Sidney Lumet: The 1960s: Fail Safe, The Pawnbroker, and The Hill: …production Vu du pont (1962; A View from the Bridge) was a well-realized version of Arthur Miller’s drama set on the Brooklyn docks, with Raf Vallone and Maureen Stapleton as an unhappily married couple.

Allison Janney: Theater: …praised revival of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge (1997–98), for which she earned her first Tony Award nomination. She also received a Tony nod for her performance in the musical 9 to 5 (2009), which was based on the popular 1980 film. Janney portrayed Violet Newstead, a character…

Jill Biden: Books: …time in the White House, The View from the East Wing, was published in June 2026.

Carel Fabritius: …decorations with illusionistic perspective effects; A View in Delft, with a Musical Instrument Seller’s Stall (1652) may possibly reflect this type of work, for it is thought to once have been part of a peep show or a perspective box. The Goldfinch (1654) is one of his best-known works and…

Pieter Saenredam: …Saenredam’s later church portraits include View in the Nieuwe Kerk at Haarlem (1652) and Interior of the St. Cunera Church at Rhenen (1655), which convey a majestic spaciousness and serene atmosphere characteristic of Saenredam’s paintings.

Sesshū: Mature years and works of Sesshū: …of landscape painting is the View of Amanohashidate scroll (c. 1501–07), in the Kyōto National Museum. Much more detailed and realistic, it is almost like a topographic view of a particular place.

Frederic Edwin Church: …Ecuador (1855), Niagara (1857), and Cotopaxi (1862). In his lifetime, Church received great praise for his work and sold his paintings for high prices. He traveled widely in Europe and the Middle East, but after 1877 he was compelled to abandon painting because of crippling rheumatism in his hands. He…

Johannes Vermeer: Themes: …emotional power of Vermeer’s magnificent View of Delft (c. 1660–61) similarly results from his ability to transform an image of the physical world into a harmonious, timeless visual expression. In this masterpiece Vermeer depicted Delft from across its harbor, where transport boats would unload after navigating inland waterways. Beyond the…

Jonathan Boucher: He nevertheless dedicated to Washington A View of the Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution (1797), consisting of 13 of the eloquent sermons that he had preached in America urging loyalty to England, and he received a friendly acknowledgment.

James Monroe: Minister to France: …pamphlet of 500 pages entitled A View of the Conduct of the Executive, in the Foreign Affairs of the United States. Washington seems never to have forgiven Monroe for this stratagem, though Monroe’s opinion of Washington and Jay underwent a change in his later years. In 1799 Monroe was chosen…

Edmund Spenser: Career in Ireland: Spenser’s A View of the Present State of Ireland (written 1595–96, published 1633), a later tract, argues lucidly for a typically 16th-century theory of rule: firm measures, ruthlessly applied, with gentleness only for completely submissive subject populations.

Deism: The English Deists: …critical compendium of Deist thought, A View of the Principal Deistical Writers that Have Appeared in England in the Last and Present Century; with Observations upon Them, and Some Account of the Answers that Have Been Published Against Them. This work, which began with Lord Herbert of Cherbury and moved…

El Greco: Later life and works of El Greco: The View of Toledo (c. 1599–1600) renders a city stormy, sinister, and impassioned with the same dark, foreboding clouds that appear in the background of his earlier Crucifixion with Donors. Painting in his studio, he rearranged the buildings depicted in the picture to suit his compositional…

Homer Dodge Martin: His best work, including View on the Seine: Harp of the Winds (1895), in which he borrowed the broken colour of the Impressionists but not their high-keyed palette, was done after his return to the United States. Martin’s painting is generally characterized by its spacious design, brilliant colour, and…

Philips Koninck: , View over a Flat Landscape (1664) and An Extensive Landscape with a Hawking Party (c. 1670). Contrasting areas of cloud shadow and sunlit landscape give life and variety to the simple compositions. Though sufficiently similar to Rembrandt in style and handling to have often passed…

virtual reality: Entertainment: …as founding director of the Virtual Environment Workstation (VIEW) project. The VIEW project put together a package of objectives that summarized previous work on artificial environments, ranging from creation of multisensory and immersive “virtual environment workstations” to telepresence and teleoperation applications. Influenced by a range of prior projects that included…

