koine, originally, a contact variety of the Greek language that was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean region during the Hellenic and Roman empires. The term comes from the Greek koine (“common” or “shared”), although the variety was based chiefly on the Attic Greek dialect. A compromise

Koine, the fairly uniform Hellenistic Greek spoken and written from the 4th century bc until the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (mid-6th century ad) in Greece, Macedonia, and the parts of Africa and the Middle East that had come under the influence or control of Greeks or of Hellenized

Demotic Greek language: …form a single unified language, Standard Modern Greek (Greek: Koini Neoelliniki).

Metéora: …from the 14th century, when Athanasios Koinovitis, a monk from Mount Athos, ascended the plathy lithos (“broad rock”) and built the first structures of the Great Metéoron. The Serbian king then in control of Thessaly granted the monastery religious privileges. In 1388 the king’s son and the hermit Ioasaf, a…

Girija Prasad Koirala was an Indian-born Nepalese politician who served four times as the prime minister of Nepal (1991–94, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2006–08). Koirala was a member of the most prominent political family in Nepal. His older brothers both served as prime minister: Matrika Prasad Koirala in

Sushil Koirala was a Nepali politician and government official, who served as the prime minister of Nepal in 2014–15. Koirala was a member of one of Nepal’s most prominent political families. Three of his relatives—Matrika Prasad Koirala, Bishweshwar Prasad (B.P.) Koirala, and Girija Prasad

Koishikawa Botanical Garden, botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Tokyo. It has some 4,000 different plant species under cultivation on its 40-acre (16-hectare) site in Tokyo. Among its most notable outdoor collections are camellias, cherries, maples, Japanese primroses,

Koishikawa Botanical Garden, botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Tokyo. It has some 4,000 different plant species under cultivation on its 40-acre (16-hectare) site in Tokyo. Among its most notable outdoor collections are camellias, cherries, maples, Japanese primroses,

Koiso Kuniaki was a Japanese army general and prime minister during the final phase of World War II. Koiso graduated from the Army Academy in 1900 at the top of his class, attended the Army War College, and served on active duty during the Russo-Japanese War. In 1930 he became chief of the Bureau

Finland: The postwar period: …succeeded by the Social Democrat Mauno Koivisto, who was reelected in 1988. Koivisto was in turn succeeded in 1994 by another Social Democrat, Martti Ahtisaari.

Koizumi Junichiro is a third-generation Japanese politician, who was the prime minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. Both Koizumi’s father and grandfather served in the Diet (parliament). He graduated with a degree in economics from Keio University, Tokyo, in 1967 and then attended the London School

Koizumi Junichiro is a third-generation Japanese politician, who was the prime minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. Both Koizumi’s father and grandfather served in the Diet (parliament). He graduated with a degree in economics from Keio University, Tokyo, in 1967 and then attended the London School

Lafcadio Hearn was a writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West. Hearn grew up in Dublin. After a brief and spasmodic education in England and France, he immigrated to the United States at 19. He settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, working at various

Korçë: …in 1484 the local lord, Koja Mirahor İlyas Bey, a Muslim convert active in the Ottoman siege of Constantinople (1453; now Istanbul), returned to the site and built the mosque that bears his name. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries Korçë was a centre of commerce and trade. The…

continental philosophy: French Nietzscheanism: …1930s, the Russian émigré philosopher Alexandre Kojève (1902–68) held a series of seminars on Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit that were attended by the most eminent figures in French intellectual society. Kojève’s idiosyncratic reading of Hegel probably had a greater impact on novelists and poets than on philosophers, though it did…

sake: …preparation of steamed rice and koji (Aspergillus oryzae), a fungus that converts the rice starch to fermentable sugars. The koji is mixed with water and fresh steamed rice, traditionally by hand, and is wrapped in a blanket and incubated to form a sweet crumbly dry material. This is then placed…

Kojiki, (Japanese: “Records of Ancient Matters”), together with the Nihon shoki (q.v.), the first written record in Japan, part of which is considered a sacred text of the Shintō religion. The Kojiki text was compiled from oral tradition in 712. The Kojiki is an important source book for

Kojiki, (Japanese: “Records of Ancient Matters”), together with the Nihon shoki (q.v.), the first written record in Japan, part of which is considered a sacred text of the Shintō religion. The Kojiki text was compiled from oral tradition in 712. The Kojiki is an important source book for

