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Rao, P. V. Narasimha

(Encyclopedia)Rao, P. V. Narasimha (Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao) päˌmo͝oləpärˈtē vĕnkätˈə näräsˈĭmhə rou [key], 1921–2004, Indian politician, prime minister of India (1991–96), b. Hyderaba...

Vajpayee, Atal Bihari

(Encyclopedia)Vajpayee, Atal Bihari äˈtäl bihärˈē väjˈpīˌ [key], 1926–2018, Indian politician, prime minister of India (1996, 1998–2004). He began his career as a journalist, entering politics as an u...

Upanishads

(Encyclopedia)Upanishads o͞opănˈĭshădz [key], speculative and mystical scriptures of Hinduism, regarded as the wellspring of Hindu religious and speculative thought. The Upanishads, which form the last section...

Prayagraj

(Encyclopedia)Prayagraj, formerly Allahabad ălˌəhəbădˈ, –bädˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 844,546), Uttar Pradesh state, N central India. It is a district administrative headquarters and trading center and has...

Preah Vihear

(Encyclopedia)Preah Vihear prä wēˈhän [key], Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, N central Cambodia near the Thai border. Situated on the edge of a plateau overlooking the N Cambodian plain, the temple was begun i...

Ahmadabad

(Encyclopedia)Ahmadabad or Ahmedabad both: äˌmədəbädˈ [key], city (2020 est. pop. 8,059,441), Gujarat state, NW India, on the Sabarmati River; also called Amdavad. India's ...

caste

(Encyclopedia)caste [Port., casta=basket], ranked groups based on heredity within rigid systems of social stratification, especially those that constitute Hindu India. Some scholars, in fact, deny that true caste s...

Bruno, Giordano

(Encyclopedia)Bruno, Giordano jōrdäˈnō bro͞oˈnō [key], 1548–1600, Italian philosopher, b. Nola. The son of a professional soldier, he entered the Dominican order early in his youth and was ordained a pries...

Narayan, R. K.

(Encyclopedia)Narayan, R. K. (Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan) nərīˈyän [key], 1906–2001, Indian novelist, b. Madras (now Chennai). Narayan, who wrote in English, published his first novel, Swami and Friends, ...

Besant, Annie

(Encyclopedia)Besant, Annie bĕzˈant [key], 1847–1933, English social reformer and theosophist, b. Annie Wood. She steadily grew away from Christianity and in 1873 separated from her husband, a Protestant clergy...