prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: In 135 BC, a second campaign was sent to intervene in a war between Minyue and another ancient kingdom established at the collapse of whom?

The following are given passages.
Context 1: Passage 1:
Nanyue
Nanyue (Chinese: 南越 or 南粵; pinyin: Nányuè; Jyutping: Naam4 Jyut6; lit  'Southern Yue'), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam  Nanyue was established by Zhao Tuo, then Commander of Nanhai of the Qin Empire, in 204 BC after the collapse of the Qin dynasty  At first, it consisted of the commanderies Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiang 
In 196 BC, Zhao Tuo paid obeisance to the Emperor Gaozu of Han, and Nanyue was referred to by the Han dynasty as a "foreign servant", i e  a vassal state  Around 183 BC, relations between the Nanyue and the Han dynasty soured, and Zhao Tuo began to refer to himself as an emperor, suggesting an equal status between Nanyue and the Han dynasty  In 179 BC, relations between the Han and Nanyue improved, and Zhao Tuo once again made submission, this time to Emperor Wen of Han as a subject state  The submission was somewhat superficial, as Nanyue retained autonomy from the Han, and Zhao Tuo was referred to as "Emperor" throughout Nanyue until his death  In 113 BC, fourth-generation leader Zhao Xing sought to have Nanyue formally included as part of the Han Empire  His prime minister Lü Jia objected vehemently and subsequently killed Zhao Xing, installing his elder brother Zhao Jiande on the throne and forcing a confrontation with the Han dynasty  The next year, Emperor Wu of Han sent 100,000 troops to war against Nanyue  By the year's end, the army had destroyed Nanyue and established Han rule  The dynastic state lasted 93 years and had five generations of monarchs 
The existence of Nanyue allowed the Lingnan region to avoid the chaos and hardship surrounding the collapse of the Qin dynasty experienced by the northern, predominantly Han Chinese regions  The kingdom was founded by leaders originally from the Central Plain of China and were all of Han Chinese in origin  They were responsible for bringing Chinese-style bureaucracy and handicraft techniques to inhabitants of  southern regions, as well as knowledge of the Chinese language and writing system  Nanyue rulers promoted a policy of "Harmonizing and Gathering the Hundred Yue tribes" (Chinese: 和集百越), and encouraged ethnic Han to immigrate from the Yellow River region to the south  Nanyue rulers were then not against the assimilation of Yue and Han cultures In Vietnam, the rulers of Nanyue are referred to as the Triệu dynasty  The name "Vietnam" (Việt Nam) is derived and reversed from Nam Việt, the Vietnamese pronunciation of Nanyue 

History
A detailed history of Nanyue was written in Records of the Grand Historian by Han dynasty historian Sima Qian   It is mostly contained in section (juan) 113, Chinese: 南越列傳; pinyin: Nányuè Liè Zhuàn; Jyutping: Naam4jyut6 Lit6 Zyun2 (Ordered Annals of Nanyue)  A similar record is also found in the Book of Han Volume 95: The Southwest Peoples, Two Yues, and Chaoxian 

Founding
Qin southward expansion (218 BC)
After Qin Shi Huang conquered the six other Chinese kingdoms of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, he turned his attention to the Xiongnu tribes of the north and west and the Hundred Yue peoples of what is now southern China  Around 218 BC, the First Emperor dispatched General Tu Sui with an army of 500,000 Qin soldiers to divide into five companies and attack the Hundred Yue tribes of the Lingnan region  The first company gathered at Yuhan (Modern Yugan County in Jiangxi Province) and attacked the Minyue, defeating them and establishing the Minzhong Commandery  The second company fortified at Nanye (in modern Jiangxi Province's Nankang County), and was designed to put defensive pressure on the southern clans  The third company occupied Panyu   The fourth company garrisoned near the Jiuyi Mountains, and the fifth company garrisoned outside Tancheng (in the southwest part of modern Hunan Province's Jingzhou Miao and Dong Autonomous County)  The First Emperor assigned official Shi Lu to oversee supply logistics   Shi first led a regiment of soldiers through the Ling Channel (which connected the Xiang River and the Li River), then navigated through the Yangtze River and Pearl River water systems ensure the safety of the Qin supply routes  The Qin attack of the Western Valley (Chinese: 西甌) Yue tribe went smoothly, and Western Valley chieftain Yi-Xu-Song was killed  However, the Western Valley Yue were unwilling to submit to the Qin and fled into the jungle where they selected a new leader to continue resisting the Chinese armies  Later, a night-time counterattack by the Western Valley Yue devastated the Qin troops, and General Tu Sui was killed in the fighting  The Qin suffered heavy losses, and the imperial court selected General Zhao Tuo to assume command of the Chinese army  In 214 BC, the First Emperor dispatched Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo at the head of reinforcements to once again mount an attack  This time, the Western Valley Yue were completely defeated, and the Lingnan region was brought entirely under Chinese control  In the same year, the Qin court established the Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiang Commanderies, and Ren Xiao was made Lieutenant of Nanhai  Nanhai was further divided into Panyu, Longchuan, Boluo, and Jieyang counties (among several others), and Zhao Tuo was made magistrate of Longchuan 
The First Emperor died in 210 BC, and his son Zhao Huhai became the Second Emperor of Qin  The following year, soldiers Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, and others seized the opportunity to revolt against the Qin government  Insurrections spread throughout much of China (including those led by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, who would later face off over the founding of the next dynasty) and the entire Yellow River region devolved into chaos  Soon after the first insurrections, Nanhai Lieutenant Ren Xiao became gravely ill and summoned Zhao Tuo to hear his dying instructions  Ren described the natural advantages of the southern region and described how a kingdom could be founded with the many Chinese settlers in the area to combat the warring groups in the Chinese north  He drafted a decree instating Zhao Tuo as the new Lieutenant of Nanhai, and died soon afterward 
After Ren's death, Zhao Tuo, sent orders to his troops in Hengpu Pass (north of modern Nanxiong, Guangdong Province), Yangshan Pass (northern Yangshan County), Huang Stream Pass (modern Yingde region, where the Lian River enters the North River), and other garrisons to fortify themselves against any northern troops  He also executed Qin officials still stationed in Nanhai and replaced them with his own trusted friends 

Conquest of Âu Lạc
The kingdom of Âu Lạc laid south of Nanyue in the early years of Nanyue's existence, with Âu Lạc located primarily in the Red River delta area, and Nanyue encompassing Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiang Commanderies  During the time when Nanyue and Âu Lạc co-existed, Âu Lạc acknowledged Nanyue's suzerainty, especially because of their mutual anti-Han sentiment  Zhao Tuo built up and reinforced his army, fearing an attack by the Han  However, when relations between the Han and Nanyue improved, in 179 BC Zhao Tuo marched southward and successfully annexed Âu Lạc 

Proclamation (204 BC)
In 206 BC the Qin dynasty ceased to exist, and the Yue peoples of Guilin and Xiang were largely independent once more  In 204 BC, Zhao Tuo founded the Kingdom of Nanyue, with Panyu as capital, and declared himself the Martial King of Nanyue (Chinese: 南越武王, Vietnamese: Nam Việt Vũ Vương) 

Nanyue under Zhao Tuo
Liu Bang, after years of war with his rivals, established the Han dynasty and reunified Central China in 202 BC  The fighting had left many areas of China depopulated and impoverished, and feudal lords continued to rebel while the Xiongnu made frequent incursions into northern Chinese territory  The precarious state of the empire therefore forced the Han court to treat Nanyue initially with utmost circumspection  In 196 BC, Liu Bang, now Emperor Gaozu, sent Lu Jia (陸賈, not to be confused with Lü Jia 呂嘉) to Nanyue in hopes of obtaining Zhao Tuo's allegiance   After arriving, Lu met with Zhao Tuo and is said to have found him dressed in Yue clothing and being greeted after their customs, which enraged him  A long exchange ensued, wherein Lu is said to have admonished Zhao Tuo, pointing out that he was Chinese, not Yue, and should have maintained the dress and decorum of the Chinese and not have forgotten the traditions of his ancestors  Lu lauded the strength of the Han court and warned against a kingdom as small as Nanyue daring to oppose it  He further threatened to kill Zhao's kinsmen in China proper and destroying their ancestral graveyards, as well as coercing the Yue into deposing Zhao himself   Following the threat, Zhao Tuo then decided to receive Emperor Gaozu's seal and submit to Han authority  Trade relations were established at the border between Nanyue and the Han kingdom of Changsha  Although formally a Han subject state, Nanyue seems to have retained a large measure of de facto autonomy 
After the death of Liu Bang in 195 BC, the government was put in the hands of his wife, Empress Lü Zhi, who served as Empress Dowager over their son Emperor Hui of Han and then Emperor Hui's sons Liu Gong and Liu Hong  Enraged, Empress Lü sent men to Zhao Tuo's hometown of Zhending (modern Zhengding County in Hebei Province) who killed much of Zhao's extended family and desecrated the ancestral graveyard there  Zhao Tuo believed that Wu Chen, the Prince of Changsha, had made false accusations against him to get Empress Dowager Lü to block the trade between the states and to prepare to conquer the Nanyue to merge into his principality of Changsha  In revenge, he then declared himself the emperor of Nanyue and attacked the principality of Changsha and captured some neighboring towns under Han domain  Lü sent general Zhou Zao to punish Zhao Tuo   However, in the hot and humid climate of the south, an epidemic broke out quickly amongst the soldiers, and the weakened army was unable to cross the mountains, forcing them to withdraw which ended in Nanyue victory, but the military conflict did not stop until the Empress died  Zhao Tuo then annexed the neighboring state of Minyue in the east as subject kingdom  The kingdom of Yelang and Tongshi (通什) also submitted to Nanyue rule 

In 179 BC, Liu Heng ascended the throne as Emperor of the Han  He reversed many of the previous policies of Empress Lü and took a conciliatory attitude toward Zhao Tuo and the Kingdom of Nanyue  He ordered officials to revisit Zhending, garrison the town, and make offerings to Zhao Tuo's ancestors regularly  His prime minister Chen Ping suggested sending Lu Jia to Nanyue as they were familiar with each other  Lu arrived once more in Panyu and delivered a letter from the Emperor emphasizing that Empress Lü's policies were what had caused the hostility between Nanyue and the Han court and brought suffering to the border citizens  Zhao Tuo decided to submit to the Han once again, withdrawing his title of "emperor" and reverting to "king", and Nanyue became Han's subject state  However, most of the changes were superficial, and Zhao Tuo continued to be referred to as "emperor" throughout Nanyue 

Zhao Mo
In 137 BC, Zhao Tuo died, having lived over one hundred years  Because of his great age, his son, the Crown Prince Zhao Shi, had preceded him in death, and therefore Zhao Tuo's grandson Zhao Mo became king of Nanyue  In 135 BC, the king of neighboring Minyue launched an attack on the towns along the two nations' borders  Because Zhao Mo hadn't yet consolidated his rule, he was forced to implore Emperor Wu of Han to send troops to Nanyue's aid against what he called "the rebels of Minyue"  The Emperor lauded Zhao Mo for his vassal loyalty and sent Wang Hui, an official governing ethnic minorities, and agricultural official Han Anguo at the head of an army with orders to separate and attack Minyue from two directions, one from Yuzhang Commandery, and the other from Kuaiji Commandery  Before they reached Minyue, however, the Minyue king was assassinated by his younger brother Yu Shan, who promptly surrendered 

The Emperor sent court emissary Yan Zhu to the Nanyue capital to give an official report of Minyue's surrender to Zhao Mo, who had Yan return his gratitude to the Emperor along with a promise that Zhao would come visit the Imperial Court in Chang'an, and even sent his son Zhao Yingqi to return with Yan to the Chinese capital  Before the king could ever leave for Chang'an himself, one of his ministers strenuously advised against going for fear that Emperor Wu would find some pretext to prevent him from returning, thus leading to the destruction of Nanyue  King Zhao Mo thereupon feigned illness and never travelled to the Han capital 
Immediately following Minyue's surrender to the Han army, Wang Hui had dispatched a man named Tang Meng, local governor of Panyang County, to deliver the news to Zhao Mo   While in Nanyue, Tang Meng was introduced to the Yue custom of eating a sauce made from medlar fruit imported from Shu Commandery  Surprised that such a product was available, he learned that there was a route from Shu (modern Sichuan Province) to Yelang, and then along the Zangke River (the modern Beipan River of Yunnan and Guizhou) which allowed direct access to the Nanyue capital Panyu  Tang Meng thereupon drafted a memorial to Emperor Wu suggesting a gathering of 100,000 elite soldiers at Yelang who would navigate the Zangke River and launch a surprise attack on Nanyue   Emperor Wu agreed with Tang's plan and promoted him to General of Langzhong and had him lead a thousand soldiers with a multitude of provisions and supply carts from Bafu Pass (near modern Hejiang County) into Yelang   Many of the carts carried ceremonial gifts which Yelang presented to the feudal lords of Yelang as bribes to declare allegiance to the Han dynasty, which they did, and Yelang became Qianwei Commandery of the Han Empire Over a decade later, Zhao Mo fell genuinely ill and died around 122 BC 

Zhao Yingqi
After hearing of his father's serious illness, Zhao Yingqi received permission from Emperor Wu to return to Nanyue  After Zhao Mo's death, Yingqi assumed the Nanyue throne  Before leaving for Chang'an he had married a young Yue woman and had his eldest son Zhao Jiande  While in Chang'an, he also married a Han Chinese woman, like himself, who was from Handan  Together they had a son Zhao Xing  After assuming the Nanyue kingship, he petitioned the Han Emperor to appoint his Chinese wife (who was from the Jiu 樛 family) as Queen and Zhao Xing as Crown Prince, a move that eventually brought disaster upon Nanyue  Zhao Yingqi was reputed to be a tyrant who killed citizens with flippant abandon  He died of illness around 113 BC 

Zhao Xing and Zhao Jiande
Zhao Xing succeeded his father as king, and his mother became Queen Dowager  In 113 BC, Emperor Wu of Han sent senior minister Anguo Shaoji to Nanyue summon Zhao Xing and his mother to Chang'an for an audience with the Emperor, as well as two other officials with soldiers to await a response at Guiyang  At the time, Zhao Xing was still young and the Queen Dowager was a recent immigrant to Nanyue, so final authority in matters of state rested in the hands of Prime Minister Lü Jia  Before the Queen Dowager married Zhao Yingqi, it was widely rumored that she had had an affair with Anguo Shaoji, and they were said to have renewed it when he was sent to Nanyue, which caused the Nanyue citizens to lose confidence in her rule 
Fearful of losing her position of authority, Queen Dowager Jiu persuaded Zhao Xing and his ministers to fully submit to Han dynasty rule   At the same time, she dispatched a memorial to Emperor Wu requesting that they might join Han China, that they might have an audience with the Emperor every third year, and that the borders between Han China and Nanyue might be dissolved  The Emperor granted her requests and sent Imperial seals to the Prime Minister and other senior officials, symbolizing that the Han court expected to directly control the appointments of senior officials  He also abolished the penal tattooing and nose-removal criminal punishments that were practiced among the Yue and instituted Han legal statutes  Emissaries that had been sent to Nanyue were instructed to remain there to ensure the stability of Han control  Upon receiving their Imperial decrees, King Zhao and the Queen Dowager began planning to leave for Chang'an Prime Minister Lü Jia was much older than most officials and had served since the reign of Zhao Xing's grandfather Zhao Mo  His family was the preeminent Yue family in Nanyue and was thoroughly intermarried with the Zhao royal family  He vehemently opposed Nanyue's submission to the Han dynasty and criticized Zhao Xing on numerous occasions, though his outcries were ignored  Lü decided to begin planning a coup and feigned illness to avoid meeting the emissaries of the Han court  The emissaries were well aware of Lü's influence in the kingdom – it easily rivalled that of the king – but were never able to remove him  Sima Qian recorded a story that the Queen Dowager and the Zhao Xing invited Lü to a banquet with several Han emissaries where they hoped to find a chance to kill Lü: during the banquet, the Queen Dowager mentioned that Prime Minister Lu was against Nanyue submitting to the Han dynasty, with the hope that the Han emissaries would become enraged and kill Lü  However, Lü's younger brother had surrounded the palace with armed guards, and the Han emissaries, led by Anguo Shaoji, didn't dare attack Lü  Sensing the danger of the moment, Lü excused himself and stood to leave the palace  The Queen Dowager herself became furious and tried to grab a spear with which to kill the Prime Minister personally, but she was stopped by her son, the king  Lü Jia instructed his brother's armed men to surround his compound and stand guard and feigned illness, refusing to meet with King Zhao or any Han emissaries  At the same time, be began seriously plotting the upcoming coup with other officials When news of the situation reached Emperor Wu, he dispatched a man named Han Qianqiu with 2,000 officials to Nanyue to wrest control from Lü Jia   In 112 BC the men crossed into Nanyue territory, and Lü Jia finally executed his plan  He and those loyal to him appealed to the citizens that Zhao Xing was but a youth, Queen Dowager Jiu a foreigner who was plotting with the Han emissaries with the intent to turn the country over to Han China, giving over all of Nanyue's treasures to the Han Emperor and selling Yue citizens to the Imperial court as slaves with no thought for the welfare of the Yue people themselves  With the people's support, Lü Jia and his younger brother led a large group of men into the king's palace, killing Zhao Xing, Queen Dowager Jiu, and all the Han emissaries in the capital 
After the assassinations of Zhao Xing, the Queen Dowager, and the Han emissaries, Lü Jia ensured that Zhao Jiande, Zhao Yingqi's eldest son by his native Yue wife, took the throne, and quickly sent messengers to spread the news to the feudal rulers and officials of various areas of Nanyue 

War and the decline of Nanyue
The 2,000 men led by Han Qianqiu began attacking towns along the Han-Nanyue border, and the Yue residents ceased resisting them, instead giving them supplies and safe passage  The group of men advanced quickly through Nanyue territory and were only 40 li from Panyu when they were ambushed by a regiment of Nanyue soldiers and completely annihilated  Lü Jia then took the imperial tokens of the Han emissaries and placed them in a ceremonial wooden box, then attached to it a fake letter of apology and installed it on the border of Han and Nanyue, along with military reinforcements  When Emperor Wu heard of the coup and Prime Minister Lü's actions, he became enraged  After issuing compensation to the families of the slain emissaries, he decreed the immediate mobilization of an army to attack Nanyue 
In autumn of 111 BC, Emperor Wu sent an army of 100,000 men divided into five companies to attack Nanyue  The first company was led by General Lu Bode and advanced from Guiyang (modern Lianzhou) down the Huang River (now called the Lian River)  The second company was led by Commander Yang Pu and advanced from Yuzhang Commandery (modern Nanchang) through the Hengpu Pass and down the Zhen River  The third and fourth companies were led by Zheng Yan and Tian Jia, both Yue chieftains who had joined the Han dynasty  The third company left from Lingling (modern Yongzhou) and sailed down the Li River, while the fourth company went directly to garrison Cangwu (modern Wuzhou)  The fifth company was led by He Yi and was composed mainly of prisoners from Shu and Ba with soldiers from Yelang; they sailed directly down the Zangke River (modern Beipan River)  At the same time, Yu Shan, a king of Dong'ou, declared his intention to participate in the Han dynasty's attack on Nanyue and sent 8,000 men to support Yang Pu's company  However, upon reaching Jieyang, they pretended to have encountered severe winds that prevented them from advancing, and secretly sent details of the invasion to Nanyue 