Ōe Kenzaburō: …finest novel, Kojinteki-na taiken (1964; A Personal Matter), a darkly humorous account of a new father’s struggle to accept the birth of his brain-damaged child. A visit to Hiroshima resulted in the work Hiroshima nōto (1965; Hiroshima Notes), which deals with the survivors of the atomic bombing of that city.…

Japanese music: Composers in Western styles: …is Kojo no tsuki (The Ruined Castle), written in 1901 by Taki Rentarō after his training in Germany. In its piano-accompanied version it recalls the style of Franz Schubert, but as sung in the streets it sounds Japanese. Yamada Kōsaku was training in Germany when the Meiji era ended…

Gojong was the 26th monarch of the Joseon (Yi) dynasty and the last to effectively rule Korea. Gojong became king of Korea while still a young boy. During the first years of his reign, power was in the hands of his father, Daewon-gun, who as regent attempted to restore and revitalize the country.

Adam Kok III was a chief who led the people of the Griqua nation from their home in the Orange Free State (now part of South Africa) to found a new nation, Griqualand East, on the east coast of what is now South Africa. He considered himself an independent ally of the British, but colonial

Kök Turki alphabet, writing system used by Turkic-speaking peoples in Central Asia from the 6th to the 8th century ad. It is sometimes called Kök Turki runes because of the resemblance of its letter forms to those of the (Germanic) runic alphabet. The script occurred in two forms, monumental and

Aral Sea: Physiographic changes: … funded the construction of the Kok-Aral Dam (completed 2005) and projects along the Syr Darya that appeared to be preserving the northern portion of the sea. However, the southern portion—both the eastern and western lobes but most notably the eastern—continued to shrink, despite some inflow of water from the north.…

kokako, (species Callaeas cinerea), New Zealand songbird of the family Callaeidae (order Passeriformes). The kokako is 45 cm (17.5 inches) long and has a gray body, black mask, and blue or orange wattles at the corners of the mouth. Surviving in a few mountain forests, the kokako lives mainly on

Kalachuri dynasty: Central India: …into clearer focus only with Kokalla I (reigned c. 850–885). The period between Kokalla I and Kokalla II (reigned c. 990–1015) is marked by a consolidation of Kalachuri power and by their relations with contemporary dynasties. The success attributed to Kokalla I against the Pratiharas, the Kalachuris of Uttar Pradesh,…

Shiba Kōkan was a Japanese artist and scholar of the Tokugawa period who introduced many aspects of Western culture to Japan. He was a pioneer in Western-style oil painting and was the first Japanese to produce a copperplate etching. Kōkan studied painting first with a teacher of the Kanō school,

Kokand, city, eastern Uzbekistan. It lies in the western Fergana Valley, at road and rail junctions from Tashkent to the valley. The ancient town of Khavakend occupied the site from at least the 10th century and was situated on the caravan route from India and China. In the 13th century it was

Tashkent: …before being annexed by the khanate of Kokand in 1809. When it was captured by the Russians in 1865, it was a walled city of some 70,000 inhabitants and already a leading centre of trade with Russia. In 1867 it was made the administrative centre of the new governorate-general of…

sockeye salmon: The kokanee (O. nerka kennerlyi) is a small nonmigratory freshwater form of sockeye. See also salmon.

Kökshetaū, city, northern Kazakhstan. It lies along the southern edge of the Esil (Ishim) Steppe. Kökshetaü was founded in 1824 as an administrative outpost when the Russians extended their control over the Kazaks. It became a district administrative centre in 1868 and a regional centre in 1944,

Kökshetaū, city, northern Kazakhstan. It lies along the southern edge of the Esil (Ishim) Steppe. Kökshetaü was founded in 1824 as an administrative outpost when the Russians extended their control over the Kazaks. It became a district administrative centre in 1868 and a regional centre in 1944,

Kaikei: Together with his father, Kōkei, and his brother Unkei, he made statues for the temples of Kōfuku and Tōdai in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. Kaikei’s style, while sharing the direct and realistic manner typical of the time, was noted for its gentleness and grace in contrast to…

Kokemäen River, river in southwestern Finland. Its source is Lake Pyhä, from which it flows southwest and then northwest for about 90 miles (145 km) to enter the Gulf of Bothnia, near Pori. It is dammed for hydroelectric

Kokemäen River, river in southwestern Finland. Its source is Lake Pyhä, from which it flows southwest and then northwest for about 90 miles (145 km) to enter the Gulf of Bothnia, near Pori. It is dammed for hydroelectric

