First words on a gramophone record According to a pamphlet published by HMY history of gramophone recording, when Thom Edison invented the record, he wanted the voice of an eminent person to be on the first one. He wrote to Max Mueller, the German scholar,...
Indian classical music in space The Voyager 1 spacecraft created history by zooming into interstellar space after leaving the solar system in early September 2013. Making the journey on Voyager 1 is a 12-inch gold-plated copper record/compact disc with the sounds of the Earth on...
Crystal lingams of Ranbireshwar temple The Ranbireshwar temple in Jammu, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, built-in 1883, is one of the largest Shiva temples in North India. It is famous for its crystal lingams and a 76-meter-high tower. Dating back to 1883, this...
Important Jain pilgrimage site Every 12 years, a ‘mahamastakaa bhisheka’ – a ritual offering of milk, honey, and flowers with a mahapuja at the vast forehead of Gomteswara Sravanabelgola’s statue – brings thousands of Jains and pilgrims of other faiths to the 17.7-meter-high monolithic statue....
Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad The Mecca Masjid, 200 yards southwest of Charminar, is among the largest mosques in the world. It can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers at a time in its magnificent halls. The Mecca Masjid is so-called because the bricks used to construct the...
Charminar, Hyderabad’s global icon The well-known landmark mosque, the Charminar, has become a global icon of Hyderabad, listed among the most recognised structures in India. In the literal sense, the word Charminar means “four minarets” or towers. Each of these four minarets is 56 meters...
Prophet Muhammad’s relics at Kadam Rasul In the center of Cuttack, Orissa is the Kadam Rasul shrine, said to house the footprints (Kadam, in Hindi) of Prophet Muhammad. The origin of this mosque in | the old part of the city is traced back to...
India’s oldest stone structure The Sanchi Stupa, with its landmark dome, four gateways, and the intricately carved railing encircling the stupa, is India’s oldest known stone structure. It was built to house Buddhist relics.
Taj-ul-Masjid is among the largest mosques The construction of Taj-ul-Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India, was begun by Shah Jehan Begum who ruled Bhopal between 1868 and 1901. The mosque has a pink facade and two 18-story high minarets with marble domes. The...
The largest church in Asia The largest church in Asia is the Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, built by the Portuguese in Goa. It was constructed to mark the victory of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque, over a Hindu king, which led to the...
