Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor who was best known for creating an outdoor sculpture complex in Frogner Park, Oslo. Vigeland, whose father was a carpenter, was apprenticed to a wood-carver in 1884. He attended art schools in Oslo and Copenhagen and then spent several months in Paris in

Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor who was best known for creating an outdoor sculpture complex in Frogner Park, Oslo. Vigeland, whose father was a carpenter, was apprenticed to a wood-carver in 1884. He attended art schools in Oslo and Copenhagen and then spent several months in Paris in

Vigenère cipher, type of substitution cipher used for data encryption in which the original plaintext structure is somewhat concealed in the ciphertext by using several different monoalphabetic substitution ciphers rather than just one; the code key specifies which particular substitution is to be

numerals and numeral systems: Number bases: …with the decimal or the vigesimal system, where the base is 20. Similarly, the pure base six scale seems to occur only sparsely in northwest Africa and is otherwise combined with the duodecimal, or base 12, system.

Vigevano, town, Lombardia (Lombardy) region, northern Italy, on the right bank of the Ticino River, southwest of Milan. An old silk-manufacturing town, it was the site during the Renaissance of a hunting villa of the Sforza family, who built the arcaded Piazza Ducale (1494) and enlarged the former

Gudbrandur Vigfússon was one of the 19th century’s foremost scholars of Old Norse, who completed the Richard Cleasby Icelandic–English Dictionary (1874; 2nd ed., 1957) and published editions of a number of Icelandic sagas as well as the collection Corpus poeticum boreale (1883; “Body of Northern

wake, watch or vigil held over the body of a dead person before burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity; also, in England, a vigil kept in commemoration of the dedication of the parish church. The latter type of wake consisted of an all-night service of prayer and meditation in the church.

dietary law: Christianity: Vigils are single fast days that have been observed before certain feast days and other festivals. Rogation Days are the three days before Ascension Day and are marked by a fast preparatory to that festival; they seem to have been introduced after an earthquake that…

George Stevens: Swing Time, Gunga Din, and Woman of the Year: Vigil in the Night (1940), from an A.J. Cronin novel, featured Carole Lombard as a nurse who dedicates her life to the poor denizens of a remote hospital ward after her sister (Anne Shirley), who is also a nurse, accidentally causes a patient’s death. The…

Drum-Taps: …of the wounded informs “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night.”

Feast of the Seven Fishes, Italian American Christmas Eve meal involving the serving of a meatless dinner composed of seven different dishes of fish. Although Feast of the Seven Fishes is the most common name for this meal, it is also referred to as Christmas Eve Fish Dinner or the Vigil, and many

attention: Sustained attention: vigilance: Sustained attention, or vigilance, as it is more often called, refers to the state in which attention must be maintained over time. Often this is to be found in some form of “watchkeeping” activity when an observer, or listener, must continuously monitor a situation…

police: Early police in the United States: …Saxon tradition of frankpledge: the vigilante. In areas where a formal justice system had yet to be established or the rudimentary policing apparatus had proved inadequate in the face of rampant crime, it was not uncommon for citizens (called “regulators”) to band together in “committees of vigilance” to combat crime…

LaFayette Curry Baker: In 1856 he joined the San Francisco Vigilance Command (known as the Vigilantes), a group of self-appointed police whose operations were characterized by arbitrariness and lack of due process. In the next four years he was often employed in an undercover capacity and became adept at techniques of deception and…

police: Ancient policing: …brigade into a corps of vigiles (firefighters and watchmen), consisting of seven squads, or cohorts, of 1,000 freedmen each. Each cohort was responsible for fire and, especially at night, police protection in two regiones. As a further measure to impose order on the often violent streets of Rome—a city of…

wake, watch or vigil held over the body of a dead person before burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity; also, in England, a vigil kept in commemoration of the dedication of the parish church. The latter type of wake consisted of an all-night service of prayer and meditation in the church.