Kōken was the last empress to rule Japan until the 17th century; she twice occupied the throne (749–758; 764–770). There had been a number of female rulers before Kōken, but the power achieved by the Buddhist monk Dōkyō during her second reign caused the Council of Ministers to preclude female

cryptology: The impact of modern electronics: …similar to rotors is the Fibonacci generator (also called the Koken generator after its inventor), named for the Fibonacci sequence of number theory. In the classical Fibonacci sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…each successive term, beginning with 2, is the sum of the two terms to its left;…

Kōken was the last empress to rule Japan until the 17th century; she twice occupied the throne (749–758; 764–770). There had been a number of female rulers before Kōken, but the power achieved by the Buddhist monk Dōkyō during her second reign caused the Council of Ministers to preclude female

Bar Kokhba was a Jewish leader who led a bitter but unsuccessful revolt (132–135 ce) against Roman dominion in Judaea. During his tour of the Eastern Empire in 131, the Roman emperor Hadrian decided upon a policy of Hellenization to integrate the Jews into the empire. Circumcision was proscribed, a

Kohtla-Järve, city, Estonia, near the Gulf of Finland. Founded in 1900 and incorporated in 1946, it lies on the Tallinn–St. Petersburg road and railway. Its principal industry is the processing of oil shales based on local deposits; shale-gas pipelines were constructed to Leningrad (now St.

Kokinshū, the first anthology of Japanese poetry compiled upon Imperial order, by poet Ki Tsurayuki and others in 905. It was the first major literary work written in the kana writing system. The Kokinshū comprises 1,111 poems, many of them anonymous, divided into 20 books arranged by topic. These

Kokinshū, the first anthology of Japanese poetry compiled upon Imperial order, by poet Ki Tsurayuki and others in 905. It was the first major literary work written in the kana writing system. The Kokinshū comprises 1,111 poems, many of them anonymous, divided into 20 books arranged by topic. These

Kokinshū, the first anthology of Japanese poetry compiled upon Imperial order, by poet Ki Tsurayuki and others in 905. It was the first major literary work written in the kana writing system. The Kokinshū comprises 1,111 poems, many of them anonymous, divided into 20 books arranged by topic. These

Canadian literature: The cosmopolitan culture of French Canada and Quebec: …a Negro]); from Brazil, novelist Sergio Kokis (Le Pavillon des miroirs [1994; Funhouse]); from Egypt, poet Anne-Marie Alonzo (Bleus de mine [1985; Lead Blues]); from Lebanon, playwright and novelist Abla Farhoud (Le Bonheur a la queue glissante [1998; “Happiness Has a Slippery Tail”]); and from France, novelist and theorist Régine…

State Shintō, nationalistic official religion of Japan from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 through World War II. It focused on ceremonies of the imperial household and public Shintō shrines. State Shintō was founded on the ancient precedent of saisei itchi, the unity of religion and government.

Diet, the national legislature of Japan. Under the Meiji Constitution of 1889, the Imperial Diet was established on the basis of two houses with coequal powers. The upper house, the House of Peers (Kizokuin), was almost wholly appointive. Initially, its membership was slightly less than 300, but it

Mount Pentelicus: …northeast of Athens (Athína), is Kokkinarás (3,632 feet [1,107 m]), which yields white Pentelic marble on its north slope. In Classical times the peak had 25 quarries on the south slope at elevations between 2,500 and 3,300 feet (760 and 1000 m). These provided excellent marble for most of the…

Koko, town and port, Delta state, southern Nigeria. It lies along the Benin River, in the western Niger River delta. A collecting point for palm oil and kernels as well as timber, it can be reached by vessels of 14-foot (4-meter) draft that navigate the 50-mile (80-kilometer) distance upstream to

Koko Head: …meters) near Kawaihoa Point, and Koko Crater (Hawaii’s tallest tuff ring), which rises to 1,207 feet (368 meters). According to legend, Koko Crater was formed when Pele, the goddess of fires and volcanoes, was chased by Kamapuaa, the pig god. The crater contains a 60-acre (24-hectare) botanical garden. The cape’s…

Koko Head, cape and landmark, Honolulu county, on the southeastern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies across from Diamond Head 9 miles (14 km) east on Maunalua Bay. Formed by secondary volcanic eruptions of the Koolau Range more than 10,000 years ago, the cape (whose name means “blood” or

