Buddhism: Avatamsaka (Huayan/Kegon): …in a quest to realize dharma-dhatu (“totality” or “universal principle”). Three Chinese versions and one Sanskrit original (the Gandavyuha), which contains the last section only, are extant. There is no trace of an Indian sectarian development, and the school is known only in its Chinese and Japanese forms.

Dharma-Thakur: …in Bengali literature known as Dharma-mangal.

Dharma-Thakur: …Dharma-Thakur’s annual worship, known as Dharma-puja, has been described as a kind of sympathetic magic to make the monsoon rains begin to fall. Among the neighbouring tribal peoples there are a number of practices and deities that share some of the characteristics of Dharma-Thakur. The majesty and exploits of Dharma-Thakur…

Dharma-Thakur, folk deity of eastern India whose origins are obscure. Dharma-Thakur is worshipped as the “high god” of a large number of villages of the Rahr Plains, a region that comprises the greater part of modern West Bengal state. Dharma-Thakur has no prescribed form; he is worshipped in the

Dharma-Thakur, folk deity of eastern India whose origins are obscure. Dharma-Thakur is worshipped as the “high god” of a large number of villages of the Rahr Plains, a region that comprises the greater part of modern West Bengal state. Dharma-Thakur has no prescribed form; he is worshipped in the

Dharma-shastra, ancient Indian body of jurisprudence that is the basis, subject to legislative modification, of the family law of Hindus living in territories both within and outside India (e.g., Pakistan, Malaysia, East Africa). Dharma-shastra is primarily concerned not with legal administration,

Dharma-shastra, ancient Indian body of jurisprudence that is the basis, subject to legislative modification, of the family law of Hindus living in territories both within and outside India (e.g., Pakistan, Malaysia, East Africa). Dharma-shastra is primarily concerned not with legal administration,

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

Dharma-Thakur, folk deity of eastern India whose origins are obscure. Dharma-Thakur is worshipped as the “high god” of a large number of villages of the Rahr Plains, a region that comprises the greater part of modern West Bengal state. Dharma-Thakur has no prescribed form; he is worshipped in the

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…

Amitabha, in Mahayana Buddhism, and particularly in the so-called Pure Land sects, the great saviour buddha. As related in the Sukhavati-vyuha-sutras (the fundamental scriptures of the Pure Land sects), many ages ago a monk named Dharmakara made a number of vows, the 18th of which promised that, on

Christianity: Evidentialist approach: …the ultimacy of the nonpersonal dharma-kaya. The idea of the immortal soul is challenged by the anatta (“no soul”) doctrine, with its claim that the personal mind or soul is not an enduring substance but a succession of fleeting moments of consciousness. And yet Buddhism, teaching as it does doctrines…

Christianity: Evidentialist approach: …the ultimacy of the nonpersonal dharma-kaya. The idea of the immortal soul is challenged by the anatta (“no soul”) doctrine, with its claim that the personal mind or soul is not an enduring substance but a succession of fleeting moments of consciousness. And yet Buddhism, teaching as it does doctrines…

Dharmakīrti was an Indian Buddhist philosopher and logician. He asserted that inference and direct perception are the only valid kinds of knowledge and that, in the processes of the mind, cognition and the cognized belong to distinct moments. According to him, the object of inference, either

Fa-hsiang, school of Chinese Buddhism derived from the Indian Yogācāra school. See

bhūmi: …(9) sādhumatī (“good-minded”), and (10) dharmameghā (showered with “clouds of dharma,” or universal truth).

Tripura: Relief and drainage: …valleys—from east to west, the Dharmanagar, the Kailashahar, the Kamalpur, and the Khowai, all carved by northward-flowing rivers (the Juri, Manu and Deo, Dhalai, and Khowai, respectively). North-south-trending ranges separate the valleys. East of the Dharmanagar valley, the Jampai Tlang range rises to elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 feet (600…

Sri Lanka: The expansion of Portuguese control: …succeeded by his grandson Prince Dharmapala, who was even more dependent on Portuguese support. An agreement between Bhuvanaika Bahu and the king of Portugal in 1543 had guaranteed the protection of the prince on the throne and the defense of the kingdom; in return the Portuguese were to be confirmed…

