Madras

Madras is the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and has long been considered the spiritual heart of India.

Caste

Indian society was, until recently, officially divided into various social classes called castes. Indian castes derive from extremely old religious documents and are unchangeable. Until very recently, Indian castes were extremely rigid and determined, to a large extent, one's social prospects in Indian society.

Brahmin

Brahmins are arguably the highest caste in the Indian caste system. Traditionally, Brahmins are the educated and priestly caste. Brahmins are meant to observe extremely strict religious rules, mostly dealing with purification.

Cauvery

The Cauvery is one of the main rivers in southern India and is considered a sacred river second only to the Ganges.

Pial

A Pial is a kind of porch used in southern India. Ramanujan did much of his early work sitting on his pial with...