An alvar or pavement barren is a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse vegetation. This environment suffers from poor drainage, so these areas flood in the spring and become very dry and hot in the summer. This challenging habitat supports a community of rare plants and animals, including species more commonly found on prairie grasslands. Lichen and mosses are common species. Trees and bushes are absent or severely stunted. Alvars can be found in southern Sweden, northwest Estonia and around the Great La ...

Including:

• Alvar - Alvar locations

Read more here: » Alvar: Encyclopedia - Alvar

Including:

• Alvars - Imperishable legacy
• Alvars - The Vedas in Tamil
• Alvars - Tiruppaavai
• Alvars - The remaining Azhvars
• Alvars - Renaissance of Bhakti
• Alvars - External link

Read more here: » Alvars: Encyclopedia - Alvars

Alvar: (Tamil) "One who rules the Lord through bhakti." A group of renowned saints of the Vaishnava religion (7th9th century), devotional mystics whose lives and teachings catalyzed to a resurgence of Vaishnavism in Tamil Nadu. Their devotional poems are embodied in the Nalayiram Divya Prabandham, containing about 4,000 hymns. Among the 12 most famous Alvars are Poykai, Pudam, Tirumalisai, Nammalvar, Kulashekhara, Andal, Tiruppan and Tirumangai. A term not to be confused with Nalvar, naming the four Samayacharya Saivite saints: Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar, who were their contemporaries. See: Nalvar, Nayanar.

(See also: Alvar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (February 3, 1898 - May 11, 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. He was a Scandinavian modernist designer, noted for his humanistic approach to modernism. His work includes architecture, furniture, and glassware. He was one of the first and most influential architects of the Scandinavian modern movement, and a member of the Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne. Major works include the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Finland, and the campus of Helsinki University of Technology. Aalto's glasswa ...

Including:

• Alvar Aalto - Life and works
• Alvar Aalto - Significant buildings
• Alvar Aalto - Furniture and glassware

Read more here: » Alvar Aalto: Encyclopedia - Alvar Aalto

The Tevaram and the Tiruvachakam which are the hymns of the Saiva saints of South India, the Divya-Prabandham of the Alvar saints of South India, the songs of Kabir, the Abhangas of Tukaram and the Ramayana of Tulasi Das - all of which are the outpourings of great realised souls - are wonderful scriptures. They contain the essence of the Vedas.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Hindu Literature: Other Scriptures in the Hindu Literature

The rare Ram's-Head Lady's-Slipper, Cypripedium arietinum, is an orchid that is native to the alvars around the Great Lakes in North America. The plant grows to 10-40 cm (4-16 in), and the flowers may reach 1-2 cm (0.5-0.75 in). It flowers from May to June, producing brownish-green flowers with a pink and white lip. The Ram's-Head Lady's-Slipper is difficult to cultivate ...

Including:

• Ram's-head Lady's-slipper - Conservation

Read more here: » Ram's-head Lady's-slipper: Encyclopedia - Ram's-head Lady's-slipper

Andal, pronounced 'aanDaaL' is one of the twelve Alvars of Vaishnavism, and is the second most important of them. Her spiritual significance to Hinduism, however, is second to none. Her name is often transliterated as "Antal." Andal - Monumental example of pure love. To Andal, the divine gift to Periaazhvaar in the form of a daughter is attributed the Tiruppaavai, the most beautiful string of 30 verses giving expression to the purest love of God -- equivalent to the love of the cowherdesses (Gopis) of Brind ...

Including:

• Andal - Monumental example of pure love
• Andal - Miraculous birth
• Andal - I am going to be his wife
• Andal - ChooDik-koDutha Naachiyaar
• Andal - Beatitude
• Andal - Tiruppaavai
• Andal - Avatar of Goddess Earth
• Andal - Sources

Read more here: » Andal: Encyclopedia - Andal

Öland ▶ (help·info) is an island in the Baltic Sea, located off the coast of Småland. At 1,342 km² it is the second largest Swedish island, after Gotland. Administratively it nowadays is counted as a part of Kalmar County, (Kalmar län). Historically however, Öland (or Latin Oelandia) formed one of the Provinces of Sweden ( ...

