Prince Gamani was his father’s hundredth son. He had the best teacher among all his brothers. He was a monk by the name Arahant, the ‘Pure One’. When they grew up, the princes took charge of a province each. When it was Gamani’s time to take charge, Arahant, his teacher, advised him to stay back […]
Once, the Buddha wandered from place to place till he reached Uruvela. On his way he sat down in a grove to rest. In that same grove was a party of thirty friends who were enjoying themselves and while they were sporting, some of their goods were stolen. Then the whole party went in search
One day, a young man named Gyaani overheard a king’s adviser tell his friend, “See that dead mouse; even with that, one can become a millionaire!” Gyaani picked up the dead mouse and sold it to a shopkeeper to feed his cat. With the money, Gyaani bought sweets and sold them to flower sellers. A
Bharadvaja was a wealthy Brahmin farmer. Once he was celebrating his harvest-thanksgiving. At that time, the Buddha came with his alms-bowl, begging for food. Bharadvaja was angry and said, “It is not correct to beg. It would be more fitting for you to go to work than to beg. I plough and sow; I eat.
A trader was travelling along with his helpers to another country with goods. On the way, he reached a very hot desert. He hired a local guide to help him cross the desert at night. After some nights of travelling, the guide ate so much food that he slept sitting on the camel cart. The
Alhambra is a palace-fort complex built in Granada, Spain, originally built in 889. The Alhambra was originally a small fortress, which was gradually rebuilt and renovated until 1333 when it was converted into a Royal Palace. The Alhambra was built in Abassid style of architecture with Byzantine influences. The structure is made from red clay
Once, a merchant set out on a business trip. On the way, he reached a Waterless Desert which was thought to be infested with narakas who were demons. Suddenly, a group of people came from the opposite direction and told him that he would reach an oasis soon. They advised him to throw away his
Once, an old woman brought up a black calf that grew into a strong bull. He came to be known as ‘Kaalu’. Kaalu was full of katannu (gratitude). He often thought, ‘The old woman is poor, yet feeds me well. How will I ever repay her?’ One day, Kaalu saw a merchant trying to cross
A pious man named Magha lived in a small village. There were thirty families in his village. All the people of the village respected and admired Magha deeply. They believed that he was the only person who practised what he preached. One day, the entire village gathered for a meeting. Magha decided to teach them
The Cubic Houses are a set of novel houses built in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 1977. As the name suggests, these structures are actually cube shaped houses that the architect decided to tilt 45 degrees from the traditional shape of a house and rest them on hexagonal shaped pillars. The houses comprise three floors with a
There was a rich Brahmin who lived in Sarnath. He in his old age built himself a large house that had a big garden too. Many poor people of his city begged for alms outside his house. But he gave no one anything. He instead spent his time gaining fame by giving sermons. All the
The Catherine Palace was built in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia in 1717. The Catherine Palace was the summer residence for the Tsars. The interiors were constructed in neo-classical styles of the 18th century. Among other interiors, the Palace was known for its grand suit of formal rooms with painted ceilings and decorated rooms, and the formal
Once, a rich man owned a strong bull, called Shaurya. He was well fed and cared for. One day, Shaurya saw a poster calling for the strongest bull in town for a reward. ‘This is the best way I can repay my master,’ thought Shaurya. The next day, in the competition, the bulls had to
Once, an elephant lived in a king’s palace. Every day, a huge quantity of food was served to him. A weak and poorly fed stray dog also lived in the neighbourhood. One day, the dog sneaked into the shed where the elephant was eating his meal. The dog started to eat the food-crumbs scattered on
Once, there lived a gentle, kind and harmless royal elephant named Airavat. One night, a gang of robbers stopped outside the elephant-shed. They were rude and aggressive and spoke to one another in foul language. Airavat was alone in the shed. The rude talk reached his ears. At first, Airavat did not like the way