the architectural wonder, which ideally portrayed the craftsmanship of the artists. A study of the temples of northern India reveals two distinct features, in Planning and in Elevation. In plan, the temples were basically quadrangle with graduated projections in the centre. In elevation, it resembles a tower gradually inclining inwards in a convex curve. According to the plan the projections are carried upwards to the top of the Sikhara, and thus there is strong emphasis on vertical lines in elevation. The Nagara style is spread across various parts of India. It therefore, exhibits diverse verities and implications in separate outlines of development and elaboration. Such plans and the curvilinear tower are, however, common to every medieval temple of northern India.

On account of regional difference, architecture of the temples of Nagara style can be classified according to diverse regions, such as, Orissa, Central India, Rajputana, Gujarat and Kathiwar etc.

Nagara Style Architecture of Orissa
The development of the Nagara style took place in Orissa from the 7th to 13th century A.D. It has, therefore, probably more temples than in all the rest of northern India. The activity is mostly centred on Bhubaneshwar, which alone contains hundreds of temples. The three most important temples of Orissa are Muktesvara temple, Rajarani temple and the Lingaraja temple.

The Muktesvara temple is regarded as a gem of Orissan architecture. A low enclosure wall embellished with sculptured niches surrounds it. The temple is entered through an elaborately ornamented Takaratorana that forms a unique and fitting entrance to this small but exquisitely ornate and well-proportioned monument. The Sikhara is of five storeys and shows on the central Ratha beautifully carved Chaitya-dormer surrounded by a Kirtmukha and flanked by two grinning dwarfs. This is the first temple wherein the shoulder partakes of the projections of Sikhara and the Mandapa facade follows the same scheme of ornamentation as the sanctum with the addition of an ornate projection on each side. It is surrounded by a pediment and crowned by a lion figure.

The Rajarani temple, roughly dates back to the early 11th century, represents a unique experiment in Orissa. Its Sikhara is clustered by turrets including leaning spires and corner-spires, some of them crowned by double Amalakas, like the temples of central India such as those of Khajuraho.

The Lingaraja temple, dating from the 11th century, is the grandest temple marking the culmination of the architectural activity at Bhubaneshwar. This temple consists of the sanctum, a closed hall, a dancing hall and a hall of offerings. The sanctum is Pancharatha on plan. The lower register of the wall is decorated with Khakhara-Mundis and the upper with Pidhamundis. The Khakhara Mundis contains on the corner Rathas figures of eight Regents and on the flanking Rathas miscellaneous friezes. The Pidhamundis are inset with images of various Brahmanical gods and goddesses.

The famous temple of Jagannatha at Puri is roughly contemporaneous with the Lingaraja. It shows the same mature plan as the latter, but is even loftier and is nearly 56.70 m high.

The culmination of the style was reached in the Sun temple at Konark, which marks even in its ruined state. This is the grandest achievement of the artistic and architectural genius of Orissa. The colossal temple originally consisted of a sanctum with a lofty curvilinear Sikhara, a Jagamohana and a detached elaborately carved square platform. This Jagamohana is unparalleled for its grandeur and structural propriety in the country; Majestic in conception and rich imagery, the temple not only marks the final fulfilment of Orissan architecture but is one of the most sublime monuments of India.

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