carbohydrate: Homopolysaccharides: Dextrans, a group of polysaccharides composed of glucose, are secreted by certain strains of bacteria as slimes. The structure of an individual dextran varies with the strain of microorganism. Dextrans can be used as plasma expanders (substitutes for whole blood) in cases of severe shock.…

International Space Station: …astronauts brought the Canadian robot, Dextre, which was so sophisticated that it would be able to perform tasks that previously would have required astronauts to make space walks, and the first part of Kibo. In June 2008 the main part of Kibo was installed.

dextrin, class of substances prepared by the incomplete hydrolysis of starch or by the heating of dry starch. Dextrins are used chiefly as adhesives and as sizing agents for textiles and

amylase: Alpha-amylase is widespread among living organisms. In the digestive systems of humans and many other mammals, an alpha-amylase called ptyalin is produced by the salivary glands, whereas pancreatic amylase is secreted by the pancreas into the small intestine. The optimum pH

dextroamphetamine, chemical compound known for its stimulatory effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Dextroamphetamine is commonly used to treat narcolepsy and to control symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is marketed under the brand names Dexedrine Spansule,

dextroamphetamine, chemical compound known for its stimulatory effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Dextroamphetamine is commonly used to treat narcolepsy and to control symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is marketed under the brand names Dexedrine Spansule,

dextromethorphan, synthetic drug related to morphine and used in medicine as a cough suppressant. The hydrobromide salt of dextromethorphan occurs as white crystals or a white crystalline powder, soluble in water, alcohol, and chloroform. It acts upon the central nervous system to suppress the

dextromethorphan: The hydrobromide salt of dextromethorphan occurs as white crystals or a white crystalline powder, soluble in water, alcohol, and chloroform. It acts upon the central nervous system to suppress the cough reflex. The drug does not produce addiction or central depression, as do a number of…

optical activity: …specific rotation is described as dextrorotatory and denoted by the prefix d or (+); one with a negative specific rotation is levorotatory, designated by the prefix l or (-).

glucose, one of a group of carbohydrates known as simple sugars (monosaccharides). Glucose (from Greek glykys; “sweet”) has the molecular formula C6H12O6. It is found in fruits and honey and is the major free sugar circulating in the blood of higher animals. Glucose is the source of energy in cell

cereal processing: Sweeteners: (dextrose equivalents), and confectionery syrups have a D.E. of about 36 to 55, while the fuller conversion of products with D.E. of 96 to 99 can be made for the production of almost pure glucose or dextrose, used in many food products.

dey, in the Ottoman provinces of Algiers and Tunis, an honorary title conferred upon exceptionally able corsair leaders; also, a lower rank of officer in the Janissaries. In late 16th-century Tunis, a dey commanded the army and eventually was in sole control of the state, but by 1705 the title had

Nick Carter: …character was further developed by Frederic Van Rensselaer Dey, who from 1892 (The Piano Box Mystery) to 1913 (The Spider’s Parlor) wrote some 500 novellas featuring Carter. Many other authors, among them Johnston McCulley (creator of the character Zorro) and Martin Cruz Smith (author of Gorky Park), wrote Nick Carter…

Lodewijk van Deyssel was a leading Dutch writer and critic of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The son of J.A. Alberdingk Thijm (who promoted a Roman Catholic cultural revival in the Netherlands), he joined the largely agnostic individualistic group associated with the avant-garde literary

Edward Gibbon: Life: …friendship with a young Swiss, Georges Deyverdun, and also fell in love with and rashly plighted himself to Suzanne Curchod, a pastor’s daughter of great charm and intelligence. In 1758 his father called Gibbon home shortly before his 21st birthday and settled an annuity of £300 on him. On the…

Dez Dam, an arch dam across the Dez River in Iran, completed in 1963. The dam is 666 feet (203 m) high, 696 feet (212 m) wide at the crest, and has a volume of 647,000 cubic yards (495,000 cubic m). Until the late 1960s it was the largest Iranian development

Kārūn River: …to its main tributary, the Dez. Most of the area is mountainous, forming part of the limestone Zagros ranges.