By winter of that year, Yang Pu's company had attacked Xunxia and moved on to destroy the northern gates of Panyu (modern Guangzhou), capturing Nanyue's naval fleet and provisions  Seizing the opportunity, they continued south and defeated the first wave of Nanyue defenders before stopping to await the company led by Lu Bode  Lu's forces were mostly convicts freed in exchange for military service and made slow time, so at the planned rendezvous date with Yang Pu only a thousand of Lu's men had arrived  They went ahead with the attack anyway, and Yang's men led the advance into Panyu where Lü Jia and Zhao Jiande had fortified inside the inner walls  Yang Pu set up a camp southeast of the city and, as darkness fell, set the city on fire  Lu Bode encamped the northwest side of the city and sent soldiers up to the walls to encourage the Nanyue soldiers to surrender  As the night passed, more and more Panyu defenders defected to Lu Bode's camp out of desperation, so that as dawn arrived most of the Nanyue soldiers were gone  Lü Jia and Zhao Jiande realized Panyu was lost and fled the city by boat, heading west before the sun rose  Upon interrogating the surrendered soldiers, the Han generals learned of the two Nanyue leaders' escape and sent men after them  Zhao Jiande was caught first, and Lü Jia was captured in what is now northern Vietnam  Based on many temples of Lü Jia (Lữ Gia), his wives and soldiers scattering in Red River Delta of northern Vietnam, the war might last until 98 BC After the fall of Panyu, Tây Vu Vương (the captain of Tây Vu area of which the center is Cổ Loa) revolted against the First Chinese domination from Western Han dynasty  He was killed by his assistant Hoàng Đồng (黄同) Afterwards, the other commanderies and counties of Nanyue surrendered to the Han dynasty, ending Nanyue's 93-year existence as an autonomous and mostly sovereign kingdom  When news of Nanyue's defeat reached Emperor Wu, he was staying in Zuoyi County in Shanxi Province while travelling to perform imperial inspections, and promptly created the new county of Wenxi, meaning "Hearing of Glad News"  After Lü Jia's capture he was executed by the Han soldiers and his head was sent to the emperor  Upon receiving it, he created Huojia County where he was travelling, meaning "Capturing [Lü] Jia" 

Geography and demographics
Borders
Nanyue originally comprised the Qin commanderies of Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiang  After 179 BC, Zhao Tuo persuaded Minyue, Yelang, Tongshi, and other areas to submit to Nanyue rule, but they were not strictly under Nanyue control  After the Western Han dynasty defeated Nanyue, its territory was divided into the seven commanderies of Nanhai, Cangwu, Yulin, Hepu, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan  It was traditionally believed that the Qin conquest of the southern regions included the northern half of Vietnam, and that this area was also under Nanyue control  However, scholars have recently stated that the Qin likely never conquered territory in what is now Vietnam, and that Chinese domination there was first accomplished by the Nanyue themselves 

Administrative Divisions
Zhao Tuo followed the Commandery-County system of the Qin dynasty when organizing the Kingdom of Nanyue  He left Nanhai Commandery and Guilin Commandery intact, then divided Xiang Commandery into the Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen Commanderies   Nanhai comprised most of modern Guangdong Province, and was divided by the Qin into Panyu, Longchuan, Boluo, and Jieyang Counties, to which Zhao Tuo added Zhenyang and Hankuang 

Ethnicities
The majority of Nanyue's residents consisted of mainly Yue peoples  The Han Chinese population consisted of descendants of Qin armies sent to conquer the south, as well as girls who worked as army prostitutes, exiled Qin officials, exiled criminals, merchants and so on 
The Yue people were divided into numerous branches, tribes, and clans 
The Nanyue lived in north, east, and central Guangdong, as well as a small group in east Guangxi 
The Xi'ou lived in most of Guangxi and western Guangdong, with most of the population concentrated along the Xun River region and areas south of the Gui River, both part of the Xi River watershed  Descendants of Yi-Xu-Song, the chieftain killed resisting the Qin armies, acted as self-imposed governors of the Xi'ou clans  At the time of Nanyue's defeat by the Han dynasty, there were several hundred thousand Xi'ou people in Guilin Commandery alone 
The Luoyue clans lived in what is now western and southern Guangxi, northern Vietnam, the Leizhou Peninsula, Hainan, and southwest Guizhou  Populations were centered in the Zuo and You watersheds in Guangxi, the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam, and the Pan River watershed in Guizhou  The Chinese name "Luo", which denoted a white horse with a black mane, is said to have been applied to them after the Chinese saw their slash-and-burn method of hillside cultivation 

Government
Administrative system
Because the Kingdom of Nanyue was established by Zhao Tuo, a Chinese general of the Qin dynasty, Nanyue's political and bureaucratic systems were, at first, essentially just continuations of those of the Qin Empire itself  Because of Zhao Tuo's submissions to the Han dynasty, Nanyue also adopted many of the changes enacted by the Han, as well  At the same time, Nanyue enjoyed complete autonomy – and de facto sovereignty – for most of its existence, so its rulers did enact several systems that were entirely unique to Nanyue Nanyue was a monarchy, and its head of state generally held the title of "king" (Chinese: 王), though its first two rulers Zhao Tuo and Zhao Mo were referred to as "Emperor" within Nanyue's borders   The kingdom had its own Calendar era system based (like China's) on Emperors' reign periods  Succession in the monarchy was based on hereditary rule, with the King or Emperor's successor designated as crown prince  The ruler's mother was designated empress dowager, his wife as empress or queen, and his concubines as "Madam" (Chinese: 夫人)  The formalities extended to the ruler's family were on the level of that of the Han dynasty Emperor, rather than that of a feudal king Although Nanyue continued the Commandery-County system of the Qin dynasty, its leaders later enfeoffed their own feudal princes and lords – a mark of its sovereignty – in a manner similar to that of the Western Han  Imperial documents from Nanyue record that princes were enfeoffed at Cangwu, Xixu, as well as local lords at Gaochang and elsewhere  Zhao Guang, a relative of Zhao Tuo, was made King of Cangwu, and his holdings were what is now Wuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region  In what is considered a manifestation of Zhao Tuo's respect for the Hundred Yue, he enfeoffed a Yue chieftain as King of Xixu in order to allow the Yue of that area to enjoy autonomy under a ruler of their own ethnicity  The chieftain's name is unknown, but he was a descendant of Yi-Xu-Song, the chieftain killed while fighting the original Chinese invasion under the Qin dynasty Nanyue's bureaucracy was, like the famed bureaucracy of the Qin dynasty, divided into central and regional governments  The central government comprised a prime minister who held military and administrative authority, inner scribes who served under the prime minister, overseeing Censors of various rank and position, commanders of the Imperial Guard, senior officials who carried out the King's official administration, as well as all military officers and officials of the Food, Music, Transportation, Agriculture, and other bureaus Nanyue enacted several other policies that reflected Chinese dominance, such as the household registration system (an early form of census), as well as the promulgation of the use of Chinese characters among the Hundred Yue population and the use of Chinese weights and measures 

Military
Nanyue's army was largely composed of the several hundred thousand (up to 500,000) Qin Chinese troops that invaded during the Qin dynasty and their descendants   After the kingdom's founding in 204 BC, some Yue citizens also joined the army  Nanyue's military officers were known as General, General of the Left, Xiao ("Colonel"), Wei ("Captain"), etc , essentially identical to the Chinese system   The army had infantry, naval troops, and cavalry 

Ethnic policy
The Kingdom continued most of the Qin Commanderies' policies and practices dealing with the interactions between the local Yue and the Han immigrants, and Zhao Tuo proactively promoted a policy of assimilating the two cultures into each other  Although the Han were certainly dominant in holding leadership positions, the overwhelming disparity was largest immediately after the Qin conquest  Over time, the Yue gradually began holding more positions of authority in the government  Lü Jia, the last prime minister of the Kingdom, was a Yue citizen, and over 70 of his kinsmen served as officials in various parts of the government   In areas of particular "complexity", as they were called, Yue chieftains were often enfeoffed with great autonomy, such as in Xixu   Under the impetus of Zhao Tuo's leadership, Chinese immigrants were encouraged to adopt the customs of the Yue  Marriages between the Han Chinese and Yue became increasingly common throughout Nanyue's existence, and even occurred in the Zhao royal family  Many marriages between the Zhao royal family (who were Han Chinese) and the Lü family (Yue – they likely adopted Chinese names early in Nanyue's history) were recorded  Zhao Jiande, Nanyue's last king, was the son of previous king Zhao Yingqi and his Yue wife   Despite the dominating influence of the Chinese newcomers on the Hundred Yue, the amount of assimilation gradually increased over time 

Language
Other than Old Chinese which was used by Han settlers and government officials, native Nanyue people likely spoke Ancient Yue, a now extinct language  Some scholars suggest that they spoke a language related to the modern Zhuang language  Some suggest that the descendants spoke Austroasiatic languages instead  It is plausible to say that the Yue spoke more than one language  Old Chinese in the region was likely much influenced by Yue speech (and vice versa), and many loanwords in Chinese have been identified by modern scholars 

Diplomacy
With the Western Han
Beginning with its first allegiance to the Han dynasty in 196 BC, Nanyue alternately went through two periods of allegiance to and then opposition with the Han dynasty that continued until Nanyue's destruction at the hands of the Han dynasty in early 111 BC 

The first period of Nanyue's subordination to the Han dynasty began in 196 BC when Zhao Tuo met Lü Jia, an emissary from Emperor Gaozu of Han, and received from him a Han imperial seal enthroning Zhao Tuo as King of Nanyue  This period lasted thirteen years until 183 BC, during which time significant trade took place  Nanyue paid tribute in rarities from the south, and the Han court bestowed gifts of iron tools, horses, and cattle upon Nanyue  At the same time, the countries' borders were always heavily guarded Nanyue's first period of antagonism with the Han dynasty lasted from 183 BC to 179 BC, when trade was suspended and Zhao Tuo severed relations with the Han  During this period, Zhao Tuo openly referred to himself as Emperor and launched an attack against the Changsha Kingdom, a feudal state of the Han dynasty, and Han troops were sent to engage Nanyue   Nanyue's armies successfully halted the southern progress of the advance, winning the respect and then allegiance of the neighboring kingdoms of Minyue and Yelang Nanyue's second period of submission to the Han dynasty lasted from 179 BC to 112 BC  This period began with Zhao Tuo abandoning his title of "Emperor" and declaring allegiance to the Han Empire, but the submission is mostly superficial as Zhao Tuo was referred to as emperor throughout Nanyue and the kingdom retained its autonomy  Zhao Tuo's four successors did not display the strength he had, and Nanyue dependence on Han China slowly grew, characterized by second king Zhao Mo calling upon Emperor Wu of Han to defend Nanyue from Minyue 
Nanyue's final period of antagonism with Han China was the war that proved Nanyue's destruction as a kingdom  At the time of Prime Minister Lü Jia's rebellion, Han China was enjoying a period of growth, economic prosperity, and military success, having consistently defeated the Xiongnu tribes along China's northern and northwestern borders   The weakened state of Nanyue and the strength of China at the time allowed Emperor Wu to unleash a devastating attack on Nanyue, as described above 

With Changsha
The Changsha Kingdom was, at the time, a feudal kingdom that was part of Han dynasty  Its territory comprised most of modern Hunan Province and part of Jiangxi Province  When Emperor Gaozu of Han enfeoffed Wu Rui as the first King of Changsha, he also gave him the power to govern Nanhai, Xiang, and Guiling Commanderies, which caused strife between Changsha and Nanyue from the start   The Han China-Nanyue border was essentially that of Changsha, and therefore was constantly fortified on both sides   In terms of policies, because the Kingdom of Changsha had no sovereignty whatsoever, any policy of the Han court toward Nanyue was by default also Changsha's policy 

With Minyue
Minyue was located northeast of Nanyue along China's southeast coast, and comprised much of modern Fujian Province   The Minyue were defeated by the armies of the Qin dynasty in the 3rd century BC and the area was organized under Qin control as the Minzhong Commandery, and Minyue ruler Wuzhu was deposed  Because of Wuzhu's support for Liu Bang after the collapse of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han, he was reinstated by the Han court as King of Minyue in 202 BC 
The relations between Nanyue and Minyue can be classified into three stages: the first, from 196 BC to 183 BC, was during Zhao Tuo's first submission to the Han dynasty, and the two kingdoms were on relatively equal footing  The second stage was from 183 BC to 135 BC, when Minyue submitted to Nanyue after seeing it defeat the Han dynasty's first attack on Nanyue  The third stage began in 135 BC when King Wang Ying attacked a weakened Nanyue, forcing Zhao Mo to seek aid from Han China  Minyue once again submitted to the Han dynasty, making itself and Nanyue equals once more 

With the Yi tribes
The southwestern Yi people lived west of Nanyue, and shared borders with Nanyue in Yelang, Wulian, Juding, and other regions  Yelang was the largest state of the Yi people, comprising most of modern Guizhou and Yunnan Provinces, as well as the southern part of Sichuan Province  Some believe the ancient Yi to have been related to the Hundred Yue, with this explaining the close relationship between Yelang and Nanyue  After Nanyue first repelled the Han, nearly all of the Yi tribes declared allegiance to Nanyue, and most of them retained that allegiance until Nanyue's demise in 111 BC  During Emperor Wu of Han's final attack on Nanyue, most of the Yi tribes refused to assist in the invasion  One chieftain called Qie-Lan went so far as to openly oppose the move, later killing the emissary sent by the Han to his territory as well as the provincial governor installed in the Qianwei Commandery 

Monarchs
Archaeological findings
The Nanyue Kingdom Palace Ruins, located in the city of Guangzhou, covers 15,000 square metres  Excavated in 1995, it contains the remains of the ancient Nanyue palace  In 1996, it was listed as protected National Cultural Property by the Chinese government  Crescent-shaped ponds, Chinese gardens and other Qin architecture were discovered in the excavation 
In 1983, the ancient tomb of the Nanyue King Wáng Mù (王墓) was discovered in Guangzhou, Guangdong  In 1988, the Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King was constructed on this site, to display more than 1,000 excavated artefacts including 500 pieces of Chinese bronzes, 240 pieces of Chinese jade and 246 pieces of metal  In 1996, the Chinese government listed this site as a protected National Heritage Site 
A bronze seal inscribed "Tư Phố hầu ấn" (Seal for Captain of Tu Pho County) was uncovered at Thanh Hoa in northern Vietnam during the 1930s  Owing to the similarity to seals found at the tomb of the second king of Nam Viet, this bronze seal is recognized as an official seal of the Nam Viet Kingdom  There were artifacts that were found in which belonged to the Dong Son culture of northern Vietnam   The goods were found buried alongside the tomb of the second king of Nam Viet 

Status in Vietnamese historiography
In Vietnam, the rulers of Nanyue are referred to as the Triệu dynasty, the Vietnamese pronunciation of the surname Chinese: 趙; pinyin: Zhào  While traditional Vietnamese historiography considered the Triệu dynasty to be an orthodox regime, modern Vietnamese scholars generally regard it as a foreign regime that ruled Vietnam The name "Vietnam" is derived from Nam Việt (Southern Việt), the Vietnamese pronunciation of Nanyue  However, it has also been suggested that the name "Vietnam" was derived from a combination of Quảng Nam Quốc (the domain of the Nguyen lords, from whom the Nguyễn dynasty descended) and Đại Việt (which the first emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, Gia Long, conquered)  Qing emperor Jiaqing refused Gia Long's request to change his country's name to Nam Việt, and changed the name instead to Việt Nam  Đại Nam thực lục contains the diplomatic correspondence over the naming Peter Bellwood suggested that ethnic Vietnamese are descended from the ancient Yuè of northern Vietnam and western Guangdong  However, the Austroasiatic predecessor of modern Vietnamese language has been proven to originate in modern-day Bolikhamsai Province and Khammouane Province in Laos as well as parts of Nghệ An Province and Quảng Bình Province in Vietnam, rather than in the region north of the Red River delta  Chamberlain demonstrates with textual evidence that many rebel groups during the Tang dynasty originated from the Cả River and subsequently pushed northward to the Red River, linking this to the linguistic shift  Chamberlain demonstrates, based on the concentration of linguistic diversity of the Vietic, the lack of any trace of Austroasiatic in relevant ancient records, or in the neighbouring Tai languages, as well as the short time depth of Proto-Vietic, that "[t]here is no evidence of Vietic, Proto-Việt-Mường or other Austroasiatic speakers living in and around Jiaozhi in the lower Red River basin prior to the 10th or 11th centuries " However, John Phan (2010), citing Maspero 1912, Wang 1948, & Miyake 2003, points out the existence of an "Early Sino-Vietnamese" layer of loanwords traceable back to Later Han Chinese (25 AD–220 AD), which he claims was spoken in the 2nd century BCE  Ferlus (2009) also demonstrates that Northern Vietic (Việt–Mường) and Central Vietic (Cuoi-Toum) invented from original verbs, rather than borrowed foreign words, lexical items corresponding to innovations like "trident", "oar", "pan to cook sticky rice", & "pestle", characteristic of the Dong Son culture, existing in the 1st millennium BCE in the Red River delta Evidence gathered by modern Western scholarship indicates that the Dong Son culture were most likely ethnically Hlai people (a Tai people), Austronesians or both  Citing other scholars (Shafer 1970, Blust 1996, Sagart 2004, Sagart 2005, Ostapirat 2013, Kelley 2013, and Chamberlain), Joachim Schliesinger states that the theory that the Vietnamese language was originally based in the area of the Red River in what is now northern Vietnam has been widely rejected by modern Western scholarship, based on historical records and linguistic evidence  The Red River Delta region is now considered to be originally Tai-speaking, ethnic Hlai people in particular  The area is believed to have become Vietnamese-speaking as late as the tenth century, as a result of immigration from the south, i e , modern central Vietnam Zhao Tuo wrote that he only considered his native subjects to be "barbarians"  Vietnamese historian Ngô Thì Sĩ (1726–1780) refused to consider Zhao Tuo as a Vietnamese leader, saying that he was based in Panyu (Guangzhou), and only ruled the Hong River Delta indirectly  He compared this to the example of the Southern Han dynasty based in Guangzhou There is evidence that Vietnamese elites of the Red River Delta, during the medieval ages, tried to invent an origin of their own (the legendary Hồng Bàng dynasty) based on ancient Chinese texts, which recorded the movements of Tai-speaking peoples across the region of South China 

Culture
There was a fusion of the Han and Yue cultures in significant ways, as shown by the artifacts unearthed by archaeologists from the tomb of King Zhao Mo in Guangzhou  The Nanyue tomb in Guangzhou is extremely rich  There are quite a number of bronzes that show cultural influences from the Han, Chu, Yue and Ordos regions 

Gallery
Jade wares unearthed from the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King
See also
Notes
Passage 2:
Han campaigns against Minyue
The Han campaigns against Minyue were a series of three Han military campaigns dispatched against the Minyue state  The first campaign was in response to Minyue's invasion of Eastern Ou in 138 BC  In 135 BC, a second campaign was sent to intervene in a war between Minyue and Nanyue  After the campaign, Minyue was partitioned into Minyue, ruled by a Han proxy king, and Dongyue  Dongyue was defeated in a third military campaign in 111 BC and the former Minyue territory was annexed by the Han Empire 

Background
The Qin dynasty's military incursions in the south of what is now China began a period of expansion that continued under the next dynasty, the Han   After the fall of the Qin, Minyue was established in 202 BC, and Eastern Ou in 192 BC, with the support of the Han  They were rewarded with greater autonomy in return for their contributions to the revolt against the Qin  The local rulers of the Minyue region had also sided with Liu Bang's Han instead of Xiang Yu's Chu during the Chu–Han Contention, a civil war that ensued during the collapse of the Qin Minyue was created by carving out the former Qin province of Minzhong, with Dongye as the capital, into a new kingdom ruled by Zou Wuzhu  A decade later, Zou Yao was granted control over Donghai, popularly referred to as Eastern Ou after the name of the kingdom's capital  The title was bestowed with a declaration by the Han emperor that "Zou Yan, the chief of Min, achieved great merit and his people supported the Han cause"  The Han historian Sima Qian claims both rulers were descendants of Goujian, the 5th century BC ruler of Yue  The family had lost their status as rulers during the Qin's wars of unification, when they were demoted to local chieftains 

