Tag: history

Sujatha (R. Suresh) wrote 'Srirangathu Devadhaigal' (The Deities of Srirangam), a collection of short stories that vividly portrays life around the Srirangam temple. Sujatha was one of Tamil's most popular modern writers, known for his accessible prose and deep understanding of human nature.

Vikraman is a well-known Tamil author famous for historical novels. 'Nandipurathu Nayaki' is one of his most celebrated works, continuing the story of characters from Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan.

Akilan won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1975 for 'Chithirapavai' (April Bride), a novel that explores themes of social reform and women's emancipation in Tamil Nadu. The book is celebrated for its progressive outlook and sensitive portrayal of women's issues.

Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) served as the gateway to Christian Europe during the Islamic expansion in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Byzantine Empire's capital successfully withstood multiple Arab sieges, including the famous Arab sieges of 674-678 and 717-718 CE. Option D (Istanbul) is the same city's modern name, but historically it was Constantinople during this period.

The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 and completely divided the city into East Berlin (controlled by Soviet Union) and West Berlin (controlled by Western powers). This division physically separated the city and symbolized the broader Cold War separation between East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG).

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is credited to Job Charnock who founded the city in 1690. It served as the capital of British India until 1911 and was specifically the winter capital of British India since 1864, as the colonial administration would move to Kolkata during winter months.

Beijing (called Peking in earlier western references) was the world's largest city from 1425 to 1650 during the Ming Dynasty. Tiananmen Square (note: the question has a typo 'Tienanmen') is located in central Beijing and is one of the largest public squares in the world, site of many important historical events.

Athens was the capital of the ancient Greek empire and is home to the famous Parthenon temple located on the Acropolis. The Parthenon was built in the 5th century BCE during the golden age of Pericles and is dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron deity of Athens.

Pataliputra (modern-day Patna) was the world's largest city during Emperor Ashoka's reign in the 3rd century BCE and the capital of the Mauryan Empire. Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan ruler who defeated the Mughals, renamed it to Patna (from the ancient name Pataligrama) in the 16th century.

Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and was built to replace Amber as the capital of the Kachwaha Rajput kingdom. Jaipur was India's first planned city, designed according to Vastu Shastra principles, and is famously known as the 'Pink City' due to the distinctive color of its buildings.