Bisceglie, town and episcopal see, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southeastern Italy. It lies along the Adriatic Sea and is about 120 miles (190 km) east-northeast of Naples. The Romans called the place Vigiliae, from the watchtowers that were used there in guarding the coast. The town was conquered by

Vigilius was the pope from 537 to 555, known for his major role in what later was called the “Three Chapters Controversy,” a complex theological dispute between the Eastern and Western churches. Vigilius, of noble birth, became a Roman deacon and was with Pope St. Agapetus I during the latter’s

Trento: Vigilius, converted Trentino and the southern Tirol to Christianity in the late 4th–early 5th century. The seat of a Lombard duchy and later of a Frankish march (borderland), it became a dominion of its prince-bishops in 1027 under Holy Roman imperial patronage and later became…

nueva canción: The formative years: the late 1950s through the ’60s: In Uruguay nueva cancíon musician Daniel Viglietti created songs that captured audiences not only across Latin America but also in France and Spain. In Cuba, Pablo Milanés, Silvio Rodríguez, and their colleagues at the national film institute pioneered the “protest music” that ultimately came to be called nueva trova (also…

bean: The genera Phaseolus and Vigna have several species each of well-known beans, though a number of economically important species can be found in various genera throughout the family. Rich in protein and providing moderate amounts of iron, thiamin, and riboflavin, beans are used worldwide for cooking in either fresh…

adzuki bean, (Vigna angularis), edible seed of the adzuki plant, a legume plant of the pea family (Fabaceae). The plant is native to East Asia and may have been independently domesticated in Korea, Japan, and China. An important source of starch and protein, adzuki beans are a common ingredient in

mung bean, (Vigna radiata), legume plant of the pea family (Fabaceae), grown for its edible seeds and young sprouts. The mung bean is likely native to the Indian subcontinent and is widely cultivated in Asia for use in a variety of sweet and savory dishes, particularly in India, China, Korea, and

cowpea, (Vigna unguiculata), annual plant within the pea family (Fabaceae) grown for its edible legumes. The plants are thought to be native to West Africa and are widely cultivated in warm regions around the world. In addition to their use as a protein-rich food crop, cowpeas are extensively grown

Karakoram Range: Study and exploration: William Moorcroft, George Trebeck, and Godfrey Thomas Vigne plotted the locations of major rivers, glaciers, and mountains. The extraordinary topography, along with protracted military tensions in the Karakorams between Russia and Britain and more recently between China, Pakistan, and India, prompted many expeditions in the 19th and 20th centuries. Most…

Vincent du Vigneaud was an American biochemist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1955 for the isolation and synthesis of two pituitary hormones: vasopressin, which acts on the muscles of the blood vessels to cause elevation of blood pressure; and oxytocin, the principal agent causing

Canadian literature: The Quiet Revolution: With chansonniers (singer-songwriters) such as Gilles Vigneault, the “Quebec song” became the poetry of the people. Fusing elements of traditional Quebec folk music with politically charged lyrics, the Quebec song gained new importance at this time for its role in sustaining political fervour and national pride. Vigneault’s music incorporated many…

Miranda warning: Miranda v. Arizona: United States and Vignera v. New York, also had their convictions overturned by the Supreme Court. The fourth case, California v. Stewart, had already been overturned by the Supreme Court of California for similar reasons, and that decision was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Austin Dobson: His first collection of poems, Vignettes in Rhyme (1873), was followed by Proverbs in Porcelain (1877). In these and in At the Sign of the Lyre (1885), Dobson showed the polish, wit, and restrained pathos that made his verses popular. After 1885 Dobson was chiefly occupied with biographical and critical…

Neuchâtel: …strip along the lake called Le Vignoble (from its vineyards); an intermediate region, Les Vallées, comprising the two principal valleys of the canton (the Ruz Valley, watered by the Seyon, and the Travers Valley, watered by L’Areuse), which lie at an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 metres); and the highest…

Giacomo da Vignola was an architect who, with Andrea Palladio and Giulio Romano, dominated Italian Mannerist architectural design and stylistically anticipated the Baroque. After studying in Bologna, Vignola went to Rome in the 1530s and made drawings of the antiquities for a projected edition of

railroad: Rail: An English engineer, Charles Vignoles, is credited with the invention of this design in the 1830s. A similar design also was developed by Robert L. Stevens, president of the Camden and Amboy Railroad in the United States.