Han–Minyue wars
Intent of Minyue
While Minyue invasion of its neighbours appears to be a "spontaneous whim of a foolhardy and greedy king Zou Ying" in the Han dynasty history books, given the geopolitical circumstances, Brindley (2015) wrote that "We should therefore consider Minyue aggression in the 130s in terms of a series of pre-emptive, southerly strikes intended to stave off Han encroachment and potential takeover" 

Initial military intervention
In 138 BC, Minyue invaded the Eastern Ou, prompting Eastern Ou to request the intervention of Han forces  The Han court was divided over offering military support  The campaign was opposed by the Han commander-in-chief Tian Fen, who argued that warfare between the Yue tribes occurred frequently and the affairs of Yue were not the responsibility of the Han government  The concept of Chinese centrality among nations persuaded the court to dispatch an army  In accordance with Chinese political philosophy, the ruler or Son of Heaven held a mandate that obligated the emperor to help smaller countries in need  Otherwise, as the Han official Zhuang Zhu phrased it, "how could we treat the myriad kingdoms as our children?"A Han naval force led by Zhuang Zhu departed from Shaoxing in northern Zhejiang towards Minyue  The Minyue surrendered before the arrival of the Han troops, and withdrew from Eastern Ou  There were plans to move the residents of Eastern Ou to the area between the Huai River and Yangtze River, following a request by the king of Eastern Ou 

Second intervention
In 135 BC, war broke out when Minyue invaded Nanyue  Zhao Mo, the king of Nanyue, asked for and received the military assistance of the Han  In 180 BC, Zhao had offered to submit as a vassal and the Han agreed, a decision that was partly based on Zhao's ancestral roots in northern China  An army led by the generals Wang Hui and Han Anguo was ordered to invade Minyue  The campaign was cut short by palace infighting in the Minyue court  Panicked at news of an invasion, the younger brother of the Minyue king Zou Ying, Zou Yushan, conspired with the royal court to depose Ying  Yushan killed his brother with a spear, decapitated the corpse, and sent the head to Wang  The Han forces withdrew soon after Zhao Mo was grateful for the speed of the intervention against Minyue  The Han official Zhuang Zhu was dispatched to meet with the Nanyue emperor, who expressed his gratitude  Zhao sent his son, the prince Zhao Yingqi, to the Han capital at Chang'an, where he was to work for the Emperor  In the aftermath of the campaign, Minyue had split into a dual monarchy, Minyue and Dongyue  Minyue was controlled by the Han through a proxy ruler, while Dongyue was independently ruled by Zou Yushan, the brother who deposed the former king during the invasion Zou Chou was selected to fill the role of Han proxy ruler because he was the only member of the Minyue royal family who refused to take part in the war against Nanyue  However, his efforts to exert control over the people of Minyue were not successful  The subjects of the kingdom pledged their loyalty to Zou Yushan instead  Yushan declared himself king of Minyue without the consent of the Emperor Wu, the Han ruler  The emperor was informed of Yushan's actions, and recognized him as king of Dongyue instead of ordering a second invasion  Emperor Wu considered it a reward to Yushan for killing Zou Ying and ending the war  The assassination had prevented the Han from wasting any more resources on the conflict  Dongyue had an uneasy relationship with the Han  In 112 BC, Han officials were killed in a military engagement with Dongyue 

Third campaign and conquest
As Han troops returned from the Han–Nanyue War in 111 BC, the Han government debated annexing Dongyue  Dongyue, under King Zou Yushan, had agreed to assist the Han campaign against Nanyue, but the Dongyue army never reached Nanyue  Yushan blamed the delay on the weather  The proposal to annex Dongyue was suggested by General Yang Pu, but was dismissed by Emperor Wu  The naval force arrived home without having attacked Dongyue  Zou caught wind of Yang's request, and responded by revolting against the Han  Han forces were led by General Han Yue, General Yang Pu, commander Wang Wenshu, and two marquises of Yue ancestry  The army crushed the rebellion and captured Dongyue in the last months of 111 BC, placing the former Minyue territory under Han rule Historical records report that Minyue and Dongyue were emptied of people, and that its residents were deported to the territories between the Huai River and the Yangtze River  The alleged population transfer was a resumption of a policy that had been planned since 138 BC  The Han government considered the mountainous region difficult to control and was wary of trusting its residents  Modern historians doubt the event happened  The deportation of an entire kingdom is implausible, and nothing has been found to verify a migration of Han settlers to the Minyue region around the year 1, something that would have occurred had the area been abandoned while under Han control  There was only one town of Han settlers, Dongyue, in Minyue  Dongyue was built where the Min River meets the sea, around the time of Emperor Wu's reign  It is more likely that the assimilation of Minyue into Han Chinese culture through Han conquest happened later in the dynasty 

Historical significance
From one settlement in year 1, the Han Dynasty's involvement in the Minyue region grew into several counties  There were many Chinese counties in the area by the 4th century AD  The Minyue had been culturally assimilated by the time the Han Dynasty collapsed, and Chinese civilization was undergoing a transition to the Three Kingdoms period of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu  Political upheaval in the north, such as Wang Mang's usurpation, had caused Han migrants to resettle in the south  The Han Dynasty's military expansion widened its commercial ties in addition acquiring large amounts of new territories  The empire's conquest of Minyue and Nanyue spoke of its vast size that it bordered the ancient kingdoms of Southeast Asia  Economic ties with the Han and subsequent dynasties affected the trajectory of maritime trade of Southeast Asia, where goods have been excavated made in styles resembling that of the ancient Han Chinese  Maritime trade and the Silk Road also linked China with Ancient Rome, India, and the Near East 

Citations
Bibliography
Brindley, Erica (2015)  Ancient China and the Yue Perceptions and Identities on the Southern Frontier, c 400 BCE–50 CE  Cambridge University Press 
Gernet, Jacques (1996)  A History of Chinese Civilization  Cambridge University Press  ISBN 978-0-521-49781-7 
Holcombe, Charles (2001)  The Genesis of East Asia: 221 B C  – A D  907  University of Hawaii Press  ISBN 978-0-8248-2465-5 
Yu, Yingshi (1986)   Twitchett, Denis; Loewe, Michael (eds )  Cambridge History of China: Volume I: the Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 B C  – A D  220  University of Cambridge Press  ISBN 978-0-521-24327-8 
Lorge, Peter (2012)   Graff, David Andrew; Higham, Robin D  S  (eds )  A Military History of China  University Press of Kentucky  ISBN 978-0-8131-3584-7 
Sima, Qian; Watson, Burton (1993)  Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty II  Translation and commentary by Watson  Columbia University Press  ISBN 978-0-231-08166-5 
Passage 3:
Ballaios
Ballaios (Ancient Greek: Βαλλαῖος; ruled c  260 – c  230 BC) was an Illyrian king of the Ardiaei tribe  Attested only in coinage, Ballaios is considered as the predecessor of Agron  He is considered to have been a powerful and influential king as testified by the abundance of his silver and bronze coinage found along both coasts of the Adriatic  A hoard found in 2010 is one of the biggest hoards of ancient coins known, not only from Illyria  The capital of Ballaios' kingdom was Rhizon His silver issues are rare, but bronze coins, without the royal title, occur on Hvar, both in single finds and in hoards, and at Rhizon in a different series bearing the royal title  In the city of Ulcinj there is still a fully functioning water source bearing his name: "Kroni i Ballos"  The coins of Ballaios were widely imitated in the region, sometimes so crudely that they are unintelligible 

Reign
Prior to the recent excavations carried out in the 2010s, archaeologist Arthur Evans dated Ballaios' coinage c  between 167 BC and 135 BC, in the period between the fall of Macedon and the expedition by the consul Servius Fulvius Flaccus against the Illyrians  J  M  F  May (1930s) dated it c  between 195/190 BC and 175 BC, which was followed by G  Gorini (1991), and Šašel Kos (2007) After the recent excavations, the archaeological contexts of the coin hoards of Ballaios found in the 2010s indicate an earlier period  Archaeological investigations conducted in the area of Rhizon have revealed that Ballaios was in power and minted coins in the period between c  260 and 230 BC, providing a clear dating for his reign 

Coinage
Ballaios minted coins in his own name  His coins with the long legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΛΛΑΙΟΥ (BASILEOS BALLAIOY) were minted in Rhizon while the coins with the short legend ΒΑΛΛΑΙΟΥ and the head of the king Ballaios which is of a different type and are older, were minted in Pharos  In some cases it is possible to observe that Ballaios' coins were over struck on the older Pharos specimens  The distribution of his coinage indicates that they were concentrated in the central Dalmatian area, while the large number of different dies that have been identified to date indicates a long minting of his coins  Numismatic evidence shows that Ballaios reigned for quite a lengthy time  His coins are also frequently found in Italy, which confirms the trade contacts between both Adriatic coasts 
On the obverse of the coins a bust of the king facing left to right is depicted, while on the reverse Artemis, advancing or standing, is represented with or without a torch, sometimes carrying one or two spears, surrounded by either the long or short legend  Most of these coins are bronze, some, and always those with the long legend are silver  Their weight, c  3 5g corresponds top the Roman victorium  It is significant the Ballaios also had silver coins minted, which indicates his wealth and power, since elsewhere in Hellenistic Dalmatia silver coinage is very rarely documented from Greek/Illyrian mints  The weight of the bronze coins of Ballaios is between 1 0 and 4 5g, while most of the documented specimens weigh between 2 0 and 2 5g  The relatively great impact of the coinage of Ballaios is also indicated by a large number of imitations of his coins  In several instances on some coins, an embossed circular Illyrian shield on one side and the flying horse Pegasus, a mythological creature, and the letter "B", "A" and "L" on the other side, are depicted 
Ballaios' coins were in circulation in the regions along both Adriatic coasts; along the eastern Adriatic, they have been found in a broad area extending from Phoenice in Epirus to Shkodër, in present-day Albania, to Pharos, and along the western Adriatic from Leuca and Locri to Aquileia, indicating trade activity of Ballaios that was no longer controlled by Issa  As expected the coins of Ballaios were also found in the broad area of Narona, the most important Greek/Illyrian emporium which maintained along with the river Neretva, commercial and other contacts with the interior regions or Illyricum 

See also
List of rulers of Illyria
Illyrian coinage
Passage 4:
List of solar eclipses in the 2nd century BC
This is a list of selected solar eclipses from antiquity, in particular those with historical significance  Eclipses on this list were not only recorded, but sometimes would have large effects such as ending a war 

Historically significant solar eclipses
Statistics
Longest total eclipses
Below is a list of the 10 longest total eclipses between the 30th century BC and the 4th century 

Solar eclipses by century
Passage 5:
Dong'ou Kingdom
Dong'ou (simplified Chinese: 东瓯; traditional Chinese: 東甌; pinyin: Dōng'ōu) also known as Ouyue (simplified Chinese: 瓯越; traditional Chinese: 甌越; pinyin: Ōuyuè), was an ancient  kingdom in modern Wenzhou and Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China  The realm of Dong'ou was given to Zou Yao by Emperor Gaozu of Han in 192 BC  During the Han campaigns against Minyue in 138 BC, the king of Dong'ou no longer wished to live in his realm after the incident, and had all his people moved into the Han dynasty 
Passage 6:
Dian Kingdom
Dian (Chinese: 滇) was an ancient kingdom established by the Dian people, a non-Han metalworking civilization that inhabited around the Dian Lake plateau of central northern Yunnan, China from the late Spring and Autumn period until the Eastern Han dynasty  The Dian buried their dead in vertical pit graves  The Dian language was likely one of the Tibeto-Burman languages  The Han Empire's annexation of the Dian Kingdom in 109 BCE eventually led to the establishment of the Yizhou commandery  Dian culture started from at least the 8th century BCE, until it fell under the control of the Han dynasty in 109 BCE 

History
Dian was an ancient kingdom situated in modern Yunnan, southwestern China, in the region around the Dian Lake  According to Han historian, Sima Qian, it was established in 279 BCE when King Qingxiang of Chu sent a military force to the southwest  Zhuang Qiao, a general of Chu, reached the Dian Lake as part of the Chu military campaign  When the Chu homeland was invaded by the Qin, Zhuang Qiao decided to stay in Yunnan and adopt the native ways, establishing the Dian kingdom  The Qin dynasty was subsequently overthrown by the Han, and the commanderies of the new dynasty, Ba and Shu, bordered Dian According to the Shiji, the southwest was dominated by barbarians, among whom the ruler of Yelang was the most powerful  To the west of Yelang were the Mimo and the most powerful among them was the ruler of Dian  North of Dian was Qiongdu  All these people styled their hair in a mallet-shaped fashion  These were settled peoples who worked the fields and lived in settlements In the area from Tongshi east to Yeyu were the Sui and Kunming tribes who braided their hair and moved from place to place with their herds  They had no fixed abodes or rulers  Northeast of the Sui were the Xi and Zuodu  The most powerful of the Zuodu were the Ran and Mang, who lived west of Shu  Some of them moved from place and place but others lived in fixed abodes  Northeast of the Ran and Mang were the Baima, who belonged to the Di tribe 
Shu is the only place that makes ju berry sauce  large quantities of it are exported in secret to the markets of Yelang, which is situated on the Zangke  The Zangke at that point is over 100 paces across, wide enough to allow boats to move up and down it  The king of Southern Yue sends money and goods in an effort to gain control of Yelang, extending his efforts as far west as Tongshi, but so far he has not succeeded in getting Yelang to acknowledge his sovereignty 
In 135 BCE, the Han envoy Tang Meng brought gifts to Duotong, the king of Yelang, which bordered Dian, and convinced him to submit to the Han  The Jianwei Commandery was established in the region  In 122 BCE, Emperor Wu dispatched four groups of envoys to the southwest in search of a route to Daxia in Central Asia  One group was welcomed by the king of Dian but none of them were able to make it any further as they were blocked in the north by the Sui and Kunming tribes of the Erhai region and in the south by the Di and Zuo tribes  However they learned that further west there was a kingdom called Dianyue where the people rode elephants and traded with the merchants from Shu in secret In 111 BCE, Emperor Wu of Han ordered the barbarian tribes of Jianwei Commandery to raise troops for the campaign against Nanyue  Fearing that neighboring tribes would attack them in the absence of their men, the tribe of Julan rebelled against the Han and killed the governor of Jianwei Commandery  After Nanyue was defeated, Han forces turned north and subjugated the various tribes of Yelang, Julan, Toulan, Qiong, Zuo, Ran, and Mang The Dian Kingdom was annexed by the Han under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han in 109 BCE and the Yizhou commandery established  The Dian King willingly received the Chinese invasion in the hopes of assistance against rival tribes  It was at this time he received his seal from the Chinese, and became a tributary Emperor Wu sent Wang Ranyu to persuade the king of Dian to submit, pointing out that many of the neighboring tribes had already been defeated  The king of Dian was initially reluctant to accept the offer for he still possessed some 30,000 troops as well as the allegiance of the nearby Laojin and Mimo tribes  However, in 109 BCE, Han troops from Ba and Shu wiped out the Laojin and Mimo, leading the king of Dian to surrender  While Dian became Yizhou Commandery (Chinese: 益州), the king was allowed to continue his rule until a rebellion during the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han  The Han proceeded with colonization and conquered the people of Kunming in 86 and 82 BCE, reaching all the way to what is now modern day Myanmar 

Royal burials
The Dian buried their kings at Shizhaishan, which was uncovered in 1954 near Shizhai Village in Jinning County, Yunnan  The burials were identified by the inscription King Dian's Seal  The inscription was written in seal script on a gold imperial seal of investiture given by the Han Emperor  Sima Qian noted that the Dian were one of only two local groups to have received an imperial seal, the other being Yelang  Both have survived: the Yelang Seal emerged in 2007 from a Hmong man in Guizhou, claiming to be the Yelang King's 75th generation descendant 

Culture
Bronze working
The largest tin deposits on the Eurasian continent are located on the Malay peninsula, and as such, the Dian people were sophisticated metal workers, casting both bronze and iron  The Dian cast bronze objects using both the piece mould method and the lost wax method  Dian elite burials contained an impressive array of bronze objects, although late Dian burials also contained locally cast iron objects 
Large bronze drums were employed by the Dian to communicate in battle; ritual burials of Dian elites were accompanied by large bronze drums filled with cowrie shells  The tops of the drums were removed and replaced by a bronze lid 

Saka influences
Iaroslav Lebedynsky and Victor H  Mair speculate that some Sakas may also have migrated to the area of Yunnan in southern China following their expulsion by the Yuezhi in the 2nd century BCE  Excavations of the prehistoric art of the Dian civilization of Yunnan have revealed hunting scenes similar to that of Indo-European artwork depicting horsemen in Central Asian clothing  The scenes depicted on these drums sometimes represent these horsemen practicing hunting  Animal scenes of felines attacking oxen are also at times reminiscent of Scythian art both in theme and in composition 

Depiction of Dian society
The bronze lids were covered with miniature figurines and structures, depicting various scenes from the life of the Dian people  The bronze lids depicted the Dian people engaged in everyday activities such as hunting, farming and weaving  Other scenes depicted the leisurely pursuits of the Dian people, such as bullfighting, dancing and music-making  The Dian people dressed in tunics over short pants and wore their hair in topknots  The bronze lids corroborated Sima Qian's description of the Dian hairstyle 
Many scenes depicted the Dian at war, often riding horses  Archaeological evidence shows that horses had been domesticated by the Dian people as early as the sixth century BCE  The bronze lids also depicted the Dian decapitating their enemies (who wore their hair in long plaits) 
The Kingdom was based on agriculture, the bronzes also showed head hunting, human sacrifice, and slaves as part of Dian society 

Underwater ruins
Archaeologists recently discovered the inundated remains of Dian-period buildings and pottery fragments under Fuxian Lake and were able to verify their age with carbon dating 

Other artifacts
At Dabona, a site connected with the Dian culture, archaeologists discovered a large double coffin burial; The outer coffin was made of wood and the inner coffin was made of bronze  The inner coffin was shaped like a house and weighs over 157 kg 
The Yunnan Provincial Museum holds many archaeological relics of the Dian culture 

Gallery
Passage 7:
Go dynasty
Go Royal Family (Reigned from 37 BC to 668 AD) was the dynasty that founded and ruled over the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo  Its founder, Jumong (Korean: 주몽; Hanja: 朱蒙), broke away from another ancient Korean kingdom called Dongbuyeo to start his own kingdom  The Taewangs were all members of the Go Royal Family 

Ancestry of Jumong
Jumong was the 4th generation descendant of Hae Mosu, as the grandson of Hae Mosu's second son, King Go Jin, the ruler of Gori  This explains why Jumong was able to rise to the throne of Bukbuyeo 

The Founding
The Go Royal Family (Hangul: 고씨 왕족), The Han Royal Family (Hangul: 한씨왕족) was founded and descended from one common ancestor, who was Jumong, also the first ruler of Goguryeo  Jumong was the son of Go Mosu and Lady Yuhwa (Korean: 유화부인; Hanja: 柳花夫人)  Lady Yuhwa was the daughter of Habaek (Korean: 하백; Hanja: 河伯), the god of the Amnok River or, according to an alternative interpretation, the sun god Haebak (Korean: 해밝)  Go Mosu was a descendant of Haemosu, the founder of Bukbuyeo, or North Buyeo, and was also said to have been a direct descendant or successor to the Emperors of Ancient Joseon (also known as Gojoseon)  As a descendant of Haemosu, Jumong was driven by the goal of reuniting all of Gojoseon's ancient territory into one whole empire and one whole nation  With this goal in mind, he set off from Dongbuyeo and began building the foundations for his kingdom  After three years, he had already conquered several of the neighboring kingdoms and was ready to go into the final phase of constructing his kingdom  He completed this phase by holding hands with Jolbon and bringing it under his control  In 37 BC, Jumong finally established his kingdom and named it 'Goguryeo' (Hangul: 고구려)  He also changed his last name from 'Hae' to 'Go,' which means 'high ' Goguryeo progressed and continued to grow stronger under Go Jumong's reign of 19 years  His first wife and their son, Yuri, soon to be Emperor King Yuri, fled from Dongbuyeo and came to Goguryeo during the last year of Jumong's reign  Jumong proclaimed Yuri his successor and Crown Prince (Hangul: 태자) before dying five months later 

Complete Transition of the family name
King Yuri rose to the throne in 19 BC and ruled until his death in 18 AD  During his reign, the royal family had absolute power and all power was in the hands of the reigning emperor  Under Yuri, the kingdom was able to grow powerful enough to fight the Han Dynasty  After King Yuri, Daemusin, Mobon, and Minjung, the young prince Gung took the surname "Go" (Hanja: 高) for the first time in 3 generations  From King Taejo to King Bojang, the rulers of Goguryeo kept their ancestor's surname "Go" and "Han" 
According to the Samguk Sagi, the Goguryeo royal family claimed descent from the mythical god Gao Yang, who was the grandson of the Yellow Emperor of Chinese mythology, and thus took the surname of "Go" (高); however, this legend was discredited in the commentaries (논찬; 論贊) by Kim Busik, the compiler of the Samguk Sagi, who concluded that both Baekje and Goguryeo originated from Buyeo 

Height of Imperial power
Goguryeo's height of power came in the reign of Taewang Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo, who created and strengthened Goguryeo's cavalry and naval units to pacify the south and the north  Gwanggaeto the Great attacked and conquered Buyeo, Biryu-guk, the Later Yan, Malgal, and the Ainu tribes  Goguryeo's height of power finally came, but the bringer of glory died at the young age of 39 

Decline of Imperial power
King Munjamyeong continued to expand Goguryeo's territories after receiving the full surrender of the ancient Korean state of Buyeo in 494  After the reign of King Munjamyeong, his son Heung-An became King Anjang  King Anjang continued to attack the southern kingdoms and weaken their power, further establishing the empire's power over both the Korean peninsula and Manchuria  After King Anjang, his son became King Anwon 

Fall of Goguryeo
Goguryeo's 27th ruler, King Yeongryu, submitted to the newly-risen Tang Dynasty, despite the overwhelming victories that Goguryeo had achieved over the Sui  King Yeongryu was assassinated by Yeon Gaesomun (연개소문), who was Dae Magniji (대막리지/Grand Prime Minister) of Goguryeo until 666 CE  King Bojang, the nephew of King Yeongryu, rose to the throne and ruled until 668 CE, when Goguryeo was destroyed 

See also
History of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
Taewang



ground_truth: the Qin dynasty

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Who gave the mother of Alberic II of Spoleto the title "patricia" of Rome?