Dezfūl, city, southwestern Iran. It lies on the high left bank of the Dez River, 469 feet (143 metres) in elevation, close to the foothills of the Zagros Mountains. The name, which means “fort-bridge,” is derived from structures the Sasanians built there; still spanning the river is the imposing

Semyon Ivanov Dezhnyov was a Russian explorer, the first European known to have sailed through the Bering Strait. Dezhnyov served as a Cossack in Siberia, where he traveled a great deal in the north beginning in the early 1640s. In 1648 he sailed from the Kolyma River eastward to the Bering Strait,

Cape Dezhnyov, cape, extreme eastern Russia. Cape Dezhnyov is the easternmost point of the Chukchi Peninsula and of the entire Eurasian landmass. It is separated from Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska by the Bering Strait. The Russian name was given in 1879 in honour of a Russian explorer S.I.

Semyon Ivanov Dezhnyov was a Russian explorer, the first European known to have sailed through the Bering Strait. Dezhnyov served as a Cossack in Siberia, where he traveled a great deal in the north beginning in the early 1640s. In 1648 he sailed from the Kolyma River eastward to the Bering Strait,

Dezhou, city, northwestern Shandong sheng (province), northeast-central China. It is located on the Southern (Yongji) Canal, just east of the Wei River and the border with Hebei province. The Dezhou area was part of a county named Ge during the Qin dynasty (221–207 bce). Changhe county was then

Dezong was the temple name (miaohao) of the 10th emperor (reigned 779–805) of the Tang dynasty and the only emperor in the latter half of the dynasty to reign more than 20 years. In spite of his long reign, he never successfully controlled the militarists who commanded the provinces and ignored

Guangxu was the reign name (nianhao) of the ninth emperor (reigned 1874/75–1908) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), during whose reign the empress dowager Cixi (1835–1908) totally dominated the government and thereby prevented the young emperor from modernizing and reforming the deteriorating

direction finder, radio receiver and antenna system for determining the direction of the source of a radio signal. A direction finder (DF) can be used by an aircraft or ship as a navigational aid. This is accomplished by measuring the direction (bearing) of at least two transmitters whose locations

humid continental climate: …the southern margin of the Dfa region. Winter precipitation often occurs in the form of snow, and a continuous snow cover is established for from one to four months in many parts of the region, especially in the north. This snow often arrives in conjunction with high winds from an…

meat processing: DFD meat: Dark, firm, and dry (DFD) meat is the result of an ultimate pH that is higher than normal. Carcasses that produce DFD meat are usually referred to as dark cutters. DFD meat is often the result of animals experiencing extreme stress or exercise of the…

Minnesota: Constitutional framework: …20th and early 21st centuries—the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party and the Republican Party—are amalgams from this tradition. The DFL Party was formed in 1944 by the more traditional Democrats and the reformist Farmer–Labor Party, founded in 1918. The state’s Republican Party was established in 1855 in an effort to attract more…

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), one of several organizations associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); it engaged in acts of terrorism primarily in the 1970s and ’80s and originally maintained a Marxist-Leninist orientation, believing the peasants and the

eflornithine, drug used to treat late-stage African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). Eflornithine is effective only against Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, which causes Gambian (or West African) sleeping sickness. It is not effective against T. brucei rhodesiense, which causes Rhodesian (or East

Tasmanian devil: …by a contagious cancer called devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), which produces large, often grotesque tumours around the head and mouth. The tumours grow large enough to interfere with the animal’s ability to eat, resulting in starvation. This, in combination with the deleterious physiological effects of the cancer, leads to…

Philips: The postwar years: Expansion in the home consumer and media markets: …in record labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, and Motown through its PolyGram subsidiary (sold in 1998). Philips was much less successful in entering the computer business. By the time the company released its P-1000 mainframe system in the mid-1960s, the IBM 360 was well established as the market standard.…

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) is a set of federally developed dietary recommendations that promote healthy living through nutrition guidance. Issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the guidelines are

Dga’-ldan was a leader of the Dzungar tribes of Mongols (reigned 1676–97). He conquered an empire that included Tibet in the southwest and ranged across Central Asia to the borders of Russia on the northeast. Dga’-ldan was a descendant of Esen, a Mongol chieftain who harassed the northern border of

Tibet: The Dge-lugs-pa (Yellow Hat sect): …founded his own monastery at Dga’-ldan, devoted to the restoration of strict monastic discipline. Tsong-kha-pa’s disciplinary reform appealed to people weary of rivalry and strife between wealthy monasteries. Tsong-kha-pa probably did not imagine that his disciples would form a new sect and join in that rivalry, but, after his death,…