Buddhism: Yogachara/Vijnanavada (Faxiang/Hossō): …he studied the works of Dharmapala (died 561) and taught at the Vijnanavada centre at Valabhi. When he returned to China, he translated Dharmapala’s Vijnapti-matrata-siddhi and many other works and taught doctrines that were based on those of Dharmapala and other Indian teachers. Xuanzang’s teachings were expressed systematically in Fayuanyilinzhang…

dharmapāla, in Tibetan Buddhism, any one of a group of eight divinities who, though benevolent, are represented as hideous and ferocious in order to instill terror in evil spirits. Worship of dharmapālas was initiated in the 8th century by the magician-saint Padmasambhava, who is said to have

India: The tripartite struggle: …conflict with the Pala king, Dharmapala (reigned c. 770–810), who had by this time advanced up the Ganges valley. The Rashtrakuta king Dhruva (reigned c. 780–793) attacked each in turn and claimed to have defeated them. This initiated a lengthy tripartite struggle. Dharmapala soon retook Kannauj and put his nominee…

Dharmapuri, town, northwestern Tamil Nadu state, southern India. It is situated on an upland plateau, about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of the Ponnaiyar River. Dharmapuri was known in early Tamil shangam literature as the home of the poet Avvaiyar (2nd century ce). It is now an agricultural trade

South Asian arts: Medieval temple architecture: South Indian style of Tamil Nadu (7th–18th century): …which is the massive three-storied Dharmarāja-ratha (c. 650). The finest temple at this site and of this period is an elegant complex of three shrines called the Shore Temple (c. 700), not cut out of rock but built of stone. The Tālapurīśvara temple at Panamalai is another excellent example. The…

Taxila: Archaeology: The Dharmarajika stupa, popularly known as Chir Tope, is a circular structure with a raised terrace around its base. A circle of small chapels surround the great stupa. Three distinctive types of masonry in the buildings around the main stupa suggest the contributions of different periods…

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

Dharma-shastra, ancient Indian body of jurisprudence that is the basis, subject to legislative modification, of the family law of Hindus living in territories both within and outside India (e.g., Pakistan, Malaysia, East Africa). Dharma-shastra is primarily concerned not with legal administration,

Dharmavamsa was the king of eastern Java from about 985 and the first historical Javanese whose life is known in any detail. Dharmavamsa was a Saivite king whose reign is noted for its literary achievements, including a translation of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata into Javanese. A legal code that the

Dharmavamsa was the king of eastern Java from about 985 and the first historical Javanese whose life is known in any detail. Dharmavamsa was a Saivite king whose reign is noted for its literary achievements, including a translation of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata into Javanese. A legal code that the

Dharmavamsa was the king of eastern Java from about 985 and the first historical Javanese whose life is known in any detail. Dharmavamsa was a Saivite king whose reign is noted for its literary achievements, including a translation of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata into Javanese. A legal code that the

Dharmavamsa was the king of eastern Java from about 985 and the first historical Javanese whose life is known in any detail. Dharmavamsa was a Saivite king whose reign is noted for its literary achievements, including a translation of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata into Javanese. A legal code that the

Dharmendra was a veteran Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood. Especially noted for his powerful dialogue delivery and ability to portray a wide range of characters, Dharmendra was counted among Bollywood’s reigning stars in the 1960s and ’70s. He was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan (2012)

Indian philosophy: Contributions of Vasubandhu and Asanga: …object through its mark, but Dharmottara, an 8th-century commentator, pointed out that this is not a definition of the essence of inference but only of its origin.

India: Rural settlement: …post office, or perhaps a dharmshala (a free guest house for travelers). The village school is usually on the edge of the village in order to provide pupils with adequate playing space. Another common feature along the margin of a village is a grove of mango or other trees, which…

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

Hubballi-Dharwad: …affiliated with Karnatak University in Dharwad.