The following are given passages.
Context 2: Passage 1:
Alberic III of Dammartin
Alberic III of Dammartin (Aubry de Dammartin) (c  1138 – 19 September 1200) was a French count and son of Alberic II, Count of Dammartin, and Clémence de Bar, daughter of Reginald I, Count of Bar  
He married Mathilde, heiress to the county of Clermont and daughter of Renaud II, Count of Clermont  They had:

Renaud I, Count of Dammartin (c  1165–1227), married 1) Marie de Châtillon and 2) Ide de Lorraine with whom he had Matilda II, Countess of Boulogne, Queen of Portugal
Alix de Dammartin (1170–1237), married Jean, Châtelain de Trie
Simon of Dammartin (1180 – 21 September 1239), married Marie, Countess of Ponthieu father of Joan, Countess of Ponthieu, Queen of Castile and Leon 
Julia of Dammartin, married Hugh de Gournay
Agnes of Dammartin, married William de Fiennes

Notes
Passage 2:
Gregory I, Count of Tusculum
Gregory I was the Count of Tusculum sometime between 954 and 1012  Consul et dux 961, vir illustrissimus 980, praefectus navalis 999  He was the son of Alberic II (son of Alberic I of Spoleto and Marozia), and Alda of Vienne (daughter of Hugh, King of Italy and his second wife, Alda (or Hilda))  His half-brother was Pope John XII 
He held the cities of Galeria, Arce, and Preneste and the title count palatine, the palace referred to being that of the Lateran  He was the first to carry the title "Count of Tusculum" and he passed it to all his descendants  They also received the titles of excellentissimus vir' (most excellent man) and apostolic rector of Sant'Andrea, which Gregory received in 980  In 981, Gregory bore the title Romanorum consul, dux et senator: "Consul, duke, and senator of the Romans "
As well as being an intimate and ally of the popes, especially Sylvester II, Gregory also served as praefectus navalis of Holy Roman Emperors Otto I and Otto II  However, on 6 February 1001, he was named "Head of the Republic" by the Romans for leading the revolt against Otto III and expelling the Crescentii  In 1002, the latter returned to power and he had to renounce his title 
His death is attested before the 11 June 1012, when his successor, Theophylact, was elected Pope 

Marriage and issue
By his wife Maria (died 1013) he had three sons and a daughter:

Theophylact, who became Pope Benedict VIII 
Alberic III who succeeded him in Tusculum and in his titles 
Romanus, who became Pope John XIX
Marozia III, who married Thrasimund III of Spoleto  Together, the houses of Tusculum and Spoleto were the dominant secular powers in the central Italian peninsula, the one representative of the imperial power and the other, Gregory's, of papal 


== Sources ==
Passage 3:
Alberic II of Spoleto
Alberic II (912–954) was ruler of Rome from 932 to 954, after deposing his mother Marozia and his stepfather, King Hugh of Italy 
He was of the house of the counts of Tusculum, the son of Marozia by her first husband, Duke Alberic I of Spoleto  His half-brother was Pope John XI  At the wedding of his mother to King Hugh of Italy, Alberic and his new stepfather quarreled violently after Hugh slapped Alberic for clumsiness  Infuriated by this and perhaps motivated by rumors that Hugh intended to have him blinded, Alberic left the festivities and incited a Roman mob to revolt against Hugh  In December 932 Hugh fled the city, Marozia was cast into prison, and Alberic took control of Rome 

Marriage and issue
In 936 Alberic married his stepsister Alda, the daughter of King Hugh of Italy and had one son by her, Count Gregory I of Tusculum  According to Benedict of Soracte, he also had one illegitimate son, Octavianus, by an unknown mistress  On his deathbed Alberic had Roman nobility and clergy swear they would elect Octavianus as pope 

Sources
Williams, George L  (1998)  Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes  McFarland & Company, Inc 
Lexikon des Mittelalters 
Passage 4:
Marozia
Marozia, born Maria and also known as Mariuccia or Mariozza (c  890 – 937), was a Roman noblewoman who was the alleged mistress of Pope Sergius III and was given the unprecedented titles senatrix ("senatoress") and patricia of Rome by Pope John X 
Edward Gibbon wrote of her that the "influence of two sister prostitutes, Marozia and Theodora was founded on their wealth and beauty, their political and amorous intrigues: the most strenuous of their lovers were rewarded with the Roman tiara, and their reign may have suggested to darker ages the fable of a female pope  The bastard son, two grandsons, two great grandsons, and one great great grandson of Marozia—a rare genealogy—were seated in the Chair of St  Peter " Pope John XIII was her nephew, the offspring of her younger sister Theodora  From this description, the term "pornocracy" has become associated with the effective rule in Rome of Theodora and her daughter Marozia through male surrogates 

Early life
Marozia was born about 890  She was the daughter of the Roman consul Theophylact, Count of Tusculum, and of Theodora, the real power in Rome, whom bishop Liutprand of Cremona characterized as a "shameless whore    [who] exercised power on the Roman citizenry like a man "
At the age of fifteen, Marozia became the mistress of Theophylact's cousin Pope Sergius III, whom she knew when he was bishop of Portus  The two had a son, John (the later Pope John XI)  That, at least, is the story found in two contemporary sources, the Liber Pontificalis and the Antapodosis sive Res per Europam gestae (958–62), by Liutprand of Cremona (c  920–72)  But a third contemporary source, the annalist Flodoard (c  894–966), says John XI was brother of Alberic II, the latter being the offspring of Marozia and her husband Alberic I  Hence John too may have been the son of Marozia and Alberic I 
Marozia married Alberic I, duke of Spoleto, in 909, and their son Alberic II was born in 911 or 912  By the time Alberic I was killed at Orte in 924, the Roman landowners had won complete victory over the traditional bureaucracy represented by the papal curia  Rome was virtually under secular control, the historic nadir of the papacy 

Guy of Tuscany
In order to counter the influence of Pope John X (whom the hostile chronicler Liutprand of Cremona alleges was another of her lovers), Marozia subsequently married his opponent Guy of Tuscany  Together they attacked Rome, arrested Pope John X in the Lateran, and jailed him in the Castel Sant'Angelo  Either Guy had him smothered with a pillow in 928 or he simply died, perhaps from neglect or ill treatment  Marozia seized power in Rome in a coup d'état  The following popes, Leo VI and Stephen VII, were both her puppets  In 931 she managed to impose her twenty-one years old son as pontiff, under the name of John XI 

Hugh of Arles, and death
Guy died in 929, and Marozia negotiated a marriage with his half-brother Hugh of Arles, the King of Italy  While in Rome Hugh quarreled with Marozia's son Alberic II, who organized an uprising during the wedding ceremonies in 932  Hugh escaped, but Marozia was captured 
Marozia died after spending some 5 years in prison  Her descendants remained active in papal politics, starting with Alberic II's son Octavian, who became Pope John XII in 955  Popes Benedict VIII, John XIX, and Benedict IX, and antipope Benedict X of the House of Tusculani, were also descended from Marozia  By Guy of Tuscany she had a daughter named Berta Theodora, who never married 

Family tree
Sources
Chamberlin, E  R  (1969)  The Bad Popes  New York: Dial Press  ISBN 9789030041801  OCLC 647415773 
Williams, George (1998)  Papal genealogy, the families and descendants of the popes 
di Carpegna Falconieri, Tommaso (2008), Marozia, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, 70, pp  681–685


== Footnotes ==
Passage 5:
Renaud I, Count of Dammartin
Renaud de Dammartin (Reginald of Boulogne) (c  1165 – 1227) was Count of Boulogne from 1190, Count of Dammartin from 1200 to 1214 and Count of Aumale from 1204 to 1214  He was son of Alberic III of Dammartin and Mathilde of Clermont Brought up at the French court, he was a childhood friend of Philip Augustus  At his father's insistence he fought for the Plantagenets  Received back into Philip's favour, he married Marie de Châtillon, daughter of Guy II de Châtillon and Adèle of Dreux, a royal cousin 
In 1191, Renaud's father, Alberic, kidnapped and had Renaud marry Ida, Countess of Boulogne  The County of Boulogne thereby became vassal to the French king, rather than the count of Flanders  While this marriage made Renaud a power, it also made enemies in the Dreux family and that of the count of Guînes, who had been betrothed to Ida 
In 1203, Renaud and his wife gave a merchant's charter to Boulogne  This was probably made for financial consideration  Philip made Renaud Count of Aumale the following year, but Renaud began to detach himself  Following the acquisition of Normandy in April 1204, King Philip granted Renaud the county of Mortain and the honor of Warenne which was centered on the fortresses of Mortemer and Bellencombre   Both Mortain and Warenne had been held by William I of Boulogne and it would appear that King Philip recognized the Boulogne claim to them 
In 1211, he refused to appear before Philip in a legal matter, a suit with Philippe de Dreux, bishop of Beauvais  Philip II seized his lands and on 4 May 1212 at Lambeth, Dammartin made an agreement with King John who had also lost possessions to Philip  Renaud brought other continental nobles, including the Count of Flanders, into a coalition with John against Philip  In return he was given several fiefs in England and an annuity  Each promised not to make a separate peace with France With the Emperor Otto IV and Ferdinand of Flanders, he took part in the attack on France in 1214 culminating in the Battle of Bouvines  Commanding the Brabançons, he was on the losing side, but was one of the last to surrender, and refused submission to Philip Augustus  His lands were taken away, and given to Philip Hurepel  Renaud was kept imprisoned at Péronne for the rest of his life, which ended in suicide   His daughter Matilda II was married to Philip Hurepel 
Passage 6:
Alberic II, Count of Dammartin
Alberic II (died 1183) was the Count of Dammartin, possibly the son of Aubry de Mello, Count of Dammartin, and Adela, daughter of Hugh I, Count of Dammartin What little is known for sure about Alberic II is confounded by the preponderance of noblemen of the same name in both France and England  What is known is that he married Clémence of Bar, daughter of Reginald I "One-Eyed", Count of Bar, one of the leaders of the Second Crusade, and Gisèle de Vaudémont, daughter of Gerard I, Count of Vaudémont 
Alberic and Clémence had one son:

Alberic III, Count of Dammartin Alberic II was succeeded by his son Alberic III as Count of Dammartin upon his death 
The discussion in Aubry, Count of Dammartin, provides some insight into how Alberic III came to claim the countship  Further complicating the genealogy, Clémence, widowed, married Renaud II, Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, her second husband and his second wife  Renaud and his first wife, Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois, were the parents of Mathilde, wife of Alberic III 

Sources
Mathieu, J  N , Recherches sur les premiers Comtes de Dammartin, Mémoires publiés par la Fédération des sociétés historiques et archéologiques de Paris et de l'Ile-de-France, 1996
Passage 7:
Alberik II
Alberic II was a bishop of Utrecht from 838 to 844 
Alberic was the brother of his predecessor Frederick of Utrecht  Nothing is known about his administration  He was buried in the Saint Salvatorchurch in Utrecht 
Passage 8:
Pope Agapetus II
Pope Agapetus II (died 8 November 955) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 10 May 946 to his death  A nominee of the princeps of Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, his pontificate occurred during the period known as the Saeculum obscurum 

Pontificate
Agapetus was born to a Roman father (a descendant of Consul Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius) and a Greek mother  He was elected pope on 10 May 946 after the death of Marinus II  The existence of an independent republic of Rome, ruled by Alberic II of Spoleto, meant that Agapetus was prevented from exercising any temporal or secular power in Rome and the Papal States  The struggle between Berengar II and Otto I for the Kingdom of Italy allowed Alberic to exercise complete control over Rome and Agapetus, meaning the pope was largely limited to managing internal church affairs  Even Agapetus’ invitation to Otto to intervene in Italian affairs in 951 was done at the instigation of Alberic, who was growing concerned at Berengar's growing power  However, when Otto's envoys, the bishops of Mainz and Chur, were sent to the pope to discuss Otto's reception in Rome and other more important questions, they were turned away by Alberic Agapetus was forced to intervene in the dispute over the occupancy of the See of Reims  He ordered a synod to be held at Ingelheim in June 948 to resolve the rights of the rival claimants, Hugh of Vermandois and Artald of Reims  He sent his legate Marinus of Bomarzo to act on his behalf, while Agapetus wrote to a number of bishops, asking them to be present at the council  Through his legate the pope indicated his support for King Louis IV of France, and gave his support for reinstalling Artald as bishop of Reims  This council was followed up by another one at Trier, where Agapetus was again represented by Marinus of Bomarzo  In 949, Agapetus held a synod in Rome, which confirmed the rulings of the two councils  It condemned the former bishop Hugh and it excommunicated his father, Count Herbert II of Vermandois, for his opposition to King Louis IV After receiving requests from both Louis IV of France and Otto I of Germany, Agapetus granted privileges to monasteries and nunneries within their respective kingdoms  He also was sympathetic towards Otto's plans to restructure the bishoprics within Germany, which were eventually aborted due to pressure exerted by William of Mainz  Around 948, Agapetus, granted the Archbishop of Hamburg the right of consecrating bishops in Denmark and other northern European countries instead of the pope  The pope was also allegedly asked by a Danish king named Frode, now considered legendary, to send missionaries to his kingdom Agapetus was also asked to intervene in a dispute between Herhold, archbishop of Salzburg and Gerard, bishop of Lauriacum, who both claimed the title of metropolitan of all Pannonia  Agapetus dispatched a letter to the two claimants, in which he stated that the diocese of Lauriacum had been the metropolitan church of all Pannonia before the invasion of the Huns  However, following the ravages inflicted by them, the metropolitan had transferred his see to another city, and since that time Salzburg had been raised to an archbishopric  Consequently, both lawfully occupied their respective sees, and both were to retain their rank and diocese  Agapetus ruled that jurisdiction over western Pannonia would rest with Herhold, while the eastern part, along with the regions occupied by the Avars and the Moravians, would fall under Gerard In Italy, Agapetus wrote to the dukes of Beneventum and Capua, demanding that monasteries be returned to the monks whom they had displaced  He also deposed the bishops of Termoli and Trivento who were accused of simony  Hoping to rejuvenate the religious life of the clerics in Italy, Agapetus, with the blessing of Alberic, asked for the abbot of Gorze Abbey to send some of his monks down and join the monastic community attached to the church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls Agapetus died on 8 November 955, and was succeeded by Alberic's son, Octavian, who took the papal name of John XII  He was buried in the Lateran basilica, behind the apse, and close to the tombs of Leo V and Paschal II  Agapetus was noted for his caution and for the sanctity with which he led his life 
Passage 9:
Pope Leo VII
Pope Leo VII (Latin: Leo VII; died 13 July 939) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from 3 January 936 to his death 

Election
Leo VII's election to the papacy in 936, after the death of Pope John XI, was secured by Alberic II of Spoleto, the ruler of Rome at the time  Alberic wanted to choose the pope so that the papacy would continue to yield to his authority  Leo was the priest of the church of San Sisto Vecchio in Rome, thought to be a Benedictine monk  He had little ambition towards the papacy, but consented under pressure 

Pontificate
As pope, Leo VII reigned for only three years  Most of his bulls were grants of privilege to monasteries, especially including the Abbey of Cluny  Leo called for Odo of Cluny to mediate between Alberic and King Hugh of Italy  Odo was successful in negotiating a truce after arranging a marriage between Hugh's daughter Alda and Alberic  Leo VII also appointed Archbishop Frederick of Mainz as a reformer in Germany  Leo allowed Frederick to drive out Jews that refused to be baptized, but he did not endorse the forced baptism of Jews Leo VII died on 13 July 939, and was interred at St  Peter's Basilica  He was succeeded by Stephen VIII 
Passage 10:
Simon, Count of Ponthieu
Simon of Dammartin (1180 – 21 September 1239) was a son of Alberic III of Dammartin (Aubry de Dammartin) and his wife Mathildis of Clermont,  heiress to the county of Clermont and daughter of Renaud II, Count of Clermont 

Biography
Simon was the brother of Renaud I, Count of Dammartin, who had abducted the heiress of Boulogne, and forced her to marry him  It is thought that in order to strengthen the alliance with the Dammartins, King Philip Augustus of France allowed Simon to marry Marie, Countess of Ponthieu, who was a niece of the king, in 1208  Renaud and Simon of Dammartin would eventually ally themselves with John, King of England  In 1214 the brothers stood against Philip Augustus in the Battle of Bouvines  The French won the battle, and Renaud was imprisoned, while Simon was exiled 
Marie's father William IV, Count of Ponthieu had remained loyal to Philip Augustus  When William died in 1221, Philip Augustus denied Marie her inheritance and gave Ponthieu in custody to his cousin Robert III, Count of Dreux  After the death of Philip Augustus, Marie was able to negotiate an agreement with his successor Louis VIII in 1225  Ponthieu was held by the king, and Simon would only be allowed to enter this or any other fief if he obtained royal permission  In 1231 Simon agreed to the terms and added that he would not enter into marriage negotiations for his daughters without consent of the king 

Family
Simon married Marie, Countess of Ponthieu, the daughter of  William IV, Count of Ponthieu and Alys, Countess of the Vexin  Marie became Countess of Ponthieu in 1225 Simon and his wife Marie had four daughters:

