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Amrapali
Āmrapālī, also known as "Ambapālika", "Ambapali", or "Amra" was a celebrated '' nagarvadhu'' (royal courtesan) of the Republic of Vaishali (located in present-day Bihar) in ancient India around 500 BC. Amrapali also won the title of rajnartaki (court dancer). Following the Buddha's teachings, she became an arahant. She is mentioned in the old Pali texts and Buddhist traditions ( āgama sutras), particularly in conjunction with the Buddha staying at her mango grove, ''Ambapali vana'', which she later donated to his order and wherein he preached the famous ''Ambapalika Sutra''. Early life Amrapali was born around 600-500 BCE, to Mahanama & an unknown mother. Etymologically, the variants on her name derive from a combination of two Sanskrit words: ''amra'', meaning mango, and ''pallawa'', meaning young leaves or sprouts. It is said that she was spontaneously born at the foot of a mango tree in one of the royal gardens in Vaishali — hence her name. Even as a young maiden, Am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagaravadhu
Nagarvadhu (also Nagaravadhu or Nagar Vadhu; Devanagari: नगरवधू; ) was a tradition followed in some parts of ancient India. Women competed to win the title of a nagarvadhu, and there was no taboo against the practice. The most beautiful woman, and most talented in various dance forms, was chosen as the Nagarvadhu. A nagarvadhu was respected, and she was a royal courtesan; people could watch her dance and sing. A Nagarvadhu's price for a single night's dance was very high, and she was only within the reach of the very rich – the emperors, kings, princes and lords. Famous nagarvadhus * Amrapali, state courtesan and Buddhist disciple, described in ''Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu'' by Acharya Chatursen * Vasantasena, a character in the classic Sanskrit story of '' Mricchakatika'', written in the 2nd century BC by Śūdraka * Madhavi, a character in the classic Tamil story of ''Silappatikaram'', written by Ilango Adigal See also *Devadasi * Deuki * Ca trù, a similar profe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaishali (ancient City)
Vaishali, Vesali or Vaiśālī was an ancient city located north of Patna in present-day Bihar, India. It is now a Buddhist pilgrimage site that also contains two important stupas of the Buddha,Robert Beer, ''The Encyclopaedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs''. Boston: Shambhala, 1991. the '' Relic Stupa of Vaishali'' and the ''Stupa of Complete Victory''. As an archaeological site it forms part of the Vaishali District in Tirhut Division. It was the capital city of the Vajjika League of Vrijji mahajanapada, considered one of the first examples of a republic that dates from c.6th century BCE. Gautama Buddha preached his last sermon before his mahaparinirvana in , and Vaishali is also home to two important stupas directly related to the Buddha, the Relic Stupa of Vaishali, which is said to contain the ashes of the Buddha, and the ''Stupa of Complete Victory'' that represents the prolongation of the Buddha's life by three months when he was eighty years old. In 383 BCE the Secon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali ( Raman; born 13 August 1933), known mononymously as Vyjayanthimala, is an Indian parliamentarian, dancer and former actress. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's greatest actresses and dancers, she is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards and two BFJA Awards. Considered the first female superstar of Indian Cinema, she made her screen debut at the age of 16 with the Tamil film '' Vaazhkai'' (1949), and followed this with a role in the Telugu film '' Jeevitham'' (1950). Her first work in Hindi cinema was the social guidance film '' Bahar'' (1951), which she headlined, and achieved her breakthrough with the romance '' Nagin'' (1954). She garnered widespread critical acclaim for her role in the period drama '' Devdas'' (1955), where she played Chandramukhi, a ''tawaif'' with a heart of gold. The film and her acting was highly praised, later considered to be her magnum opus. For ''Devdas'', she won the Filmfare Award for Best Sup ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amrapali (film)
Amrapali is a 1966 historical Hindi film directed by Lekh Tandon, starring Sunil Dutt and Vyjayanthimala as leads. The film's music was by Shankar–Jaikishan. It was based on the life of Amrapali ( Ambapali), the '' nagarvadhu'' (courtesan) of Vaishali in present-day Bihar, the capital of the Licchavi republic in ancient India around 500 BC, and Ajatashatru, the Haryanka emperor of the Magadha empire, who falls in love with her. Although he destroys Vaishali to get her, she has been transformed by her encounter with Gautama Buddha in the meantime, of whom she becomes a disciple and an Arahant. Her story is mentioned in old Pali texts and Buddhist traditions. The film was selected as the Indian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. Although the film was not a commercial success, its reputation has grown over time and it is now regarded as a classic of Hindi cinema. It is remembered for its dramatic wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asit Baran
