India – Delhi people and surroundings
- 18/02/2019
Kumbh Mela is a religious gathering of Hindu devotees along a holy river for bathing and prayers. The largest congregation on Earth is inscribed on the representative list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of India. It is held every 12 years at four places by rotation: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain. Each of these sites celebrate the occasion along a holy river- Ganga in Haridwar, Triveni Sangam- confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, Shipra in Ujjain and Godavari in Nasik. The mini versions of the event, Ardh Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year between two Poorna Kumbha Melas.
The recent Ardh Kumbh Mela is all set to commence in 2019 on the holy banks of Triveni Sangam in Allahabad. The auspicious occasion falls in the month of Magh, according to Hindu calendar that is mostly between January-Februarys. According to astrological calculations the occurrence happens when Jupiter is in Aries, Sun and Moon in Capricorn; or Jupiter in Taurus and Sun in Capricorn. Also a Mini Kumbh Mela in the Hindu month of Magh (January- February) Mela is held every year in Allahabad only.
There is no concrete proof to the start of the Kumbh Mela. According to Hindu mythology, it dates back to the episode of Samudra Manthan, when Devas and Asuras churned the sea. From the event came forward a pot of Amrit (nectar of immortality). Both parties got involved and fought for 12 days. 1 day of the celestial beings were equated to 12 years in the human world, therefore Kumbh Melas are held after 12 years. During the struggle, few drops of nectar fell on Earth at these locations which are now deemed as holy spots. Ardh Kumbha Mela is held in 6 years in between two Purna Kumbha Melas, while the Maha Kumbha Mela comes in 144 years.
During the Kumbh Mela it is believed that the river waters at these holy sites are charged with divine powers. Therefore, ascetics, devotees and people from all walks of life take a dip in the river waters and cleanse their sins and ultimately attain salvation.
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.
Classical Athens was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus, which had been a distinct city prior to its 5th century BC incorporation with Athens. A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular the Romans. In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2012, Athens was ranked the world’s 39th richest city by purchasing power and the 67th most expensive in a UBS study.
Athens is a global city and one of the biggest economic centres in southeastern Europe. It has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe, and the second largest in the world. The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens) had a population of 664,046 (in 2011) within its administrative limits, and a land area of 38.96 km2. The urban area of Athens (Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus) extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits, with a population of 3,090,508 (in 2011) over an area of 412 km2. According to Eurostat in 2011, the functional urban area (FUA) of Athens was the 9th most populous FUA in the European Union (the 6th most populous capital city of the EU), with a population of 3.8 million people. Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland.
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. The length is 164 kilometres (102 mi). The drainage basin is 3,426 square kilometres. It is the fourth largest river in Switzerland (after the Rhine, Aare and Rhône).
The upper Reuss forms the main valley of the canton of Uri. The course of the lower Reuss runs from Lake Lucerne to where it connects with the Aare at Brugg.
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and before Cyprus), with an area of 24,100 square kilometres. It is situated between 38° 51′ and 41° 18′ latitude north (respectively Isola del Toro and Isola La Presa) and 8° 8′ and 9° 50′ east longitude (respectively Capo dell’Argentiera and Capo Comino). To the west of Sardinia is the Sea of Sardinia, a unit of the Mediterranean Sea; to Sardinia’s east is the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is also an element of the Mediterranean Sea.[12]Lake Omodeo, the largest reservoir in Italy
The nearest land masses are (clockwise from north) the island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia, the Balearic Islands, and Provence. The Tyrrhenian Sea portion of the Mediterranean Sea is directly to the east of Sardinia between the Sardinian east coast and the west coast of the Italian mainland peninsula. The Strait of Bonifacio is directly north of Sardinia and separates Sardinia from the French island of Corsica.
The coasts of Sardinia 1,849 kilometres long are generally high and rocky, with long, relatively straight stretches of coastline, many outstanding headlands, a few wide, deep bays, rias, many inlets and with various smaller islands off the coast.
The island has an ancient geoformation and, unlike Sicily and mainland Italy, is not earthquake-prone. Its rocks date in fact from the Palaeozoic Era (up to 500 million years old). Due to long erosion processes, the island’s highlands, formed of granite, schist, trachyte, basalt (called jaras or gollei), sandstone and dolomite limestone (called tonneri or “heels”), average at between 300 to 1,000 metres (984 to 3,281 feet). The highest peak is Punta La Marmora (Perdas Carpìas in Sardinian language)(1,834 m (6,017 ft)), part of the Gennargentu Ranges in the centre of the island. Other mountain chains are Monte Limbara (1,362 m (4,469 ft)) in the northeast, the Chain of Marghine and Goceano (1,259 m (4,131 ft)) running crosswise for 40 kilometres (25 miles) towards the north, the Monte Albo (1,057 m (3,468 ft)), the Sette Fratelli Range in the southeast, and the Sulcis Mountains and the Monte Linas (1,236 m (4,055 ft)). The island’s ranges and plateaux are separated by wide alluvial valleys and flatlands, the main ones being the Campidano in the southwest between Oristano and Cagliari and the Nurra in the northwest.
Sardinia has few major rivers, the largest being the Tirso, 151 km (94 mi) long, which flows into the Sea of Sardinia, the Coghinas (115 km) and the Flumendosa (127 km). There are 54 artificial lakes and dams that supply water and electricity. The main ones are Lake Omodeo and Lake Coghinas. The only natural freshwater lake is Lago di Baratz. A number of large, shallow, salt-water lagoons and pools are located along the 1,850 km (1,150 mi) of the coastline.
Need a break from all that media? Want to reconnect with the rhythm of nature? See the world though different eyes? In the Maltese archipelago, there’s a special place where magic has been happening for millennia.
A place where sun, salt, sea and stone all come together to create a story that speaks directly to the heart and soul.
Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The country covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000, making it one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km2, is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area. Malta has two official languages which are Maltese and English. However, the Maltese language is also regarded as the national language of the island.
Malta’s location in the middle of the Mediterranean has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French, and British have ruled the islands.
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon, its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.
