RS

"Where the black antelope ranges by nature, that should be known as the country fit for sacrifices; and beyond it is the country of the barbarians."                                                                                                 Manu Smriti  As per Hindu mythology, the antelope became the first creature to be wounded and the first one to be hunted and sacrificed in order to please the gods. According to the Rig Veda , the universe was created by Prajapati, the Progenitor. He was swayambhu or the "self-existing". As the first self-made divinity, without having any progenitor, he emerged from a golden egg. He, through the means of tapas (spiritual meditational practice), created 33 Rig Vedic gods such as Indra (king of gods), Agni (Fire god), Varuna (Sky god), Surya (Sun god), Vishnu, Pushan, etc. He is also the father of some men like Manu, and Daksha. However, when he created Rig Vedic gods, they left him alone.  He returned to his solitude and co

The tree of life or Kalpavriksha in Hinduism holds a very significant position among the adherents. Various cultures across the world such as the Sumerian, Slavic, Nordic, Chinese cultures, etc. have different interpretations of it. In the Quran, it   appears as Shajarat al-Kholoud  which represents immortality. In Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology,  Kalpavriksha is believed to be a divine tree that grants wishes. It is also known as Kalpataru , Kalpadruma , Kalpapadapa , etc. The tribal communities of India too revere it and it has been depicted in their art and culture. The first reference to Kalpavriksha is found in the Rigveda . As per the Hindu mythology, it was one of the products that emerged out of samudra-manthan (churning of the cosmic ocean). Indra, the king of the devas (gods) and swarga (heaven) took it to the indralok or heaven and planted in his celestial garden. It can bear any kind of fruit, grant material prosperity and can also be instrumental in one's spi

Bihar in the ancient period of India witnessed the rise and fall of janapadas and mahajanapadas of the 6th c. BCE, great empires, cities, rulers and statesmen, literary figures and courtesans. The term Bihar is derived from the Sanskrit word Vihara, meaning Buddhist monastery. It had been the epicentre of shramanic movement of the 6th c. BCE when Buddhism, Jainism, lokayatism, the ajivika sect and other such sects (which disputed the authority of the Vedas) emerged. The earliest empire of India erupted here viz. the Magadha Empire which constituted the rule of three successive dynasties: the Haryanka dynasty, the Shishunaga dynasty and the Nanda dynasty. The Mauryan empire was the first pan-India empire that was founded in c. 322 BCE. Let’s have a look at some of the historically noteworthy locations in Bihar.  Bhagalpur Bhagalpur is known as the Silk City of India.  The Vikramashila Maha Vishwavidyalaya was a significant university during the Pala dynasty and had more than 100 teacher