Calliope articles from March 2005

Calliope archives from March 2005

A monarch should be intent on conquest, otherwise his neighbors rise in arms against him.(Musings)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Alexander the Great, Queen Victoria, Julius Caesar, Louis XIV of France--mention any one of these names, and an immediate image comes to mind. But say the name 'Akbar" and you're certain to get a puzzled look. Yet, his kingdom included more...

Time line.(Indian history)(Chronology)
March 1, 2005... 1526 Babur leads his troops into India; Mughal Empire established. 1556 Humayun dies and Akbar is crowned king at age 13. 1570 Akbar begins construction on Fatehpur Sikri. 1586 Akbar abandons Fatehpur Sikri and...

King at thirteen.(Akbar the Great)
March 1, 2005... In 1556, in a garden in northern India, a young boy of 13 was crowned Padshah, or emperor, of Hindustan. His name was Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, which translates as "glory of religion, Muhammad is great." Later, he became known simply as Akbar...

Young Akbar's world.
March 1, 2005... As a boy, Akbar was fearless and adventurous, talents that would prove crucial to his becoming an effective army commander. Akbar also developed social skills that were of great help to him as he sought to rule the Mughals' complex empire. ...

Magic from the days of Akbar.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Magic tricks such as the ones below have been staples of Indian street magic since Akbar's time. Now, it's time to try your skill. Making Money Disappear Here's the Magic: Cover a glass with a cloth, then set it over a coin. Remove...

Deceit and loyalty.( Akbar - Mughal Emperor)
March 1, 2005... For young Akbar, becoming king hardly affected his life. He continued his playful ways, while his prime minister, Bairam Khan, made key decisions. Bairam Khan was an aristocrat who moved quickly to hold the empire together, skillfully juggling...

Building an empire.
March 1, 2005... Akbar was still a teenager when he took the reins of government into his own hands, and many nobles thought the opportunity perfect to seize his throne. Their schemes did not work, however, as Akbar proved to be a bright, energetic, and...

Tolerance promotes peace.(Akbar's social life)
March 1, 2005... Akbar realized that he was a foreigner and a Muslim ruling over an extremely varied empire. He wanted to find a way, other than using military force, to unite his religiously diverse subjects, most of whom were Hindus. Gradually, he came to the...

Dumdum.(WORD ORGINS)(soft-nosed bullet)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... "Dumdum" is the name given to a soft-nosed bullet that expands when it hits, inflicting a large, jagged wound. Dumdum was actually the name of an arsenal near the Indian city of Calcutta. Checking into its history, we found that it is a...

Pajama.(WORD STORIES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Here's one of the most commonly used words in the English language--and it traces its roots halfway around the world, to Hindi, the main language used in India. In Hindi, the word pajama means a pair of loose silk or cotton trousers that were...

Elephant, panther, tiger.(WORD STORIES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Akbar enjoyed riding elephants and hunting animals. Let's trace the origins of a few of the animals mentioned in this issue: "Elephant" derives from the Greek elephas, which means both "elephant" and "ivory," and is thought to be a combination...

'Naming' cloth.(WORD STORIES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Take a pair of pants, a shirt, or a skirt. Look at the material identification label sewn into one of the seams. The names look familiar, but did you know that many trace their roots to the city or area where the particular type of cloth was...

"Tandoori chicken".(EXPRESSIONS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... "Mmmm!" is the best way to describe the smell coming from a tandoor, the Hindi name for an oven that originated in India. Made of clay and able to sustain high temperatures, tandoors were used by Indian cooks for fast cooking and baking....

Tales of Akbar and Birbal.
March 1, 2005... The emperor Akbar was looking for entertainment. He did not realize that a poor Brahmin man called Maheshdas, from the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India, could offer truth with wit. In their first meeting, Maheshdas won Akbar's...

