Ancient pyramidal Bakong Shiva Temple complex, Angkor Thom(Cambodia)

In 802 CE, the first king of Angkor Jayavarman II declared the sovereignty of Cambodia. After ups and downs, he established his capital at Hariharalaya. Few decades later, his successors constructed Bakong in stages as the first temple mountain of sandstone at Angkor.
The inscription on its stele (classified K.826) says that in 881 King Indravarman I dedicated the temple to the god Shiva and consecrated its central religious image, a lingam whose name Sri Indresvara was a combination of the king's own and the suffix "-esvara" which stood for Shiva ("Iśvara").
The pyramid itself has five levels and its base is 65 by 67 metres. It was reconstructed by Maurice Glaize at the end of the 1930s according to methods of anastylosis. On the top there is a single tower that is much later in provenance, and the architectural style of which is not that of the 9th century foundations of Hariharalaya, but that of the 12th century temple city Angkor Wat. Though the pyramid at one time must have been covered with bas relief carvings in stucco, today only fragments remain. A dramatic scene-fragment involving what appear to be asuras in battle gives a sense of the likely high quality of the carvings. Large stone statues of elephants are positioned as guardians at the corners of the three lower levels of the pyramid. Statues of lions guard the stairways.
The site of Bakong measures 900 metres by 700 metres, and consists of three concentric enclosures separated by two moats, the main axis going from east to west. The outer enclosure has neither a wall nor gopuras and its boundary is the outer moat, today only partially visibile. The inner moat delimits a 400 by 300 metres area, with remains of a laterite wall and four cruciform gopuras, and it is crossed by a wide earthen causeway, flanked by seven-headed nāgas, such as a draft of nāga bridge . Between the two moats there are the remains of 22 satellite temples of brick. The innermost enclosure, bounded by a laterite wall, measures 160 metres by 120 metres and contains the central temple pyramid and eight brick temple towers, two on each side. A number of other smaller buildings are also located within the enclosure. Just outside of the eastern gopura there is a modern buddhist temple.

Rangaghar

Rangaghar built by Ahom king Pramatta Singh, Sibsagar(Assam)

The Rang Ghar is said to be one of the oldest amphitheatres in Asia.

The monument's base has a series of arched entrances and atop the roof is a decorative pair of carved stone crocodiles. In many of these, only the brick framework exists with vestiges of sculptural adornments here and there. The Ahoms, who used special thin baked bricks, did not have the use of cement and, therefore, used a paste of rice and eggs as mortar for their construction. They also used powdered mixed lime and bricks to cover the surface of the inner walls. It is said that this layer of powder is used to keep the inside of Ranghar cool. The entrance to Sankardev Kalakshetra at Guwahati is made in the style of the Rang Ghar.

Nicotine dependence linked to DNA

Certain gene variants are more common in people who smoke. Image: Vladimir Tronin/Shutterstock Your DNA may play a significant role in determining whether or not you end up a smoker – and how easy you find it to kick the habit. Many large studies have identified particular gene variants that are more common in smokers than other people, suggesting they play a role in nicotine dependence. Now an international team of researchers have used these genetic clues develop a ‘genetic risk profile’, and to see how accurate it is, they have road-tested it on the on a well-known sample of Kiwis: the Dunedin Birth Cohort. Researchers analysed data from the long-term study of 1,000 New Zealanders to identify whether individuals at high genetic risk got hooked on cigarettes more quickly as teens and whether, as adults, they had a harder time quitting. The results, published in JAMA Psychiatry, showed that a person’s genetic risk profile did not predict whether he or she would try cigarettes. But for those who did try cigarettes, having a high-risk genetic profile predicted increased likelihood of heavy smoking and nicotine dependence. This link was most apparent for teenagers. Among teens who tried cigarettes, those with a high-risk genetic profile were 24 percent more likely to become daily smokers by age 15 and 43 percent more likely to become pack-a-day smokers by age 18. As adults, those with high-risk genetic profiles were 22 percent more likely to fail in their attempts at quitting. “The effects of genetic risk seem to be limited to people who start smoking as teens,” said author Daniel Belsky, a post-doctoral research fellow at Duke University. “This suggests there may be something special about nicotine exposure in the adolescent brain, with respect to these genetic variants.” The authors noted that their genetic risk profile isn’t yet accurate enough to be used for targeted interventions to prevent at-risk teens smoking, but it does highlight the critical adolescent period in addiction development. “Public health policies that make it harder for teens to become regular smokers should continue to be a focus in antismoking efforts,” Belsky said. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.