Joan, Countess of Ponthieu (1220–1278), married 1) Ferdinand III of Castile  Mother of Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I of England  Married 2) Jean de Nesle, Seigneur de Falvy et de La Hérelle 
Mathilda of Dammartin (-1279), married John of Châtellerault
Philippe of Dammartin (-1280), married 1) Raoul II of Lusignan, 2) Raoul II, Lord of Coucy, 3) Otto II, Count of Guelders 
Maria of Dammartin, married John II, Count of Roucy 
Context 3: Passage 1:
Masilamaniswara Temple, Thiruvaduthurai
Masilamaniswara Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, located in the village of Thiruvaduthurai, located 22 km from the South Indian town, Kumbakonam and 14 km from Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu  It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams  The temple is referred to in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century Tamil Saiva canon by Tirugnana Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar  The temple is associated with the legend of Saivite saint Tirumular (6th century CE) 
The temple is believed to have been built by Cholas during 9th century A D and with significant additions from later Chola kings and by the subsequent ruling empires  It houses five-tiered gateway towers known as gopurams  The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Masilamaniswarar and Oppilamulai Nayagi Amman being the most prominent  The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a m  to 8:30 p m , and three yearly festivals on its calendar  The temple is maintained and administered by the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, whose headquarters is located inside the temple 

Legend
Legend associates the temple with the saivite saint Tirumular (6th century CE)  Tirumular saw a herd of cows lamenting the death of their herdsmen named Moolan  Being a siddha, he entered into the body of Moolan, came back alive to serve as the herdsman  It is believed that he was coming from North to South India to meet sage Agastya  When he went back to the place where he left his original body, he did not find it  Considering it as a divine play, he continued to remain in the body of Moolan for the rest of his life As per another legend, Parvathi was cursed to become a cow and she worshipped Shiva to attain her original form  The legend is closely associated with this temple, but is also associated with other temples like Thenupuriswarar Temple at Patteswaram, Aavoor Pasupatheeswaram and Tirukogarnam near Pudukkottai 

History
The temple is counted as one of the earliest temples built during the regime of Parantaka I  An inscription in the temple indicates record of grants to pipers, land endowments, flower gardens, carriers of sacred water during his third regnal year  Another inscription from his 38th regnal year recorded as 143 of 1925 indicates  gift of 500 kalanjus of gold for the construction of the kudapadai upwards  Historians believe that the temple was built by Tirukaralippichan and was completed during the regime of Parantaka  There are other inscriptions that indicate donation of gold and silver vessels to the temple  The inscriptions from Rajaraja I recorded as 104 and 107 of 1925 indicate similar gift of metal images to the temple  This is counted as the first mention of portrait installation indicated in an inscription, with the other ones being in Konerirajapuram and Thiruvisanallur temples  The temple has been maintained and administered by the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, whose headquarters is located inside the temple 

Architecture
The temple is located 12 km away from Mayiladuthurai and 24 km away from Kumbakonam  The temple has a five tiered Rajagopuram with elevated stone walls separating the second, third and fourth precinct  The images of the presiding deity, Masilamaniswarar, in the form of Shiva lingam occupies the main sanctum facing east  The shrine of the consort of Masilamaniswarar, Oppilamulaiyar faces west  The third prakaram has a separate shrine for the saivite saint Tirumular  The temple has three water bodies located at various places inside the temple  The Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam is located in the premises outside the fourth precinct 

Religious significance
The temple is revered in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century Saivite canonical work by the three saint poets, namely, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar   The temple is reverred by Sambandar in the third Tirumurai in one verse, Appar in five and Sundarar in two verses 
"இடரினும் தளரினும் எனதுறுநோய்
தொடரினும் உனகழல் தொழுதெழுவேன்
கடல்தனில் அமுதொடு கலந்தநஞ்சை
மிடறினில் அடக்கிய வேதியனேஇதுவோஎமை ஆளுமா றீவதொன்றெமக் கில்லையேல்
அதுவோவுன தின்னருள் ஆவடுதுறை அரனே "
translating to

"when I am undergoing sufferings 
when I am depressed in spirits 
when my big karmams follow me I shall wake up from sleep worshipping your feet 
Civaṉ who gave out the Vētams and who controlled the poison which was mixed with the nectar in the ocean of milk and made it stay in the neck!
Civaṉ in Āvaṭutuṟai!
if there is nothing to give to us 
is this way you admit us as your protege?
is your sweet grace like that?" Sambandar is believed to obtained gold coins from the presiding deity for performing Yagna by his father  Sundarar was relieved off his curse after praying the presiding deity  Thirumoolar, a Sidhha saint, is believed to have sung 3,000 in praise of the presiding deity in the temple  Thirumaligai Devar, another Siddha, is believed to have performed many wonders in the temple  The Samathi of both the Siddhas are in the precinct of the temple  The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of River Kaveri 

Worship practices
The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis  Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste  The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 6:30 a m , Kalasanthi at 8:00 a m , Uchikalam at 12:00 a m , Sayarakshai at 5:00 p m , and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p m  Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), naivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Masilamaniswarar and Kodiyidai Nayagi  The worship is held amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshipers in front of the temple mast  There are weekly rituals like somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi  
Brahmotsavam during the Tamil month of somavaram (September – October), Thiruvadhirai during the month of Margazhi (December – January) and Annabhishekam during the Tamil month of Masi are the major festivals celebrated in the temple  Saiva Sithantham philosophy is promulgated in the temples owned by Atheenam  Tevaram is recited during all the six daily rituals 
Passage 2:
Bylakuppe
Bylakuppe is an area in Karnataka which is home to the Indian town Bylakuppe and several Tibetan settlements (there are several Tibetan settlements in India), established by Lugsum Samdupling (in 1961) and Dickyi Larsoe (in 1969)  Bylakuppe is the second largest Tibetan settlement in the world outside Tibet after Dharamshala  It is located to the west of Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka which is roughly 80 km from Mysore city 

History
In 1960, the Government of Mysore (as Karnataka was called at that time) allotted nearly 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land at Bylakuppe in Mysore district in Karnataka and the first ever Tibetan exile settlement, Lugsung Samdupling came into existence in 1961  A few years later another settlement, Tibetan Dickey Larsoe, also called TDL, was established  This was followed by the establishment of three more settlements in Karnataka state making it the state with the largest Tibetan refugee population  
The Government of India built special schools for Tibetans that provide free education, health care and scholarships for those students who excel in school  There are a few medical and civil engineering seats reserved for Tibetans  Tibetans live in India with a stay permit which is processed through a document called Registration Certificate (RC)  It is renewed every year, or half-year in some areas  Every Tibetan refugee above the age of 16 must register for the stay permit  RCs are not issued to new arrival refugees  The Indian Government also issues "Yellow Books" after one years' processing with a RC, which allow Tibetans to travel abroad which is an Identity Certificate 

Population
The town is mainly inhabited by Tibetans who, according to a demographic survey carried out by the Central Tibetan Administration's Planning Commission in 1998, accounted for 50,727 individuals at that time  However, it is unclear whether these figures included the Vajrayana Buddhist monks living there  Today, an estimated 70,000 Tibetans live in the settlements; these were established on land leased by the state government to accommodate some of the Tibetan expatriates who came to resettle in India after 1959  Bylakuppe consists of a number of agricultural settlements, colonies are close to each other, and has number of monasteries and temples in all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions  Most notable among them are the large educational monastic institution Sera Monastery, the smaller Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (both in the Gelug tradition) and Namdroling Monastery (in the Nyingma tradition)  Bylakuppe also has many Buddhist universities for advanced Buddhist practices 

Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries and Study Centres of Bylakuppe
Namdroling Monastery of Nyingma Also known as Golden Temple
Drigung Kagyud Monastery
Sakya Monastery
Sera je Monastery
Sera Mey Monastery
Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Bylakuppe was newly built  Inaugurated by Dalai Lama in 2016 

Facilities
Bylakuppe is a small town  It has a police station, commercial banks, a telephone exchange, a post office, lodges and hotels  Transport facilities such as buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis are also available  PAP (Protected Area Permit) is mandatory for foreigners to stay here overnight, which can take up to three months to be issued 

Accessibility
Bylakuppe is situated on the state highway 88 (now NH 275) and is well connected to most of the major cities in south-India  Bus facilities are available from major towns like Mysuru, Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Chennai, Panaji, etc  Following are the distances between Bylakuppe and other cities in kilometers: Kushalanagar(05),Mysuru (82), Bengaluru  (222), Mangaluru (172), Mandya (122), Chennai (582), Hassan (80), Madikeri (36), Kasaragod (145), Kozhikode (190) 

Main attractions
Ingalakere: Largest lake in Mysore district
Namdroling Monastery (Golden Temple)
Sera Monastery
Other Buddhist monasteries, schools and settlements

Image gallery
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical wet and dry (Aw) 

See also
Kaveri Nisargadhama
Dubare Elephant camp
Kushalanagar
Passage 3:
Birgunj
Birganj (Nepali: वीरगञ्ज) is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Madhes Pradesh of southern Nepal  It lies 135 km (84 mi) south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul in the border of the Indian state of Bihar  As an entry point to Nepal from Patna, Birganj is known as the "Gateway of Nepal"  It is also called "Commercial capital of Nepal"  The town has significant economic importance for Nepal as most of the trade with India is via Birganj and the Indian town of Raxaul  Tribhuvan Highway links Birgunj to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu  
Birganj was one of the first three municipalities formed during the rule of Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana  It was declared a Metropolitan City on 22 May 2017 along with Biratnagar and Pokhara  Birganj is one of the largest city in Nepal and largest in Madhesh Province  Birganj is the fifth most populated metropolis of the nation 

Etymology
Birgunj was established as a conglomerate of several villages in and around Gahawa Mai Temple  Gahawa Mai Temple remains the epicenter of the town  The settlement was named after the Rana Prime Minister Bir Shamsher, thus acquiring the name Birgunj 

History
Ancient
Before the establishment of Birgunj, the main center of Parsa district was Alau (near Dryport), Nepal  In July 1959 From Sugauli King Rajendra Bikram Shah has a history of setting up a military camp in Alau of Parsa district Birgunj was founded in 1897 by 11th Rana Prime Minister Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana; the ancient name was Gahawa  Before the establishment of Birgunj Bazar, the surrounding villages Bagahi, Alau, Barewa, Kalaiya, Parsauni, Inaruwa, Chhapkaiya existed  To establish Birgunj Bazar in a forest covered area, Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana appointed his trusted duo Siddhvir Mathema and Dhadjavir Mathema (two brothers) respectively in Birgunj as the ruler of Mal Ada and Kath Mal Ada  In this connection, Siddhvir Mathema distributed free land and timber and provided cash assistance to the homeowners in Birgunj  The act had subsequently required Siddhvir Mathema to pay the death penalty 
After the death of Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Dev Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Prime Minister, but within three months Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana had driven Dev Shamsher and made himself Prime Minister  The people of Late Bir Shamsher Rana and Dev Shamsher Rana did not tolerate Chandra Shamsher Rana  Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana'special man Siddhivir Mathema, was accused of conducting an inspection of a reservoir treaty and carrying out three lakh irregularities on his forehead  When Siddhivir showed the calculations he had spent on setting up Birganj Bazar, he was declared invalid and an order was issued to pay the money immediately  After answering that he could not pay for what he did, As a punishment, the signboard was stick on his chest and move it around the market  The verbal verdict of the death sentence was decided to cut off and kill  After hearing about verbal of death sentence to Mathema who worked day and night to establish Birgunj Bazar, Late Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana's wife has paid 3 lakh and rescued Mathema from the death penalty 
Chandra Shamsher also wanted to displace Birgunj Bazar, which his brother had established  He wanted to remove the Birgunj bazaar from there and set it in Rautahat  According to the move to displace the market, In 1959, it raided the main market from Raxaul to Birgunj and extended the rail line service to Amalekhganj  From the link, the train used to run around the houses, exploding and terrorizing the residents  Later, the rail link was moved to the east of the market (outside the market)  The Raxaul city in India, which is currently connected to Birgunj as the main gateway to Nepal, was not established  At that time Indian trains operated only till Sugauli 

Modern
On 18 May 2006, the parliament of Nepal declared that the country would become a secular state  Birgunj was the main center from where Madhes movement started twice both in 2007 and 2013 

Geography
Topography, Geology and Soils
Birgunj is located in the Terai plain which is the northern part of the Indo-Gangetic plain  Birgunj metropolitan city has an elongated shape  The variation in altitude is in the range of 78 m to 95 m when moving from south to north of Birgunj  Although the range of altitude variation is small, but there is a high micro-topographical variation  The city lies about 90 m above sea level  Quaternary sediments are mainly found in the area  Soil is very fertile that consists the mixture of clay, silt and sand 

Climate
The climatic condition is sub-tropical monsoon with a very hot and humid summer  The mean annual temperature ranges from 23 8 to 24 5 °C (74 8 to 76 1 °F)  The annual rainfall ranges from about 1,300 to 2,800 mm (51 to 110 in) with an average of 1,800 mm (71 in)  Majority of the precipitation occurs during June, July, August and September 

Surface and Ground Water
Sirsiya in the west and Singaha in the east are the two major rivers in Birgunj  Both rivers flow from north to south  During monsoon, these rivers are flooded and river bank cutting at the bends is common  The water level is very low in these rivers during winter  The depth of groundwater table is approximately between 9–15 m (30–49 ft) deep with 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) fluctuation during wet and dry season 

Demographics
According to the 2021 Census, Birgunj had a population of 268,273  It is the second biggest city in Terai and the fifth biggest city in Nepal after Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bharatpur, and Lalitpur  It serves as the headquarters of the Parsa District 
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Birgunj Metropolitan City had a population of 244,086  Of these, 78 6% spoke Bhojpuri, 6 5% Nepali, 5 5% Maithili, 3 1% Urdu, 1 9% Rajasthani, 1 5% Newar, 0 7% Tharu, 0 6% Hindi, 0 4% Rai, 0 1% Bengali, 0 1% Magar, 0 1% Punjabi, 0 1% Tamang, 0 1% Uranw/Urau, and 0 1% other parties as their first language In terms of ethnicity/caste, 18 1% were Musalman, 9 6% Kurmi, 6 5% Yadav, 6 4% Kanu, 3 6% Hill Brahmin, 3 6% Teli, 3 2% Dhanuk, 3 1% Sonar, 3 1% Thakuri, 3 0% Kalwar, 2 9% Chamar/Harijan/Ram, 2 8% Koiri/Kushwaha, 2 3% Newar, 2 2% Marwadi, 2 1% Kathabaniyan, 2 1% Kayastha, 1 9% Chhetri, 1 9% Dusadh/Paswan/Pasi, 1 8% Terai Brahmin, 1 6% Baraee, 1 6% Mallaha, 1 4% Nuniya, 1 4% other Terai, 1 3% Rajput, 1 2% Hajjam/Thakur, 1 2% Lohar, 1 2% Tatma/Tatwa, 1 1% Dhobi, 0 9% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 0 7% Kumal, 0 7% Musahar, 0 5% Kumhar, 0 5% Rai, 0 4% Halkhor, 0 4% Tamang, 0 3% Dom, 0 3% Magar, 0 3% Mali, 0 2% Badhaee, 0 2% Bengali, 0 2% Bin, 0 2% Halwai, 0 2% Kahar, 0 2% Kewat, 0 2% Natuwa, 0 2% Rajbhar, 0 2% Thakuri, 0 1% Damai/Dholi, 0 1% Gaderi/Bhedihar, 0 1% Gurung, 0 1% Jhangad/ Dhagar, 0 1% Kami, 0 1% Majhi, 0 1% Punjabi/Sikh, 0 1% Sudhi, 0 1% Yakkha and 0 1% others In terms of religion, 81 1% were Hindu, 17 9% Muslim, 0 4% Buddhist, 0 1% Christian, 0 1% Kirati, 0 1% Sikh and 0 2% others In terms of literacy, 66 5% could read and write, 2 4% could only read and 31 0% could neither read nor write 

Economy
Birgunj is the Industrial and Commercial Capital of Nepal  Birgunj Chamber of Commerce & Industries is the leading and the oldest Chamber of Commerce & Industries in Nepal  
In 1964 when Birgunj Sugar Factory Ltd  was established by the Government of Nepal in collaboration with the Soviet Union (at present, Russia) with initial crushing capacity of 1,000 metric tons which later increased to 1,500 metric tons (Rajak, 2006)  This was the first sugar mill established in the public sector  Later on, this mill was liquidated due to heavy losses 
Birgunj is a major business centre of Nepal, especially for trade with India  Almost all trade with India occurs through this route  The Indian border town of Raxaul has become one of the busiest towns for heavy transportation due to high trade volume  With a large number of industries set on the Birgunj-Pathlaiya industrial corridor, Birgunj produces a wide range of products such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, vegetable ghee, plastic, steel, plastic, cigarettes, aluminium, among others  Almost 56% of the total products of Birgunj are exported to the Indian state of Bihar Birgunj Customs holds a major contribution in terms of revenue earnings in the nation  On 16 July 2004 Birganj Inland Dry Port came in operation to improve trade operation and address the concerns in handling the large volume of goods 
The India-Nepal oil pipeline construction that began on March 9, 2018, saw its completion up to 13 km (8 1 mi)  The 69-kilometre (43 mi) Amlekhgunj-Raxaul oil pipeline connecting the two countries has been laid along the Pathlaiya-Simara-Jitpur, Parwanipur and Birgunj bypass roadway  According to the reports, major part of the pipeline alignment is covered in the Birgunj-Pathlaiya commercial highway 

Tourism
Birgunj is main entry to Nepal  So, the city is widely visited by the Indians  There are good three-star hotels in the main centre of the city  These hotels operate some mini casinos as well 

During Chhath festival, Ghadiarwa Pokhari is visited by numerous people from different parts of the country  Vishwa Buddha Vihar is another religious place which is located in the out-skirts of the city  Vishwa is actually shaped like a stupa and has engravings of Buddha facing the cardinal directions of the universe  This place has a tranquil ambience and it attracts those tourists who want to flee the bustling life of the city  The term vishwa is derived from the word vicchu-wa, which is translated as a resting place for Bikshu(s) or Buddhist monks and means a resting place  In the ancient times, the pilgrims stopped at Birgunj in the midst of their journey between Lumbini and Bodh Gaya (India)  The mound is protected by a boundary wall, and future excavations may well tell us about the history of not just Birgunj but also its importance to Buddhism 2,500 years ago 
Parsa National Park which is 33 km (21 mi) from the city, known for inhabiting Royal Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris), Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), Common Leopard (Panthera pardus) and also various species of mammals, birds and reptiles  The park can visited by one hour drive by bus from the city 