German Trade Union Federation, dominant union organization in Germany. The DGB was founded in Munich in 1949 and soon became the largest labour organization in West Germany, with 16 constituent unions. With the reunification of Germany in 1990, workers of the former East Germany were incorporated

Dalai Lama: History of Dalai Lamas: …first of the line was Dge-’dun-grub-pa (Gendun Drupa; 1391–1474), founder and abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (central Tibet). In accordance with the belief in reincarnate lamas, his successors were conceived as his rebirths and came to be regarded as physical manifestations of the compassionate bodhisattva (“buddha-to-be”), Avalokiteshvara.

Dalai Lama: History of Dalai Lamas: …of the Dge-lugs-pa (Gelukpa) order, Dge-’dun-rgya-mtsho (Gendun Gyatso; 1475–1542), became the head abbot of the ’Bras-spungs (Drepung) monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa, which thenceforward was the principal seat of the Dalai Lama.

Dge-lugs-pa, since the 17th century, the predominant Buddhist order in Tibet and the sect of the Dalai and Paṇchen lamas. The Dge-lugs-pa sect was founded in the late 14th century by Tsong-kha-pa, who was himself a member of the austere Bka’-gdams-pa school. Tsong-kha-pa’s reforms represented a

DGI, the secret intelligence agency of Cuba. The agency was established with the help of the Soviet KGB in 1961, following Fidel Castro’s rise to power. The DGI provided Castro with advanced warning of the Bay of Pigs invasion backed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in 1962. The agency is

gonorrhea: Symptoms: …sometimes enter the bloodstream, causing disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) in virtually any organ system. In both male and female, arthritis is the most common manifestation of DGI. The process usually settles in one or two joints and may result in permanent disability in the absence of treatment. Involvement of the…

Five Great Kings: …rides a black horse; (5) Dgra-lha skyes-gcig-bu, the “king of speech,” who resides in the western quarter, is red and rides a black mule.

DGSE, (“External Documentation and Counterespionage Service”), secret intelligence and counterintelligence service that operates under the defense ministry of the French government. This agency was established in 1947 to combine under one head a variety of separate agencies, some dating from the

Tibet: Festivals: The Dgu-gtor festival, or festival of the banishment of evil spirits, takes place on the 29th day of the last month of the Tibetan year. At night a bowl of flour soup and a bunch of burning straws are taken into every room of every house,…

baseball: Records and statistics: …with the advent of the designated hitter rule (replacing the pitcher in the batting order with a better-hitting player) in the American League in 1973, all served to partially reverse the decline in offensive productivity.

U.K. Department of Health (DH), branch of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with the maintenance of public health. The Department of Health (DH) provides leadership for the National Health Service (NHS) and for the government’s social care and public health agendas. The DH has

nutritional disease: Dietary fat: …acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are derived from alpha-linolenic acid, a shorter-chain member of the same family. Fatty fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, and tuna are high in both EPA and DHA. Flaxseed is an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid, which the body

Río de Oro, southern geographic region of Western Sahara, northwest Africa. It has an area of 71,000 square miles (184,000 square km) and lies between Cape Blanco and latitude 26° N, near Cape Bojador. The climate is very arid, with virtually no precipitation, and there are extreme variations of

Aḥmad al-Manṣūr was the sixth ruler of the Saʿdī dynasty, which he raised to its zenith of power by his policy of centralization and astute diplomacy. Al-Manṣūr resisted the demands of his nominal suzerain, the Ottoman sultan, by playing off the European powers, namely, France, Portugal, Spain, and

Dhahran, town, northeastern Saudi Arabia. It is located in the Dammam oil field, just south of the Persian Gulf port of Dammam and near the site of the original discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938. It now serves as the administrative headquarters of Saudi Aramco. A major U.S. Air Force

Dhaka: History: …said to refer to the dhak tree, once common in the area, or to Dhakeshwari (“The Hidden Goddess”), whose shrine is located in the western part of the city. Although the city’s history can be traced to the 1st millennium ce, the city did not rise to prominence until the…

Dhaka, city and capital of Bangladesh. It is located just north of the Buriganga River, a channel of the Dhaleswari River, in the south-central part of the country. Dhaka is Bangladesh’s most populous city and is one of the largest metropolises in South Asia. Pop. (2001) city, 5,333,571; metro.

