Articles - Page 104 of 539 - Young World Club

Beauty in stone

Art and architecture form a vital part of the country’s heritage. These places are an automatic choice when it comes to this aspect.

Think of the Brhadeeswara temple in Tamil Nadu? Or the Bibi ka Maqbara in Aurangabad? Or the frescoes on the walls of the Badami Cave temples? All these are examples of the fabulous art and architecture from India’s past. On this National Tourism Day, here are eight such places that should be on a traveller’s must-see list.

Sun Temple Konark, Odisha

Constructed in typical Kalinga architectural style, the temple is shaped like a gigantic chariot with carved stone wheel, pillars and walls and led by six enormously carved horses. It is famously known as Kaala Pagoda or Black Pagoda. The wheels of the temple are sundials which can be used to calculate time accurately to a minute. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984.

Ajanta and Ellora

The 30-odd rock-cut Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta (dating from second century BE to 480 CE) contain marvellous sculptures and paintings detailing incidents from the life of the Buddha and Jataka Tales. The Ellora Caves, which are near the Ajanta caves, have the largest rock-cut Hindu cave temples. This complex dates to between 600 and 1000 CE. In Cave 16, the Kailash temple is the world’s largest single monolithic rock excavation. The entire temple, carved from a single rock, is shaped like a chariot and dedicated to Lord Shiva. It also has sculptures of various Hindu deities and relief panels showing episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Some of the caves in Ellora feature Buddhist and Jain iconography. Cave 10, called Vishwakarma’s Cave, features a chaitya and a 15-foot statue of the Buddha. This cave is also known as Carpenter’s Cave because the rock’s finish has the appearance of wooden beams.

Mamallapuram

Also known as Mahabalipuram, this complex of temples and shrines is on the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu. Built during the reign of the Pallava king Narasimhavarman II, Mamallapuram was a busy port town. The monuments date back to the 7-8th century CE, and the structure known as Arjuna’s Penance is one of the largest open-air rock reliefs in the world. Other important structures are the Pancha Rathas (five monolithic stone chariots); 10 cave temples dedicated to Varaha, Krishna, Mahishasuramardini, Dharmaraja and others; the Shore Temple built of granite and one of the oldest structural stone temples in South India and Tirukadalmallai, a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Hampi

Once the capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi contains around 1,600 monuments. Of these are the Vittala temple, the Virupaksha temple and the Hazara Rama temple, all of which feature intricate sculptures and friezes. Apart from temples, the city features royal palaces, pillared halls, mandapas, forts and other structures. The Garuda temple in the form of a stone chariot in the Vittala temple complex is famous.

Gangaikondacholapuram

The capital city of Chola Emperor Rajendra I, the city was founded to commemorate the king’s victory of Bengal’s Pala kings. Apart from the remains of the royal palace, the site is famous for the temple of Gangaikondacholisvara. The lingam in the temple is made from a single rock and the bronze statues of Bhogasakti and Subramanya are considered masterpieces of Chola metal work.

Thiksey Monastery

Located on a hill in Thiksey near Leh, Ladakh, this Buddhist monastery has four main buildings: the assembly hall, the shrine of the guardian deity, the Tara temple and the Maitreya temple. Of these, the oldest is the assembly hall where the monks gather to pray. A wall at the entrance is painted with murals of the Wheel of Life, which has images of a snake, a bird and a pig. These stand for ignorance, attachment and aversion, earthly ties that need to be overcome to gain enlightenment.

Rani ki Vav

“The Queen’s Stepwell”, on the banks of the River Saraswati in Patan, Gujarat, is one of the largest examples of stepwells in India. According to the Jain text, Prabandha Chintamani, it was constructed by Udayamati, wife of the 11th century Chalukya king Bhima I. Seven levels of stairs lead to the well and the walls, columns and niches at each level is filled with carvings, sculptures and relief work. Apart from gods, goddesses and divine beings, these also depict people going about their daily work, animals, birds and fish and vegetation. There are around 500 main sculptures and more than 1,000 smaller ones.

Jantar Mantar

This observatory housing a collection of 19 astronomical instruments was built by Raja Jai Singh II of Jaipur. These instruments allow astronomical positions to be observed with the naked eye. The complex houses the world’s biggest sun dial. The instruments were used to measure time, predict eclipse, track location of stars among others.

Taj Mahal

This marble mausoleum on the banks of the Yamuna at Agra houses the tomb of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. Built of white marble and inlaid with semi-precious stones, it showcases the best of Indo-Islamic architecture. The walls are covered with calligraphy, abstract motifs and bas reliefs of plants and vines. The most striking feature is the dome with four smaller domes at the corners of the cylindrical structure the big dome sits on.

Based on what you have read, identify the monuments and match them with their names.

Get that ball!

Do you have a keen eye? Test it with this sporty challenge!

In each of the pictures below, the balls have gone missing.

Using clues from the picture, can you find where the ball was supposed to be? Click on the spot you think the ball should be.

Number tricks

Once mastered, these division tricks will make basic math a breeze

Yes, math can be fun and you can be a genius at it too! To make it interesting, here are a few tried and tested tricks especially when you are using division.