Western painting: France: …the exception of that of Claude Vignon, who exchanged his Mannerist training for a style based on Elsheimer and to a lesser extent Lastman, and who in the 1620s revealed a remarkable knowledge of the earliest paintings of Rembrandt. The return of Simon Vouet to Paris, however, marked the arrival…

Madeleine: Pierre-Alexandre Vignon in 1806. Together with the Arc de Triomphe (1806–08) and the Vendôme Column, the Madeleine is one of the monuments with which Napoleon sought to turn Paris into an imperial capital. Built in the form of a Roman temple surrounded by a Corinthian…

Alfred-Victor, count de Vigny was a poet, dramatist, and novelist who was the most philosophical of the French Romantic writers. Vigny was born into an aristocratic family that had been reduced to modest circumstances by the French Revolution. His father, a 60-year-old retired soldier at the time

Vigo, port city and naval station, Pontevedra provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. Vigo is one of the largest and most important fishing ports in all of Europe and is known for its freezing and canning industry. Vigo lies along the

Jean Vigo was a French film director whose blending of lyricism with realism and Surrealism, the whole underlined with a cynical, anarchic approach to life, distinguished him as an original talent. Although he completed only three feature films and one short, Taris (1931), before his early death,

murti, in Hinduism, a sacred image or depiction of a deity. In Sanskrit the word murti means anything that has a definite shape or form, and in a ritual context the term means an embodiment or sacred image of a deity. In Hindu practice, murtis can be found in temples, in homes, on roadsides, and in

Saint Catherine of Bologna ; canonized 1712; feast day May 9) was an Italian mystic and writer whose spiritual writings were popular in Italy until the end of the 18th century. Of noble birth, Catherine was educated at the Este court at Ferrara and entered the order in 1432. In 1456 she founded in

Saint Catherine of Bologna ; canonized 1712; feast day May 9) was an Italian mystic and writer whose spiritual writings were popular in Italy until the end of the 18th century. Of noble birth, Catherine was educated at the Este court at Ferrara and entered the order in 1432. In 1456 she founded in

provost, in French law, an inferior royal judge under the ancien régime, who, during the later Middle Ages, often served as an administrator of the domain. The position appears to date from the 11th century, when the Capetian dynasty of kings sought a means to render justice within their realm and

Bihar, state of eastern India. It is bounded by Nepal to the north and by the Indian states of West Bengal to the northeast and Uttar Pradesh to the west. In November 2000 the new state of Jharkhand was created from Bihar’s southern provinces and now forms the state’s southern and southeastern

vihara, early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks during the rainy season, when it became difficult for them to lead the wanderer’s life. They took

bhūmi, in Mahāyāna Buddhism, the stages of spiritual progress of the bodhisattva, or one who, though capable of enlightenment, delays his buddhahood in order to work for the salvation of others. The stages (which are also termed vihāras, “stations”) appear as 7, 10, and 13 in various texts, but the

Vihāri, town, south-central Punjab province, Pakistan. The town lies on a flat alluvial plain bordered by the Sutlej River on the southeast. It is a market and processing centre for cotton and oilseeds. Wheat, rice, sugarcane, and vegetables are also grown nearby, and there are rice and flour mills

vihuela, stringed musical instrument that in Spanish Renaissance art music held the popularity accorded the lute elsewhere in Europe. Built like a large guitar, it had six, sometimes seven, double courses of strings tuned like the lute: G–c–f–a–d′–g′. (The guitar then had four double courses.) The

vihuela, stringed musical instrument that in Spanish Renaissance art music held the popularity accorded the lute elsewhere in Europe. Built like a large guitar, it had six, sometimes seven, double courses of strings tuned like the lute: G–c–f–a–d′–g′. (The guitar then had four double courses.) The

Spain: Romanization of Spain: …Spain was limited to the VII Gemina Felix legion, stationed at Legio (León) in the north. Both that legion and the other auxiliary units in Spain seem to have been recruited increasingly from the peninsula itself, and recruits from Spain served throughout the Roman world, from Britain to Syria. From…

Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Antwerp, Belgium, that took place April 20–September 12, 1920. The Antwerp Games were the sixth occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. The 1920 Olympics were awarded to Antwerp in hopes of bringing a spirit of renewal to Belgium, which had been

Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, that took place Jan. 26–Feb. 5, 1956. The Cortina d’Ampezzo Games were the seventh occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games. Originally awarded the 1944 Winter Games, which were canceled because of World

James Nachtwey: …of the founding members of VII Photo Agency, named for the number of its founding members. He left that agency in 2011.