Bangladesh: Education of Bangladesh: …larger universities, such as the University of Dhaka (1921), the University of Rajshahi (1953), or the University of Chittagong (1966). Other prominent institutions include Jahangirnagar University (1970) on the outskirts of the capital, the Bangladesh Agricultural University (1961) at Mymensingh, the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (1962) at Dhaka,…

al-Hamadānī: Al-Hamadānī’s best-known work is his Dhakhīrat al-mulūk (“Treatise on the State”)—a study of political ethics. His burial place, Kulab, is still a pilgrimage site.

Rupnarayan River, river in West Bengal state, northeastern India. It rises as the Dhaleshwari (Dhalkisor) in the Chota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of the city of Purulia and follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the city of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarkeswar. It is joined by

Dhaleswari River, river of central Bangladesh. The Dhaleswari is an arm of the Jamuna River (the main course of the Brahmaputra River), which it leaves south-southwest of Tangail. It then meanders in a southeasterly direction for about 100 miles (160 km) through a heavily cultivated jute and rice

Samuel R. Delany: Dhalgren (1975) is the story of a young bisexual man searching for identity in a large decaying city. In Triton (1976; later retitled Trouble on Triton: An Ambiguous Heterotopia), Delany uses the protagonist, Bron Helstrom, to examine gender and sexual identity and to question whether…

Rupnarayan River, river in West Bengal state, northeastern India. It rises as the Dhaleshwari (Dhalkisor) in the Chota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of the city of Purulia and follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the city of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarkeswar. It is joined by

South Asian arts: North India: The vocal forms dhrupad and dhamar resemble the ragam-tanam-pallavi. They begin with an elaborate alapa followed by the more rhythmic but unmeasured non-tom using meaningless syllables such as te, re, na, nom, and tom. Then follow the four composed sections of the dhrupad or dhamar, the latter being named after…

Dhamār, town, western Yemen, lying in the Yemen Highlands, in a valley 12 miles (19 km) wide between two volcanic peaks at 8,000 feet (2,400 metres) above sea level. Although local tradition dates many of the sites in the district to biblical times, the first certain historical mention of Dhamār is

ajiva: …into: (1) ākāśa, “space,” (2) dharma, “that which makes motion possible,” (3) adharma, “that which makes rest possible,” and (4) pudgala, “matter.” Pudgala consists of atoms; is eternal yet subject to change and development; is both gross (that which it is possible to see) and subtle (that which cannot be…

dharma, key concept with multiple meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In Hinduism, dharma is the religious and moral law governing individual conduct and is one of the four ends of life. In addition to the dharma that applies to everyone (sadharana dharma)—consisting of truthfulness,

dharma: …term in the plural (dharmas) is used to describe the interrelated elements that make up the empirical world.

Buddhism: Expansion of Buddhism: …system of dhamma officers (dhamma-mahamattas) in order to help govern the empire. And he sent diplomatic emissaries to areas beyond his direct political control.

religious symbolism and iconography: Concepts of symbolization: , the dharmachakra, or wheel of the law, of Buddhism). Other nonreligious types of symbols achieved increasing significance in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially those dealing with human beings’ relationship to and conceptualization of the material world. Rational, scientific-technical symbols have assumed an ever increasing importance…

Buddhism: From Myanmar to the Mekong delta: …Santi Asoke (founded 1975) and Dhammakaya, are especially interesting. Santi Asoke, a lay-oriented group that advocates stringent discipline, moral rectitude, and political reform, has been very much at odds with the established ecclesiastical hierarchy. The Dhammakaya group has been much more successful at gathering a large popular following but has…

Cūlavaṃsa: …written by the Buddhist monk Dhammakitti in the 13th century. Succeeding portions, although they have not been assigned definite authorship, are generally considered inferior—both in style and in factual reliability—to Dhammakitti’s portion.

