The Western Ganga Dynasty was an important ruling dynasty of ancient
Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are
known as Western Gangas to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who
in later centuries ruled over modern Orissa. Though territorially a
small kingdom, the Western Ganga contribution to polity, culture and
literature of the modern south Karnataka region is considered important.
The Western Ganga kings showed benevolent tolerance to all faiths but
are most famous for their patronage towards Jainism resulting in the
construction of monuments in places such as Shravanabelagola and
Kambadahalli. The kings of this dynasty encouraged the fine arts due to
which literature in Kannada and Sanskrit flourished. Chavundaraya's
writing, Chavundaraya Purana of 978 CE, is an important work in Kannada
prose. Many classics were written on various subjects ranging from
religion to elephant management.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ganga_Dynasty>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1173:
The construction of a campanile, which would eventually become
the Leaning Tower of Pisa, began.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa>
1862:
American Civil War: After nearly being driven from the field in
the early part of the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Confederate troops
counterattacked and achieved a victory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cedar_Mountain>
1945:
World War II: USAAF bomber Bockscar dropped an atomic bomb
named "Fat Man", devastating Nagasaki, Japan (mushroom cloud pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man>
1965:
Malaysia expelled the state of Singapore from its federation
due to heated ideological conflict between their respective ruling
parties.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore>
1988:
Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los
Angeles Kings in one of the most controversial player transactions in
ice hockey history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky>
2006:
British police arrested 24 people for conspiring to detonate
liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from
the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_transatlantic_aircraft_plot>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pankration:
An Ancient Greek martial art combining aspects of boxing and wrestling,
introduced in the Greek Olympic games in 648 BC.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pankration>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
This darkness will not last forever. There will some day come a Fifth of
November — or another date, it doesn't matter — when fires will burn
in a chain of brightness from Land's End to John O' Groats. The children
will dance and leap about them as they did in the times before. They
will take each other by the hand and watch the rockets breaking, and
afterwards they will go home singing to the houses full of light...
--P. L. Travers
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/P._L._Travers>