Christopher Walken: Film and television work: … (1983), the James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985), Robert Redford’s The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), the film version of the Neil Simon play Biloxi Blues (1988), and the crime thriller King of New York (1990). Walken received an Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal of a widower…

point of view, in literature, the vantage point from which a story is presented. A common point of view is the omniscient, in which, in the third person grammatically, the author presents a panoramic view of both the actions and the inner feelings of the characters; the author’s own comments on

The View, American daytime television talk show that has aired weekdays on ABC since 1997. It was created by journalist Barbara Walters and her longtime producing partner, Bill Geddie. The View features an all-women panel of hosts, and it is a venue for lively, informed debates on current events,

viewfinder, camera component that shows the photographer the area of the subject that will be included in a photograph. In modern cameras it usually is part of a direct visual- or range-finder focusing system and may also be used to display exposure settings or meter information. Modern viewfinders

At the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th centuries, when William Shakespeare was becoming an academic institution, so to speak—a subject for serious scholarly study—a revolutionary search began in the world outside the universities for the means to present his great dramas in the new medium

Drake: If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Views, and other releases: …did Drake’s fourth studio album, Views (2016), which features the memorable singles “One Dance” and “Hotline Bling.”

Bayard Taylor: …compiled in the extremely popular Views Afoot (1846). In 1847 he began a career in journalism in New York. Eldorado (1850) recounted his trials as a newspaper correspondent in the 1849 California gold rush. He continued his trips to remote parts of the world—to the Orient, to Africa, to Russia—and…

Philaret: …1905 with the title “Views and Comments.”

alternative rock: In 1991 Nirvana and producer Butch Vig released “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” from their epochal 1991 album, Nevermind. The sheer immediacy of its expert guitar distortions and layered orchestrations—influenced by the organized noise of British pop groups such as the Cure and My Bloody Valentine—assured that “grunge,”

saga: Sagas of Icelanders: …son’s killer, the local chieftain; Víga-Glúms saga tells of a ruthless chieftain who commits several killings and swears an ambiguous oath in order to cover his guilt; while Vatnsdæla saga is the story of a noble chieftain whose last act is to help his killer escape.

Carlo Maria Viganò is a Roman Catholic archbishop and a former papal nuncio (ambassador) to the United States whose frequent public criticism of Pope Francis (2013–25) and rejection of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) led to his being charged by the Holy See with the canonical crime of schism

Salvatore Viganò was an Italian dancer and choreographer whose innovations included the synthesis of dance and pantomime, which he called “coreodramma,” in highly dramatic ballets based on historical and mythological themes and Shakespearean plays. Viganò was born of a family of dancers and was the

Giacomo Torelli: His successor at the Petit-Bourbon, Gaspare Vigarani, destroyed his sets, apparently out of jealousy, but the designs for them were reproduced in the Encyclopédie (1751–72) of French philosopher Denis Diderot.

Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was a French painter, one of the most successful women artists (unusually so for her time), particularly noted for her portraits of women. Her father and first teacher, Louis Vigée, was a noted portraitist who worked chiefly in pastels. In 1776 she married an art dealer,

Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was a French painter, one of the most successful women artists (unusually so for her time), particularly noted for her portraits of women. Her father and first teacher, Louis Vigée, was a noted portraitist who worked chiefly in pastels. In 1776 she married an art dealer,

Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was a French painter, one of the most successful women artists (unusually so for her time), particularly noted for her portraits of women. Her father and first teacher, Louis Vigée, was a noted portraitist who worked chiefly in pastels. In 1776 she married an art dealer,

Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was a French painter, one of the most successful women artists (unusually so for her time), particularly noted for her portraits of women. Her father and first teacher, Louis Vigée, was a noted portraitist who worked chiefly in pastels. In 1776 she married an art dealer,

Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor who was best known for creating an outdoor sculpture complex in Frogner Park, Oslo. Vigeland, whose father was a carpenter, was apprenticed to a wood-carver in 1884. He attended art schools in Oslo and Copenhagen and then spent several months in Paris in

Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor who was best known for creating an outdoor sculpture complex in Frogner Park, Oslo. Vigeland, whose father was a carpenter, was apprenticed to a wood-carver in 1884. He attended art schools in Oslo and Copenhagen and then spent several months in Paris in

Vigenère cipher, type of substitution cipher used for data encryption in which the original plaintext structure is somewhat concealed in the ciphertext by using several different monoalphabetic substitution ciphers rather than just one; the code key specifies which particular substitution is to be

numerals and numeral systems: Number bases: …with the decimal or the vigesimal system, where the base is 20. Similarly, the pure base six scale seems to occur only sparsely in northwest Africa and is otherwise combined with the duodecimal, or base 12, system.

Vigevano, town, Lombardia (Lombardy) region, northern Italy, on the right bank of the Ticino River, southwest of Milan. An old silk-manufacturing town, it was the site during the Renaissance of a hunting villa of the Sforza family, who built the arcaded Piazza Ducale (1494) and enlarged the former

Gudbrandur Vigfússon was one of the 19th century’s foremost scholars of Old Norse, who completed the Richard Cleasby Icelandic–English Dictionary (1874; 2nd ed., 1957) and published editions of a number of Icelandic sagas as well as the collection Corpus poeticum boreale (1883; “Body of Northern

wake, watch or vigil held over the body of a dead person before burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity; also, in England, a vigil kept in commemoration of the dedication of the parish church. The latter type of wake consisted of an all-night service of prayer and meditation in the church.

George Saunders: In 2026 he published Vigil, a novel about an angel who visits the deathbed of an oil tycoon.

dietary law: Christianity: Vigils are single fast days that have been observed before certain feast days and other festivals. Rogation Days are the three days before Ascension Day and are marked by a fast preparatory to that festival; they seem to have been introduced after an earthquake that…

George Stevens: Swing Time, Gunga Din, and Woman of the Year: Vigil in the Night (1940), from an A.J. Cronin novel, featured Carole Lombard as a nurse who dedicates her life to the poor denizens of a remote hospital ward after her sister (Anne Shirley), who is also a nurse, accidentally causes a patient’s death. The…

Drum-Taps: …of the wounded informs “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night.”

Feast of the Seven Fishes, Italian American Christmas Eve meal involving the serving of a meatless dinner composed of seven different dishes of fish. Although Feast of the Seven Fishes is the most common name for this meal, it is also referred to as Christmas Eve Fish Dinner or the Vigil, and many

attention: Sustained attention: vigilance: Sustained attention, or vigilance, as it is more often called, refers to the state in which attention must be maintained over time. Often this is to be found in some form of “watchkeeping” activity when an observer, or listener, must continuously monitor a situation…

police: Early police in the United States: …Saxon tradition of frankpledge: the vigilante. In areas where a formal justice system had yet to be established or the rudimentary policing apparatus had proved inadequate in the face of rampant crime, it was not uncommon for citizens (called “regulators”) to band together in “committees of vigilance” to combat crime…

LaFayette Curry Baker: In 1856 he joined the San Francisco Vigilance Command (known as the Vigilantes), a group of self-appointed police whose operations were characterized by arbitrariness and lack of due process. In the next four years he was often employed in an undercover capacity and became adept at techniques of deception and…

police: Ancient policing: …brigade into a corps of vigiles (firefighters and watchmen), consisting of seven squads, or cohorts, of 1,000 freedmen each. Each cohort was responsible for fire and, especially at night, police protection in two regiones. As a further measure to impose order on the often violent streets of Rome—a city of…

wake, watch or vigil held over the body of a dead person before burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity; also, in England, a vigil kept in commemoration of the dedication of the parish church. The latter type of wake consisted of an all-night service of prayer and meditation in the church.