Paris 1924 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Paris that took place May 4–July 27, 1924. The Paris Games were the seventh occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. The 1924 Games represented a coming of age for the Olympics. Held in Paris in tribute to Pierre de Coubertin, the retiring

1960 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Olympic Valley (formerly Squaw Valley), California, U.S., that took place February 18–28, 1960. The 1960 Games were the eighth occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games. Olympic Valley was narrowly awarded the 1960 Winter Olympics, beating out

Vyborg, city, Leningrad oblast (region), northwestern Russia. The city stands at the head of Vyborg Bay of the Gulf of Finland, 70 miles (113 km) northwest of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). First settled in the 12th century, Vyborg was built as a fortress in 1293 by the Swedes after they had

Alvar Aalto: Early work: …sanatorium at Paimio, and the Municipal Library at Viipuri (now Vyborg, Russia). His plans for the last two were chosen in a competition, a common practice with public buildings in Finland. Both the office building and the sanatorium emphasize functional, straightforward design and are without historical stylistic references. They go…

Majapahit empire: …founder of the empire was Vijaya, a prince of Singhasari who escaped when Jayakatwang, the ruler of Kaḍiri, seized the palace. In 1292 Mongol troops came to Java to avenge an insult to the emperor of China, Kublai Khan, by Kertanagara, the king of Singhasari, who had been replaced by…

Sri Lanka: Legendary origins: …on Sri Lanka were Prince Vijaya and his 700 followers, who landed on the west coast near Puttalam (5th century bce). They had been banished for misconduct from the kingdom of Sinhapura in northern India by Vijaya’s father, King Sinhabahu, who put them all in a ship and drove them…

India: Wars and rivalries: …Devaraya’s two sons, Ramcandra and Vijaya, were disastrous. In a war against the Bahmanīs, many temples were destroyed, and Vijaya was forced to pay a huge indemnity. A combined invasion by the king of Orissa and the Velamas of Andhra resulted in the loss of the territories newly gained in…

Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is

Anawrahta: …maintained diplomatic relations with King Vijayabāhu of Ceylon, who in 1071 requested the assistance of Burmese monks to help revive the Buddhist faith. The Ceylonese king sent Anawrahta a replica of the Buddha’s tooth relic, which was placed in the Shwezigon pagoda at Pagan.

Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is

Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is

O.V. Vijayan was an Indian cartoonist, pioneering novelist and short-story writer, and a leading figure in Malayalam literature. In addition to cartoons and journalistic articles on such subjects as politics and the environment, he produced several novels and a number of short stories. Vijayan

O.V. Vijayan was an Indian cartoonist, pioneering novelist and short-story writer, and a leading figure in Malayalam literature. In addition to cartoons and journalistic articles on such subjects as politics and the environment, he produced several novels and a number of short stories. Vijayan

Vijayanagar, great ruined city in southern India and also the name of the empire ruled first from that city and later from Penukonda (in present-day southwestern Andhra Pradesh state) between 1336 and about 1614. The site of the city, on the Tungabhadra River, is now partly occupied by the village

Vijayapura, city, northern Karnataka state, southern India. It is situated in the northern part of the Karnataka Plateau, about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the Don River (a tributary of the Krishna River). Vijayapura (“City of Victory”) was a major site of Islamic architecture from the early Muslim

Vijayawada, city, east-central Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. It lies in a generally level plain punctuated by hills on the Krishna River, about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Rajahmundry. The city is a major road and rail junction as well as a center for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimages.

