FACTOID #53: If you thought Antarctica was inhospitable, think again - its land area is only ninety-eight percent ice. Reassuringly, the other 2% is categorised as "barren rock".
The Indian light festival Diwali is traditionally lit up by huge numbers of Diya (plural "diyas"). Diya is a contracted form of deep or light given by small earthen pots (also known as Pradeep), with wick made of cotton and dipped in ghee. They are also used for praying to the deceased ancestors and are floated on leaves over the holy rivers like the Ganges at Haridwar. Jump to: navigation, search Collections of Diyas DÄ«pãvali (also transliterated Deepavali; Sanskrit: row of lights) or Diwãli (contracted spelling) is the Hindu Festival of Lights. ... Jump to: navigation, search Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Ghee Ghee (Hindi à¤à¥, from Sanskrit ghá¹ta à¤à¥à¤¤ sprinkled) is a type of clarified butter important in Indian cuisine and tradition. ... Early morning on the Ganges The River Ganges (Ganga in Indian languages) (Devanagiri गंगा) is a major river in northern India. ... Haridwar (also known as Hardwar) is a holy city in the state of Uttaranchal in northern India. ...