Koko Head: These include Koko Head Crater, at an elevation of 642 feet (196 meters) near Kawaihoa Point, and Koko Crater (Hawaii’s tallest tuff ring), which rises to 1,207 feet (368 meters). According to legend, Koko Crater was formed when Pele, the goddess of fires and volcanoes, was chased…

Koko Nor, lake, Qinghai province, west-central China. The largest mountain lake without a river outlet in Central Asia, it is located in a depression of the Qilian Mountains, its surface at an elevation of about 10,500 feet (3,200 metres) above sea level. The length of the lake approaches 65 miles

history of publishing: Continental Europe and other countries: …shogunate sympathizers, they included the Kōko shimbun, whose publisher, the dramatist and educator Fukuchi Gen’ichirō, had studied Western newspapers on his official travels abroad for the Japanese government (and who was later, in 1874, to preside over the Nichi-Nichi shimbun, a paper that was closer to Western newspapers in style).…

Kokoda Track Campaign, series of military operations fought between Australian and Japanese troops in New Guinea during World War II. At its closest point to mainland Australia, New Guinea is less than 100 miles (160 km) away, and it became apparent in the early days of the Pacific War that the

Kokoda Track Campaign, series of military operations fought between Australian and Japanese troops in New Guinea during World War II. At its closest point to mainland Australia, New Guinea is less than 100 miles (160 km) away, and it became apparent in the early days of the Pacific War that the

Kokomo, city, seat (1844) of Howard county, north-central Indiana, U.S., on Wildcat Creek, 52 miles (84 km) north of Indianapolis. In 1844 David Foster, a trader, laid out the village of Kokomo (named for a Miami chieftain) on part of the reservation once held by Chief La Fontaine. The settlement’s

East Asian mathematics: The elaboration of Chinese methods: Sawaguchi Kazuyuki’s Kokon sanpoki (1671; “Ancient and Modern Mathematics”) pointed out that “erroneous” problems could have more than one solution (in other words, equations could have more than one root), but he left unanswered difficult problems involving simultaneous equations of the nth degree. Equations for their solution…

Japanese literature: The novel between 1905 and 1941: His best-known novel, Kokoro (1914; “The Heart”; Eng. trans. Kokoro), revolves around another familiar situation in his novels, two men in love with the same woman. His last novel, Meian (1916; Light and Darkness), though unfinished, has been acclaimed by some as his masterpiece.

Oceanic art and architecture: The Solomon Islands: …Buka-Bougainville two-dimensional art is the kokorra, a silhouette of a squatting or standing human figure with upraised hands and the male mitrelike coiffure. This figure—or the head alone—was painted and carved in bas-relief upon a great variety of objects, including canoes, paddles, slit gongs, dance clubs, and architectural elements.

Oskar Kokoschka was an Austrian painter and writer who was one of the leading exponents of Expressionism. In his early portraits, gesture intensifies the psychological penetration of character; especially powerful among his later works are allegories of the artist’s emphatic humanism. His dramas,

Western architecture: Kievan Rus and Russia: There the kokoshniki were introduced in the treatment of the roof. This element, similar in outline to the popular Russian bochka roof (pointed on top, with the sides forming a continuous double curve, concave above and convex below), foreshadowed a tendency to replace the forms of the…

Western architecture: Kievan Rus and Russia: There the kokoshniki were introduced in the treatment of the roof. This element, similar in outline to the popular Russian bochka roof (pointed on top, with the sides forming a continuous double curve, concave above and convex below), foreshadowed a tendency to replace the forms of the…

Berlin Marathon: …victories is three, shared by Renata Kokowska of Poland and Uta Pippig of Germany.

Tien Shan: Physiography: Dzhetym, At-Bashy, and the Kakshaal (Kokshaal-Tau) Range, in which Dankova Peak reaches a height of 19,626 feet (5,982 metres).

Kökshetaū, city, northern Kazakhstan. It lies along the southern edge of the Esil (Ishim) Steppe. Kökshetaü was founded in 1824 as an administrative outpost when the Russians extended their control over the Kazaks. It became a district administrative centre in 1868 and a regional centre in 1944,

Japan: The Hideyoshi regime: … of silver, an assessment of kokudaka was made as so many hundred or ten thousand koku of rice. A koku represented the amount of rice consumed by one person in one year (about five bushels); the amount also was used as a standard on which military services were levied in…

Japanese architecture: The Nara period: In 741 he established the kokubunji system, building a monastery and a nunnery in each province, all under a central authority at Nara. In 743 he initiated the planning for construction of that central authority—the Tōdai Temple—and of its central image, a massive bronze statue of the Birushana (Vairocana) Buddha,…

