A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

0-9

Vaishnavism ... Valencia

Vaishnavism one of the major forms of modern Hinduism, characterized by devotion to the god Vishnu and his incarnations (avatars), the most popular of which are Rama and Krishna. A devotee of Vishnu is called a Vaishnava. Vaishya third highest in ritual status of the four varnas, or social classes, of Hindu India, traditionally described as commoners. Legend states that the varnas (or colours) sprang from Prajapati, a creator god-in order of status, the Brahman (white) from his head, the Kshatriya (red) from his arms, the Vaishya (yellow) ... Vaitown city, western Liberia, West Africa. Located in the Bomi Hills former iron-mining district, it is associated with the Liberian Mining Company (LMC; a subsidiary of Republic Steel Corporation), which closed down mining operations in the late 1970s. The firm, first in Liberia to export iron ore, completed a 43-mile (69-kilometre) ... Vajirananavarorasa prince-patriarch of Buddhism in Siam, who institutionalized Thai Buddhism, spread the faith in the countryside, and was his generation's leading intellectual. Vajiravudh king of Siam from 1910 to 1925, noted for his progressive reforms and prolific writings. Vajpayee, Atal Bihari leader of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and twice prime minister of India (1996; 1998-2004). vajra five-pronged ritual object extensively employed in Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies. It is the symbol of the Vajrayana school of Buddhism. Vajrabodhi Indian Buddhist monk who helped transmit Buddhism to China. Vajrabodhi and his disciple Amoghavajra arrived in China in 720, where they produced two abridged translations of the Sarvatathagatatattvasamgraha ("Symposium of Truth of All the Buddhas"), also known as the Tattvasamgraha. This work and the Mahavairocana Sutra became the two basic ... Vajrapani in Mahayana Buddhist mythology, one of the celestial bodhisattvas ("Buddhas-to-be"), the manifestation of the self-born Buddha Aksobhya. Vajrayana form of Tantric Buddhism that developed in India and neighbouring countries, notably Tibet. Vajrayana, in the history of Buddhism, marks the transition from Mahayana speculative thought to the enactment of Buddhist ideas in individual life. The term vajra (Sanskrit: "thunderbolt," or "diamond") is used to signify the absolutely real and ... Vajrayogini in Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism), female embodiment of the cognitive function leading to Buddhahood. Vajrayana emphasizes experience over speculation but uses the terms of speculative philosophical Buddhism in an imaginative way. This practice means that images taken from the ordinary life of the individual become the means to further a deeper ... Vakataka dynasty Indian ruling house originating in the central Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE, the empire of which is believed to have extended from Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra in the south and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the ... Vakhan a mountainous region and panhandle in the Pamir Mountains of extreme northeastern Afghanistan. From the demarcation of the Afghan frontier (1895-96), the panhandle formed a political buffer between Russian Turkistan, British India, and China. It is now bounded by Tajikistan (north), China (east), and Pakistan (south). The Vakhan River flows ... Vakhtangov, Yevgeny Bagrationovich Russian theatrical director of the Moscow Art Theatre. vaki supernatural power believed by the Baltic Finns to reside in those natural sites, objects, and animals that for various reasons attracted popular attention and inspired strong emotional attachments. Vaki was often conceived of as an impersonal power, akin to the Polynesian mana, but it also referred to the agents of ... Val-d'Or city, Abitibi-Temiscamingue region, western Quebec province, Canada. Val-d'Or lies near Lakes Blouin, de Montigny, and Lemoine. Although its name means "valley of gold," there is no valley in the vicinity. The town was founded by miners in 1934, and its economy depends chiefly on mining (gold, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and ... Valabhi city of ancient India that was the capital of the Maitraka dynasty in the 5th-8th centuries CE. It was situated on an inlet of the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), northwest of the port of Bhavnagar, in Saurastra (later Gujarat), western India. The city is thought to have been established about ... Valachi, Joseph American gangster, member of Lucky Luciano's mob family, who