Estimated Reading Time::Just :)
Monday 14 September 2020
Prayagraj – The Gutsy Siberian Seagulls At The Sangam
Prayagraj : A Confluence Of Himalayan Rivers
Friday 28 August 2020
Lord Ganesha In His Various Avatars Across The World
As we visit temples in South Asia or South East Asia, one thing that stands out are the various forms of Lord Ganesh . Most of them are rock cut and either in standing or sitting posture. Since he is considered as the remover of obstacles and a harbinger of wisdom and success in life, one can find his image in every known form in temples across the world. You can even find him atop volcanoes, in the middle of dense forest, near seaside, on hill tops and any place that one can think of.
He is one god who has reached the foreign shores and one can see Ganesh’s various forms in which he is worshiped. Rock cut carvings of Ganesha can be seen in many temples which are built at the base of the volcanoes. In Bali, his images in stone and wood are so common that children sell the idols to tourists on the highway road to Denpasar.
Ganesha with a Dragon look |
Monday 17 August 2020
The Walls of Hampi
- Where More Than History Flourishes
Thank you for joining me from
part I
Painted Spurfowls |
My first view of the Painted Spurfowl was after we had huffed and puffed all
the way to the top of the Mathanga hill to see the sunrise, which
conveniently got obscured by the clouds. But just before we began our
descent we saw the Painted Spurfowl pair effortlessly sauntering
around the top, oblivious to the inhuman efforts needed by a human carrying
a giant camera bag on the back. The male is true to the name with the most
spectacular plumage while the female tends to merge into the background more
effortlessly. Almost always seen together, they are like an epitome of
compatibility. What is their secret?
The Walls of Hampi
- Nurturing Nature Amidst The Ruins
Hoopoe Pair |
Wednesday 12 August 2020
Prayagraj Khusro Bagh
The entrance |
Friday 7 August 2020
Smooth Coated Otters - Journey To Their Abode
Flamingos in Tungabhadra Backwaters |
Smooth Coated Otters - The Adventure And The Sighting
We were barely a few meters away from the shore when a crocodile gently broke the shimmering water and announced its presence. Its eyes and snout glimmered through the liquid gold texture surrounding it. Bracing myself, I just managed to get a shot when I felt my feet get wet.
A Crocodile in the waters of Tungabhadta |
Sunday 2 August 2020
Agrasen Ki Baoli – An Age Old Step Down The Wells Of Delhi
Thursday 23 July 2020
Sri Chamarajeshwara Temple - Musings Of A Divine Interference
Sri Chamrajeshwara Temple Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Tamilyomen |
Long long ago, roughly about a decade and half back, I used to make an annual trip with my uncle to assist with his auditing work. My work was to cross check various calculations and other data verifications, data entry etc. and my incentive was visiting a new place each year. This was much before my peruse of our history and heritage and hence the conspicuous absence of any image in this write up.
So what is this article doing in this blog? As I sat bundled up in my jacket, staring at the pretty determined rain outside my window that was going strong since morning, I was reminded of one of my most memorable visits to a temple during one such auditing trip. With the lockdown having pretty much turned spotted owlets into sitting ducks, I felt it may be a good idea to share this eventful visit with you.
Monday 20 July 2020
Bannerghatta Dolmens – The Need For Studies And Protection
A view of more dolmens on the northern part of the hill |
Bannerghatta Dolmens – The Ancient Face Of Bengaluru City
Searching for dolmens, menhirs and other very ancient structures has become a passion for me and Tharangini but it never struck my mind there was one in my own backyard. To my amazement, this is just about 25 kilometers from my place where once ancient people had resided and left the footprints of their existence in the nearby forests.
The first view of a Dolmen |
Wednesday 8 July 2020
Koodli Temple – An Ancient Story From The Verdant Malenadu
En route to Koodli |
Friday 3 July 2020
Lakshmi Narasimha Temple - The Man in the Long Coat And More
Though regular pooja happens inside the temple, the work of overzealous devotees who conduct their own mini poojas on the carvings outside, has made them red and yellow. Incense sticks were also lit up right next to these carvings. Little did they realize that though their hearts were in the right place, their actions were doing more damage than good to the temple.
One unfortunate aspect with no escape from, are vandals. With initials and proclamations of love adorning certain patches, this temple has also attracted its share of defacing. But it is certainly doing much better than the Navalinga temple at Koppal where the vandals have been a lot more destructive in their efforts.
The man in the overcoat |
Thursday 2 July 2020
Lakshmi Narasimha Temple - The Jewel Of Bhadravati
After our rendezvous with Amrutheswara temple in the morning, we reached Bhadravati by noon for a brief sojourn at the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple. The modest temple with a rich history, tucked in the center of the town was abuzz with the footfall of the morning worshipers when we reached there. They were trying to finish their prayers, worships, pooja and get the blessings of the lord before the temple closed for the morning.
Front entrance to the temple |
Monday 29 June 2020
Annular Solar Eclipse – The Rare Dance Of The Ring Of Fire
Video Credit: Revanth Rajeev
It was the thought of ‘Ring of Fire’ that kept me awake throughout the night and I was hopeful of seeing it properly even if it was a cloudy day and the sky was not clear. Thousands of people across many cities were glued to the skies through various formats – if some were at planetariums, astrophysics centers, others congregated in small selective gatherings at river banks, educational institutions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The deadly virus did not dampen the spirits of many who managed to get a plethora of celestial images of the annular solar eclipse on June 21 from various places across India.
Friday 19 June 2020
Konark Temple -The Intricate Designs Of Day To Day Life
Konark Temple – Unparalleled Carvings From An Open Society
Although the Konark Temple may be famous for its sundials thereby, attracting many connoisseurs to study the unique chariot wheels, there are many other aspects to this temple that one needs to study which is possible only through keen observation. The detailed description of life through its carvings on this temple is in fact, unparalleled and one cannot find such a description of life anywhere in the world.
Monday 8 June 2020
Konark Temple –The Mysterious Time Keeper On The Eastern Coast
It was more than a century ago that the workings of the sun dials, that is the stone chariot wheels of Konark Temple was discovered. It is said some yogis and sadhus were seen calculating and deciphering the sun dial but they would not reveal the actual functioning of the complicated structure. One thing which everyone knew was these wheels are sun dials and it can accurately measure time to the minute which our guide clearly did and demonstrated it to us.