Jaisalmer Fort Jaisalmer Fort is situated in the city of Jaisalmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of the very few “living forts” in the world (such as Carcassonne, France), as nearly one fourth of the old city’s population still resides within the fort. For the better part of its 860-year history, the fort was the city of Jaisalmer.…
Regarded as one of the iconic symbols of the state of Rajasthan, the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) sits peacefully in the center of the busy city of Jaipur. Built as an extension to the women’s chambers of the city palace, it was intended as a viewing screen. Through this screen—a kind of architectural veil—women…
There are 33 shrines dug from the volcanic rock at Ellora. Twelve are Buddhist from the Gupta Period, four are Jain, and 17 are Hindu. Undoubtedly the most striking, and one of the best stone temples in all of India, is the Kailashnath temple. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and symbolizes Mount Kailash, the…
Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece…
Sports, physical contests pursued for the goals and challenges they entail. Sports are part of every culture past and present, but each culture has its own definition of sports. The most useful definitions are those that clarify the relationship of sports to play, games, and contests. “Play,” wrote the German theorist Carl Diem, “is purposeless…