My Science School

          The Potala Palace is a religious and administrative complex in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region. It is situated on the Red Mountain or Marpori, 130 metres above the Lhasa River Valley.

          Built in the 1600s, the palace was a brilliant construction with 13 stories containing more than 1000 rooms, 10,000 shrines, and about 200,000 statues. It is named after Mount Potalaka which was believed to be the abode of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

          According to historians, the complex was built in the mid-17th century by the fifth Dalai Lama, after being advised that the site was ideal as a seat of government. There are two main parts of the palace - the White Palace or Potrang Karpo and the Red Palace or Potrang Marpo. The former was the residence of the Dalai Lamas until 1959.

          Potrang Marpo on the other hand is a major pilgrimage centre devoted to religious study and Buddhist prayer. With numerous halls, chapels, libraries, galleries, winding passages and tombs, it has a very complicated structure.

          Today the Potala Palace is one of the most important pilgrimage centres in the country. 

             The Maldives or the Republic of Maldives is an independent island nation that lies in the Indian Ocean. It is made up of 1200 coral islands and sandbanks. Male is the capital of the archipelago, and is the main urban centre. A quarter of the country’s population lives in this part.

             Historically, the island was inhabited by Buddhists from Sri Lanka and India in the 5th century BC. By the 1100s, Islam was adopted and the region was governed by the Islamic Sultanate for centuries. During the 17th century, Maldives fell under Dutch control, and later under the British. In 1968, the country was made a republic and all other colonial powers were removed.

             Today, the Maldives is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. The Alimatha Island, the diving area of Manta Point, the National Museum, the Old Friday Mosque and the historical place of Utheemu Ganduvaru are some of the prominent places in the archipelago.

 

            The Angkor Wat is a Cambodian temple complex that forms the largest religious monument in the world.

            Covering an area of around 162 hectares, it was built in the early 12th century by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in Yasodharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire.

            Originally, the complex was a Hindu temple dedicated to God Vishnu, but it gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century. The temple is now a symbol of Cambodia.

            Literally, ‘Angkor Wat’ means the ‘city of temples’ in Khmer language. The most striking feature of the temple is its architecture. It serves as the best example of the Khmer classical style. The work is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The central structure symbolizes the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls symbolize the surrounding ranges and oceans. The interiors of the temple are decorated in a grand manner depicting scenes and episodes from Hindu epics. 

The massive churches and cathedrals, prestigious museums and traditional windmills ore indeed trademarks of the Netherlands. But no discussion on the marvels of this place can be complete without tulips or Keukenhof or the bulb districts.

It is said that every spring, more than seven million flowers bloom at the Keukenhof, including a thousand varieties of tulips. Known as the Garden of Europe, the Keukenhof is the world’s largest flower garden that covers an area of 31.9 hectares. It is situated in the Lisse town of the Netherlands. With daffodils, croci, narcissi and hyacinths other than tulips, the Keukenhof is a showcase for the Dutch flower industry. The radiant combination of yellow, purple, red, orange, gold colours with heavenly scents, offer an incomparable spectacle for visitors.

However, the story of tulips did not begin here. In fact, these flowers are not Dutch at all. They arrived from Turkey in the 1590s, and became popular in no time. Ever since, tulips have been one of the biggest attractions of the Netherlands.

There is also something known as the Bollenstreek or bulb districts in the country. Here, the land is carpeted with fields of hyacinths, daffodils, dahlias and of course, tulips for miles together. 

            Venice is an Italian city and a major sea port situated across a group of 117 small islands. It is the capital of the Veneto region. The city is most famous for the beauty of its settings, architecture and artwork. It is also one of the oldest tourist and cultural centres in the world.

            The name ‘Venice’ has been derived from the ancient Veneti people who lived in the region during the 10th century BC. Historically, the city was the capital of the Republic of Venice which was a prominent maritime and financial power during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Period.

            Back then, the city is known to have witnessed many important artistic movements. It was particularly, a very important place in the history of music, and the birthplace of the famous Italian composer Antonio Lucio Vivaldi. In 1866, the Republic of Venice became part of the Kingdom of Italy.

            Today, the city of Venice is one of the most important tourist centres. St Mark’s Basilica, the Piazza San Marco, the Grand Canal, and the Lido di Venezia are some of the major tourist spots.

          Athens is a historical city and the capital of Greece that is marked for its artistic and Intellectual heritage. There are many sights in and around the city that can leave a visitor spellbound. One of them is the Acropolis.

          It is an ancient citadel or fortress that is located on a rock formation above Athens. History records that the site was built during the second half of the 5th century BC as a home to Athena, the patron goddess of the city.

          It is special, for the archaeological remains of several marvellous buildings that once stood here. Some of the most important ones are the Parthenon, the chief shrine to Athena, the Propylaea which was the gateway to the sacred area, the Erechtheum, which was a shrine to the agricultural deities and the Temple of Athena Nike, an architectural symbol of harmony.

          The term ‘Acropolis’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘the highest point’. It is to be noted that there are many acropolis in Greece, but the most significant one is the Athenian.

          Today, only remains of the fortress can be seen at the location. A considerable portion of the buildings have been destroyed over centuries.