Bisceglie, town and episcopal see, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southeastern Italy. It lies along the Adriatic Sea and is about 120 miles (190 km) east-northeast of Naples. The Romans called the place Vigiliae, from the watchtowers that were used there in guarding the coast. The town was conquered by

Vigilius was the pope from 537 to 555, known for his major role in what later was called the “Three Chapters Controversy,” a complex theological dispute between the Eastern and Western churches. Vigilius, of noble birth, became a Roman deacon and was with Pope St. Agapetus I during the latter’s

Trento: Vigilius, converted Trentino and the southern Tirol to Christianity in the late 4th–early 5th century. The seat of a Lombard duchy and later of a Frankish march (borderland), it became a dominion of its prince-bishops in 1027 under Holy Roman imperial patronage and later became…

nueva canción: The formative years: the late 1950s through the ’60s: In Uruguay nueva cancíon musician Daniel Viglietti created songs that captured audiences not only across Latin America but also in France and Spain. In Cuba, Pablo Milanés, Silvio Rodríguez, and their colleagues at the national film institute pioneered the “protest music” that ultimately came to be called nueva trova (also…

bean: The genera Phaseolus and Vigna have several species each of well-known beans, though a number of economically important species can be found in various genera throughout the family. Rich in protein and providing moderate amounts of iron, thiamin, and riboflavin, beans are used worldwide for cooking in either fresh…

adzuki bean, (Vigna angularis), edible seed of the adzuki plant, a legume plant of the pea family (Fabaceae). The plant is native to East Asia and may have been independently domesticated in Korea, Japan, and China. An important source of starch and protein, adzuki beans are a common ingredient in

mung bean, (Vigna radiata), legume plant of the pea family (Fabaceae), grown for its edible seeds and young sprouts. The mung bean is likely native to the Indian subcontinent and is widely cultivated in Asia for use in a variety of sweet and savory dishes, particularly in India, China, Korea, and

cowpea, (Vigna unguiculata), annual plant within the pea family (Fabaceae) grown for its edible legumes. The plants are thought to be native to West Africa and are widely cultivated in warm regions around the world. In addition to their use as a protein-rich food crop, cowpeas are extensively grown

Karakoram Range: Study and exploration: William Moorcroft, George Trebeck, and Godfrey Thomas Vigne plotted the locations of major rivers, glaciers, and mountains. The extraordinary topography, along with protracted military tensions in the Karakorams between Russia and Britain and more recently between China, Pakistan, and India, prompted many expeditions in the 19th and 20th centuries. Most…

Vincent du Vigneaud was an American biochemist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1955 for the isolation and synthesis of two pituitary hormones: vasopressin, which acts on the muscles of the blood vessels to cause elevation of blood pressure; and oxytocin, the principal agent causing

Canadian literature: The Quiet Revolution: With chansonniers (singer-songwriters) such as Gilles Vigneault, the “Quebec song” became the poetry of the people. Fusing elements of traditional Quebec folk music with politically charged lyrics, the Quebec song gained new importance at this time for its role in sustaining political fervour and national pride. Vigneault’s music incorporated many…

Miranda warning: Miranda v. Arizona: United States and Vignera v. New York, also had their convictions overturned by the Supreme Court. The fourth case, California v. Stewart, had already been overturned by the Supreme Court of California for similar reasons, and that decision was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Austin Dobson: His first collection of poems, Vignettes in Rhyme (1873), was followed by Proverbs in Porcelain (1877). In these and in At the Sign of the Lyre (1885), Dobson showed the polish, wit, and restrained pathos that made his verses popular. After 1885 Dobson was chiefly occupied with biographical and critical…

Neuchâtel: …strip along the lake called Le Vignoble (from its vineyards); an intermediate region, Les Vallées, comprising the two principal valleys of the canton (the Ruz Valley, watered by the Seyon, and the Travers Valley, watered by L’Areuse), which lie at an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 metres); and the highest…

Giacomo da Vignola was an architect who, with Andrea Palladio and Giulio Romano, dominated Italian Mannerist architectural design and stylistically anticipated the Baroque. After studying in Bologna, Vignola went to Rome in the 1530s and made drawings of the antiquities for a projected edition of

railroad: Rail: An English engineer, Charles Vignoles, is credited with the invention of this design in the 1830s. A similar design also was developed by Robert L. Stevens, president of the Camden and Amboy Railroad in the United States.

