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)

The Parthenon

The Parthenon is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy, and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of restoration and reconstruction. The Parthenon replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury, and for a time served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted into a mosque in the early 1460s, and it had a minaret built in it. On 26 September 1687 an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. In 1806, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures, with Ottoman permission. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin or Parthenon Marbles, were sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed. The Greek government is committed to the return of the sculptures to Greece, so far with no success.

The Parthenon at a glance:

Former names: The Parthenon
Type: Temple
Architectural style: Classical
Location: Athens, Greece
Owner: Greek government
Current tenants: Museum
Started: 447 BC
Completed: 431 BC
Destroyed: Partly on 26 September 1687
Diameter: 69.5 m x 30.9 m (228.0 x 101.4 ft) incl. cella: 29.8 m x 19.2 m (97.8 x 63.0 ft)
Structural engineer: Phidias

Kantojeeu Temple

A chariot-like ornamental temple, on a high plinth was constructed & completed by two Moharajas ie. Moharaja Pran Nath of Dinajpur first started construction work in 1722 AD. & later on after his death the very construction was completed in 1752 AD. By Moharaja Ram Nath, the adopted son of Moharaja Pran Nath in an island-like village Kantonogor, about 20km north of Dinajpur Town. The 52 feet squire magnificent & spectacular temple in the late mediaeval age is really the wonder in the architecture even in the modern age too. The characteristics of Kantojeeu Temple are as follows; the temple is through & through designed with exquisite Terracotta plaques. It is a squire shaped three storied building constructed on a high plinth. The receding terraces gave the temple a little bit pyramidal shape. The arched openings of the temple on all four sides were provided the visitors or devotees with viewing the deity that is placed inside from all directions. The temple is decorated top to bottom with terracotta plaques. Most of the plaques depict the history of the Mohabharot & the contemporary social scene & the favorite past time aristocracy of the land & only one horizontal panel shows us the social life of mediaeval aristocrats. The vertical panels portray the ten incarnations of Bishnu according to the Hindu mythology. The local people still perform religious & ritual in this temple. Beside these, religious festival like Snanjatra, Doljatra, Rashmela etc are held regularly by the temple authorities on the stipulated days mentioned in the calendar followed by the Hindus.

Egyptian pyramids

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid shaped masonry structures located in Egypt. There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods. The earliest known Egyptian pyramid is the Pyramid of Dozer which was built during the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Emote, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry. The best known Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo.The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. The shape is also thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were faced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appearance when viewed from a distance. Pyramids were often also named in ways that referred to solar luminescence. The Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens. One of the narrow shafts that extends from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the center of this part of the sky. This suggests the pyramid may have been designed to serve as a means to magically launch the deceased pharaoh's soul directly into the abode of the gods. The first historically documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed to the architect Imhotep, who planned what Egyptologists believe to be a tomb for the pharaoh Dozer. The Egyptian pyramids were build mostly for pharaoh's or kings tombs during middle kingdom periods. Pyramids were world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry and were surrounding complex designed by the architect Emote. The famous pyramids build in Giza were most prolific due to greatest degree of absolutist paranoiac rules as a result of pyramid of khufu is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Slowly, authority became less centralized, less willingness which built faster and smaller, great numbers pyramids, known today Sudan.

Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin

Zainul Abedin (1914-1976) was an artist from Bangladesh. Zainul Abedin was born in Mymensingh, East Bengal, on December 29, 1914. Abedin's paintings on the Bengal famine of 1940s is probably his most characteristic work. In Bangladesh, he is often referred to as Shilpacharya. Much of his childhood was spent near the scenic banks of the Brahmaputra River. The Brahmaputra would later appear in many of his paintings and be a source of inspiration all throughout his career. In 1933, Abedin was admitted to Calcutta Government Art School in Kolkata. He joined the faculty of the school after his education there was completed. A series of watercolours that Zainul did as his tribute to the Brahmaputra River earned him the Governor's Gold Medal in an all-India exhibition in 1938. This award gave Abedin the confidence to create his own visual style. Zainul Abedin was involved in all stages of the movement that finally made the creation of Bangladesh possible. He was in the forefront of the cultural movement to re-establish the Bengali identity, marginalised by the Pakistan government. In 1969, Abedin painted a scroll using Chinese ink, watercolour and wax named Nobanno. This was to celebrate the ongoing non-cooperation movement.