turned informer in 1962. Valadon, Suzanne French painter noted for her robust figures and bold use of colour. She was the mother of the painter Maurice Utrillo. Valais canton, southern Switzerland. It borders Italy to the south and France to the west and is bounded by the cantons of Vaud and Bern on the north and Uri and Ticino on the east. Its area includes the valley of the upper Rhone River, from its source at the Rhone ... Valanginian Stage second of six main divisions (in ascending order) in the Lower Cretaceous Series, representing rocks deposited worldwide during the Valanginian Age, which occurred 140.2 to 136.4 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. Rocks of the Valanginian Stage overlie those of the Berriasian Stage and underlie rocks of the Hauterivian ... Valaoritis, Aristotelis Greek poet and statesman who was memorable chiefly for the ardent patriotism he displayed both in his poetry and in his political career. Valcea judet (county), south-central Romania. The Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians) and the sub-Carpathians rise above settlement areas in the valleys, and the Olt and Cerna rivers drain southward through the county. Ramnicu Valcea (the county capital), Babeni, and Berzoi are timber production centres. Chemical factories operate in Govora, and building materials ... Valdai Hills upland region running north-south, about midway between St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia. The hills are a northward extension of the Central Russian Upland. The ridge is overlain by deposited glacial materials in the form of terminal moraines and other detritus. The Valdai Hills reach a height, near Vyshny Volochok, of ... Valdemar Birgersson king of Sweden (1250-75) who governed jointly with his father Birger Jarl (q.v.) until the latter's death in 1266 and then reigned alone. Because of an extramarital affair with his wife's sister, a postulant nun, by whom he had a child, Valdemar in 1274 made a pilgrimage to Rome to ... Valdemar I king of Denmark (1157-82) who ended the Wend (Slav) threat to Danish shipping, won independence from the Holy Roman emperor, and gained church approval for hereditary rule by his dynasty, the Valdemars. Valdemar II king of Denmark (1202-41) who, between 1200 and 1219, extended the Danish Baltic empire from Schleswig in the west to include lands as far east as Estonia. In his later years he worked to unify Denmark's legal and administrative systems. Valdemar IV Atterdag king of Denmark (1340-75) who united his country under his own rule after a brief period of alien domination. His aggressive foreign policy led to conflict with Sweden, North German principalities, and the North German trading centres of the Hanseatic League. Valdepenas city, Ciudad Real provincia (province), in the comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of Castile-La Mancha, south-central Spain. The city lies on the left bank of the Jabalon River, southeast of the city of Ciudad Real. Its Gothic Church of the Assumption was originally a mosque. Situated in a fertile area of ... Valdes medieval French religious leader. A successful merchant, Valdes underwent a religious conversion, gave away his wealth, and began to preach a doctrine of voluntary poverty in Lyon about 1170. In 1179 his vow of poverty was confirmed by Pope Alexander III, but he was subsequently forbidden to preach by Pope ... Valdes Leal, Juan de Nisa painter, president of the Sevilla (Seville) Academy, and the major figure in Sevillian painting for many years, known for his dramatic, inventive, and often violent paintings. Valdes, Alfonso de humanist satirist, one of the most influential and cultured thinkers of the early 16th century in Spain, and the twin brother of Juan de Valdes. Valdes, Juan de Spanish Humanist. He and his twin brother, Alfonso, were members of an influential intellectual family that played significant roles in the religious, political, and literary life of Spain and its empire. Valdez city, southeastern Alaska, U.S. Situated on Prince William Sound, 305 miles (490 km) east of Anchorage, it is the northernmost all-year port in North America. Formerly known as Copper City, it was renamed in 1898 for its harbour (explored and named by Spaniards in 1790 in honour of naval officer ... Valdivia city, southern Chile. It lies at the confluence of the Callecalle and Cruces rivers, where they flow into the Valdivia River, 11 miles (18 km) from the Pacific Ocean. Although founded in 1552 and a strategically significant outpost during the colonial era, Valdivia did not flourish until after the mid-19th ... Valdivia, Pedro