Kokubunji, city, Tokyo to (metropolis), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Chūō Main Line, west of Tokyo city. The city first developed around the Kokubun Temple, built in the 8th century for a group of Buddhist nuns, and was an early cultural centre. During the Meiji era (1868–1912), it depended

Japanese architecture: The Nara period: In 741 he established the kokubunji system, building a monastery and a nunnery in each province, all under a central authority at Nara. In 743 he initiated the planning for construction of that central authority—the Tōdai Temple—and of its central image, a massive bronze statue of the Birushana (Vairocana) Buddha,…

Japan: The Hideyoshi regime: …relations were now based on kokudaka—i.e., on the actual product of the land. Moreover, this kokudaka now came within the landlord’s grasp in every village, and land taxes were levied on the village as a unit. In addition to this definition of the rights held by the farming population, the…

Kokugaku, (Japanese: “National Learning”), movement in late 17th- and 18th-century Japan that emphasized Japanese classical studies. The movement received impetus from the Neo-Confucianists, who stressed the importance of Chinese Classical literature. The Mito school of scholars, for example,

Japan: Samurai groups and farming villages: …held huge public lands (kokugaryō) and private estates in various provinces and wielded power comparable to that of the bakufu. These shōen were managed by influential resident landlords who had become warriors. They were often the original developers of their districts who became officials of the provincial government and…

Kamo Mabuchi: His chief original work, the Kokuikō, contains a biting rejection of Chinese thought and literature and a hymnal glorification of Japanese antiquity. His writings, collected in 12 volumes, are made up primarily of commentaries on Old Japanese literature.

Tokutomi Sohō: …began a highly influential periodical, Kokumin no tomo (“Nation’s Friend”), that was Japan’s first general magazine. Min’yūsha in 1890 began printing Kokumn shimbun (“The Nation Newspaper”), which was for several decades one of the most influential papers in the country.

Kitakyūshū: Kokura, a former arsenal town, specializes in iron and steel and machinery. Moji contains the city’s major port facilities; it is a coal-shipping and fishing port and has oil-storage facilities.

National Science Museum, museum in Tokyo, founded in 1872, concerned with the history of the physical sciences, natural history, and technology. The collections include models of Japanese flora in wax and other materials, engineering and scientific apparatus, and machines of historical

National Museum of Modern Art, museum in Tokyo devoted to important Japanese works of art of the 20th century. The collection covers works of past artists outstanding in the history of Japanese art; outstanding works of contemporary artists; and works selected for their historical importance. The

National Diet Library, the national library of Japan, formed at Tokyo in 1948 and combining the libraries of the upper and lower houses of the Diet (national legislature) with the collections of the former Imperial Library (established 1872). The library’s building opened in 1961, adjacent to the

National Museum of Western Art, Japanese national collection of European art, located in Ueno Park, Tokyo. The museum building, designed by Le Corbusier, was opened in 1959, and an annex by Maekawa Kunio was added in 1979. The basis of the collection was a group of more than 400 French paintings,

Japan: The weakening of party government: Most, like the Black Dragon Society (Kokuryūkai), combined continental adventurism and a strong nationalist stance with opposition to party government, big business, acculturation, and Westernization. By allying with other rightists, they alternately terrorized and intimidated their presumed opponents. A number of business leaders and political figures were killed,…

Chikamatsu Monzaemon: …work was Kokusenya kassen (1715; The Battles of Coxinga), a historical melodrama based loosely on events in the life of the Chinese-Japanese adventurer who attempted to restore the Ming dynasty in China. Another celebrated work is Shinjū ten no Amijima (1720; Double Suicide at Amijima), still frequently performed. Despite Chikamatsu’s…

Japan: The ritsuryō system: …administered by officials known as kokushi, gunji, and richō, respectively. The posts of kokushi were filled by members of the central bureaucracy in turn, but the posts of gunji and richō were staffed by members of prominent local families.

Knights of Labor (KOL), the first important national labour organization in the United States, founded in 1869. Named the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor by its first leader, Uriah Smith Stephens, it originated as a secret organization meant to protect its members from employer retaliations.