Transport
Birgunj was built as the closest Nepalese city connecting the capital Kathmandu with India  Birgunj railway station was connected by the Nepal Government Railway (NGR) to Raxaul station in Bihar across the border with India  The 47 km (29 mi) railway extended north to Amlekhganj in Nepal  It was built in 1927 by the British but discontinued beyond Birgunj in December 1965 Rail
Trains run to major cities of India from Raxaul station (in India, adjacent to Birgunj) and Sugauli station (17 miles from Raxaul) including the Satyagrah Express to Delhi, Mithila Express to Kolkata, Lokmanya Tilak express to Mumbai, and HYD-RXL express to Hyderabad  Thus, Birgunj has direct connectivity to major Indian cities like – Patna, Varanasi, Haridwar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Allahabad, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Amritsar, Guwahati, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Ranchi, Raipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, etc  The Raxaul-Birgunj-Kathmandu railway survey report has been ready and in coming future the further work will be started soon 
Air
Birgunj is served by Simara Airport, which lies 9 miles north of the city  Regular flights operate to Kathmandu & Pokhara, and   The second International Airport of Nepal is under construction at Nijgadh (22 miles from Birganj)  There are plans to connect the new airport, Birgunj and Kathmandu via a "Fast track" expressway after its completion  This is expected to reduce travel times between the capital and the commercial capital, Birgunj 
Buses
There are regular bus services to all major cities and towns in Nepal including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Patan, Bhaktapur, Biratnagar, Dharan, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Kakarvitta, Janakpur, Bhairahawa (Lumbini), Bharatpur (Chitwan), etc 
Local bus services provide transportation inside the city and into its vicinity  Night buses from Birgunj to Kathmandu are the most luxurious bus services in all over Nepal  Birgunj bus park is the centre to find buses for any route,
Tanga
Horse driven carts locally called Tanga have historically been the mode of transport for the Madheshi people  Today it survives as a popular transportation vehicle between Birgunj and its sister city Raxaul 
Cargo
The 6 km (3 7 mi) railway track from Raxaul to Birgunj was converted to broad gauge two years after the Indian railways converted the track to Raxaul inside India to broad gauge  Now, broad gauge railway line connects Raxaul to the Sirsiya (Birgunj) Inland Container Depot (ICD) that became fully operational in 2005  Talks have been held to reopen the railway route from Birgunj to Amlekhganj in Nepal by converting it to broad gauge because of its socio-economic importance 
Goods are transported to and from India via Birgunj dry port, which is the key terminal of surface cargo delivery to Nepal  This cargo point on the south connects the heart of the country, Kathmandu, via another key industrial city, Hetauda  It is also served by Tribhuvan Highway, extending from the Indian border at Raxaul through Birgunj and Hetauda to Kathmandu with frequent bus service  Simara Airport — 9 mi (14 km) north near the highway in Pipara Simara, Bara district—offers scheduled flights to Kathmandu 
India and Nepal have an open border with no restrictions on the movement of their citizens  There is a customs checkpoint for the movement of goods between the two countries 

Sports
The city has its own stadium, Narayani Stadium which is Nepal's second largest stadium after Dasarath Rangasala built on 1981  The stadium has capacity of 15,000 seats  At Present, the stadium is in poor condition 
A national level Cricket Ground is also located beside the Narayani Stadium  The cricket ground has top class outfield and a better cricket pitch  National level and Regional level cricket tournament are regularly held here  Every year day night T20 Cricket tournament is held using temporary flood light towers  Day night cricket match in Nepal was first played here  Nepal national cricket team's players Haseem Ansari, Aarif Sheikh, Avinash Karn and Irshad Ahmed hail from Birgunj  Cricket is the most popular sport and is played more than any other games and sports 

Education
Birgunj has a history in education  Education was started in town with the establishment of Trijuddha School by Mahavir Prasad and Raghubir Ram during the regime of Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana which was among the first three schools to be established in Nepal  Currently, Trijuddha School is the second oldest school in Nepal  It serves classes in both English and Nepali Medium and also conducts diplomas for civil engineering 
Thakuram Multiple Campus, located in the city was the first campus o be established outside Kathmandu Valley as well as in the Narayani zone  This city has made rapid development in the field of education by the establishment of many schools and colleges  Notable institutions include Gyan Jyoti School, Moonlight English Boarding School and Gautam School 

National Infotech College

Media
Birgunj has many FM Community radio stations including Narayani FM 103 8Mhz, Terai FM, Radio Birgunj, Bhojpuriya FM, Indreni FM, Radio Bindas, Birgunj Musical FM, City FM, Aawaz FM, Public FM etc  It has also different television stations: My Television, TV Birgunj and Birgunj Television (BTV)  Many local newspapers like Prateek, Loktimes Daily, Kripa, Bhojpuri Time, Birgunjsanjal, Jana Aawaz etc  are published 
Some popular online news site like Yatra daily, Nepal Post Daily, Aapan Birgunj, etc  are from Birgunj  TEDxBirgunj was successfully held on 17 December, that was the first ever TED event conducted in Terai region of Nepal 

Health
Narayani Hospital is one of the oldest government hospital of Nepal  It is the central hospital of government of Nepal  National Medical College under TU and Kedia Dental College also under TU are two major institutions providing health facilities   There are many other big and small hospitals, and international standard diagnostic centres throughout the city such as Asharam Hospital, Gandak hospital, Advance Medicare Hospital, Kedia eye hospital, Bhawani Hospital, Mangalam Diagnostic Centre, Vision Diagnostic Private Limited, Vayodha Hospital etc  The area extending from Chhapakaiya ward No  3 up to Gandak is full of private nursing homes and clinics  Mostly the people of Nepal from Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi and other districts along with the people from Raxaul and different districts of India come here for medical check ups & treatments 

Culture
Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Teej, Krishna Janmasthami, Maha Shivaratri, Durgapuja, Chhath, Dipawali and Ram Navami are major festivals celebrated in Birgunj  Small proportion of the religious diversity of Birgunj is occupied by Buddhists  Thus Buddha Jayanti is also celebrated throughout the city  The culture of this city is not limited to religious diversity but ethnic diversity is found too  People of Madheshi ethnicity occupies greater portion of population which includes castes such as Chaurasiya, Jaiswal, Gupta, Sah, Singh, Kushwaha, Yadav, Mahato, Rauniyar, Patel, and others from the Hindu community  There is also a presence of Marwari, Agrawal, Kedia, Sarawagi, Golchha, and Sharma, people who migrated from Rajasthan 

Cuisine
The cuisine of Birgunj has influence of both Nepali and Indian culture  Dal, bhat, roti, vegetable curry, and achar (pickle) are the most widely consumed food items  Tibetan cuisine such as momo and chowmein are also popular among the youths and the elderly  A place named Adarsh Nagar has established its name as the center for street food where food vendors sell varieties of street food during evening time  Food such as Pav Bhaji (bread and vegetable curry) and Chaat (snack made with potato as the main ingredient) are relatively popular 

Notable people
Ranu Devi Adhikari— Nepalese singer
Usha Khadgi— winner of Miss Nepal 2000
Anju Kumari— politician
Ruby Rana— winner of Miss Nepal 1994
Samragyee RL Shah— actress
Aarif Sheikh— cricketer
Prakash Shrestha— singer

Places of interest
Gadhimai Temple
Maisthan Mandir
Narayani Stadium
Parsa National Park
Ramtole
Simraungadh

Gallery
See also
Pokhara
Butwal
Dharan
Janakpur
2022 Birgunj municipal election
Passage 4:
Pasupatheeswarar Temple, Aavoor
Pasupatheeswarar Temple, Avoor or  Avoor Pasupatheeswaram is a Hindu temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, located in the village Avoor, located 12 km south of South Indian town, Kumbakonam,  Tamil Nadu, India  The temple is one of the 70 madakoil built by 2nd century Chola king, Kochengat Chola  The temple is known for the Panchabairavar, the five images of Bhairavar  The temple is revered in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century Tamil Saiva canon by Tirugnana Sambandar 
There are various inscriptions associated with the temple indicating contributions from Cholas  The present masonry structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, while later expansions are attributed to Thanjavur Nayaks during the 16th century 
The temple is built in Dravidian architecture with a three-storied gopuram, the gateway tower  The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Padikasunathar and Soundaranayagi being the most prominent  The temple complex houses many halls and two precincts  The temple has four daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a m  to 8 p m , and two yearly festivals on its calendar 
The major festivals celebrated in the temple are Shivratri during the Tamil month of Vaikaasi (May - June), Annabhishekam during Aippasi (October - November) and Thiruvadhirai in Margazhi (December - January) 

Legend
Pasupatheeswarar indicates God of cows  Shiva is believed to have descended for the holy cow Kamadenu that prayed to him by ablution with their milk on the Shivalingam to get relief from the curse of sage Vashista  A sculpture indicating the legend is present in the walls of the second precinct of the temple  Another legend associates the temple with the saivite saint Tirumular (6th century CE)  Tirumular saw a herd of cows lamenting the death of their herdsmen  Being a siddha, he entered into the body of dead herdsman, came back alive to serve as the herdsman and sung 3000 verses in praise of Shiva  The legend is closely associated with Gomukteswarar temple at Tiruvadurai, but is also associated with other temples like Thenupuriswarar Temple at Patteswaram and Tirukogarnam near Pudukkottai As per another legend, sage Vasishtha cursed the sacred cow Kamadhenu  To relieve off the curse, Kamadhenu sought the advice of Brahma who asked her to perform penance at this place  It is also believed that the presiding deity is believed to have been worshipped by the Devas, Saptarishi, Indra, Surya and Navagrahas, the nine planetary deities  As per a local legend, Vayu, the god of wind, in a contest with Adisesha, brought two hillocks, one of which was installed here and other at Nallur 

Maadakovil
Avur was a fort during the 2nd century rule of Cholas  Kochengat Chola was a Chola king and one of the 63 nayanmars (saivite saints) of saivism  He is believed to have attained spiritual rebirth of a spider that fought with an elephant in its previous birth over the worship of the Hindu god Shiva  He had red eyes during birth as he remained in his mother's womb a little longer  His mother, looking into the babies red eyes said Kochengkannano (in Tamil ko=king, cheng=red, kan=eyes), which literally means king with red eyes and hence he was named Kochengat Cholan  After becoming a king, he followed saivism and built 70 Maadakovils, temples with elevated structure where elephants cannot reach the sanctum, in the Chola empire  The temple has an inscription (181 of 1911) dating from the 3rd year of the rule of Rajendra Chola III (1246-1279 CE) indicating grants of land to the temple  The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu 

Architecture
The temple is located 10 km away from Kumbakonam, 6 km east of Tirukarugavoor and 30 km south of Thanjavur  The temple has a five tiered Rajagopuram with an elevated structure for the main shrine  The temple is a Maadakoil, a series of 70 temples which were built by Kochengat Chola with the major shrines of the temple located in the elevated structure  The images of the presiding deity, Pasupatheeswarar, in the form of Shiva lingam occupies the main sanctum  The consort of Pasupatheeswarar, Mangalanayagi and Pangajavalli occupy twin sanctums facing west  The images of Panchabairavar, the five Bairavar statues are found in the corner facing the main sanctum  The second prakaram downstairs has a separate shrine for the Hindu god Murugan in the form Dhanush Subramaniyar  Muruga sports a dhanush (bow) instead of his regular weapon, the vel  The temple has a small tank called Braham Tirtham located outside the main entrance  The image of Mangalanayagi was found in the temple tank  The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of River Kaveri  It is located on the banks of Kudamurutti, a tributary of river Kaveri 

Literary mention
It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams  The temple is revered in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century saivite canonical work by the three saint poets namely, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar   The temple is revered by Sambandar in the first Tirumurai in eleven verses  He refers to the temple as Avoor Pasupatheeswaram 
"புண்ணியர் பூதியர் பூதநாதர் புடைபடு வார்தம் மனத்தார்திங்கட்
கண்ணிய ரென்றென்று காதலாளர் கைதொழு தேத்த விருந்தவூராம்
விண்ணுயர் மாளிகை மாடவீதி விரைகமழ் சோலை சுலாவியெங்கும்
பண்ணியல் பாடல றாதவாவூர்ப் பசுபதி யீச்சரம் பாடுநாவே "translating to

This is the place where the blessed devotees of Shiva
who are rich and where Shiva has raised in the temple in such a place called Avoor Pasupatheeswaram 
The place is surrounded by beautiful gardens, palaces and where Shiva's name is frequently uttered 
Let my tongue praise Avoor Pasupatheeswaram" 

Worship practices
The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis  Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste  The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Kalasanthi at 8:00 a m , Uchikalam at 10:00 a m , Sayarakshai at 5:00 p m , and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p m  Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), naivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Pasupatheeswarar and Mangalambikai  The worship is held amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast  There are weekly rituals like somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi 
The major festivals celebrated in the temple are Shivratri during the Tamil month of Vaikaasi (May - June), Annabhishekam during Aippasi (October - November) and Thiruvadhirai in Margazhi (December - January) 

Citations
Passage 5:
Tharangambadi
Tharangambadi (Tamil: [t̪aɾaŋgambaːɖi]), formerly Tranquebar (Danish: Trankebar, pronounced [ˈtsʰʁɑŋkəˌpɑˀ]), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast  It lies 15 kilometres (9 3 mi) north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the Kaveri River  Tranquebar was established on 19 November 1620 as the first Danish trading post in India  King Christian IV had sent his envoy Ove Gjedde who established contact with Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore  An annual tribute was paid by the Danes to the Rajah of Tanjore until the colony of Tranquebar was sold to the British East India Company in 1845 Tharangambadi is the headquarters of Tharangambadi taluk  Its name means "place of the singing waves"; the old designation Trankebar remains current in modern Danish  Tharangambadi is located at the distance of 285 km from Chennai  The nearest airport is at Tiruchirapalli international airport at 172 km and the nearest port is at Karaikal at 26 km  It is served by Tharangambadi railway station 

History
The place dates back to the 14th century  Masilamani nathar (Shiva) temple was built in 1306, in a land given by Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I  As of now, this temple is the oldest monument  Until 1620, when the Danes came, the place was under Thanjavur Nayak kingdom  Danish admiral Ove Gjedde felt the place would be a potential trading centre, made a deal with Raghunatha Nayak and built a fort, which is known as Fort Dansborg A Jesuit Catholic congregation in Tranquebar predated the arrival of the Danes by several decades  This congregation descended from Tamil fishermen converted by Portuguese missionaries  There was also a sizable population of Indo-Portuguese due to their presence nearby in Nagapattinam  The Catholic church was probably demolished to build the fort  This fort was the residence and headquarters of the governor and other officials for about 150 years  It is now a museum hosting a collection of artifacts from the colonial era 

Among the first Protestant missionaries to set foot in India were two Lutherans from Germany, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Pluetschau, who began work in 1705 in the Danish settlement of Tranquebar  Ziegenbalg translated the Old and New Testaments into Tamil, imported a printing press, and printed the New Testament in Tamil in 1714 

Bible translations into the Tamil language started with the arrival of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg at Tranquebar in 1706  He was a member of the Lutheran clergy who responded to the appeal of King Frederick IV of Denmark to establish a mission for the natives of Tranquebar  They also established a printing press, which within a hundred years of its establishment in 1712 had printed 300 books in Tamil  At first they only made little progress in their religious efforts, but gradually the mission spread to Madras, Cuddalore and Tanjore  Today Bishop of Tranquebar is the official title of a bishop in the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) in South India which was founded in 1919 as a result of the German Lutheran Leipzig Mission and Church of Sweden Mission   The seat of the Bishop, the Cathedral and its Church House ("Tranquebar House") is in Tiruchirappalli 
The Zion church was consecrated in 1701, which is the oldest Protestant church in India  In 1718, The New Jerusalem Church was constructed  Moravian Brethren missionaries from Herrnhut, Saxony established the Brethren's Garden at Porayar near Tranquebar and operated it as a missionary centre for a number of years  An Italian Catholic Father Constanzo Beschi, who worked in the colony from 1711 to 1740, found himself in conflict with the Lutheran pioneers at Tranquebar, against whom he wrote several polemical works Tranquebar was occupied by the British in February 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars but was restored to Denmark following the Treaty of Kiel in 1814  Along with the Danish settlement of Serampore in Bengal, it was sold to the British in 1845  Tranquebar was then still a busy port, but it later lost its importance after a railway was opened to Nagapattinam The Subrahmanya Temple, Perambur, located in the outskirts of the town is one of the most prominent Murugan temples in the region 

Tranquebar Museum
The 17th and 18th century antiquities and relics from the Vijayanagara empire and Thanjavur Nayak kingdom, which authorised, allowed, and sanctioned the aforementioned Danish port township connected with the colonial period and Danish settlement at Tharangampadi are exhibited  The museum contains porcelain ware, Danish manuscripts, glass objects, Chinese tea jars, steatite lamps, decorated terracotta objects, figurines, lamps, stones, sculptures, swords, daggers, spears, sudai (stucco) figurines and wooden objects  There is also part of a whale skeleton, a giant sawfish rostrum and small cannonballs 

New Jerusalem Church
The New Jerusalem Church was built in 1718 by the Royal Danish missionary Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg in the coastal town of Tranquebar, India which was at that time a Danish India colony  The church is located on King Street, and church services are conducted every Sunday  The church, along with other buildings of the Tranquebar Mission was damaged during the tsunami of 2004, and were renovated at a cost of ₹ 7 million, and re-consecrated in 2006 

Fort Dansborg
Construction of Fort Dansborg started in 1620  Many parts of the fort have been reconstructed several times  Dansborg is the second largest Danish fort ever constructed, with Kronborg in Helsingør being the largest  The rampart wall is a fairly large four sided structure, with bastions at each cardinal point  A single storied building was constructed along three inner sides of the rampart, with barracks, warehouse, kitchen, and jail  The rooms on the southern side remain in good condition, but the rooms on the western and northern sides have been substantially damaged  On the eastern side of the fort, there was a two storied building facing the sea  It was the main building of the fort  The vaulted lower storey served as a magazine and a warehouse, while the vaulted upper storey contained the church and the lodgings of the governor, the senior merchants, and the chaplain  The sea on the eastern and western side protected the fort  The fort was surrounded by a moat, access to the fort being over a drawbridge  The moat has completely disappeared  Interestingly, today, none of the fort’s door openings and windows have doors in them  It is believed that during the end of their colonisation period, the Danish ran into financial issues  To make ends meet, they pulled out the metal doors, molded them into weapons and sold them 

Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Tharangambadi had a population of 20,841  Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%  Tharangambadi has an average literacy rate of 74%, similar to than the national average of 74 5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 69%  In Tharangambadi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age 

Notable people
Kavignar Meenavan (1933–2012), Tamil poet, writer and activist

Gallery
See also
India portal
 Denmark portal
 Norway portal
Passage 6:
Thirukkalacherry
Thirukkalachery is a small village in Mayiladuthurai District, Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) Taluk, Tamil Nadu, India 
See: The Taluk Map of Tranquebar (Tharangambadi)

Transport and communication
Thirukkalachery is well-connected with other major towns in the region, such as Porayar which is the nearest town and links with Karaikal, Mayiladuthurai, Sirkali, Nagapattinam and Tiruchirappalli 
The nearest international airport is at Tiruchirapalli, which is 150 kilometres from Thirukkalachery and Chennai International Airport is approx  300 kilometers away  There are regular government and private bus services to Chennai  Nearest Railway Junction is also at Mayiladuthurai 

Economy
Agriculture is the main activity in this area as this is a cultivation rich land  Rice, sugarcane, Coconut and banana plantation are the main products  This is a small village with about ten to twenty shops along Thirukkalachery's Main Road 

Landmark
*the famous #sri seethala devi Mariyaman temple situated here  One of grand temple  

The famous naganathaswamy temple also situated here (the Siva temple) 
The famous petti kaliyaman temple also situated here 
The famous Vinayagar temple situated here 
Mohaideen Andavar Mosque - This is the biggest mosque (also called Pallivasal) in Mayiladuthurai District Experiment ideas Tamil YouTube channel  foundation office  in situated here  
Fashion tailor Shop situated here  

Schools
There are four Schools in this village:-

Aided Elementary School, Thirukkalachery 
Aiyas Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Thirukkalachery 
Hameediya Higher Secondary School, Thirukkalachery 
Hameediya Free Nursery & Primary School, Thirukkalachery 

Adjacent communities
Passage 7:
Suryanar Kovil
Suryanar Kovil (also called Suryanar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Hindu Sun-God, located in Suryanar Kovil, a village near the South Indian town of Kumbakonam Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu, India  The presiding deity is Suriyanar, the Sun and his consorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi  The temple also has separate shrines for the other eight planetary deities  The temple is considered one of the nine Navagraha temples in Tamil Nadu  The temple is one of the few historic temples dedicated to Sun god and is also the only temple in Tamil Nadu which has shrines for all the planetary deities The present masonry structure was built during the reign of Kulottunga Choladeva (1060-1118 CE) in the 11th century with later additions from the Vijayanagar period  Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower and a granite wall enclosing all the shrines of the temple It is believed that the planetary deities were cursed by Brahma to dwell in Vellurukku Vanam, the white wild flower jungle and were blessed by Shiva to make it their abode to devotees  The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a m  to 9 p m , and two yearly festivals on its calendar  The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu 