de conqueror and governor of Chile for Spain and founder of the cities of Santiago and Concepcion. Valdivieso Sarmiento, Alfonso Colombian lawyer and politician who, as attorney general of Colombia (1994-97), brought charges against some of the most powerful men in the country. Valdosta city, seat (1860) of Lowndes county, southern Georgia, U.S., about 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Tallahassee, Florida. Troupville, the original town and county seat (1828, as Franklinville), was moved 4 miles (6 km) east in 1859 to the present site to be on the right-of-way of the area's first ... Vale of Glamorgan county, southern Wales, extending along the Bristol Channel coast west of Cardiff and lying entirely within the historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg). It comprises an undulating coastal platform, with an average elevation of about 200 feet (60 metres), that often terminates abruptly in cliffs at the coast. Along other sections ... Vale of White Horse district, administrative county of Oxfordshire, historic county of Berkshire, England, lying southwest of Oxford. It encompasses the northern part of the historic county of Berkshire. Its principal feature is a rich clay valley that lies north of the chalk Berkshire Downs. The vale stretches 17 miles (27 km) from Shrivenham ... Vale Royal former borough (district), Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority, historic county of Cheshire, northwestern England. It is named for a great Cistercian abbey built by Edward I near the present village of Whitegate. The former borough was centred on the Cheshire salt field in the middle of the county. The ... Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, A poem by John Donne, published in 1633 in the first edition of Songs and Sonnets. It is one of his finest love poems, notable for its grave beauty and Metaphysical wit. Valence town, capital of Drome departement, Rhone-Alpes region, southeastern France. Valence lies on the left bank of the Rhone River and is connected by road to Lyon and Grenoble. valence in chemistry, the property of an element that determines the number of other atoms with which an atom of the element can combine. Introduced in 1868, the term is used to express both the power of combination of an element in general and the numerical value of the power of ... valence electron any of the fundamental negatively charged particles in the outermost region of atoms that enters into the formation of chemical bonds. Whatever the type of chemical bond (ionic, covalent, metallic) between atoms, changes in the atomic structure are restricted to the outermost, or valence, electrons. They are more weakly attracted ... Valencia comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of eastern Spain. It encompasses the provincias (provinces) of Castellon, Valencia, and Alicante. The autonomous community occupies a long and narrow area aligned on a rough north-south axis along the Mediterranean Sea, which lies to the east. It is bounded by the autonomous communities of Catalonia ... Valencia city, capital of bothValencia provincia (province) and the comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of Valencia, and historical capital of the former kingdom of Valencia, eastern Spain. Located on the Mediterranean coast at the mouth of the Turia (Guadalaviar) River, it is surrounded by orchards in a region known as the Huerta ... Valencia provincia (province) in the comunidad autonoma (autonomous community) of Valencia, eastern Spain. It is situated along the Mediterranean Sea. The province centres on the coastal plain of the Gulf of Valencia; it is limited to the south by the mountains of northern Alicante and less clearly to the north by ... Valencia medieval kingdom of Spain, alternately Muslim and independent from 1010 to 1238 and thereafter held by the kings of Aragon. Though its territory varied, it generally comprised the modern provinces of Alicante, Castellon, and Valencia. Valencia county, central New Mexico, U.S., in the Mexican Highland section of the Basin and Range Province. The Manzano Mountains lie at its eastern border, and mesas rise in the west. Between mountains and mesas are the southward-flowing Rio Puerco and the Rio Grande. The Isleta (Pueblo) Indian Reservation is in ... Valencia city, capital of Carabobo estado (state), northwestern Venezuela, on the Rio Cabriales in the central highlands at 1,600 ft (490 m) above sea level, near the western shore of Lake Valencia. It was founded in 1555, eight years before the founding of Caracas, the national capital, as Nueva Valencia del ...