 With unbroken continuity, the Indian civilization is, without dispute, 5,000 years old. The Vedic chants are the oldest extant religious expressions of mankind. This Vedic school on the banks of the Kaveri river is about 500 years old, with over 200 students learning the recitation today to graduate as Vedic scholars at the dawn of the 21st century. The quintessence of the Vedas are contained in a later day text. The Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna's sermon at the battlefront, composed about 3,000 years ago. As a chapter of Mahabharata, the longest poem in the world, the Bhagavad Gita is considered to be the core of modern Hinduism. The whole world celebrates the enlightenment at the very place where Prince Gautam became the Buddha by having temples and monasteries of diverse architecture. An esoteric contemporary of the Buddha, Mahavir, founder of the Jain religion, has left an indelible footprint on civilization. If Jain epistemology leaves us struck with wonder for presenting an uncanny foreknowledge of the theory of relativity, Jain ethics makes non-violence the springboard of universal brotherhood. Four of the greatest temples of India were built by different rulers in different parts of India in the 11th century. Of these, the Jain temples of Palitana in the west now constitute the single most expansive temple complex of the world. The other three are Hindu temples of the 11th century dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Lingaraja temple of Bhubaneshwar in the east is a great contribution of the Orissa style of architecture. During the 5th century, Indian astronomer Aryabhatta recognized the world to be spherical and declared it revolved around its axis. While Indian mathematicians invented the zero, gave place value for numbers and developed the decimal system of calculation. In political terms, the first Indian empire in recorded history was the kingdom of Magadha. The Mauryan dynasty came to power, establishing a pan-Indian empire under the able guidance of Minister Chanakya. The Mauryan dynasty produced a monarch of whom India is eternally proud, Emperor Ashoka. The Cholas who built the Tanjavo temple made bronze icons considered to be among the greatest masterpieces of art in man's heritage. The bronzes depict the varied pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses. While God Shiva and his consort Parvati are worshipped as the primordial lovers, as the father and mother of all creation, as matter and energy, as cause and effect. Shiva is also worshipped as the cosmic dancer Nataraja. The whole universe is thus engaged in a continual cosmic dance of energy. The metaphor of the dance of Shiva is thus a unifying factor of ancient wisdom, many art forms and modern physics.