Legend
As per Hindu legend, Sage Kalava was suffering from serious ailments along with leprosy  He prayed to the Navagrahas, the nine planet deities  The planets were pleased by his devotion and offered cure to the sage  Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, was angered as he felt that the planets have no powers to provide boons to humans  He cursed the nine planets to suffer from leprosy and were sent down to earth in Vellurukku Vanam, the white wild flower jungle  The planets prayed to Shiva to relieve them off the curse  Shiva appeared to them and said that the place belonged to them and they would have to grace the devotees worshipping them from the place  This is the only temple where there are separate shrines for each of the planet deities  It is also the only temple among the nine planetary temples where Shiva is not the presiding deity 

History
It is stated in one of the inscriptions found in the temple that it was built in the reign of Kulottunga Choladeva (1060-1118 CE) and was called Kulottungachola-Marttandalaya  In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu  The temple is mentioned in the songs of Muthuswami Dikshitar, who has composed a song starting with "Suryamurthe" in Saurashatra ragam 

Architecture
Suriyanar Temple is located at the distance of 15 km from Kumbakonam in west, 2 km from Aduthurai, 8 km from Thiruppanandal and 58 km (36 mi) from Thanjavur  The temple can be accessed by road through Aduthurai in Kumbakonam - Mayiladuthurai road and Thiruppanandal in Kumbakonam - Chennai road  The temple has a rectangular plan with compound walls, pierced by a five-tiered raja gopuram (entrance tower)  The central shrine is of Surya, the Sun God, is built on an elevated structure  The central shrine houses the image of Surya and his consorts Usha and Chhaya  The hall leading to the central shrine has images of Viswanathar, Visalakshi, Nataraja, Sivakami, Vinayagar and Murugan  On the axial line in front of the central shrine, there is an image of Guru (Jupiter), one of the planetary deities  There are separate shrines for all the other seven planet deities namely Budha (Mercury), Shani (Saturn), Sukran (Venus), Soma (Moon), Angaragan (Mars), Rahu and Ketu  All the other eight shrines of the Navagrahas are arranged facing the shrine of Suryanar  Guru is depicted performing pooja to Shiva 

Worship and festivals
The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis  Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaivaite community, a Brahmin sub-caste  The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a m , Kalasanthi at 8:00 a m , Uchikalam at 10:00 a m , Sayarakshai at 6:00 p m , Irandamkalam at 8:00 p m  and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p m  Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for Surya, Usha and Chhaya  The worship is held amidst music with nadaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas  read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast  There are weekly rituals like somavaram and sukravaram, fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi 

Religious importance
The temple is one of the nine Navagraha temples of Tamil Nadu and is a part of the popular Navagraha pilgrimage in the state - it houses the image of Surya (Sun)  The planets are believed to influence the horoscope computed based on time of one's birth and subsequently influence the course of life  Each of the planets are believed to move from a star to another during a predefined period and thus sway over an individual's fortunes  Kol vinay theertha Vinayagar is an important deity inside the temple and should be worshiped first before worshiping Lord Suriyan and other planets
  The Navagrahas, as per Hindu customs, are believed to provide both good and bad effects for any individual and the bad effects are mitigated by prayers  As in other Navagraha temples, the common worship practises of the devotees include offering of cloth, grains, flowers and jewels specific to the planet deity  Lighting a set of lamps is also commonly followed in the temple  As per contemporary Saivite belief, the energies distributed cyclically by Navagrahas can be channeled based on remedial measures  As per local legends, Shiva, the overlord of the nine planetary deities, allowed them to freely grant wishes based on devotion of the devotees According to Hindu legend, Mahalingaswamy is the centre of all Shiva temples in the region and the Saptha Vigraha moorthis (seven prime consorts in all Shiva temples) are located at seven cardinal points around the temple, located in various parts of the state  The seven deities are Nataraja in Chidambaram Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram, Chandikeswarar temple at Tirucheingalur, Vinayagar in Vellai Vinayagar Temple at Thiruvalanchuzhi, Muruga in Swamimalai Murugan Temple at Swamimalai, Bhairava in Sattainathar Temple at Sirkali, Navagraha in this temple and Dakshinamoorthy in Apatsahayesvarar Temple at Alangudi, Nannilam  The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the northern banks of River Kaveri 
Passage 8:
Sawaare Sabke Sapne    Preeto
Sawaare Sabke Sapne Preeto (SSSP) is an Indian television series that premiered on Imagine TV on 4 July 2011 and ended abruptly on 12 April 2012  The story is located against a Punjabi backdrop and is based on the lives of five sisters  Set in the picturesque north Indian town of Amritsar, which is also an Indian Air Force base, this is the story of the quirky, lovable Dhillon family  They live in a run-down mansion, having moved to India from Pakistan after the Partition, a generation ago  In many ways the Dhillon family is a typical lower-middle-class Indian family 
At the head of the family is retired school master Gangandeep Dhillon, who lives with his wife Kanwal and five daughters 

Plot
Sawaare Sapke Sapne Preeto is the story of Preeto, third among the five Dhillon sisters  The eldest sister is Jasmeet (Meeta) who is lovable and plump, second is Ishmeet (Ishu) who is quiet and respectful and is considered the prettiest, third is Manpreet (Preeto) who is respectful but always speaks her mind, fourth is Gurbaani (Bani) who is in college and like partying, and the youngest is Sonu who is in school and is everybody's favorite  Their father's income is not enough to maintain the entire family  Preeto's mother often regrets that she does not have a son who could have supported them all  Hence Preeto decides to contribute to the family income by designing and stitching clothes for clients  Her dream is to get her older sisters married and the younger ones educated 
Meeta is engaged to Bobby but he tries to take advantage of Ishu and the wedding is called off  At her friends' wedding, Preeto meets Rajbeer, an air force officer and they develop feelings for each other  Dhruv, another air force officer, falls in love with Ishu  Dhruv and Ishu's wedding is fixed and Preeto and Rajbeer confess their love to each other  But Preeto's father meets with an accident and loses his job  Preeto decides to break up with Rajbeer to focus on arranging money for Ishu's wedding 
However, Dhruv's parents are unhappy with the wedding  At a family outing in Manali, Rajbeer saves Dhruv's sister Simran and she falls in love with him  In Amritsar, Bani falls in love with a man named Ranjeet but he only wants to destroy Rajbeer  He sells Bani off to some goons but Preeto and Rajbeer are able to save her and expose Ranjeet's true intentions  Meanwhile, Preeto's Biji finds out about Preeto and Rajbeer and encourages Preeto to fight for her love 
Dhruv and Simran's mother, Neelam, blackmails Preeto that if she confesses her love to Rajbeer, Neelam would make sure Dhruv divorces Ishu  Conflicted, Preeto decides to fake marriage with Sunny, a cousin of Pankaj's (Meeta's husband) who loves Preeto but knows about her feelings for Rajbeer  But one day Rajbeer overhears Preeto talking to herself and realizes that her marriage is fake and she still loves him 

Cast
Main
Ankita Sharma as Manpreet "Preeto" Dhillon: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's third daughter; Meeta, Ishu, Bani and Sonu's sister; Rajbeer's lover (2011–2012)
Aditya Redij as Rajbeer Singh: Preeto's lover (2011–2012)

Recurring
Ira Soni as Ishmeet "Ishu" Ahluwalia: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's second daughter; Preeto, Meeta, Bani and Sonu's sister; Dhruv's wife (2011−2012)
Divya Bhatnagar as Jasmeet "Meeta" Ambrela: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's eldest daughter; Ishu, Preeto, Bani and Sonu's sister; Pankaj's wife (2011–2012)
Devoleena Bhattacharjee as Gurbani "Bani" Dhillon: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's fourth daughter; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto and Sonu's sister (2011−2012)
Mahima Makwana as Sonam "Sonu" Dhillon; Kavaljit and Gagandeep's youngest daughter; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto and Bani's sister (2011−2012)
Kanan Malhotra as Dhruv Ahluwalia: Neelam and Kulbhushan's son; Simmi's brother; Ishu's husband (2011–2012)
Rohit Mehta as Mr  Kumar administrative officer (2012)
Pavitra Punia as Simran "Simmi" Ahluwalia: Neelam and Kulbhushan's daughter; Dhruv's sister (2011−2012)
Sailesh Gulabani as Pankaj Ambrela: Sunny's cousin; Meeta's husband (2011−2012)
Shresth Kumar as Shivansh "Sunny" Ambrela: Pankaj's cousin; Preeto's ex-fiancé (2012)
Ujjwal Rana as Baljeet "Bobby" Singh: Meeta's former fiancé (2011−2012)
Susheel Parashar as Gagandeep Dhillon: Kavaljit's husband; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto, Bani and Sonu's father (2011–2012)
Nitika Anand as Kavaljit Kaur Dhillon: Gagandeep's wife; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto, Bani and Sonu's mother (2011–2012)
Ritwika Gupta as Aisha Sood: Simmi's friend (2011–2012)
Vijay Aidasani as Kulbhushan Ahluwalia; Dhruv and Simmi's father (2011−2012)
Aradhana Uppal as Neelam Ahluwalia: Kulbhushan's wife; Dhruv and Simmi's mother (2011−2012)

Guest stars
Himesh Reshammiya as himself for the promotion of Bodyguard and Damadamm! (2011)
Passage 9:
Buckingham Archeological Site
Buckingham Archeological Site is an archaeological site near Berlin in Worcester County, Maryland   It is one of the few known Woodland period village sites in the coastal marsh areas of the Atlantic Coast section of Maryland  The site falls within the general vicinity of an Assateague Indian town  It is located four miles east of the Sandy Point Site, both including the southernmost reported occurrence of Townsend Series ceramics on the coastal section of the Eastern Shore It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 
Passage 10:
Paravakkal
Paravakkal is a town in the Kadungapuram village of the Puzhakkattiri panchayath, located in the Malappuram district, in the state of Kerala, southeast India  It was the homeland of Valluvanad, an erstwhile kingdom in Malabar  Perinthalmanna, Malappuram, and Kottakkal are some of the major towns nearby 
There is a tradition known as Nercha and Pooram which is a symbol of unity among various religions in the area 

Geography
The town is 12 km (7 5 mi) from Perinthalmanna, the taluk headquarters, and 11 km (6 8 mi) from the district headquarters at Malappuram  The town is midway between Perinthalmanna and Kottakkal road  The Paravakkal Lake is located north of the town, which lays close south to National Highway 213  The land is mostly dry and flat, few hills obstruct the nearby fields  An abundant amount of trees and shrubbery lie to the south of the town 

People
Paravakkal consists of 1723 people, 838 of which are male, and 885 female 

Culture
Paravakkal village is a predominantly Muslim populated area  Hindus exist in comparatively smaller numbers  So the culture of the locality is based upon Muslim traditions  Duff Muttu, Kolkali and Aravanamuttu are common folk arts of this locality  There are many libraries attached to mosques giving a rich source of Islamic studies  Most of the books are written in Arabi-Malayalam which is a version of the Malayalam language written in Arabic script  People gather in mosques for the evening prayer and continue to sit there after the prayers discussing social and cultural issues  Business and family issues are also sorted out during these evening meetings  The Hindu minority of this area keeps their rich traditions by celebrating various festivals in their temples  Hindu rituals are done here with a regular devotion like other parts of Kerala 

Transportation
Paravakkal village connects to other parts of India through Perinthalmanna town  National highway No 66 passes through Tirur and the northern stretch connects to Goa and Mumbai  The southern stretch connects to Cochin and Trivandrum  Highway No 966 goes to Palakkad and Coimbatore  The nearest airport is at Kozhikode  The nearest major railway station is at Tirur 



ground_truth: Pope John X

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Thirukkalacherry is a village in which Indian town?

The following are given passages.
Context 4: Demand for new construction has contributed to frequent demolition of older buildings, freeing space for modern high-rises  However, many examples of European and Lingnan architecture are still found throughout the territory  Older government buildings are examples of colonial architecture  The 1846 Flagstaff House, the former residence of the commanding British military officer, is the oldest Western-style building in Hong Kong  Some (including the Court of Final Appeal Building and the Hong Kong Observatory) retain their original function, and others have been adapted and reused; the Former Marine Police Headquarters was redeveloped into a commercial and retail complex, and Béthanie (built in 1875 as a sanatorium) houses the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts  The Tin Hau Temple, dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu (originally built in 1012 and rebuilt in 1266), is the territory's oldest existing structure  The Ping Shan Heritage Trail has architectural examples of several imperial Chinese dynasties, including the Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda (Hong Kong's only remaining pagoda) Tong lau, mixed-use tenement buildings constructed during the colonial era, blended southern Chinese architectural styles with European influences  These were especially prolific during the immediate post-war period, when many were rapidly built to house large numbers of Chinese migrants  Examples include Lui Seng Chun, the Blue House in Wan Chai, and the Shanghai Street shophouses in Mong Kok  Mass-produced public-housing estates, built since the 1960s, are mainly constructed in modernist style 

Demographics
The Census and Statistics Department estimated Hong Kong's population at 7,413,070 in 2021  The overwhelming majority (91 6%) is Han Chinese, most of whom are Taishanese, Teochew, Hakka, and other Cantonese peoples  The remaining 8 4% are non-ethnic Chinese minorities, primarily Filipinos, Indonesians, and South Asians  However, most Filipinos and Indonesians in Hong Kong are short-term workers  According to a 2021 thematic report by the Hong Kong government, after excluding foreign domestic helpers, the real number of non-Chinese ethnic minorities in the city was 301,344, or 4% of Hong Kong's population  About half the population have some form of British nationality, a legacy of colonial rule; 3 4 million residents have British National (Overseas) status, and 260,000 British citizens live in the territory  The vast majority also hold Chinese nationality, automatically granted to all ethnic Chinese residents at the transfer of sovereignty  Headline population density exceeds 7,060 people/km2, and is the fourth-highest in the world The predominant language is Cantonese, a variety of Chinese originating in Guangdong  It is spoken by 93 7% of the population, 88 2% as a first language and 5 5% as a second language  Slightly over half the population (58 7%) speaks English, the other official language; 4 6% are native speakers, and 54 1% speak English as a second language  Code-switching, mixing English and Cantonese in informal conversation, is common among the bilingual population  Post-handover governments have promoted Mandarin, which is currently about as prevalent as English; 54 2% of the population speak Mandarin, with 2 3% native speakers and 51 9% as a second language  Traditional Chinese characters are used in writing, rather than the simplified characters used in the mainland 

Among the religious population, the traditional "three teachings" of China, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, have the most adherents (20%), followed by Christianity (12%) and Islam (4%)  Followers of other religions, including Sikhism, Hinduism, and Judaism, generally originate from regions where their religion predominates Life expectancy in Hong Kong was 82 38 years for males and 88 17 years for females in 2022, the highest in the world  Cancer, pneumonia, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and accidents are the territory's five leading causes of death  The universal public healthcare system is funded by general-tax revenue, and treatment is highly subsidised; on average, 95% of healthcare costs are covered by the government The city has a severe amount of income inequality, which has risen since the transfer of sovereignty, as the region's ageing population has gradually added to the number of nonworking people  Although median household income steadily increased during the decade to 2016, the wage gap remained high; the 90th percentile of earners receive 41% of all income  The city has the most billionaires per capita, with one billionaire per 109,657 people, as well as the third-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, the second-highest number of billionaires of any city in Asia, and the largest concentration of ultra high-net-worth individuals of any city in the world  Despite government efforts to reduce the growing disparity, median income for the top 10% of earners is 44 times that of the bottom 10% 

Economy
One of the world's most significant financial centres and commercial ports, Hong Kong has a market economy focused on services, characterised by low taxation, minimal government market intervention, and an established international financial market  It is the world's 35th-largest economy, with a nominal GDP of approximately US$373 billion  Hong Kong's economy ranked at the top of the Heritage Foundation's economic freedom index between 1995 and 2021  However, Hong Kong was removed from the index by the Heritage Foundation in 2021, with the Foundation citing a "loss of political freedom and autonomy     [making Hong Kong] almost indistinguishable in many respects from other major Chinese commercial centers like Shanghai and Beijing"  Hong Kong is highly developed, and ranks fourth on the UN Human Development Index  The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the seventh-largest in the world, with a market capitalisation of HK$30 4 trillion (US$3 87 trillion) as of December 2018  Hong Kong is ranked as the 14th most innovative territory in the Global Innovation Index in 2022, and 3rd in the Global Financial Centres Index  The city is sometimes referred to as "Silicon Harbor", a nickname derived from Silicon Valley in California  Hong Kong hosts several high tech and innovation companies, including several multinational companies Hong Kong is the ninth- and eight-largest trading entity in exports and imports respectively (2021),  trading more goods in value than its gross domestic product  Over half of its cargo throughput consists of transshipments (goods travelling through Hong Kong)  Products from mainland China account for about 40% of that traffic  The city's location allowed it to establish a transportation and logistics infrastructure which includes the world's seventh-busiest container port and the busiest airport for international cargo  The territory's largest export markets are mainland China and the United States  Hong Kong is a key part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road  It has little arable land and few natural resources, importing most of its food and raw materials  More than 90% of Hong Kong's food is imported, including nearly all of its meat and rice  Agricultural activity is 0 1% of GDP and consists of growing premium food and flower varieties Although the territory had one of Asia's largest manufacturing economies during the latter half of the colonial era, Hong Kong's economy is now dominated by the service sector  The sector generates 92 7% of economic output, with the public sector accounting for about 10%  Between 1961 and 1997 Hong Kong's gross domestic product increased by a factor of 180, and per capita GDP increased by a factor of 87  The territory's GDP relative to mainland China's peaked at 27% in 1993; it fell to less than 3% in 2017, as the mainland developed and liberalised its economy  Economic and infrastructure integration with China has increased significantly since the 1978 start of market liberalisation on the mainland  Since resumption of cross-boundary train service in 1979, many rail and road links have been improved and constructed, facilitating trade between regions  The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement formalised a policy of free trade between the two areas, with each jurisdiction pledging to remove remaining obstacles to trade and cross-boundary investment  A similar economic partnership with Macau details the liberalisation of trade between the special administrative regions  Chinese companies have expanded their economic presence in the territory since the transfer of sovereignty  Mainland firms represent over half of the Hang Seng Index value, up from 5% in 1997 

As the mainland liberalised its economy, Hong Kong's shipping industry faced intense competition from other Chinese ports  Half of China's trade goods were routed through Hong Kong in 1997, dropping to about 13% by 2015  The territory's minimal taxation, common law system, and civil service attract overseas corporations wishing to establish a presence in Asia  The city has the second-highest number of corporate headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region  Hong Kong is a gateway for foreign direct investment in China, giving investors open access to mainland Chinese markets through direct links with the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges  The territory was the first market outside mainland China for renminbi-denominated bonds, and is one of the largest hubs for offshore renminbi trading  In November 2020, Hong Kong's Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau proposed a new law that will restrict cryptocurrency trading to professional investors only, leaving amateur traders (93% of Hong Kong's trading population) out of the market  The Hong Kong dollar, the local currency, is the eighth most traded currency in the world  Due to extremely compact house sizes and the extremely high housing density, the city has the most expensive housing market in the world The government has had a passive role in the economy  Colonial governments had little industrial policy and implemented almost no trade controls  Under the doctrine of "positive non-interventionism", post-war administrations deliberately avoided the direct allocation of resources; active intervention was considered detrimental to economic growth  While the economy transitioned to a service basis during the 1980s, late colonial governments introduced interventionist policies  Post-handover administrations continued and expanded these programmes, including export-credit guarantees, a compulsory pension scheme, a minimum wage, anti-discrimination laws, and a state mortgage backer Tourism is a major part of the economy, accounting for 5% of GDP  In 2016, 26 6 million visitors contributed HK$258 billion (US$32 9 billion) to the territory, making Hong Kong the 14th most popular destination for international tourists  It is the most popular Chinese city for tourists, receiving over 70% more visitors than its closest competitor (Macau)  The city is ranked as one of the most expensive cities for expatriates  However, since 2020, there has been a sharp decline in incoming visitors due to tight COVID-19 travel restrictions  Additionally, due to the closure of Russian airspace in 2022, multiple airlines decided to cease their operations in Hong Kong  In an attempt to attract tourists back to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government announced plans to give away 500,000 free airline tickets in 2023 Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world, with a very low homicide rate at 0 29 per 100,000 population  Compared with other Nylonkong cities, London is 1 38 and New York is 5 80 

