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A peek into history

Rich in history and deeply connected with folklore, several fascinating sights around the country are World Heritage Sites. Unravel their photos in this interactive puzzle.

Dotting the world map and spread all over the world are certain locations that are considered to be special for a reason. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) selects landmarks or areas around the world which are of cultural, historic or scientific significance and having ‘outstanding universal value’. These places are called World Heritage Sites. The idea is to protect and preserve these sites carefully so that future generations can visit and appreciate them.

Some examples of World Heritage Sites are Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Stonehenge in the U.K., Itsukushima Shinto Shrine in Japan, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Great Wall of China, the Acropolis in Greece, and so on. There are currently 1,121 sites on this list, including 869 cultural, 213 natural and 39 mixed sites.

There are 38 World Heritage Sites in India. Several of these places are intricately connected with India’s rich history. Here are some such intriguing sites — can you unravel their images while learning about them?

1. Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar

Nalanda is said to be the most ancient university in the Indian subcontinent. This site contains the archaeological remains of the monastic and scholastic institution that was once a flourishing establishment.

2. Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat

Located on the banks of the river Saraswati, this stepwell has seven levels of stairs. Its design, layout, and sculpture work have a great deal of detail, reflecting artistic and architectural mastery.

3. Hill Forts of Rajasthan

This heritage site comprises six majestic forts in the state of Rajasthan — Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer. The Chittorgarh fort is a massive structure. The largest hill fort in Rajasthan, it is a place steeped in Rajput history and legend.

4. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park in Gujarat

This heritage site is a splendid collection of structures in the Panchmahal district of Gujarat. The well-preserved Islamic pre-Mughal city features temples, mosques, stepwells, cemeteries, granaries, walls and so on, set in an impressive landscape.

5. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal in Karnataka

Pattadakal in Karnataka was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty. Set here is a collection of ten major temples which form the heritage site. They reflect a blend of northern and southern Indian architectural styles and are impressive and interesting to explore.

6. Great Living Chola Temples in Tamil Nadu

The Cholas were a powerful dynasty of rulers in South India. Three temples built by them — the Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur, the Brihadeeswara temple at Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram – form this heritage site. The practise of temple worship and rituals, established more than a thousand years ago, are still being continued there. The massive and iconic temple at Thanjavur is widely considered to be the most outstanding achievement of Chola architects.

In case you are curious, here is the complete list of World Heritage Sites in India. (Source: UNESCO)

Cultural:
Agra Fort
Ajanta Caves
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)
Churches and Convents of Goa
Elephanta Caves
Ellora Caves
Fatehpur Sikri
Great Living Chola Temples
Group of Monuments at Hampi
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
Hill Forts of Rajasthan
Historic City of Ahmadabad
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
Jaipur City, Rajasthan
Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya
Mountain Railways of India
Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
Red Fort Complex
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
Sun Temple, Konark
Taj Mahal
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement
The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai
Natural:
Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area
Kaziranga National Park
Keoladeo National Park
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
Sundarbans National Park
Western Ghats
Mixed:
Khangchendzonga National Park

Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Globescan – November 2020

What’s happening around the world? News is just a click away.

There’s lots happening in the world right now, with the pandemic still raging and debates about the elections in the U.S. being prime time material. Here are some top pics from the world of news. Read on…

Click on the hotspots to find out what’s been going on.

Master chef

Here’s a challenge for aspiring chefs. How many cooking techniques can you identify? Click here to play

If you’ve browsed through recipes, you would have come across terms like roasting, braising, stir-frying, glazing, parboiling and more. They are the names given to various cooking techniques and every recipe uses at least one.

Here is a list of six commonly used cooking techniques. How many can you identify?

From strength to strength

Vaccines provide an immunisation that will help you be healthy and strong and also not contract diseases.

A vaccine is a substance that is used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against a disease. It acts as an antigen without inducing the disease.
Vaccines have led to major improvements in child health over a short period. Many infectious diseases that your parents suffered as children will no longer infect you. That is because vaccines have taken care of it.

This Word Search has names of diseases that have vaccines. See how many you know.

Same, yet different

Flags of countries come in different colours, shapes and designs. But did you know that some countries have flags that are almost identical. Click here to learn more…

Flags are a symbolic representation of each country. They come in different colours, designs and some, even shapes! The Nepal flag (below), for example, is in the shape of what is called double-pennon.

There are several flags that look almost the same but differ in the shade of a particular colour used and the size of the stripes. Take the flags of Romania and Chad. At first glance, the look the same. But if you look very closely, there is a slight variation in the colours of the stripes.

Now, here’s a challenge fo you. In the memory puzzle below are flags of 12 different countries. Match each flag with one that is similar to it in either colour or design.

Power Up

There’s more to power than just strength. Find out how power can be used in science with this crossword.

What’s the image that comes to mind when you think of power? Strength. Ability to achieve something. The control of an area or country or being strong politically.

But power also refers to different forms of energy. And that’s what this crossword is all about. Solve all these clues and find out more about power as energy.

Quiz Whizz – November

Take this quiz to brush up on some general knowledge.

Brush up on you general knowledge with this quiz. Recall events from the past and more recent events as well. Do you know the answers to these?

Check it off

If you think about it, now is as good a time as any to make your bucket list. It’s simple and do-able

The other day, I came across a new phrase: bucket list. It’s a list of things a person wants to do or experience before he/she reaches a certain age. It usually includes things like bungee jump off the side of the Grand Canyon (why would anyone want the first thing on their bucket list to be the last thing on it?), acting in a movie, writing and publishing a book, scaling a mountain…the things people want to add to their bucket are usually pretty far out and seem impossible. Which makes sense, I guess; it would be super sad if your bucket list had things like ‘eat more oats’ or ‘learn differential calculus’.

Check out the slider to see how the phrase got my thought train going…