Insularity and Religious Life: The Case of Hellenistic Ikaros/Failaka Island

This paper explores the notion of insularity and religious life in the sacred landscape of Ikaros/Failaka with a particular focus on the Hellenistic period. The little island of Ikaros/Failaka in the Persian Gulf had a long pre-Hellenistic religious history and was occupied by Alexander, explored by his officials and became part of the Seleucid kingdom. From the mid-20th century, archaeological missions working on the nesiotic space of the Persian Gulf have revealed material evidence that has altered our view of this remote part of the Hellenistic world. Research revealed a flourishing network of cultural communication and contacts between the indigenous population of the East and Greco-Macedonians. These interactions mirror the landscape of the Hellenistic East. Thus Ikaros/Failaka, an island on the periphery of the Seleucid kingdom, situated at a strategic point (near the mouth of the River Euphrates and close to the shores of the Persian Gulf) appears to be part of a chain of locations that possessed political/military, economic, and religious importance for the Seleucids. It became a fruitful landscape, where the Seleucids pursued their political and religious agenda.

Fertility and Child-Rearing

This chapter outlines the economic determinants of human fertility, and explores the demographic transition, and studies of child productivity. It offers an assessment of the costs of and returns from child production in Kala over the first 15 years of life, in terms of their costs and the contributions which they make to the family’s prosperity. Several aspects of child production are investigated, such as the opportunity cost of women’s time, children’s marriage and dowry costs, and the value of children’s labour. Risks to child-production include an understanding of survival rates for infants and children, sickness, and child-failure rates – as when a young man goes off on migration and does not return. The chapter concludes with a recognition of the limits to an economic understanding of high fertility, for example as shown by the political and religious importance of children, since children are not just economic assets but constitute “descendants”.

Participatory Conservation of Sacred Natural Sites: A Study of Haritha Poonkavanam Project of Sabarimala, Kerala, India

Biodiversity and the environment are inextricably linked to human cultural diversity. Traditional cultures have frequently preserved or kept untouched portions of their natural surroundings. Most of these civilizations regard some locations as holy, prohibiting most or all human activities. As evidenced by the sacred mountain environment and sacred vegetation, traditional culture plays an important role in biodiversity conservation. Sacred forests are part of a long-standing practise of protecting certain geographical regions with cultural and religious importance. A number of studies have shown that sacred forests are significant refuges for biological variety, particularly medicinal plants, amid highly anthropogenic environments, in addition to their cultural value. While sacred natural sites have been effective conservation sites in the past, there are various dangers to these ecosystems now, ranging from demands for the use of timber and other forest products to agricultural clearance and general changes in cultural practises as well pilgrimage to these sacred areas. The significance of natural sacred sites, particularly sacred groves, is gaining attention in international conservation organisations such as UNESCO and the IUCN, and has significant implications for the implementation of Article 8j of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which emphasises the utilisation of traditional knowledge and practises for conservation and long-term usage. Keywords: Sacred natural sites, Cultural diversity, Biological diversity, Vana Samrakshana Samithi.

Spatiotemporal Variation in the Catch Composition and Abundance of Precious Corals Around Taiwan: Implications for Fisheries Management

Precious corals are a fishery resource of cultural and religious importance. Because of their high commercial value, precious corals have been exploited for several centuries in the Mediterranean and for almost one century in the Northwest Pacific. Taiwanese fishing fleets have harvested precious corals since the 1920s; however, management regulations have only been promulgated since January 2009, when the catch and effort data of fisheries began to be collected. This study examined spatiotemporal variation in the catch composition and abundance of precious corals Corallium, Hemicorallium, and Pleurocorallium spp. around Taiwan using fishery data from 2009 to 2018 and discussed its implications for fisheries management. Licenses are issued for 60 vessels annually, and the annual total catch was 2.9–3.5 t between 2009 and 2018, peaking in 2015 and then decreasing sharply in 2016. Because of the use of non-selective fishing gear, dead and fossilized colonies were included in the total catches of the fishery. Fossilized colonies were predominant (average 78.5%) in the total catches, whereas the proportion of live colony catches accounted for less than 5%. Pink coral (Momo) was predominant in the total and live colony catches during the 10-year period. The Taiwanese precious coral fishing fleets are restricted to harvesting precious corals in five designated fishing grounds (DFGs; A–E). The fishing effort (vessel⋅day) was mainly concentrated in DFG-A (average 56.6%), which accounted for an average of 63.9% of the total catches. However, the live colony catches were largest in DFG-E (average 39.9%) and DFG-A (average 39.6%). The annual catch rates of live colonies decreased in two major fishing grounds (DFGs-A and DFG-B), whereas it increased in two minor fishing grounds (DFGs-C and DFG-D). The temporal variation in occurrence rates of live colonies decreased between 2015 and 2018, indicating a declining trend for precious coral populations around Taiwan. These results indicate that an unsustainable condition may occur in the near future if the precious corals continue to be harvested at the current scale. Revised regulations for the Taiwanese precious coral fishery should contain proposals on fishing gear modifications, a rotational harvesting scheme, or both; such measures can contribute to the conservation of precious coral populations. Regional cooperation in fisheries management is necessary to achieve the sustainable development of precious corals and their fisheries in the Northwest Pacific.

