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DEVA - ROMANIA
Deva is a Romanian city situated on the left
bank of the middle course of the Mures river.
The name Deva is considered to come from the ancient Dacian word "dava"
meaning fortress (e.g Pelendava, Piroboridava, Zargidava etc). Other
theories trace back the name to a Roman Legion, II Augusta, transferred
around Deva from Castrum Deva, now Chester in Britain. On medieval maps,
Deva (Diemrich or Schlossburg in German and Déva in Hungarian) appears
as Deva or Dewan.
Documentary evidence of the town's existence first appeared in 1269 AD.
Under Voevode (Duke) John Hunyadi (Iancu de Hunedoara or Ioan Corvinul in
Romanian, Ioannus Corvinus in Latin, János Hunyadi in Hungarian), Deva
became an important military and administrative centre. Partially destroyed
by the Turks in 1550, it was afterward rebuilt and the fortress extended. In
1621 Prince Gabriel Bethlen transformed and extended the Magna Curia Palace
(also known as the Bethlen Castle) in Renaissance style.
Today, Deva is the capital of Hunedoara County, with almost 100,000
inhabitants, including the subordinated villages. Mining, food, civil
engineering and power industries are present here. Also, a private
University of Ecology and Tourism was established here in 1990, and the
academic centres of Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca have opened branches in the
city. Deva is dominated by Citadel Hill, a protected nature reserve because
of its rare floral species and the presence of the horned adder. Perched on
the top of the hill are the ruins of the Citadel built in the 13th century.
Hindu Religion
In Hinduism, a deva is a minor deity, such as Agni, Indra, Soma, and Ushas.
According to Hindu mythology, the devas are opposed to the Asuras. The
conflict between devas and asuras grew from earlier Vedic conceptions of
natural principles to allegorical themes of existence and the human
condition. Also see Devas for more information.
Contrarily, in Zoroastrianism and the Avesta, the Ahuras (Asura) are supreme,
while the devas are demonic.
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