Precambrian: Occurrence and distribution of Precambrian rocks: …cratons in southern Africa; the Dharwar craton in India; the Aldan and Anabar shields in Siberia in Russia; the Baltic Shield that includes much of Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of far northern Russia; the

Buddhism: Classification of dhammas: …sensory elements (Pali and Sanskrit: dhatus). The 5 skandhas are rupa (Pali and Sanskrit), materiality, or form; vedana, feelings of pleasure or pain or the absence of either; sanna (Pali), cognitive perception; sankhara (Pali and Sanskrit), the forces that condition the psychic activity of an individual; and vinnana (Sanskrit:

Abhidhamma Pitaka: …of the same topics, (3) Dhatukatha (“Discussion of Elements”), another supplementary work, (4) Puggalapannatti (“Designation of Person”), largely a collection of excerpts from the Anguttara Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka, classifying human characteristics in relation to stages on the Buddhist path and generally considered the earliest Abhidhamma text, (5) Kathavatthu…

Sri Lanka: The Anuradhapura period: Dhatusena (reigned 459–477) defeated the Pandyas and reestablished Sinhalese rule with the line of Moriya kings. His son Kashyapa I (reigned 477–495) moved the capital from Anuradhapura to the rock fortress of Sigiriya. After Kashyapa’s dethronement the capital was returned to Anuradhapura.

Dhaulagiri, mountain massif of the Himalayas in west-central Nepal. It is situated on the western side of the deep Kali (Kali Gandak) River gorge, about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Annapurna. Many of Dhaulagiri’s snow- and glacier-covered peaks exceed 25,000 feet (7,620 metres), including

Dhaulagiri: …25,000 feet (7,620 metres), including Dhaulagiri I, II, III, and IV. The tallest, Dhaulagiri I, reaches an elevation of 26,795 feet (8,167 metres) and is the world’s seventh highest mountain. With a south wall that rises vertically some 15,000 feet (4,600 metres), the peak’s steep sides and bitterly cold climate…

South Asian arts: Mauryan period (c. 3rd century bce): At Dhauli in Orissa, the fore part of an elephant is carved out of rock on a terrace above a boulder that carries several of Ashoka’s edicts. The modelling here is soft and gentle, and the plump, fleshy qualities of the young animal’s body, seen as…

Ganges River: Physiography: the Alaknanda, the Mandakini, the Dhauliganga, and the Pindar—all rise in the mountainous region of northern Uttarakhand state. Of those, the two main headstreams are the Alaknanda (the longer of the two), which rises about 30 miles (50 km) north of the Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi, and the Bhagirathi,…

Ganges River: Physiography: the Alaknanda, the Mandakini, the Dhauliganga, and the Pindar—all rise in the mountainous region of northern Uttarakhand state. Of those, the two main headstreams are the Alaknanda (the longer of the two), which rises about 30 miles (50 km) north of the Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi, and the Bhagirathi,…

Ganges River: Physiography: the Alaknanda, the Mandakini, the Dhauliganga, and the Pindar—all rise in the mountainous region of northern Uttarakhand state. Of those, the two main headstreams are the Alaknanda (the longer of the two), which rises about 30 miles (50 km) north of the Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi, and the Bhagirathi,…

Dholpur, city, eastern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It is situated just north of the Chambal River, about 30 miles (48 km) south-southeast of Agra (Uttar Pradesh). The original town was founded by Raja Dholan Deo in the 11th century, when it was called Dhawalpur, a name since contracted to

Leopold Joseph, Graf (count) von Daun was a field marshal who was the Austrian commander in chief during the Seven Years’ War against Prussia (1756–63). Daun gained field experience during Austrian operations in Sicily (1719), in Italy and on the Rhine (1734–35), against Turkey (1737–39), and

Dholpur, city, eastern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It is situated just north of the Chambal River, about 30 miles (48 km) south-southeast of Agra (Uttar Pradesh). The original town was founded by Raja Dholan Deo in the 11th century, when it was called Dhawalpur, a name since contracted to

Satish Dhawan was an Indian aerospace engineer and space scientist who is regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. He guided the development of India’s space program in its formative years, leading to such milestones as the launch of the first satellite built in

Jaisamand Lake, large reservoir lake in the southeastern Aravalli Range, south-central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The lake, about 20 square miles (50 square km) in area when full, was originally named Jai Samand and was formed by a marble dam built across the Gomati River in the late 17th

Jacques Audiard: Dheepan (2015), which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival, tells the story of a former Tamil Tiger who immigrates to France. In 2018 Audiard helmed Les Frères Sisters (The Sisters Brothers), a crime comedy set in the American West during the 1850s.

