Once, some bandits robbed a village and escaped into the forest. The villagers chased them into the forest but could not find them. On the way back, they saw three men ploughing a field. Thinking that the robbers were pretending to be farmers, the villagers arrested them. When the three men were taken to the […]
St. Mark’s Campanile is a bell tower built in Venice, Italy in 1514. One of the most recognizable monuments of Venice, St. Mark’s Campanile is a 98.6-metre tall flute-like square brick shaft topped with a loggia, which surrounds the belfry containing five bells. Above the belfry is a cube with the faces of the Lion
Once, a monk lived in a forest. One day, he visited a kingdom for alms. King Brahmadatta invited him to stay in the royal garden. The monk lived there for sixteen years. One day, King Brahmadatta had to go out. The queen had to take care of her husband’s responsibilities in his absence. She was
Once, a country man married a city woman. His wife stole money from his pocket and bought knickknacks for herself. So, whenever she would steal money, she would be nice to him. However, on other days, she would be rude to him. The young man was disturbed by his wife’s behaviour. Soon, he came to
The Bodiam Castle was built in East Sussex, England, in 1385. The Bodiam Castle was built to protect the south coast of England from French raids. The quadrangular castle has 3-storey high circular towers at each of the four ends, and the entire castle sits in the middle of a moat. Its architecture was typical
Once, the Bodhisattva was born as the prince of Benaras. A fortune-teller proclaimed, “The prince will be a great king.” When the prince turned sixteen, he went to Takshashila to study. When he graduated, his teacher gifted him five weapons and sent him back to Benaras. On the way, the prince passed a forest. The
Once a Bodhisattva lived as a spirit in a banyan tree. One day, a poor man came to pray to the tree. He had nothing to offer except a loaf of bread. So, when he saw others offering expensive gifts and sweets to the tree, he felt disheartened. He was about to turn back when
The Maunsell Sea Forts were armed towers built in the United Kingdom in 1942. The Maunsell Sea Forts comprised naval forts that were designed with two cylindrical towers supporting a gun platform, like military grade bunkers, and army forts that were larger and interconnected by steel platforms. These forts were built in the Thames and
Once, misfortune fell on Mittavinda’s ship. He was set adrift on a bamboo raft. Soon, he reached a Glass Palace and lived with apsaras (fairies). However, in his greed to gain more wealth, he left them. Finally, Mittavinda reached hell. There, he saw a man with a sharp wheel around his neck. It looked like
Once, a monk and his followers were travelling through a thick forest. The monk warned his followers, “Stay away from poisonous trees and fruits.” The group soon reached a village. A Whatnot tree stood outside the village. It looked exactly like a mango tree. Some of the group members ate the fruits without thinking. The
Kalavanti Durg is a fort built in Maharashtra, India, around 500 BC. The Kalavanti Durg is situated atop a pinnacle 500 metres above the Prabal plateau. Also, known as the Climb to Heaven, the fort is known for its dangerous location. The stone steps cut into the hill do not have any ropes or rails
Once, a gang of cheats lived in Benaras. One day, they planned to rob a rich man. They added a sleeping potion to orange juice and decided to make the rich man drink it. Once he slept, they intended to rob his money and jewellery. With such a plan, the cheats erected a temporary roadside
Ananda, the son of King Badfruit, grew up in Champa. When he learnt that his father had been cheated by his own brother, he set out to reclaim his kingdom. While Ananda’s ship sailed at sea, a violent storm damaged his ship. Everybody, except Ananda, was killed. Ananda was the Bodhisattva, so he swam for
Once, King Badfruit ruled Mithila. One day, the king’s servant informed him that his brother Poorfruit wanted to kill him. So, the king locked Poorfruit in a dungeon. Poorfruit prayed, “Let the chains fall off if I have done no wrong.” Miraculously, the chains fell off, the dungeon doors opened and Poorfruit fled to a
The Kailashnath Mahadev Statue was built in Nepal between 2004 and 2011. The Statue of Kailashnath Mahadev is a copper, zinc, concrete and steel statue of Lord Shiva. The statue is 144 metres in height, making it the tallest statue of Shiva and a Hindu deity in the world. Amazing Fact: The foundation of the