In thanks for an heir.(Akbar-Emperor of India)
March 1, 2005... Although Akbar was victorious in battle and created a powerful kingdom, he grieved because he did not have a son. As a devout Muslim, Akbar was strongly drawn to Sufism, a branch of Islam that emphasized toleration and universal brotherhood and...

Patron of arts and crafts.
March 1, 2005... Although Akbar apparently never learned to read and write, he loved books and kept thousands in his library. Aware of the importance of keeping records, he directed historian Abul Fazi to write his biography, Akbarnama ("History of Akbar"),...

The Taj Mahal.(history)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Taj Mahal in Agra was built between 1632 and 1653 by Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan, as a tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Its structure and design represent the high point of the Indo-Islamic Mughal architecture. Although...

The Mughals in history.
March 1, 2005... The magnificent Mughal Empire of India gave us the word "mogul," a term meaning rich, powerful, and glorious. When we think of moguls, we think of Hollywood moviemakers, free-spending businessmen, and other powerful people. And indeed, the rule...

Parallels between Akbar and Elizabeth I.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Both Akbar (1556-1605) and Elizabeth (1533-1605) ruled their kingdoms at auspicious times: Akbar's empire was populated by approximately 100 million people; Elizabeth's, by about five million. Both Akbar and Elizabeth struggled with...

Let's play Pachisi.(Chessindia)
March 1, 2005... The game "Pachisi" is also called Parchesi, Parcheesi, even Chessindia. The name "Pachisi" comes from the Indian word for the number 25, which is the highest number that could be thrown with the cowrie shell dice. The game was played originally...

Ask Calliope.
March 1, 2005... ? What is a remora? Did it really play a role in the Battle of Actium? --Brady, 10, Web Post ! The Roman writer Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23/24-79) claimed that, in 31 B.C., a remora held fast the Roman general Antony's ship at the Battle...

Akbar.(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... Akbar, by Julia Marshall (Hood Hood Books, 1996, www.hoodhood.com), simply and in an interesting-to-read style brings to life the personality and accomplishments of this Mughal ruler.

Hanuman.(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... Hanuman, retold by Erik Jendresen and Joshua M. Greene (Tricycle Press, 1998, www.tenspeed.com), focuses on the episode in india's epic Ramayana when the great monkey army helped Rama save Princess Sita from the demon king. Imaginative,...

Modern Nations of the World: India.(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... Modern Nations of the World: India, by William Goodwin (Lucent, 2000, www.gale.com), complements its well-researched history of the country with photos that enhance the text, sidebars that expand the reader's knowledge about past and present...

The Taj Mahal.(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... The Taj Mahal, by Myra Weatherly (Lucent, 2003, www.gale.com), uses clearly marked diagrams, historical photos, detailed illustrations, and pertinent sidebars to tell the history of this magnificent structure.

On the net.
March 1, 2005... Here's a site that focuses a page on each Mughal emperor: www.edwebproject.org/india/akbar.html For an overview of Akbar's life and achievements, with links to historically related Mughal events, check: www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MUGHAL/AKBAR.HTM...

Sitting--Mughal-style.
March 1, 2005... Look closely at the painting on this page. The scene depicts the birth of an Indian prince. The clothes define the figures as belonging to the Mughal era. So, too, does the setting: All the women have come to honor the newborn, and the men, who...

India's magnificent carpets.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... What's interesting about India and carpets is that much of what India's artisans knew about intricate carpet-making technology had been learned from Iran and points west. In the early days, carpets probably were made as basic floor...

Read a painting.(Indian painting)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The painting below shows the birth of the Hindu god Krishna. It was made for Akbar, who was a Muslim yet still interested in the religions of India. In order to better understand the Hindu sacred texts, Akbar had many of them translated into...

The knot has it.(knots and carpets)
March 1, 2005... When speaking of Persian and Indian carpets, the word "knot" is often used to describe the tuft of fibers that, in great number, create the soft feel of a pile carpet. Each knot is formed by passing the ends of several strands of yarn around...