
Looking For Nothing In Gwalior (2019) - happy-go-lucky
https://kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com/2019/04/05/looking-for-nothing-in-gwalior-oldest-zero-chaturbhuj-temple/
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newyankee
Sidenote: There are many , many more interesting temples, monuments in India.
India is not just Taj Mahal. A lot of the historical temples were destroyed
though so you will only see the ruins which are poorly maintained.

My recommendations:

1\. Any temples in South India like the ones in the city of Mahabalipuram 2\.
Ajanta & Ellora caves in Maharashtra 3\. Ruins of Hampi in state of Karnataka

If you are feeling adventurous post Covid-19 in the future, check the crowds
at a Temple like Tirupati (rumors has it that it has one of the largest Gold
vaults in the world, cannot attest to it personally but i know it is the
richest temple in India)

~~~
unmole
> check the crowds at a Temple like Tirupati

Why? Unless one is a devotee, the hours of queing up and jostling with crowds
really don't payoff. Also, non-Hindus are required to sign an affadavit
declaring their faith in the presiding deity before entering the temple.

I second your other recomendations.

~~~
sudhirkhanger
>Why? Unless one is a devotee, the hours of queing up and jostling with crowds
really don't payoff. Also, non-Hindus are required to sign an affadavit
declaring their faith in the presiding deity before entering the temple.

I am not a particularly religious person but I went to Tirupati anyways. I
enjoyed my visit there. I found the temple to be magnificent. I would
recommend people visit it.

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ultrasounder
Couldn't restrain myself about bragging about my own hometown temple, Sri
Varadharaja Perumal temple in Vishnu Kanchi(Little Kanchipuram). One of the
engineering marvels that has always captivated me is this chain carved out of
Granite!.
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/anupartha/12611096324](https://www.flickr.com/photos/anupartha/12611096324)
And this temple is a treasure trove of such sculptures and other
architectural/engineering marvels.

~~~
twic
That chain is stunning. It seems this is a way for craftsmen to show off
across cultures. Here it is in Chinese jade:

[https://www.jncohen.net/Chinese-Jade/Chain-
vases.htm](https://www.jncohen.net/Chinese-Jade/Chain-vases.htm)

And American timber:

[https://www.instructables.com/id/Three-Ways-to-Make-a-
Wooden...](https://www.instructables.com/id/Three-Ways-to-Make-a-Wooden-
Chain/)

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haltingproblem
The observation that the author made about the _philosophical_ development of
the idea of nothingness (shunyata) leading to the development of the zero
(shunya) is very key. You can't have the latter without the former.

In Indic thought, it is common to talk about a set of items and then the null
set - 1 pen, 2 pens, 3 pens and then no-pens or the absence of pens. This
notion of the absence of something can be roughly translated as shunyata.
Symbolically and cardinally that idea got translated to zero.

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smitty1e
Is it a fair analogy to say that zero is to numbers as vowels are to
alphabets?

My understanding is the consonants came first, vowels later, as (Western
writing anyway) transitioned from pictograms to alphabets.

~~~
throwanem
Not really. In the case of vowels, spoken language always had sounds in those
places; the innovation lay only in writing them down, rather than leaving them
implicit. In the case of zero, the innovation lay in the concept itself.