Osage: Like other members of the Dhegiha—the Omaha, Ponca, Kansa, and Quapaw—the Osage migrated westward from the Atlantic coast, settling first in the Piedmont Plateau between the James and Savannah rivers in the present states of Virginia and the Carolinas. After a time they moved to the Ozark Plateau and the…

Omaha: It is thought that Dhegiha speakers, which include the Osage, Ponca, Kansa, and Quapaw as well as the Omaha, migrated westward from the Atlantic coast at some point in prehistory and that their early settlements were in the present U.S. states of Virginia and the Carolinas. After a time…

Dhekélia, British military enclave in southeast Cyprus, retained as a “sovereignty base area” by the United Kingdom under the 1959 London Agreement granting independence to Cyprus. It is located northeast of Larnaca on the northern shore of Larnaca Bay, and its northern boundary formed part of the

Khaṛiā: The Dhelkī are concentrated near Gāngpur. Both live in settled villages, and intervillage federations enforce the feeling of social solidarity. They traditionally build separate large dormitories for unmarried men and women, but this practice has been abandoned by Christian Khaṛiā. The Khaṛiā’s traditional religion includes a…

Dhenkanal, town, east-central Odisha (Orissa) state, eastern India. It is situated on a low plain, about 5 miles (8 km) south of the Brahmani River. The town is named for Dhenka, a medieval chieftain of the Savara people. It is a marketplace for rice, oilseeds, and timber and is a centre of

Morocco: Soils: Dhess is the main soil type of the Sebou basin. A silt-rich alluvial soil, it provides the foundation for much of Morocco’s modern irrigated agriculture. Other major soil types, less suitable for agriculture, are rmel, a sandy soil found in the Mamora Forest region east…

dengue: …a more severe form, called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which is characterized by hemorrhaging blood vessels and thus bleeding from the nose, mouth, and internal tissues. Untreated DHF may result in blood vessel collapse, causing a usually fatal condition known as dengue shock syndrome. Dengue is caused by one of…

Dibon, ancient capital of Moab, located north of the Arnon River in west-central Jordan. Excavations conducted there since 1950 by the archaeologists affiliated with the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem have uncovered the remains of several city walls, a square tower, and numerous

dhikr, ritual prayer or litany practiced by Muslim mystics (Sufis) for the purpose of glorifying God and achieving spiritual perfection. Based on the Qurʾānic injunctions “Remind thyself [udhkur] of thy Lord when thou forgettest” (18:24) and “O ye who believe! Remember [udhkurū] God with much

Greece: The islands of Greece: …(2,456 metres) high; the east-central Díkti Mountains; and the far eastern Tryptí (Thriptís) Mountains. Another range, the Asteroúsia (Kófinas) Mountains, runs along the south-central coast between the Mesarás Plain and the Libyan Sea. Of Crete’s 650 miles (1,050 km) of rocky coastline, it is the more gradual slope on the…

Theódoros Dhiliyiánnis was a politician who was prime minister of Greece five times (1885–86, 1890–92, 1895–97, 1902–03, 1904–05). He was a resolute advocate of aggressive and often irresponsible territorial expansion. His bitter rivalry with the reformist politician Kharílaos Trikoúpis dominated

Parkash Singh Badal was an Indian politician and government official who rose to become president (1996–2008) of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a Sikh-focused regional political party in Punjab state, northwestern India. Badal served five terms as the chief minister of Punjab (1970–71, 1977–80,

Delos, island, one of the smallest of the Cyclades (Modern Greek: Kykládes), Greece, an ancient centre of religious, political, and commercial life in the Aegean Sea. Now largely uninhabited, it is a rugged granite mass about 1.3 square miles (3.4 square km) in area. Also called Lesser Delos, it

jizyah: …this policy they were called dhimmīs (protected people). If Muslim authorities were militarily unable to defend the dhimmīs in the event of an attack by an external aggressor, the former were required to return the jizyah to the latter. ʿUmar thus famously returned the jizyah he had collected from an…

jizyah: …this policy they were called dhimmīs (protected people). If Muslim authorities were militarily unable to defend the dhimmīs in the event of an attack by an external aggressor, the former were required to return the jizyah to the latter. ʿUmar thus famously returned the jizyah he had collected from an…

Sikhism: Guru Hargobind: A new direction for the Panth: The older son of Gurditta, Dhir Mal, was rejected because, from his seat in Jalandhar district, he had formed an alliance with Emperor Shāh Jahān. This meant that the younger son of Gurditta, Har Rai, would become the seventh Guru. But Dhir Mal continued to make trouble for the orthodox…

Euboea: …centre of the island rises Dhírfis Mountain (5,715 feet [1,742 metres]), while in the south Óchi Mountain reaches 4,587 feet (1,398 metres). The east coast is rocky and harbourless; in ancient times the main traffic from the north Aegean to Athens used the inshore channels because of the hazards of…

Maldives: People: …is an Indo-European language called Dhivehi (or Maldivian); Arabic, Hindi, and English are also spoken. Islam is the state religion.

Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front, left-wing Marxist-Leninist terrorist group in Turkey, formed in 1978 as an offshoot of the Turkish People’s Liberation Party/Front, that is strongly anti-United States and anti-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). In the 1990s, Dev Sol (renamed

Mozambique: Peace in Mozambique: Renamo’s leader, Afonso Dhlakama, met with international political leaders and was accepted as a presidential candidate. During the election campaign the United Nations provided military and civilian police, who supervised the activities of their Mozambican counterparts, while the European Union supplied election materials. Although Frelimo and Renamo…

Eswatini: Ethnic groups: …of the largest clan, the Dlamini. The amalgamation brought together clans already living in the area that is now Eswatini, many of whom were of Sotho origin, and clans of Nguni origin who entered the country with the Dlamini in the early 19th century. Traditional administration and culture are regulated…

R. R. R. Dhlomo was an African novelist, journalist, and editor who wrote in Zulu and English. His An African Tragedy (1928) was the first novel in English by a Zulu writer. Dhlomo attended the Ohlange Institute in his hometown and then earned a teacher’s certificate from Adams College at nearby

R. R. R. Dhlomo was an African novelist, journalist, and editor who wrote in Zulu and English. His An African Tragedy (1928) was the first novel in English by a Zulu writer. Dhlomo attended the Ohlange Institute in his hometown and then earned a teacher’s certificate from Adams College at nearby

Sapindales: Anacardiaceae: Semecarpus anacardium (dhobi nut) has young fruits with a black resin that is insoluble in water and is used as a marking ink in Southeast Asia.

Dodecanese, group of islands in the Aegean Sea, off the southwestern coast of Turkey in southeastern Greece. The islands constituted a nomós (department) until 2011, when local government in Greece was reorganized and the islands were divided among four new perifereiakés enótites (regional units)

Dhofar, historical region in southern Oman, extending from Cape Al-Sharbatāt on the coast of the Arabian Sea southwestward to the Oman-Yemen border. The region’s northern boundary has never been defined, but generally included in the territory is the Wadi Mughshin, located about 150 miles (240 km)

Ahmed Abdallah Sambi: Sambi’s vice president, Ikililou Dhoinine, was declared the winner; he took office in May 2011.

North Macedonia: Drainage: …of this basin drain into Lake Doiran (Macedonian: Dojran) and into the Aegean via the Strumica and Struma rivers. The remainder of North Macedonia drains northward via the Crni Drim River toward the Adriatic Sea.

Dahūk, city, capital of Dahūk muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northern Iraq, lying near the northern end of the Tigris River valley. The area in which it is situated is unsuitable for cultivation but is good for fruit orchards and pasturage. Dahūk has a fruit-canning plant and a textile mill. It was a

primate: Pleistocene: …an enormous jaw in the Dhok Pathan deposits of the Siwālik Hills of India, from the earliest Pliocene, has provided a respectably long period of existence for this aberrant giant-toothed hominoid genus. Clearly, Gigantopithecus was a member of the Hominidae related to the orangutan, with divergent dental specializations that were…

Tibetan terrier, breed of nonsporting dog that originated in Tibet to aid shepherds. It was believed to bring luck to its owner. The name terrier was adopted in reference to the dog’s size; unlike other dogs called terriers it was not bred to dig for game. Its profuse double coat is very thick and

bhangra: …to the beat of a dhol (double-headed drum). Struck with a heavy beater on one end and with a lighter stick on the other, the dhol imbued the music with a syncopated (accents on the weak beats), swinging rhythmic character that has generally remained the hallmark of any music that…

Yemen: Daily life and social customs: …a broad-brimmed straw hat (dhola) to ward off the sun.