Dhammapada, probably the best-known book in the Pali Buddhist canon. It is an anthology of basic Buddhist teachings (primarily ethical teachings) in a simple aphoristic style. As the second text in the Khuddaka Nikaya (“Short Collection”) of the Sutta Pitaka (“Basket of Discourse”), the Dhammapada

Buddhism: Early noncanonical texts in Pali: Dhammapala, who probably came from southern India, is credited with the writing of numerous commentaries, including the Paramattha dipani (Pali: “Elucidation of the True Meaning”), a commentary on several books of the Khuddaka nikaya. In the Paramattha manjusa (Pali: “Jewel Box of the True Meaning”),…

dharma: …term in the plural (dharmas) is used to describe the interrelated elements that make up the empirical world.

Abhidhamma Pitaka: …following texts, or pakaranas: (1) Dhammasangani (“Summary of Dharma”), a psychologically oriented manual of ethics for advanced monks but long popular in Sri Lanka, (2) Vibhanga (“Division” or “Classification”—not to be confused with a Vinaya work or with several suttas bearing the same name), a kind of supplement to the…

monasticism: Other organizational or institutional types: The Dhammayut, the smaller and more highly ascetic of the two sections of the Thai sangha, prescribes minimum periods of three months to a year; the Mahasanghikas, who form the monastic majority, do not specify any duration. Lifelong monastic vows are, in those regions, a matter…

Dhamtari, town, central Chhattisgarh state, east-central India. It is located in the southern part of the Chhattisgarh Plain, just west of the Mahanadi River. The town is a rail-spur terminus and a trade centre for agricultural and forest products. Rice and flour milling and shellac manufacture are

Bharhut: …assigns the work to King Dhanabhuti during the rule of the Shungas (i.e., before 72 bce). The sculptures adorning the shrine are among the earliest and finest examples of the developing style of Buddhist art in India. See Bharhut sculpture.

Nanda dynasty: Dhanananda, the last of this list, possibly figures as Agrammes, or Xandrames, in classical sources, a powerful contemporary of Alexander the Great. The Nanda line ended with him in about 321 bce when Chandragupta laid the foundation for Mauryan power.

Dhanbad, city, eastern Jharkhand state, northeastern India. It lies in the Damodar River valley near the Jharia coalfield and is an important agricultural trade center. City area, 137 square miles (355 square km). Pop. (2001) city, 199,258; urban agglom., 1,065,327; (2011) city, 1,162,472; urban

India: The Rajputs of India: Among the important rulers was Dhanga (reigned c. 950–1008), who issued a large number of inscriptions and was generous in donations to Jain and Hindu temples. Dhanga’s grandson Vidyadhara (reigned 1017–29), often described as the most powerful of the Chandella kings, extended the kingdom as far as the Chambal and…

Jagdeep Dhankhar is an Indian lawyer and politician who was elected vice president of the country in August 2022. He resigned in July 2025, two years before the end of his five-year term. Prior to his vice presidency, Dhankhar served as the governor of West Bengal state. Dhankhar attended various

Diwali: Festivities: …

Dhanush is an Indian actor, singer, film producer, director, lyricist, and playback singer. He is known for his versatile performances in Tamil cinema (often called Kollywood, a portmanteau of Kodambakkam, a neighborhood in Chennai where the Tamil film industry is based, and Hollywood) and Hindi

Dhanvantari, in Hindu mythology, the physician of the gods. According to legend, the gods and the demons sought the elixir amrita by churning the milky ocean, and Dhanvantari rose out of the waters bearing a cup filled with the elixir. The Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine, is also

Dhanvantari, in Hindu mythology, the physician of the gods. According to legend, the gods and the demons sought the elixir amrita by churning the milky ocean, and Dhanvantari rose out of the waters bearing a cup filled with the elixir. The Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine, is also

Tripura: History: …and that of his successor, Dhanya Manikya (reigned c. 1463–1515), Tripura suzerainty was extended over much of Bengal, Assam, and Myanmar (Burma) in a series of remarkable military conquests. It was not until the beginning of the 17th century that the Mughal empire extended its sovereignty over much of Tripura.