Including:

• Öland - County
• Öland - History
• Öland - Geography
• Öland - City
• Öland - Hundreds
• Öland - Facts
• Öland - Culture
• Öland - Heraldry

Read more here: » Öland: Encyclopedia - Öland

Please remove this notice after the article has been expanded. Details are on this talk page or at Wikipedia:Requests for expansion. Vaishnavism is one of the principal divisions of Hinduism. Its adherents worship Vishnu or one of his avatars and are panentheistic monotheistic. Bhaktas, or worshippers of Vishnu are called Vaishnavites, an English term that originated from Vaishnava in Sanskrit). Vaishnavism - Schools of Vaishnavism. Major Vaishnava schools of thoug ...

Including:

• Vaishnavism - Schools of Vaishnavism
• Vaishnavism - The Major Schools
• Vaishnavism - The Supreme Godhead
• Vaishnavism - History of Vaishnavism
• Vaishnavism - Vaishna Upanishads
• Vaishnavism - See Also

Read more here: » Vaishnavism: Encyclopedia - Vaishnavism

Bhakti movements are Hindureligious movements in which the main spiritual practice is the fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. They are monotheistic movements generally devoted to worship of Shiva or Vishnu or Shakti. Sikhism evoloved out of the Bhakti movement. Bhakti movement - Origins. The Bhakti Movement was essentially founded in South India and later spread to the North during the late medieval period. The notion of 'Bhakti' (loosely translated as devotional love to God) i ...

Including:

• Bhakti movement - Origins
• Bhakti movement - Rama bhakti
• Bhakti movement - Vaishnava bhakti
• Bhakti movement - Influences
• Bhakti movement - Bibliography

Read more here: » Bhakti movement: Encyclopedia - Bhakti movement

A Guard rail is a system designed to keep people or vehicles from (in most cases unintentionally) straying into dangerous or off-limits areas. A hand rail is less restrictive than a guard rail and provides both support and the protective limitation of a boundary. Guard rail - Public safety. Most public spaces are fitted with guard rails when there is a risk of injury to the spaces users or occupants. Any abrupt change in elevation where the higher portion is accessible, makes possible a fatal ...

Including:

• Guard rail - Public safety
• Guard rail - Safety and industry
• Guard rail - Automotive safety

Read more here: » Guard rail: Encyclopedia - Guard rail

Alvar: (Tamil) "One who rules the Lord through bhakti." A group of renowned saints of the Vaishnava religion (7th9th century), devotional mystics whose lives and teachings catalyzed to a resurgence of Vaishnavism in Tamil Nadu. Their devotional poems are embodied in the Nalayiram Divya Prabandham, containing about 4,000 hymns. Among the 12 most famous Alvars are Poykai, Pudam, Tirumalisai, Nammalvar, Kulashekhara, Andal, Tiruppan and Tirumangai. A term not to be confused with Nalvar, naming the four Samayacharya Saivite saints: Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar, who were their contemporaries. See: Nalvar, Nayanar.

(See also: Alvar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Alvar Hanso is the enigmatic leader of The Hanso Foundation. Little is known about him, but it is known that he was/is a Danish weapons conveyer. His face was only shown in a brief moment in an orientation movie. The Hanso Foundation - Brief Biography. According to The Hanso Foundation website, Driven by a need for privacy and a deep-seated sense of humility, Alvar Hanso has released few details of his personal life to the public. He first made his mark during the Second World ...

See also:

The Hanso Foundation, The Hanso Foundation - Website, The Hanso Foundation - Alvar Hanso, The Hanso Foundation - Brief Biography, The Hanso Foundation - Quotes, The Hanso Foundation - Trivia

Read more here: » The Hanso Foundation: Encyclopedia II - The Hanso Foundation - Alvar Hanso

The website, www.thehansofoundation.org, is owned by ABC, the creators of Lost, as evidenced by the terms of use link. [2] The domain was registered by ABC on July 18, 2005. Most of the links on the site lead to a page stating "ACCESS DENIED", but a hidden link on the "Active Projects" page leads to a page containing the orientation film seen in the episode "Orientation." ...