August Šenoa: …contributed to the critical journal Vijenac (“The Wreath”), publishing many short stories, poems, and essays. His novels include Seljačka buna (1877; “Peasants’ Revolt”), Diogenes (1878), Prosjak Luka (1879; “The Beggar Luka”), and Branka (1881).

vijñāna, (Sanskrit), in the Buddhist chain of dependent origination, thought or knowledge giving rise to name and form. See

vijñāna-skandha, in Buddhist philosophy, one of the five skandhas, or aggregates, that constitute all that exists. Thought (vijñāna/viññāṇa) is the psychic process that results from other psychological phenomena. The simplest form is knowledge through any of the senses, particularly through the

Samkhya: Vijnanabhikshu wrote an important treatise on the system in the 16th century.

Buddhism: Yogachara/Vijnanavada (Faxiang/Hossō): …is that only consciousness (vijnanamatra; hence the name Vijnanavada) is real and that external things do not exist. Thought or mind is the ultimate reality, and nothing exists outside the mind, according to this school. The common view that external things exist is due to an error that can…

Yogachara, an influential idealistic school of Mahayana Buddhism. Yogachara attacked both the complete realism of Theravada Buddhism and the provisional practical realism of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. The name of the school is derived from the title of an important 4th- or

Yogachara, an influential idealistic school of Mahayana Buddhism. Yogachara attacked both the complete realism of Theravada Buddhism and the provisional practical realism of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. The name of the school is derived from the title of an important 4th- or

vijñapti-karman, (Sanskrit: “manifest activity”), in Buddhist philosophy, a kind of action that manifests itself outside of the actor and is capable of being recognized by others. Of the three kinds of action (i.e., those produced by the body, mouth, and mind) usually admitted in Buddhism, bodily

Indian philosophy: Contributions of Vasubandhu and Asanga: …the Yogachara, Vasubandhu wrote the Vijnapti-matrata-siddhi (“Establishment of the Thesis of Cognitions—Only”), in which he defended the thesis that the supposedly external objects are merely mental conceptions. Yogachara idealism is a logical development of Sautrantika representationism: the conception of a merely inferred external world is not satisfying. If consciousness is…

Yogachara, an influential idealistic school of Mahayana Buddhism. Yogachara attacked both the complete realism of Theravada Buddhism and the provisional practical realism of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. The name of the school is derived from the title of an important 4th- or

Norwegian literature: The 20th century: Bjørg Vik was a short-story writer who portrayed, from a feminist viewpoint, the lives of contemporary women, while Cecilie Løveid, a postmodernist poet and playwright, became one of the few writers who successfully challenged the Ibsenite tradition in drama.

Indian philosophy: Metaphysics and epistemology: …concerns the key notion of vikalpa, which stands for mental states referring to pseudo-objects posited only by words. Such mental states are neither “valid” nor “invalid” and are said to be unavoidable accompaniments of one’s use of language.

Alicia Vikander is a Swedish actress who is known for her versatility. She earned an Academy Award for her performance in The Danish Girl (2015). Vikander was the daughter of stage actress Maria Fahl Vikander and Svante Vikander, a psychiatrist. Initially she studied dance at the Royal Swedish

Alicia Vikander is a Swedish actress who is known for her versatility. She earned an Academy Award for her performance in The Danish Girl (2015). Vikander was the daughter of stage actress Maria Fahl Vikander and Svante Vikander, a psychiatrist. Initially she studied dance at the Royal Swedish

Vaira Vike-Freiberga is a Latvian psychologist who served as president of Latvia (1999–2007). She was the first woman to head a postcommunist eastern European country. Near the end of World War II, Vike fled with her family to Germany and then French Morocco after Soviet forces took over Latvia. In

Vaira Vike-Freiberga is a Latvian psychologist who served as president of Latvia (1999–2007). She was the first woman to head a postcommunist eastern European country. Near the end of World War II, Vike fled with her family to Germany and then French Morocco after Soviet forces took over Latvia. In

Olympic Games: Revival of the Olympics: …that, except for his coworkers Dimítrios Vikélas of Greece, who was to be the first president of the International Olympic Committee, and Professor William M. Sloane of the United States, from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), no one had any real interest in the revival of the…

