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This study looks into the metaphorical understanding of the four principal kingdoms of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, i.e., Ayodhyā, Kiṣkindhā, Laṅkā and Mithilā, in terms of the four puruṣārthas of Hinduism, i.e., dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. The question is whether Vālmīki was creating a story to illustrate the four puruṣārthas in the form of a magnificent epic with all its plots, twists, intrigues and excitements. Not only do the three main kingdoms fit the trivarga order but seemed to be so aligned geographically north to south with Mithilā being the apavarga as does mokṣa among the puruṣārthas.
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This paper reviews five texts regarding Padmasambhava, which were written before Zangs gling ma (dBa' bzhed and four manuscripts discovered in Dunhuang – Pelliot tibétain 44, IOL Tib 321, IOL Tib J 644 and Pelliot tibétain 307), in an attempt to outline a historical portrait of Padmasambhava, different from the mythologized portrait shaped by Zangs gling ma and the revealed biographies following it.
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Rabindranath Tagore was the first Nobel laureate of Asia. In 1913 he received the prestigious prize for Gitanjali (Song Offerings), his volume of poetry. He was born in Calcutta into a wealthy Brahmin family. He was well educated and very talented. He was a poet, philosopher, writer, playwright, songwriter, painter, and educator. He was a very charismatic person and he traveled a lot. He held lectures at several important universities of the world, had encounters with extraordinary people, and received many honorific degrees. During his life time he created a remarkable oeuvre, and his legacy is monumental. At 160 years after his birth, Rabindranath Tagore’s genius is celebrated across the globe. This study presents a short history of his incredible family, which had an important role in the Bengali cultural renaissance.
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During the Communist period, Romania encountered an interesting phenomenon, specific for several Socialist countries: the import of Indian (mostly Hindi) films – a visual and musical treat for the Romanian audience. Their appeal can be analysed in numerous ways: Hindi films were special for their look into foreign places, for their musical quality, for their escapism, for their appeal to the Roma community. Taking into consideration the history of the India-Romania intersection, the import of Indian films provided a premiere: for the first time, Indian cultural objects were accessible for a larger number of people, because of cinema’s quality to address the masses.
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In recent years, so-called historical reenactments have become quite popular. Over time were formed groups of its “fans“ as well as critics. Thus, different research views on this phenomenon are a logical fact. By coincidence of life circumstances, I am in a position to allow a specific study of historical reenactments “from within“, because, in addition to being an ethnologist and museum curator, I am also an active historic reconstructor who participates in reenactments. In this study, I am looking through six historical reenactments in which I have directly participated, recreating three types of personalities – an ordinary unmarried young man from pre-industrial Bulgarian society, a clergyman from the Middle Ages and the Revival and a Bulgarian volunteer from the Russo-Turkish Liberation War(1877 – 1878). My target is, based on the “experience“, to look for the parameters of merging the present with the past in historical reenactments. What is the main reason for a modern person like me to look for a merger with a person from a bygone historical period and is it possible to do more than “playing“ in two events happening simultaneously – “once there“ and “here and now“. To answer this question, I use the method of personal history and critical self-reflection, analyzing the personal experience.
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The article is a continuation of a study published in 2012 in the journal “Historical Review” under the same title. Here the author summarizes data on Russian liturgical books delivered to the Bulgarian lands at the request and with the assistance of the Russian Vice Consul in Plovdiv Naiden Gerov. The information was found in the archive fund of N. Gerov in the Bulgarian Historical Archive at the National Library “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” (NBCM–BIA) after the publication of the study, published in 2012.
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The proposed article pays attention to a document that provides valuable information in two directions. The first one is related to the Christian moral norms typical for the period of the Bulgarian National Revival. The second direction is related to the public self-organization and charity. The mentioned document is a letter (from 1860) sent by the notables of Tarnovo to their fellow countrymen in Ottoman Bulgaria, and in Romania (Bucharest) in order to help financially and morally their fellow-citizen Mihail Vasilev. He was a guild member (a furrier) and a merchant who became very poor in 1860. Probably the reasons for his pauperization were related to the specific economic and financial situation in the Ottoman Empire after the Crimean War (1853–1856). The negative factors caused by the war forced Mihail to leave the urban setting, and settle down in Romania. It is interesting to note that the spirit of Christian ethical norms (goodness, charity, compassion) influences the content of the whole document. The notables of Tarnovo urged their compatriots in the Bulgarian lands, and in Romania to help the needy and his family (a wife and five daughters). There are also some clues about merchants, their profession and wealth; the role of basic moral principles such as honesty. Last but not least, the discussed primary source can give the opportunity to assess the importance of self-organization of Bulgarians to help each other. Their social capital (social/entrepreneurial networks and contacts based on mutual trust) played an important role in such philanthropic activities.
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