Asit Baran (19 November 1913 – 27 November 1984) was an Indian actor, singer and theater personality. Early life Asit Baran was born as Asit Baran Mukherjee in 1913 in Kolkata, British India. His nickname was Kalo. He took up a job in the telegraph workshop at Alipore. He learnt Tabla from Jnan Prakash Ghosh and joined in Akashbani Kolkata as Tabla player. While performing Tabla in All India Radio Music Conference, actor Pahari Sanyal impressed on him. Asit Baran often called upon to sing at various music functions in Kolkata. Career He first acted in the film ''Pratishruti'' in 1941. Within the next few years he performed as actor-cum-singer in several films in Bengali and Hindi. After that, Asit Baran worked continuously for more than four decades on the silver screen, starred in number of Bengali as well as Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supriya Devi
Supriya Devi (Supriya Choudhury; 8 January 1933 – 26 January 2018) was an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema for more than 50 years. She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's Bengali film '' Megha Dhaka Tara'' (1960). She was conferred the Filmfare Award and the BFJA Award twice. In 2011, she received the Banga-Vibhushan, the highest civilian honour in West Bengal. In 2014, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for her contributions to the entertainment industry. She made her debut in Uttam Kumar starrer ''Basu Paribar'' (1952) under the direction of Nirmal Dey and successively appeared in ''Prarthana'' (1952) directed by Pranab Ray. However, IMDb lists 1951 Hindi film Shokhiyan as her first film. She, then took a hiatus and returned to filmdom in ''Marmabani'' (1958) under Sushil Majumdar's direction. She rose to prominence after she had appeared in the Uttam Ku ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gaṇikā
Gaṇikā or ganika (Sanskrit: गणिका) were female courtesans in early Ancient India, with their earliest reference in the Vedic period. Mentioned in the ''Kamasutra'', ''Gaṇikās'' were also dubbed as "courtesans de luxe," this was how Indians in early Ancient India, separated them from ''veshyas'', who were also courtesans. Moti Chandra, an Indian scholar who suggested that "In the hierarchy of courtesans, the ''kumbhadasi'' occupied the lowest place and the ''Gaṇikās'' the highest." This suggests that ''Gaṇikās'', were not merely prostitutes or normal courtesans, but they were considered "premium courtesans." It is similar to how there is a difference between an Oiran and a Geisha. According to the ''Kamasutra'', for ''veshyas'' or any courtesans to become recognized as a ''Gaṇikā'', they had to master and become well-versed in the 64 arts of Kalā. After earning the title of ''Gaṇikā'', they were revered for being the most virtuous, most beautiful and l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ajatashatru
Ajatasattu (Pāli: ) or Ajatashatru (Sanskrit: ) in the Buddhist tradition, or Kunika () and Kuniya () in the Jain tradition (reigned c. 492 to 460 BCE, or c. 405 to 373 BCE), was one of the most important kings of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in East India. He was the son of King Bimbisara and was a contemporary of both Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. He forcefully took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father and imprisoned him. He fought a war against the Vajjika League, led by the Licchavis, and conquered the republic of Vaishali. The city of Pataliputra was formed by fortification of a village by Ajatashatru. Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. He defeated his neighbouring rivals including the king of Kosala; his brothers, at odds with him, went to Kashi, which had been given to Bimbisara as dowry and led to a war between Magadha and Kosala. Ajatashatru occupied Kashi and captured the smaller kingdoms. Magadha under Ajatashatru became the mos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magadha (Mahajanapada)
Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and incorporated the other Mahajanapadas. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism and formed the core of the Maurya Empire (ca. 320–185 BCE). Geography The territory of the Magadha kingdom proper before its expansion was bounded to the north, west, and east respectively by the Gaṅgā, Son, and Campā rivers, and the eastern spurs of the Vindhya mountains formed its southern border. The territory of the initial Magadha kingdom thus corresponded to the modern-day Patna and Gaya districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The region of Greater Magadha also included neighbouring regions in the eastern Gangetic plains and had a distinct culture and belief. History Vedic period (semi-legendary) (ca. 170 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bimbisara
Bimbisāra (in Buddhist tradition) or Shrenika () and Seniya () in the Jain histories ( or ) was the King of Magadha (V. K. Agnihotri (ed.), ''Indian History''. Allied Publishers, New Delhi 262010p. 166f. or ) and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.Peter N. Stearns (2001), ''The Encyclopedia of World History''. Houghton Mifflin, p. 76 ff. . He was the son of Bhattiya. His expansion of the kingdom, especially his annexation of the kingdom of Anga to the east, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Mauryan Empire. According to Jain Tradition, he is said to be the first Tirthankara (''will be named as Padmanabha / Mahapadma'') out of 24th Tirthankara of the future cosmic age. He frequently visited Samavasarana of Lord Mahavira seeking answers to his queries. According to Buddhist Tradition, he is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. According to the 7th century Chinese monk Xuanzang, Bim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