Dhola, oral epic that is sung in various Hindi dialects in honour of the goddess Shakti and is performed in the western portion of Uttar Pradesh, as well as in parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh. Two major themes run through Dhola: the use of Shakta subjects and the incorporation and

bhangra: …by the similar yet smaller dholak, played with the hands; various local instruments—such as the flute, zither, fiddle, harmonium (a portable, hand-pumped organ), and tabla (pair of single-headed drums)—were added to the accompaniment; and the topics of the song texts broadened from agricultural themes to include literary, romantic, and subtly…

India: Other important sites: Also in Kachchh is Dholavira, which appears to be among the largest Harappan settlements so far identified; a nine-year excavation at the site completed in 2001 yielded a walled Indus valley city that dated to the mid-3rd millennium bce and covered some 3.5 acres (1.4 hectares). The Archaeological Survey…

dhole, (Cuon alpinus), wild Asian carnivore of the dog family (Canidae), found in central and southeastern wooded areas and distinguished structurally by the lack of one pair of lower molars. Its length ranges between 76 and 100 cm (30 and 40 inches), exclusive of the 28–48-centimetre (11–19-inch)

Dholpur, city, eastern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It is situated just north of the Chambal River, about 30 miles (48 km) south-southeast of Agra (Uttar Pradesh). The original town was founded by Raja Dholan Deo in the 11th century, when it was called Dhawalpur, a name since contracted to

Nana Sahib was a prominent leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58. Although he did not plan the outbreak, he assumed leadership of the sepoys (British-employed Indian soldiers). Adopted in 1827 by Baji Rao II, the last Maratha peshwa (ruler), Nana Sahib was educated as a Hindu nobleman. On the

William Christian was a Manx politician regarded in some circles as a patriot martyr. Christian was the third son of Ewan Christian, one of the deemsters (judges) of the Isle of Man. In 1648 Christian was appointed to the post of receiver general by the 7th Earl of Derby, lord of the Isle of Man.

M.S. Dhoni is an Indian cricketer whose rise to prominence in the early 21st century culminated in his captaincy of the Indian national team that won the one-day Cricket World Cup in 2011. Dhoni made his international debut in 2004. His talent with the bat came to the fore in an innings of 148 runs

M.S. Dhoni is an Indian cricketer whose rise to prominence in the early 21st century culminated in his captaincy of the Indian national team that won the one-day Cricket World Cup in 2011. Dhoni made his international debut in 2004. His talent with the bat came to the fore in an innings of 148 runs

Yash Chopra: Career: His directorial debut, Dhool Ka Phool (1959; “Flowers of the Dust”), a drama that examines the social consequences of the birth of a child out of wedlock, was enormously popular. He followed it with Dharmputra (1961; “Dutiful Son”), a film adaptation of a novel about the pre-partition period…

Hrithik Roshan: Partnership with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and others: …thief in the action thriller Dhoom 2 (2006; the second film in a hugely successful heist trilogy titled Dhoom or “blast”), and the Mughal emperor Akbar in the period drama Jodhaa Akbar (2008). In the latter two films, he played opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. They starred in a third film,…

dhoti, long loincloth traditionally worn in southern Asia by Hindu men. Wrapped around the hips and thighs with one end brought between the legs and tucked into the waistband, the dhoti resembles baggy, knee- length trousers. The lightweight cotton fabric, also called dhoti, that is used for the

doum nut, the nut of the doum palm (Hyphaene thebaica), native to Upper Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania. Also called the gingerbread palm, the 15.2-metre (50-foot) tree has a slender trunk and smooth branches, each tipped with a rosette of small, stiff, green, fanlike leaves. The

dhow, one- or two-masted Arab sailing vessel, usually with lateen rigging (slanting triangular sails), common in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Bows are sharp, with a forward and upward thrust, and the sterns of the larger dhows may be windowed and decorated. Seafaring has long been a central

Mahabharata: …cousins, the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru) and the Pandavas (sons of Pandu). The poem is made up of almost 100,000 couplets—about seven times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined—divided into 18 parvans, or sections, plus a supplement titled Harivamsha (“Genealogy of the God…

lokapāla: The other Buddhist lokapālas are Dhṛtarāṣṭra (east), Virūḍhaka (south), and Virūpākṣa (west).