Prospects of Tourism Planning in Nashik City

Urban planning is a tool that helps in managing the things that need a spatial approach and it also helps in conducting the other activities. While planning the urban cities the past and recent condition should also be taken into account for better result. But each and every one is concern about the growth and development, though tourism includes different sectors and have different criteria according to the place, but the impact factors are almost common in all the aspects of tourism. Tourism cities have tremendous potential of research in their filed, but the problem should be identified specifically and proper methodology should be used during their process the government policies should also be taken into account and based on that solution should be plan of such places. In short recognized the impacts and work on it and according to that the urban planning should be done to boost tourism sector to next level. Once the impacts are taken out and work on such impact are carried out than the development of such places will automatically goes on increasing and it help to keep the environment and that specific place neat and clean and also help it to grow it original and natural beauty. Nashik city in Maharashtra state is one of the oldest city which have most important historical ,culturally and religious importance and one of the city who hold kumbha mela and most of the people visit this city throughout the year and if the impacts are solved at it basic and ground level than the development may rapidly increase and gives better life to the surrounding environment.

Parent Religiousness, Parenting Styles, and Intergenerational Religious Transmission

Parents’ religious beliefs and practices, along with their parenting styles, matter for shaping how parents choose to transmit religious belief to their children and the extent to which they are effective. This chapter explores the direct, independent effects of parents’ religiousness and to some extent their parenting styles on children’s religious outcomes. Survey data are used to show how parenting styles moderate the relationship between parents’ religious importance and adult children’s religious importance and attendance. The chapter shows that an authoritative approach, whereby parents combine high expectations of and involvement with their children with emotional warmth and good communication can help more religious parents transmit religion to their children. This chapter also explores the role of religion in strengthening the connection between parents and offers important context and insight for understanding the relationship between corporal punishment and religion.

Mathura

Mathura is one of the most important ancient settlements and one among the seven most sacred cities in India along with Ayodhya, Haridwar (Maya), Kasi, Kanchi, Ujjain (Avantika), and Dvarka. The city is situated about eighty-seven miles south of Delhi and thirty-one miles north of Agra on National Highway No. 2 and once served as the junction of the Western, Northern, Central, and Northeastern Railways, making it the biggest junction point of the Indian Railways until restructuring in 2003. The city is also the district headquarter, and the area of the modern Mathura district is 2075 square miles with a population of over 2.5 million people as per the 2011 census. Mathura is most famous for being considered the birthplace of Krishna, the most popular incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. The surrounding area of Mathura forms part of Vraja kshetra (popularly known as Braj), considered sacred as being the location of Krishna’s childhood activities. Historically and archaeologically, the town was one of the most important trade centers of ancient India and the epicenter of the famous school of sculptural art known in popular parlance as the Mathura school, which gave form to many Brahmanical, Jaina, and Buddhist deities including the earliest imagery of the buddha. Prior to becoming a great center of art, Mathura was one of the biggest settlements during the Painted Grey Ware period, generally dated between 1200 and 500 bce, and one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Northern Black Polished Ware period, c. 6th to 4th centuries bce. The archaeological evidence for the early periods at Mathura is limited due to a lack of large-scale excavations but with the increasing evidence of epigraphical and sculptural activities dating from 200 bce and later, the archaeology and culture of the area is better understood. Key factors that led to the evolution of Mathura as an important city and cultural center are its strategic location on trade routes and the religious/sectarian environment where most early Indian sects and cults developed. Buddhism and Jainism along with the prevalent local and Brahmanical cults gained popularity in the Mathura region from the early historical period of c. 3rd century bce, if not earlier. Most of the early religious art related to these sects first evolved in the environs of Mathura during the Sunga-Kushan periods. There is enough good evidence for the popularity of the cult of Vasudeva-Krishna at Mathura during the Kushan period, but the popular Krishna cult for which Mathura is renowned became more prevalent and visible during the late medieval period only, particularly with the development of the Vallabhite and Gaudiya sects. The role of Mathura in the intermediary period between the Gupta and late medieval periods is not well known due to lack of information and archaeological evidence, but it seems that the Mathura region lost its political importance during this period and yet the religious importance somehow survived until its revival as the greatest center of Krishna bhakti in late medieval or premodern times.

BIOCOLONIZATION AND BIODETERIORATION OF MONUMENTS BY CYANOBACTERIA

Cyanobacteria are a morphologically diverse, remarkably adaptable and widely distributed group of photosynthetic prokaryotes, many of which colonize, grow and survive on/in water-limited and nutrient-poor lithic substrates, such as natural rocks/stones and walls of historic monuments and buildings as lithobionts or lithobiontic organisms. They are often the primary colonizers of lithic substrates. They possess protective mechanisms against various abiotic stresses, such as desiccation, high irradiance, high levels of UV-radiation and high temperature which are often encountered on exposed rock surfaces and external walls of lithic monuments and buildings. The biocolonization and growth of cyanobacteria as lithobionts are influenced by various propertiesof monuments, buildings or buildingstones as well as by environmental factors. As photoautotrophs and primary colonizers of lithic substrates, they facilitate and promote the growth and development of heterotrophic microbes, such as bacteria and fungi.The production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) leads to the formation of cyanobacteriadominated phototrophic biofilms or sub-aerial biofilms on exposed surfaces of monuments, buildings and rocks/stones. Globally, thebiocolonization, growth and activities of lithobiontic cyanobacteria and other organisms cause unpleasant discoloration, biodeterioration (bioweathering) of monuments and buildings of historical, cultural or religious importance, leading to the aesthetic damage, structural damage and economic loss.These constitute serious problems world-wide. The article provides an overview of the processes of biocolonization and biodeterioration of monuments by lithobiontic(rockinhabiting) cyanobacteria, and their survival as lithobionts.

Ficus religiosa (sacred fig tree).

F. religiosa is best known as a large shade tree grown in villages and locations of religious importance in south Asia. It is relatively fast-growing and deciduous, often an epiphyte when young. It grows well on a wide range of soils in semi-arid regions and is drought-resistant. F. religiosa produces good quality fodder. The leaves are used for miniature paintings. F. religiosa is a host for lac insects and some silkworms (Mabberley, 1997).