Infrastructure
Transport
Hong Kong has a highly developed, sophisticated transport network  Over 90% of daily trips are made on public transport, the highest percentage in the world  The Octopus card, a contactless smart payment card, is widely accepted on railways, trams, buses and ferries, and can be used for payment in most retail stores The Peak Tram, Hong Kong's first public transport system, has provided funicular rail transport between Central and Victoria Peak since 1888  The Central and Western District has an extensive system of escalators and moving pavements, including the Mid-Levels escalator (the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system)  Hong Kong Tramways covers a portion of Hong Kong Island  The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is an extensive passenger rail network, connecting 93 metro stations throughout the territory  With a daily ridership of almost five million, the system serves 41% of all public transit passengers in the city and has an on-time rate of 99 9%  Cross-boundary train service to Shenzhen is offered by the East Rail line, and longer-distance inter-city trains to Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing are operated from Hung Hom station  Connecting service to the national high-speed rail system is provided at West Kowloon railway station Although public transport systems handle most passenger traffic, there are over 500,000 private vehicles registered in Hong Kong  Automobiles drive on the left (unlike in mainland China), because of historical influence of the British Empire  Vehicle traffic is extremely congested in urban areas, exacerbated by limited space to expand roads and an increasing number of vehicles  More than 18,000 taxicabs, easily identifiable by their bright colour, are licensed to carry riders in the territory  Bus services operate more than 700 routes across the territory, with smaller public light buses (also known as minibuses) serving areas standard buses do not reach as frequently or directly  Highways, organised with the Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System, connect all major areas of the territory  The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge provides a direct route to the western side of the Pearl River estuary 

Hong Kong International Airport is the territory's primary airport  Over 100 airlines operate flights from the airport, including locally based Cathay Pacific (flag carrier), Hong Kong Airlines, low-cost airline HK Express and cargo airline Air Hong Kong  It is the eighth-busiest airport by passenger traffic pre-COVID and handles the most air-cargo traffic in the world  Most private recreational aviation traffic flies through Shek Kong Airfield, under the supervision of the Hong Kong Aviation Club The Star Ferry operates two lines across Victoria Harbour for its 53,000 daily passengers  Ferries also serve outlying islands inaccessible by other means  Smaller kai-to boats serve the most remote coastal settlements  Ferry travel to Macau and mainland China is also available  Junks, once common in Hong Kong waters, are no longer widely available and are used privately and for tourism 
The large size of the port gives Hong Kong the classification of Large-Port Metropolis 

Utilities
Hong Kong generates most of its electricity locally  The vast majority of this energy comes from fossil fuels, with 46% from coal and 47% from petroleum  The rest is from other imports, including nuclear energy generated in mainland China  Renewable sources account for a negligible amount of energy generated for the territory  Small-scale wind-power sources have been developed, and a small number of private homes and public buildings have installed solar panels With few natural lakes and rivers, high population density, inaccessible groundwater sources, and extremely seasonal rainfall, the territory does not have a reliable source of freshwater  The Dongjiang River in Guangdong supplies 70% of the city's water, and the remaining demand is filled by harvesting rainwater  Toilets in most built-up areas of the territory flush with seawater, greatly reducing freshwater use Broadband Internet access is widely available, with 92 6% of households connected  Connections over fibre-optic infrastructure are increasingly prevalent, contributing to the high regional average connection speed of 21 9 Mbit/s (the world's fourth-fastest)  Mobile-phone use is ubiquitous; there are more than 18 million mobile-phone accounts, more than double the territory's population 

Culture
Hong Kong is characterised as a hybrid of East and West  Traditional Chinese values emphasising family and education blend with Western ideals, including economic liberty and the rule of law  Although the vast majority of the population is ethnically Chinese, Hong Kong has developed a distinct identity  The territory diverged from the mainland through its long period of colonial administration and a different pace of economic, social, and cultural development  Mainstream culture is derived from immigrants originating from various parts of China  This was influenced by British-style education, a separate political system, and the territory's rapid development during the late 20th century  Most migrants of that era fled poverty and war, reflected in the prevailing attitude toward wealth; Hongkongers tend to link self-image and decision-making to material benefits  Residents' sense of local identity has markedly increased post-handover: The majority of the population (52%) identifies as "Hongkongers", while 11% describe themselves as "Chinese"  The remaining population purport mixed identities, 23% as "Hongkonger in China" and 12% as "Chinese in Hong Kong" Traditional Chinese family values, including family honour, filial piety, and a preference for sons, are prevalent  Nuclear families are the most common households, although multi-generational and extended families are not unusual  Spiritual concepts such as feng shui are observed; large-scale construction projects often hire consultants to ensure proper building positioning and layout  The degree of its adherence to feng shui is believed to determine the success of a business  Bagua mirrors are regularly used to deflect evil spirits, and buildings often lack floor numbers with a 4; the number has a similar sound to the word for "die" in Cantonese 

Cuisine
Food in Hong Kong is primarily based on Cantonese cuisine, despite the territory's exposure to foreign influences and its residents' varied origins  Rice is the staple food, and is usually served plain with other dishes  Freshness of ingredients is emphasised  Poultry and seafood are commonly sold live at wet markets, and ingredients are used as quickly as possible  There are five daily meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and siu yeh  Dim sum, as part of yum cha (brunch), is a dining-out tradition with family and friends  Dishes include congee, cha siu bao, siu yuk, egg tarts, and mango pudding  Local versions of Western food are served at cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafes)  Common cha chaan teng menu items include macaroni in soup, deep-fried French toast, and Hong Kong-style milk tea 

Cinema
Hong Kong developed into a filmmaking hub during the late 1940s as a wave of Shanghai filmmakers migrated to the territory, and these movie veterans helped build the colony's entertainment industry over the next decade  By the 1960s, the city was well known to overseas audiences through films such as The World of Suzie Wong  When Bruce Lee's The Way of the Dragon was released in 1972, local productions became popular outside Hong Kong  During the 1980s, films such as A Better Tomorrow, As Tears Go By, and Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain expanded global interest beyond martial arts films; locally made gangster films, romantic dramas, and supernatural fantasies became popular  Hong Kong cinema continued to be internationally successful over the following decade with critically acclaimed dramas such as Farewell My Concubine, To Live, and Chungking Express  The city's martial arts film roots are evident in the roles of the most prolific Hong Kong actors  Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, and Michelle Yeoh frequently play action-oriented roles in foreign films  Hong Kong films have also grown popular in oversea markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, earning the city the moniker "Hollywood of the East"  At the height of the local movie industry in the early 1990s, over 400 films were produced each year; since then, industry momentum shifted to mainland China  The number of films produced annually has declined to about 60 in 2017 

Music
Cantopop is a genre of Cantonese popular music which emerged in Hong Kong during the 1970s  Evolving from Shanghai-style shidaiqu, it is also influenced by Cantonese opera and Western pop  Local media featured songs by artists such as Sam Hui, Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, and Alan Tam; during the 1980s, exported films and shows exposed Cantopop to a global audience  The genre's popularity peaked in the 1990s, when the Four Heavenly Kings dominated Asian record charts  Despite a general decline since late in the decade, Cantopop remains dominant in Hong Kong; contemporary artists such as Eason Chan, Joey Yung, and Twins are popular in and beyond the territory Western classical music has historically had a strong presence in Hong Kong and remains a large part of local musical education  The publicly funded Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the territory's oldest professional symphony orchestra, frequently hosts musicians and conductors from overseas  The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, composed of classical Chinese instruments, is the leading Chinese ensemble and plays a significant role in promoting traditional music in the community Hong Kong has never had a separate national anthem to the country that controlled it; its current official national anthem is therefore that of China, March of the Volunteers  The song Glory to Hong Kong has been used by protestors as an unofficial anthem of the city 

Sport and recreation
Despite its small area, the territory is home to a variety of sports and recreational facilities  The city has hosted numerous major sporting events, including the 2009 East Asian Games, the 2008 Summer Olympics equestrian events, and the 2007 Premier League Asia Trophy  The territory regularly hosts the Hong Kong Sevens, Hong Kong Marathon, Hong Kong Tennis Classic and Lunar New Year Cup, and hosted the inaugural AFC Asian Cup and the 1995 Dynasty Cup Hong Kong represents itself separately from mainland China, with its own sports teams in international competitions  The territory has participated in almost every Summer Olympics since 1952 and has earned nine medals  Lee Lai-shan won the territory's first Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and Cheung Ka Long won the second one in Tokyo 2020  Hong Kong athletes have won 126 medals at the Paralympic Games and 17 at the Commonwealth Games  No longer part of the Commonwealth of Nations, the city's last appearance in the latter was in 1994 Dragon boat races originated as a religious ceremony conducted during the annual Tuen Ng Festival  The race was revived as a modern sport as part of the Tourism Board's efforts to promote Hong Kong's image abroad  The first modern competition was organised in 1976, and overseas teams began competing in the first international race in 1993 The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the territory's largest taxpayer, has a monopoly on gambling and provides over 7% of government revenue  Three forms of gambling are legal in Hong Kong: lotteries, horse racing, and football 

Education
Education in Hong Kong is largely modelled after that of the United Kingdom, particularly the English system  Children are required to attend school from age 6 until completion of secondary education, generally at age 18  At the end of secondary schooling, all students take a public examination and awarded the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education on successful completion  Of residents aged 15 and older, 81% completed lower-secondary education, 66% graduated from an upper secondary school, 32% attended a non-degree tertiary program, and 24% earned a bachelor's degree or higher  Mandatory education has contributed to an adult literacy rate of 95 7%  The literacy rate is lower than that of other developed economies because of the influx of refugees from mainland China during the post-war colonial era; much of the elderly population were not formally educated because of war and poverty Comprehensive schools fall under three categories: public schools, which are government-run; subsidised schools, including government aid-and-grant schools; and private schools, often those run by religious organisations and that base admissions on academic merit  These schools are subject to the curriculum guidelines as provided by the Education Bureau  Private schools subsidised under the Direct Subsidy Scheme; international schools fall outside of this system and may elect to use differing curricula and teach using other languages 

Medium of instruction
At primary and secondary school levels, the government maintains a policy of "mother tongue instruction"; most schools use Cantonese as the medium of instruction, with written education in both Chinese and English  Other languages being used as medium of instruction in non-international school education include English and Putonghua (Standard Mandarin Chinese)  Secondary schools emphasise "bi-literacy and tri-lingualism", which has encouraged the proliferation of spoken Mandarin language education English is the official medium of instruction and assessments for most university programmes in Hong Kong, although use of Cantonese is predominant in informal discussions among local students and professors 

Tertiary education
Hong Kong has eleven universities  The University of Hong Kong (HKU) was founded as the city's first institute of higher education during the early colonial period in 1911  The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was established in 1963 to fill the need for a university that taught using Chinese as its primary language of instruction  Along with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) established in 1991, these universities are consistently ranked among the top 50 or top 100 universities worldwide  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and City University of Hong Kong (CityU), both granted university status in 1994, are consistently ranked among the top 100 or top 200 universities worldwide  The Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) was granted university status in 1994  and is a liberal arts institution  Lingnan University, Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (formerly Open University of Hong Kong), Hong Kong Shue Yan University and Hang Seng University of Hong Kong all attained full university status in subsequent years 

Media
Most of the newsapapers in Hong Kong are written in Chinese but there are also a few English-language newspapers  The major one is the South China Morning Post, with The Standard serving as a business-oriented alternative  A variety of Chinese-language newspapers are published daily; the most prominent are Ming Pao and Oriental Daily News  Local publications are often politically affiliated, with pro-Beijing or pro-democracy sympathies  The central government has a print-media presence in the territory through the state-owned Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po  Several international publications have regional operations in Hong Kong, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The New York Times International Edition, USA Today, Yomiuri Shimbun, and The Nikkei Three free-to-air television broadcasters operate in the territory; TVB, HKTVE, and Hong Kong Open TV air eight digital channels  TVB, Hong Kong's dominant television network, has an 80% viewer share  Pay TV services operated by Cable TV Hong Kong and PCCW offer hundreds of additional channels and cater to a variety of audiences  RTHK is the public broadcaster, providing seven radio channels and three television channels  Ten non-domestic broadcasters air programming for the territory's foreign population  Access to media and information over the Internet is not subject to mainland Chinese regulations, including the Great Firewall, yet local control applies 

See also
Index of articles related to Hong Kong
Outline of Hong Kong

Notes
Passage 7:
Billings Metropolitan Transit
Billings Metropolitan Transit (MET) is the public transit system in Billings, Montana  MET Transit provides fixed-route and paratransit bus service to the City of Billings Monday-Saturday  The MET is the primary mode of transportation for many citizens of the city  Met serves about 3,000 passengers a day  It currently employs around 200 people  All of MET's buses are accessible by citizens who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices; the buses are wheelchair lift-equipped and accessible to all citizens that are unable to use the stairs  All MET buses are equipped with bike racks for its bike riding passengers 

History
The MET began operation in 1973 with only five fixed routes; these included Crosstown, Grand, Broadwater, Central, and Southside 
In 1993 the MET opened up its first transfer center at Stewart Park for passengers to utilize in transferring to connection buses  In July 1996 the MET started the "Bike and Ride" program in an attempt to attract new riders; by 2004, the program had 1,411 bike-and-ride users 
In 2002 the MET added its S S  Loop to the fleet list adding extra service to the Billings south side and Route 11M Northwest was dropped off the MET route fleet 
In 2003 the MET remodeled its Stewart Park transfer center 
In the summer of 2008, construction began on the new Downtown transfer center at 220 N  25th Street; this was completed in early 2009 and it was open for business  This resulted in various changes to the routes and schedules for the buses that transfer in Downtown  Further, the MET raised its fare prices from $0 75 to $1 25 and from $0 25 to $0 50  In 2011 the MET once again faced a schedule change; Route 12P Overland Avenue was taken off the fleet 
In 2013 the MET faced another schedule change, but added more service to the West-End and the South Side  The new "West-End" bus (originally called "Southwest" and running every half-hour) was changed into a one-hour route that extended to cover the V A  Clinic on Spring Creek Drive and Zoo Montana on Shiloh Road and Pierce Parkway  The route was directed down Shiloh to Shiloh Crossing, a shopping center on Shiloh Road and King Avenue West  Routes 1M, 5D, 9D, 10D, S5, and S9 also faced changes  Route 1M changed by adding an hour and a half of service each weekday and further service down 6th Ave N  Route 5D is now known as Route 5D1 Grand 1 and Route 5D2 Grand 2  The new Grand routes run to 32nd St W off of Grand Ave instead of to 28th St W  Route 9D Central has been changed to travel down 1st Ave S during its Outbound times  Route 10D Southside serves 4th Ave S on its outbound times 
In 2014, the MET began a new program for disabled veterans  Disabled veterans can ride free on all the MET bus routes as long as the individuals show the MET driver their Department of Veterans Affairs identification card indicating "Service Connected"; the vet is not required to have a bus pass 
Also in 2014, the MET will provide its first shuttle service to the Magic Blues Fest at south park  Service will run from 14:00-23:00 and the bus will run 4 times an hour 
In May 2016, the City Council approved a four-year phased-in approach to increase bus fares  The monthly bus passes will increase by $4 beginning July 1, 2016 for the first year  Each year thereafter on July 1; the monthly passes will increase by $2 until July 1, 2019  The overall increase for adult, youth, senior and disabled monthly passes will have an accumulative increase of $10 by fiscal year 2020 
Cash fares also increased on July 1, 2016  Adult cash fares went up from $1 25 to $1 75, Youth from $1 25 to $1 50, and the Senior/Disabled cash fare from $0 50 to $0 85  Day Passes are $4  Under 6 ride for free with fare-paying rider, limit 3  And, transfers are free per use upon paying a cash fare; good for 90 minutes of being issued 
Additionally at the May 23, 2016 City Council meeting, the Council approved the elimination of four unproductive routes  The eliminated routes are the 2 Rimrock, 4 Parkhill, 6 Lewis, and 8 Miles and will end service on July 30 
In July, 2018 the MET made changes to Route 1-MET Link having it travel to Billings Logan International Airport for the first time and Route 13-Westend travel to St  Josephine Crossing allowing transfers between routes 13-Westend and 19-The Loop at Midland and Mullowney  In October, 2018 bus tracking technology was made available to the public through the Double Map bus tracking app 
In February, 2020 MET added free public WiFi to all its buses 

Services
The MET serves all five wards in the city of Billings with easily identifiable buses; they have green and blue diagonal bands  The route name is displayed over the windshield and side window while the route number is also displayed in the windshield's lower left corner  The MET stops at most corners or at blue and green MET bus signs  However, over the next 12-18 months, MET Transit will only stop at designated bus stops 

Weekday routes
1 - MET Link
3 - Crosstown
5A - Grand
5B - Grand
7 - Broadwater
9 - Central
10 - Southside
13 - Westend
14 - Alkali
15 - Hilltop
16 - Main
17 - Bench
18 - Heights
19 - The Loop
24 - Poly

School Runs
(these routes are open to the public and operate during public middle school days )

T1 Castlerock
T2 Riverside
T3 Will James
T4 Lewis & Clark

Saturday Routes
S3 - Crosstown
S5 - Grand
S7 - Broadwater
S9 - Central
S13 - Westend
S18 - Heights
S19 - The Loop

Former Routes
2 - Rimrock
4 - Parkhill
6 - Lewis
8 - Miles
11 - Northwest
12 - Overland Ave 

Special Services
Park-n-Ride
Bike & Ride
Service Connected - Free transit service for disabled veterans

Met Plus
MET Plus provides paratransit service to citizens who are unable to use MET Transit's fixed route bus service due to a disability  Paratransit is an Origin to Destination service for persons certified as eligible  All MET Transit vehicles are lift equipped 

Facilities & Vehicles
Head Office
The head office known as The Metroplex houses the administration offices, maintenance, buses, and bus wash 

Address: 1705 Monad Road
Coordinates: 45°45′47″N 108°33′31″W

Downtown Transfer Center
Most MET routes, except Route 13, come together in downtown Billings at the transfer center at 220 N  25th Street 

Address: 220 North 25th Street
Coordinates: 45°47′06″N 108°30′12 8″W

Stewart Park Transfer Center
Many routes come together at the Stewart Park Transfer Center just west of Rimrock Mall  The routes that do not use Stewart Park include 1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 

Address: Stewart Park Road at Rimrock Mall
Coordinates: 45°46′04 4″N 108°34′55 8″W

Transit Fleet
MET Transit has a fleet of 40 vehicles - 25 for fixed-route and 15 used for Paratransit  

17 Gillig 35 ft (11 m) Standard Diesel High-FloorBuses 1801-1817
2 Gillig 35 ft (11 m) Standard Diesel Low-Floor Buses 1818 and 1819
6 Ford-LFTrans Heavy Duty buses 1820-1825In August 2022, Billings MET Transit announced plans to buy four electric buses with funds awarded by a grant program, which totaled $3,880,316 

See also
Transportation in Montana



ground_truth: Tharangambadi