Ellora caves

Ellora is an archaeological site, 30 km (19 mi) from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra built by the Rashtrakuta Dynasty. Famous for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site. Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 "caves" – actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills – being Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries, were built between the 5th century and 10th century. The 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain caves (caves 30–34), built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history.The Buddhist cavesThe Buddhist caves were the earliest structures, created between the fifth and seventh centuries. These consist mostly of viharas or monasteries: large, multi-storeyed buildings carved into the mountain face, including living quarters, sleeping quarters, kitchens, and other rooms. Some of these monastery caves have shrines including carvings of Buddha, bodhisattvas and saints. In many of these caves, sculptors have endeavoured to give the stone the look of wood.The Hindu cavesThe Hindu caves were constructed between 500 CE and 1000 CE and represent a different style of creative vision and execution skills. Some were of such complexity that they required several generations of planning and co-ordination to complete. The early caves (caves 17–29) were constructed during the Kalachuri period, while the caves 15 and 16 were constructed during Rashtrakuta period. Cave 16, named The Kailasa or Kailasanatha Temple, is the unrivaled centerpiece of Ellora. This gargantuan structure – designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva – looks like a freestanding, multi-storeyed temple complex, but it was carved out of one single rock, and covers an area double the size of Parthenon in Athens. (Source : http://en.wikipedia.org)

Dhakeshwari National Temple

Dhakeshwari National Temple is a famous Hindu temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh and is state-owned, giving it the distinction of Bangladesh's "National Temple". The name "Dhakeshwari" means "Goddess of Dhaka". The temple is located southwest of the Salimullah Hall of Dhaka University. Since the destruction of Ramna Kali Mandir in 1971 by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Dhakeshwari Temple has assumed status as the most important Hindu place of worship in Bangladesh. The origin of the Dhakeshwari temple is obscure. According to popular legend, the original temple was built in 12th century by Ballal Sen, a king of the Sena dynasty, and the name of the city was coined after this temple but has its origins during the Gupta when ruled most of Bengal. But the researchers found that the style of architecture of the temple cannot be dated to that period. The temple complex has undergone repairs, renovation and rebuilding in its long years of existence and its present condition does not clearly show any of its original architectural characteristics. Nevertheless, it is considered an essential part of Dhaka's cultural heritage. The temple is located in Old Dhaka right behind the campus of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. There is a permanent altar outside the main temple premises. It hosts the yearly Puja (worship) of the goddess Durga. Inside the main temple premises, there are four identical structures devoted to the god Shiva. To the east of these is the main temple, which hosts the statue of the goddess. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/)

Sonargong

Sonargaon is the ancient capital of Isa Khan's kingdom in Bengal. It is located near the current-day city of Narayanganj, Bangladesh. The great Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta visited it in the 14th century. It is the eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk Road, which was built by Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century, and which extends approximately 2500 kilometres across northern India and Pakistan to Peshawar in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province.Historic placesSonargaon's `Lok Shilpa Jadughar', was a part of Isa Khan's capital. The Panam City was the center of the upper-middleclass people of 19th century Sonargaon. It is now in ruins. Mainly Hindu cloth merchants lived here. Musa Khan's Masjid, the Mosque beside the grave of Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah in Shahidullah Hall of the University of Dhaka is a marked work and it is said that the Mosque was made by Isa Khan or son of him, Musa Khan. The Fort of Hajiganj was the main tactical fort of Isa Khan in front of Meghna, Shitalakhya and Brahmaputra. Now at Narayanganj. It is saved by the authority. There is another sister concern of the fort across the river, few miles away. Due to the many threats to preservation (including flooding and vandalism) that this culturally and historically significant city faces, the World Monuments Fund placed it on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in this planet. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/)

Devi Durga

In Hinduism, the goddess Durga or Maa Durga (Mother Durga) "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress". Durga is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having ten arms, riding a lion or a tiger, carrying weapons (including a Lotus flower), maintaining a meditative smile, and practicing mudras, or symbolic hand gestures. An embodiment of creative feminine force (Shakti), Durga exists in a state of svātantrya (dependence on the universe and nothing/nobody else, i.e., self-sufficiency) and fierce compassion. Durga is considered by Hindus to be an aspect of Kali, and the mother of Ganesha, and Kartikeya. She is thus considered the fiercer, demon-fighting form of Shiva's wife, goddess Parvati. Durga manifests fearlessness and patience, and never loses her sense of humor, even during spiritual battles of epic proportion. As a Goddess, Durga's feminine power contains the energies of the gods. Each of her weapons was gifted to her by various gods: Rudra's trident, Vishnu's discus, Indra's thunderbolt, Brahma's kamandalu, Kuber's Ratnahar, etc. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org)