Bulgaria: South Bulgaria: …Peninsula; the Pirin Mountains, with Vikhren Peak reaching 9,560 feet; and a frontier range known as the Belasitsa Mountains. These majestic ranges discharge meltwater from montane snowfields throughout the summer, and their sharp outlines, pine-clad slopes, and, in the Rila and Pirin ranges, several hundred lakes of glacial origin combine…

Viking, member of the Scandinavian seafaring warriors who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the 9th to the 11th century and whose disruptive influence profoundly affected European history. These pagan Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish warriors were probably prompted to undertake their

Viking, either of two robotic U.S. spacecraft launched by NASA for extended study of the planet Mars. The Viking project was the first planetary exploration mission to transmit pictures from the Martian surface. Viking 1 and Viking 2, which lifted off on August 20 and September 9, 1975,

longship, type of sail-and-oar vessel that predominated in northern European waters for more than 1,500 years and played an important role in history. Ranging from 45 to 75 feet (14 to 23 metres) in length, clinker-built (with overlapped planks), and carrying a single square sail, the longship was

Toots and the Maytals, highly popular Jamaican vocal ensemble of the 1960s and ’70s, regarded as one of the great early reggae groups. The members were Toots Hibbert (original name Frederick Hibbert; b. December 8, 1942, Maypen, Jamaica—d. September 11, 2020, Kingston), Nathaniel (“Jerry”) Matthias

Ragnar Lothbrok: …in the popular television series Vikings.

While Vikings don’t exactly have a reputation for being cuddly, their travel companions do. Hoping to shed some light on the early history of cats, in 2016 researchers reported the results of a study in which they sequenced the DNA of 209 felines, the remains of which had been found at various

The Vikings, American adventure film, released in 1958, that was based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall. It was noted for its efforts to be an authentic portrayal of Viking life. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) The story was filmed primarily on location in

Chandrayaan: The mission’s Vikram lander (named after ISRO founder Vikram Sarabhai) was planned to land on September 7. Vikram carried the small (27-kg [60-pound]) Pragyan (Sanskrit: “Wisdom”) rover. Both Vikram and Pragyan were designed to operate for 1 lunar day (14 Earth days). However, just before Vikram was…

chronology: Reckonings dated from a historical event: The Vikrama era (58 bc) is said in the Jain book Kālakācāryakathā to have been founded after a victory of King Vikramāditya over the Śaka. But some scholars credit the Scytho-Parthian ruler Azes with the foundation of this era. It is sometimes called the Mālava era…

Chandragupta II, was a powerful emperor (reigned c. 380–c. 415 ce) of northern India. He was the son of Samudra Gupta and grandson of Chandragupta I. During his reign, art, architecture, and sculpture flourished, and the cultural development of ancient India reached its climax. According to

India: The economy: …historical literature such as Bilhana’s Vikramankadevacarita, the life of the Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI, and Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, a history of Kashmir.

South Asian arts: Period of the Tamil Cōḷa Empire (10th–13th century): …stature with two great epics: Vikramārjuna Vijaya and Ādipurāṇa. The former is a rendering of the Mahābhārata, with the hero, Arjuna, identified with the poet’s royal patron, Arikēsarī. This felicitous epic is known for its succinct, powerful characterizations, its rich descriptions of Kannada country and court, its moving sentiments, and…

Vikramorvashi, drama by Kalidasa written in the 5th century ce. The subject of the play is the love of a mortal for a divine maiden. The play contains a well-known “mad scene” (Act IV) in which the king, grief-stricken, wanders through a lovely forest apostrophizing various flowers and trees as

Viktor Korchnoi was a world chess champion contender who was one of the fiercest competitors in the history of chess. During his prime years he was known as “Viktor the Terrible.” As a youngster, Korchnoi lived through the World War II siege of Leningrad (1941–43). He became a Soviet chess master

Victoria was the consort of the emperor Frederick III of Germany and the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Great Britain. Well-educated and multilingual from childhood (spent largely at Windsor and Buckingham Palace), Victoria remained all her life strongly devoted to England and,