See also:

The Hanso Foundation, The Hanso Foundation - Website, The Hanso Foundation - Alvar Hanso, The Hanso Foundation - Brief Biography, The Hanso Foundation - Quotes, The Hanso Foundation - Trivia

Read more here: » The Hanso Foundation: Encyclopedia II - The Hanso Foundation - Website

Andal: (Tamil) Famed Vaishnava saint of Tamil Nadu. One of the Alvars, she lived in the early 9th century and today is venerated as one of South India's greatest bhakta poetesses. See: Alvar, Vaishnavism.

(See also: Andal, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Andal: (Tamil) Famed Vaishnava saint of Tamil Nadu. One of the Alvars, she lived in the early 9th century and today is venerated as one of South India's greatest bhakta poetesses. See: Alvar, Vaishnavism.

(See also: Andal, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Nalvar: (Tamil) "Four devout beings."

Four renowned saints of the Saiva religion (7th to 9th century): Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar - devotional mystics whose lives and teachings helped catalyze a resurgence of Saivism in Tamil Nadu. All but Manikkavasagar are among the Nayanars, 63 saints canonized by Sekkilar in his Periyapuranam (ca 1140). These four are also known as the Samayacharyas, "teachers of the faith." Their devotional poems are embodied in the Tirumurai, along with the writings of other Nayanars. Numerous South Indian temples celebrate their historic pilgrimages from shrine to shrine where they beseeched the grace of Siva through heartfelt song. Nalvar is a term not to be confused with Alvar, naming certain Vaishnava saints of the same period.

See: Alvar, Nayanar, Tirumurai.

(See also: Nalvar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

The city was known to the Romans as Scalabis. Its modern name is said to be derived from Santa Iria whose uncorrupted body was washed up here after her murder in Tomar. The city was conquered by D. Alfonso Henriques from the Moors in 1147. From here the young first king of Portugal, advanced on the future capital, Lisbon. Pedro Alvares Cabral, discoverer of Brazil, is buried in the Igreja da Graça. ...

See also:

Santarém Portugal, Santarém Portugal - Geography, Santarém Portugal - History, Santarém Portugal - Municipality

Read more here: » Santarém Portugal: Encyclopedia II - Santarém Portugal - History

Thanks to Alvars, a set of twelve people who with their devotional hymns spread the sect to the common people, Vaishnavism flourished in south India. Some of the prominent azhvars are Poigaiyazhvar, Peyazhvar, Periyazhvar, Nammazhvar and Andal. Vaishnavism grew in later years due to the influence of sages like Ramanujar, Surdas, Tulsidas, Tyagaraja, etc. With the entry of other religions into the Indian subcontinent, Hindus united and the discriminations of Vaishnavism and Saivism became intellectual ...

See also:

Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism - Schools of Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism - The Major Schools, Vaishnavism - The Supreme Godhead, Vaishnavism - History of Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism - Vaishna Upanishads, Vaishnavism - See Also

Read more here: » Vaishnavism: Encyclopedia II - Vaishnavism - History of Vaishnavism

Alvar Aalto was commissioned by the City of Helsinki to design a concert and congress building, the first constructed part of a great central city plan. The earliest sketches show features of what were to be the main features of the design. The principal set of blueprints are dated 10th May 1967. Contemporary to the designing of the Essen Opera house, the design for Finlandia Hall shows some of the same features: asymmetricity, acoustical wall structures and the contrast between the marble balconies and cobalt blue walls in the concer ...

See also:

Finlandia Hall, Finlandia Hall - Design and Building, Finlandia Hall - Completion, Finlandia Hall - Facilities

Read more here: » Finlandia Hall: Encyclopedia II - Finlandia Hall - Design and Building