Divide by 1 – Anytime you divide by 1, the answer is the same as the numerator.
Divide by 2 – If the last digit in the number is even, then the entire number is divisible by 2. Remember that dividing by 2 is the same as cutting something in half.
Divide by 4 – If the last two digits divide by 4, then the entire number is divisible by 4. For example, we know that 14237732 can be divided evenly by 4 because 32 ÷ 4 = 8.
Divide by 5 – If the number ends in a 5 or a 0, it is divisible by 5.
Divide by 6 – If the rules for dividing by 2 and divide by 3 above are true, then the number is divisible by 6.
Divide by 9 – Similar to the divide by 3 rule, if the sum of all the digits is divisible by 9, then the entire number is divisible by 9. For example, we know that 18332145 is divisible by 9 because 1+8+3+3+2+1+4+5 = 27 and 27 ÷ 9 = 3.
Divide by 10 – If the number ends in a 0, then it is divisible by 10.

Now that you have mastered the trick, why not play this little game?

My beautiful land

With National Tourism Day around the corner, here is a crossword about popular tourist spots in India.

It’s National Tourism Day on January 25. Why do we celebrate tourism? Not only do we learn more about the fascinating places found in India but also acknowledge how important tourism is to our economy. By travelling, you contribute to the transport and hospitality sectors, not to speak of small merchants and vendors in the places you visit.
Now here is a crossword based on some very popular tourist spots in India. Use the pictures and the clues to identify them.

Vital vitamins

These interactive tasks are all set in the world of vitamins. Get cracking now!

Welcome to Vitamin-Land! Vitamins are substances found in the food we eat. They are essential for our bodies to function properly. By eating a variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables, you can ensure that your body gets enough of each vitamin to function properly and stay healthy.

Delve into these interactive tasks to learn a little bit about vitamins. Scroll through the slides below.

Forgotten tongue

You won’t recognise these common terms by their archaic names.

Language is ever-evolving. Every year, new words are added to our vocabulary. Take the words facepalm, hangry, cringe and staycation. They came into our vocabulary only recently.

Similarly, over centuries, new words have continued to be coined, replacing some words and making them non-existent. Here are a few such archaic words and their present-day counterparts. Find the correct pair.

Quiz whizz: January 20, 2022

Here are a set of six questions to test your knowledge of current affairs. Play on!

How much do you know about the world around you? Check your knowledge with this quiz.

Instrumental medley

Learn more about the orchestra and play this game to improve your vocabulary …

In western classical music, an orchestra plays an important role. It combines various kinds of instruments into a large ensemble. Orchestral instruments are of four kinds:
Bowed and stringed such as violin, ciola, cello and double bass
Woodwind such as flute, saxophone, clarinet and oboe
Brass such as hron, trumpet, tuba and trombone
Percussion such as different types of drums, triangle, tambourine, cymbals and xylophone

An orchestra can have musicians ranging from 70 to 100, depending on the compositions being performed. These are called symphony or philarmonic orchestra. A smaller one with around 50 musicians is called a chamber orchestra.
An orchestra is led by a conductor, who directs the musicians with the movement of hands.
Among the more famous orchestras are the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philarmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philarmonic Orchestra among others.
Now that you have read about the orchestra, here is an activity for you. Below are the letters of the word ‘orchestra’ arranged in a flower pattern. You have to find four-letter, five-letter, six-letter and seven-letter words from these letters. The central letter must be included in each word. There are 25 words. How many can you find?

Getting crafty

Part 33: Meghnath learns about a principle that will give him the upper hand against his opponents during war.

While Hanuman and Sugriva are learning simple science and warfare techniques, Meghnath is delving into the most advanced techniques from Sukracharya.

Meghnath: Guru, is there a way to divert the direction of weapons mid-flight and stun the opponents?

Sukracharya: What made you think of this?

Meghnath: I was observing the movement of the box mite. This insect jumps in a weird curvy way and increases its range. It also uses the same techniques to escape or target its prey.

Sukracharya: You mean like this?

Sukracharya kicks a ball, which travels in a curvy path instead of going straight.

Meghnath: Yes. This is what I meant. What magic is this?

Sukracharya: This is not magic, Meghnath. It is pure science. Many football, basketball and tennis players use this technique.

Meghnath: Can you show me how?

Sukracharya: It will be easier to explain it with this experiment. Just remember: “High speed, low pressure; low speed, high pressure.”

Sukracharya brings two paper cups, tape and a rubber band.

Sukracharya: Do you think we can make this paper cup fly?

Meghnath: Perhaps, we can throw it up and, with a parachute, it can gently float down.

Sukracharya: What about without a parachute?

Meghnath: I guess you are going to show me how with this experiment.

Sukracharya: Yes. Watch.

Sukracharya demonstrates how to put the paper cups together to make it “fly”. (Refer to the experiment below)

Meghnath: Wow! The cylinder flies upwards! How did this happen?

Sukracharya: It’s called Bernoulli’s Principle. It states that faster-moving air has low air pressure and slower-moving air has high air pressure. All aircraft use this principle to fly. Aeroplanes use this principle to achieve lift or take off from the ground.

Meghnath: Is this the principle the footballers use too?

Sukracharya: Yes. I will tell you more later. With a few more experiments, you will also be able to build the kind of weapon you asked about: one that can change direction.

Meghnath: That sounds exciting!

Sukracharya smiles, as he knows that Meghnath will use this principle in future warfare extensively.

The author is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras incubated ed-tech startup that offers Air Science workshops for children between five and 14 years.

Glider Cups

Click on the yellow info buttons to learn more about each step.

To launch: To launch, let go of the cups. The rubber band chain will unwind, spinning the cups. This will result in the cups gently gliding to the ground.