Dhar, town, western Madhya Pradesh state, central India. It is situated on the northern slopes of the Vindhya Range and commands one of the gaps leading to the Narmada River valley to the south. Dhar is an ancient town. It served (9th–14th century) as the capital of the Paramara Rajputs and was a

Dharmendra: Rise to superstardom and later decline: …late 1970s and ’80s, including Dharam Veer (1977), The Burning Train (1980), Insaniyat Ke Dushman (1987; “Humanity’s Enemy”), and Hukumat (1987; “Rule”). In the 1990s his career slumped, with a series of box-office disasters that coincided with the rising popularity of the three Khans (Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan

Dharamshala, city, western Himachal Pradesh state, northwestern India. It is located on a lower slope of the Himalayas. Dharamshala is a scenic health resort. Aerated water is bottled there, and slate is quarried nearby. The city was virtually destroyed by an earthquake in 1905, but it was then

Dharamshala, city, western Himachal Pradesh state, northwestern India. It is located on a lower slope of the Himalayas. Dharamshala is a scenic health resort. Aerated water is bottled there, and slate is quarried nearby. The city was virtually destroyed by an earthquake in 1905, but it was then

Yoga: Dharana (“holding on”) is the ability to hold and confine awareness of externals to one object for a long period of time (a common exercise is fixing the mind on an object of meditation, such as the tip of the nose or an image of…

dharani, in Buddhism and Hinduism, a sacred Sanskrit phrase of great efficacy, used as a verbal protective device or talisman and as a support or instrument for concentration. The dharani is a short summary of the essential doctrine contained in a much longer sacred text and serves as an aid to its

Lakshmi: Consort of Vishnu: axe-wielding warrior Parashurama’s wife, Dharani, the warrior king Rama’s wife, Sita, and the god Krishna’s beloved, Radha. Krishna’s many wives, among them Rukmini, are also considered to be earthly forms of Lakshmi. As Vishnu’s wife, Lakshmi has a purpose distinct from her identity as goddess of wealth. Her function…

dharma, key concept with multiple meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In Hinduism, dharma is the religious and moral law governing individual conduct and is one of the four ends of life. In addition to the dharma that applies to everyone (sadharana dharma)—consisting of truthfulness,

ajiva: …into: (1) ākāśa, “space,” (2) dharma, “that which makes motion possible,” (3) adharma, “that which makes rest possible,” and (4) pudgala, “matter.” Pudgala consists of atoms; is eternal yet subject to change and development; is both gross (that which it is possible to see) and subtle (that which cannot be…

dharma: …term in the plural (dharmas) is used to describe the interrelated elements that make up the empirical world.

Chuck Lorre: Transition into television: …his first sustained success with Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), featuring an “opposites attract” premise, starring Jenna Elfman as a freewheeling child of hippies and Thomas Gibson as a buttoned-up federal attorney who get married on their first date; Lorre stayed on for the full 119-episode run of the show. In…

The Dharma Bums, autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac, published in 1958. The story’s narrator, Raymond Smith, is based on Kerouac himself, and the poet-woodsman-Buddhist, Japhy Ryder, is a thinly disguised portrait of the poet Gary Snyder. The book contains a number of other characters who are

religious symbolism and iconography: Concepts of symbolization: , the dharmachakra, or wheel of the law, of Buddhism). Other nonreligious types of symbols achieved increasing significance in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially those dealing with human beings’ relationship to and conceptualization of the material world. Rational, scientific-technical symbols have assumed an ever increasing importance…

Tripura: History: …reign of the great king Dharma Manikya (reigned c. 1431–62). The Rajamala, written in Bengali verse, was compiled by the Brahmans in the court of Dharma Manikya. During his reign and that of his successor, Dhanya Manikya (reigned c. 1463–1515), Tripura suzerainty was extended over much of Bengal, Assam, and…

Bhutan: The emergence of Bhutan: …and acquired the title of dharma raja. Bhutan probably became a distinct political entity about this period. La-Pha was succeeded by Doopgein Sheptoon, who consolidated Bhutan’s administrative organization through the appointment of regional penlops (governors of territories) and jungpens (governors of forts). Doopgein Sheptoon exercised both temporal and spiritual authority,…

Dharma-sutra, any of several manuals of human conduct that form the earliest source of Hindu law. They consist chiefly of sutras (“threads” or “strings”) of terse rules containing the essentials of law concerning interpersonal relations and the relationship between people and the state. The maxims

religious symbolism and iconography: Concepts of symbolization: , the dharmachakra, or wheel of the law, of Buddhism). Other nonreligious types of symbols achieved increasing significance in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially those dealing with human beings’ relationship to and conceptualization of the material world. Rational, scientific-technical symbols have assumed an ever increasing importance…