A philosopher, Socrates was born in 470 BCE in Athens, Greece, and passed away in 399 BC. Do you know that before he became a philosopher and teacher, Socrates had taken up masonry and sculpting as his profession to sustain a livelihood? Known as the Father of Western Philosophy, Socrates was an enigmatic yet controversial […]
The prince, after facing the she-devils in the forest, reached Bodh Gaya. He entered a rest-house to rest for the night. A she devil had followed the prince and stood outside. The King of Bodh Gaya was passing by. He saw the she-devil and wanted to marry her. However, the she-devil said, “My husband is
Aryabhatta was born around 476 AD in or around the region, which is in between the Narmada and Godavari rivers in India, and passed away in 550 AD. Do you know that Aryabhatta was the first person to state that the earth was round? He had also discovered that the earth rotates and revolves around
The hundredth son of King Brahmadatta was advised that he could become a king only if he went to Bodh Gaya. On the way, the prince had to cross a forest full of narakas (demons). The determined prince and his five servants set out on their journey. She-devils, disguised as pretty women, followed them everywhere.
Kong Qiu or Kong Fuzi (meaning grand master Kong), popularly known as Confucius, was born on the 28th of September 551 BC in Zou, Lu State, near present-day Shandong Province, China, and passed away in 479 BC. Do you know that Confucius has 2 million known and registered descendants with most of them living outside
The Freedom Monument is a statue built in Riga, Latvia, in 1935. The Freedom Monument is a 42-metre high statue made of granite, copper and travertine. The base of the statue comprises 13 groups of bas-relief sculptures symbolizing Latvia’s culture. A 19-metre high column topped with a figure of Liberty lifting 3 stars completes the
Gautama Buddha, popularly known as the Buddha, was born in Lumbini, which is now in present-day Nepal. The exact date of his birth was never recorded, and hence is estimated to be around 563 BC to 483 BC and passed away in 300 BC. Do you know that the Buddha’s 3 most important tenets preach
Pythagoras was born in 570 BC on the island of Samos and passed away in 495 BC. Do you know that in 530 BC, Pythagoras is said to have moved to Croton, where he founded his religious sect known as ‘Pythagoreanism’? A great mathematician and scientist, Pythagoras is well known for his contribution to the
St. Olaf’s Church was built in Tallinn, Estonia, in the 12th century. The Church was a part of the Roman Catholic Church until the Reformation period, when it became a part of the Lutheran tradition. By 1950, St. Olaf’s became a Baptist Church. With an approximate height of 123 metres, the church is a beautiful
Once, the Bodhisattva was born as the Great King Clear-sighted, who was fair and honest. He had a great kingdom. Kusavati, his capital, had four magnificent gates made of gold, silver, jade and crystal respectively, while the city was surrounded by rows of palm trees. King Clear-sighted had a couch encrusted with jewels and he
Homer is speculated to have been born and passed away between the 12th and 8th centuries BC, somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor. Do you know that apart from his epic works, the entire existence of Homer is disputed? A Greek poet, Homer is the author of the classic epic stories of ‘The Iliad
Moses was born around the 1393 BC in Lower Egypt and passed away in the 1273 BC. Do you know that while Moses was a prophet he was also trained in military tactics and the government? Moses was an Egyptian prince who gave up the life of wealth and comfort and followed God’s will to
Long, long ago, it was believed that the way to remove suffering was to make the body suffer. So, a Bodhisattva decided to test this theory. The Bodhisattva became a holy man and gave up everything of comfort. He left the city to go into the forest and forced himself to eat mud and dirty
Once, a rich man owned a herd of cattle. He had employed a man to look after them. The herdsman would take the cattle to the forest to graze. From there, he would bring milk, butter and cheese to the rich man in Bodh Gaya. One day, the rich man asked the herdsman, “Why have
The Tequendama Falls Museum was built as a mansion in Columbia, in 1923. The Tequendama Falls Museum was initially built to celebrate the style and sophistication of the elite citizens of the 1920s. The mansion overlooks the Tequendama Falls on the Bogotá River. In 2003, the structure was converted into a Museum, as the Institute