Western painting: France: …the exception of that of Claude Vignon, who exchanged his Mannerist training for a style based on Elsheimer and to a lesser extent Lastman, and who in the 1620s revealed a remarkable knowledge of the earliest paintings of Rembrandt. The return of Simon Vouet to Paris, however, marked the arrival…

Madeleine: Pierre-Alexandre Vignon in 1806. Together with the Arc de Triomphe (1806–08) and the Vendôme Column, the Madeleine is one of the monuments with which Napoleon sought to turn Paris into an imperial capital. Built in the form of a Roman temple surrounded by a Corinthian…

Alfred-Victor, count de Vigny was a poet, dramatist, and novelist who was the most philosophical of the French Romantic writers. Vigny was born into an aristocratic family that had been reduced to modest circumstances by the French Revolution. His father, a 60-year-old retired soldier at the time

Vigo, port city and naval station, Pontevedra provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. Vigo is one of the largest and most important fishing ports in all of Europe and is known for its freezing and canning industry. Vigo lies along the

Jean Vigo was a French film director whose blending of lyricism with realism and Surrealism, the whole underlined with a cynical, anarchic approach to life, distinguished him as an original talent. Although he completed only three feature films and one short, Taris (1931), before his early death,

The Godfather: Cast:

The Godfather: Cast:

murti, in Hinduism, a sacred image or depiction of a deity. In Sanskrit the word murti means anything that has a definite shape or form, and in a ritual context the term means an embodiment or sacred image of a deity. In Hindu practice, murtis can be found in temples, in homes, on roadsides, and in

Saint Catherine of Bologna ; canonized 1712; feast day May 9) was an Italian mystic and writer whose spiritual writings were popular in Italy until the end of the 18th century. Of noble birth, Catherine was educated at the Este court at Ferrara and entered the order in 1432. In 1456 she founded in

Saint Catherine of Bologna ; canonized 1712; feast day May 9) was an Italian mystic and writer whose spiritual writings were popular in Italy until the end of the 18th century. Of noble birth, Catherine was educated at the Este court at Ferrara and entered the order in 1432. In 1456 she founded in

provost, in French law, an inferior royal judge under the ancien régime, who, during the later Middle Ages, often served as an administrator of the domain. The position appears to date from the 11th century, when the Capetian dynasty of kings sought a means to render justice within their realm and

Bihar, state of eastern India. It is bounded by Nepal to the north and by the Indian states of West Bengal to the northeast and Uttar Pradesh to the west. In November 2000 the new state of Jharkhand was created from Bihar’s southern provinces and now forms the state’s southern and southeastern

bhūmi, in Mahāyāna Buddhism, the stages of spiritual progress of the bodhisattva, or one who, though capable of enlightenment, delays his buddhahood in order to work for the salvation of others. The stages (which are also termed vihāras, “stations”) appear as 7, 10, and 13 in various texts, but the

vihara, early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks during the rainy season, when it became difficult for them to lead the wanderer’s life. They took

Vihāri, town, south-central Punjab province, Pakistan. The town lies on a flat alluvial plain bordered by the Sutlej River on the southeast. It is a market and processing centre for cotton and oilseeds. Wheat, rice, sugarcane, and vegetables are also grown nearby, and there are rice and flour mills

vihuela, stringed musical instrument that in Spanish Renaissance art music held the popularity accorded the lute elsewhere in Europe. Built like a large guitar, it had six, sometimes seven, double courses of strings tuned like the lute: G–c–f–a–d′–g′. (The guitar then had four double courses.) The

vihuela, stringed musical instrument that in Spanish Renaissance art music held the popularity accorded the lute elsewhere in Europe. Built like a large guitar, it had six, sometimes seven, double courses of strings tuned like the lute: G–c–f–a–d′–g′. (The guitar then had four double courses.) The