Aligarh, city, western Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies at the southern edge of the Upper Ganges–Yamuna Doab, about 65 miles (100 km) southeast of Delhi and some 25 miles (40 km) southwest of the Ganges (Ganga) River. The city itself is usually called Koil or Kol; Aligarh is the name of

Kol Nidre, (Aramaic: “All Vows”), a prayer sung in Jewish synagogues at the beginning of the service on the eve of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The name, derived from the opening words, also designates the melody to which the prayer is traditionally chanted. Though equally ancient versions exist

Arnold Schoenberg: Evolution from tonality of Arnold Schoenberg: …of particular Jewish interest, including Kol Nidre for mixed chorus, speaker, and orchestra, Op. 39 (1938)—the Kol Nidre is a prayer sung in synagogues at the beginning of the service on the eve of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)—and the Prelude to the “Genesis Suite” for orchestra and mixed chorus,…

S.Y. Agnon: …one in 11 volumes (Kol sipurav shel Shmuel Yosef Agnon, vol. 1–6, Berlin, 1931–35; 7–11, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, 1939–52) and one in 8 volumes (Tel Aviv, 1953–62). The archaic structure of his prose presents great difficulties for the translator, yet even in translation his power is unmistakable.

middot: …more prominent middot are the kol wa-ḥomer (“how much more”), in which the interpreter proceeds from a minor to a major premise, and the gezera shawa (comparison of similar expressions, or laws), in which an inference is made by analogy. The kol wa-ḥomer rule is limited by the principle of…

kola nut, caffeine-containing nut of Cola acuminata and Cola nitida, trees of the cocoa family (Sterculiaceae) native to tropical Africa and cultivated extensively in the American tropics. The evergreen tree grows to 18.3 metres (60 feet) and resembles the chestnut. The 5-centimetre- (2-inch-) long

Kola Peninsula, large promontory in Murmansk oblast (province), far northern Russia. The Kola Peninsula covers some 40,000 square miles (100,000 square km) and extends across the Arctic Circle for about 190 miles (305 km) north-south and 250 miles (400 km) east-west, separating the White and

Leszek Kolakowski was a Polish philosopher and historian of philosophy who became one of Marxism’s greatest intellectual critics. Kolakowski was educated privately and in the underground school system during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. In 1950 he received an M.A. in philosophy

kōlakretai, Athenian financial administrators of the 6th and 5th centuries bce. Their title (“collectors of legs”) indicates their original function as collectors of animal sacrifices. In the 6th century bce they managed the Athenian treasury and after the reforms of Cleisthenes (c. 508) were

rangoli, intricate traditional floor art that women in India design at the thresholds of their homes’ front doors, in their homes for puja (worship), and, often in more-resplendent forms, for festivals. Across India the designs have different names and styles, and women employ various materials to

South Asian arts: Masked drama: …of the four folk-drama forms—kolam, sokari, nadagam, and pasu—the most highly developed and significant is the kolam, in which actors wear brightly painted and intricately carved wooden masks. The word kolam is of Tamil origin and means “costume,” “impersonation,” or “guise.” The performance consists of the masked representation of…

Nayanthara: Impact on film industry and Bollywood debut: …she played a single mother; Kolamaavu Kokila (2018; “Kolam Powder Kokila”), about a woman who smuggles drugs to fund her mother’s cancer treatment; Netrikann (2021; “Third Eye”), in which she played two characters, one of which is a blind police officer; and Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food (2023), in which…

Colombo, city, executive and judicial capital of Sri Lanka. (Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, a Colombo suburb, is the legislative capital.) Situated on the west coast of the island, just south of the Kelani River, Colombo is a principal port on the Indian Ocean. It has one of the largest artificial

Dravidian languages: Central Dravidian languages: Kolami has the largest number of speakers, approximately 122,000 people, and has borrowed heavily from Telugu.

Alor Islands: …two major mountains of which, Kolana (5,791 feet [1,765 metres]) and Muna (4,724 feet [1,440 metres]), are both old volcanoes. Alor is broken up by steep ravines, with only one plateau and some small coastal plains. Pantar Island is high (Mount Delaki rises to 4,324 feet [1,318 metres]), with a…

Kolar, city, southeastern Karnataka state, southern India. The city is situated in an upland region of the Karnataka Plateau, about 35 miles (55 km) northest of Bengaluru (Bangalore). Kolar lies in Karnataka’s dry zone, with scrub vegetation suitable for sheep raising in the surrounding area. Its

Kolar Gold Fields, mining area, southeastern Karnataka state, southern India. It lies on a Southern Railway spur that loops from Bangarapet to Bengaluru (Bangalore). Economic activities centred on the goldfields, which were the southern portion of a gold-bearing region that extends for 40 miles (65