Spain: Romanization of Spain: …Spain was limited to the VII Gemina Felix legion, stationed at Legio (León) in the north. Both that legion and the other auxiliary units in Spain seem to have been recruited increasingly from the peninsula itself, and recruits from Spain served throughout the Roman world, from Britain to Syria. From…

Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Antwerp, Belgium, that took place April 20–September 12, 1920. The Antwerp Games were the sixth occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. The 1920 Olympics were awarded to Antwerp in hopes of bringing a spirit of renewal to Belgium, which had been

Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, that took place January 26–February 5, 1956. The Cortina d’Ampezzo Games were the seventh occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games. Some of the same venues used during the 1956 Games will host events

James Nachtwey: …of the founding members of VII Photo Agency, named for the number of its founding members. He left that agency in 2011.

Paris 1924 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Paris that took place May 4–July 27, 1924. The Paris Games were the seventh occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. The 1924 Games represented a coming of age for the Olympics. Held in Paris in tribute to Pierre de Coubertin, the retiring

1960 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Squaw Valley (now Olympic Valley), California, U.S., that took place February 18–28, 1960. The 1960 Games were the eighth occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games. Squaw Valley was narrowly awarded the 1960 Winter Olympics, beating out Innsbruck,

Vyborg, city, Leningrad oblast (region), northwestern Russia. The city stands at the head of Vyborg Bay of the Gulf of Finland, 70 miles (113 km) northwest of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). First settled in the 12th century, Vyborg was built as a fortress in 1293 by the Swedes after they had

Alvar Aalto: Early work: …sanatorium at Paimio, and the Municipal Library at Viipuri (now Vyborg, Russia). His plans for the last two were chosen in a competition, a common practice with public buildings in Finland. Both the office building and the sanatorium emphasize functional, straightforward design and are without historical stylistic references. They go…

is an Indian actor-turned-politician who is the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. As an actor, he is known for his work in Tamil films and is regarded as one of contemporary southern Indian cinema’s biggest and most bankable stars. He is noted for his mass appeal and the frenzy he inspires among fans,

is an Indian actor-turned-politician who is the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. As an actor, he is known for his work in Tamil films and is regarded as one of contemporary southern Indian cinema’s biggest and most bankable stars. He is noted for his mass appeal and the frenzy he inspires among fans,

Sri Lanka: Legendary origins: …on Sri Lanka were Prince Vijaya and his 700 followers, who landed on the west coast near Puttalam (5th century bce). They had been banished for misconduct from the kingdom of Sinhapura in northern India by Vijaya’s father, King Sinhabahu, who put them all in a ship and drove them…

India: Wars and rivalries: …Devaraya’s two sons, Ramcandra and Vijaya, were disastrous. In a war against the Bahmanīs, many temples were destroyed, and Vijaya was forced to pay a huge indemnity. A combined invasion by the king of Orissa and the Velamas of Andhra resulted in the loss of the territories newly gained in…

Majapahit empire: …founder of the empire was Vijaya, a prince of Singhasari who escaped when Jayakatwang, the ruler of Kaḍiri, seized the palace. In 1292 Mongol troops came to Java to avenge an insult to the emperor of China, Kublai Khan, by Kertanagara, the king of Singhasari, who had been replaced by…

Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is

Anawrahta: …maintained diplomatic relations with King Vijayabāhu of Ceylon, who in 1071 requested the assistance of Burmese monks to help revive the Buddhist faith. The Ceylonese king sent Anawrahta a replica of the Buddha’s tooth relic, which was placed in the Shwezigon pagoda at Pagan.

Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is

Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is