Thursday, December 31, 2015

Teen Darwaza, Ahmedabad

Teen Darwaza at Ahmedabad is a historical gateway built by King Ahmed Shah I. Completed in 1415 the gateway has three arches which led into a large enclosure, forming the outer courtyard of the palace.



The roadway in the central opening is 17 feet wide, and that of each side arch is 13 feet wide. The height of the arches is twenty-five feet. 



When we visited the place there were some repair work was happening in the area and vehicle movements were not allowed.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Images of India - 145

A glimpse of India in black and white. Other posts will give you more details about this place.


Monday, December 28, 2015

Brindavan Gardens, Mysore

The Brindavan Gardens is a garden located just 19kms from the heart of Mysore. The garden occupies an area of 60 acres. The garden is maintained by the Cauvery Niravari Nigama, a Government of Karnataka enterprise. The garden is open to general public and a nominal entry-fee is charged.



The work on laying out this garden was started in the year 1927 and completed in 1932. The garden is laid out in 3 terraces which contain water fountains, Ficus trees, foliage plants such as Duranta plumaria and Euphorbia and flowering plants like Celosia, Marigold and bougainvillea.



There is also a lake within the garden with boating facilities available for visitors.  The visitors can enjoy a boat ride around the famous statue of Goddess Kaveri. It is a mesmerizing sight when the whole garden is lit up in the evenings.



This beautiful gardens are laid out below the Krishnaraja Sagar dam built across the river Cauvery. The main attraction of the park is the musical fountain in which bursts of water are synchronized to the music of songs after sunset. 


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Someshwar Mahadev Temple, Somnath

The Someshwar Mahadev Temple located on the Western Cost at Somnath is one of the most prominent temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. 



In the history this temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times by Islamic kings and Hindu kings respectively. The present temple is rebuilt in 1947, and this was initiated by first Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. 



The present temple architecture represents Chalukya style of temple construction and it displays the skill of the craftsman of Gujarat.



The temple's main spire, is 15 meters in height, and on top of it has an 8 meter tall flag pole. There are beautiful sculptures on the walls or pillars of the temple.



Images of India - 144

A glimpse of India in black and white. Other posts provide more details on the place.


Sculptural work at  Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid

Monday, December 21, 2015

Poetry in Stone - 28

This is twenty-eight in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples have beautiful carvings on them that are treat to the eyes.



A sculpture of Salabhanjika in the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid. She is setting her ear rings by looking into the mirror in another hand.



A sculpture of Yakshi in the 15th century Vittala Temple at Hampi



A sculpture of Brahma on the external wall of 12th century Chennakesava Temple of Belur.
Another beautiful sculpture on the external wall of Rajarani Temple at Bhubaneshwar.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch at Ooty

We came across many birds during our visit to Ooty. In Botanical Garden we spotted the small bird Velvet-fronted Nuthatch moving all over the tree  without being quite in one position. It was very difficult to track it as they are very active.



This lovely bird is characterized by a big head, short tail and powerful bill and feet. The pretty bird is violet-blue above, with lavender cheeks, beige underparts and a whitish throat. The bill is red, and there is a black patch on the forehead.




It is a very noisy bird. It has unique ability to climb down trees. They feed on insects and spiders.



They are mostly found in southern Asia from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka east to south China and Indonesia. 

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Leppada Basadi, Moodbidri

At Moodbidri there are several Jain Basadi's built anytime between 14th and 16th century that are named based on their characteristics. One such basadi is Leppada Basadi named so as the idols of  the basadi are made of clay. This basadi is located in close proximity to Kallu Basadi



The temple is built using stone unlike the idols. In front of the temple is huge beautifully carved 45 feet Manasthambha erected upon a pedestal.




This manastamba is the x-factor of this basadi. When he had visited this place we could not see the interiors of he temple as it was closed. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Images of India - 143

A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Check other posts that will give you more details about this monument.


Monday, December 14, 2015

Poetry in Stone - 27

This is twenty-seventh in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples have numerous carvings carved both on the interior as well as exterior of the temples. Many of the carvings depict the war scenes as scripted in various epics and mythology.



Above is the scene "battle between Ravana and Lord Rama" from the epic Ramayana carved at the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid



A pillar of Ramlingeshwar Temple at Avani where 3 different battle ready horse riders are carved with very minute differences.



A band of battle scene on the external wall of Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu. The band with slight different color is from the Parashurameshvara Temple at Bhubaneshwar.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Ooty Rose Garden - Colorful Roses - 1

There are many roses of different colors and sizes at the Government Rose Garden at Ooty



It is treat to watch these roses bloom.






Thursday, December 10, 2015

Gada Chandi Temple, Cuttack

Gada Chandi Temple at Cuttack is one of the oldest temple in the city. It is located inside the historic Barbati Fort.



The original idol of Goddess was shifted from here to another old temple Katak Chandi Temple in the city.



Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Images of India - 142

A glimpse of India in black and white. Other posts provide more details on the place.


A model of GSLV on display at HAL Museum in Bangalore


Monday, December 7, 2015

Pratap Vilas Palace, Vadodara

Pratap Vilas Palace at Vadodara is presently Railway Staff College. Built in 1914 A.D. it is named after the last ruler of Baroda State.



Designed by Charles F. Stevens, the architecture of the palace represents a fine blend of South Indian, North Indian and Islamic architecture. The palace is noted for its exceptionally designed columns and arches. 



The central part of the palace has beautifully carved dome. 



The palace is adorned with carvings of creepers, flowers, leaves, birds and animals. 



This palace which has been residence of the royal family in those days was also known as ‘Lal Baug Palace’.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Bird at Sihor

When we were in Sihor on our way to Bhavanagar we visited the ancient site Brahma Kund.



Near this place we spotted a bird. I am seeing it for first time  and no idea what its name is. Can anyone identify it

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

INS Khukri Memorial, Diu

INS Khukri Memorial at Diu is a memorial built for the officers & sailors of INS Khukri. It is on a small hillock facing the area in Arabian Sea where the crew of the INS Khukri fought valiantly thirty-five years ago.



It was a Blackwood-class frigate that was sunk off the coast of Diu that fell prey to three torpedoes fired at her by a Pakistani Submarine during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. 



This was the first warship sunk in action by a submarine since World War II. It remains the post-Independence Indian navy's only warship to be lost in war to date.



Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla Mahavir Chakra of the Indian Navy, the then Commanding Officer of the ship, chose to go down with the warship. She sank down on 9th December with her a crew of 18 Officers and 176 sailors. 

Images of India - 141

A glimpse of India in black and white. Other posts will give you more details about this place.




Monday, November 30, 2015

Usgalimal, a Prehistoric Site

There is more to Goa, it is just not beaches and churches. Usgalimal is a small village in the interiors of South Goa. This place very close to mining area is one of the most important prehistoric sites in India. To reach this place we had to ask lot of people for directions and little known place is a must visit.



To reach this place one has to walk across a small wooden bridge.  One can see lot of rock arts on the banks of river Kushavati that exhibit earliest traces of human settlement in India. They are approximately 20,000 to 30,000 years old. 



More than 100 distinct rock engravings are carved on laterite stones, spread an area of 500 sqm depicting images of bulls, peacock, labyrinths and human figures.



This art is outside the village, and a winding pathway leads to this place. It is about 1 km interiors down from the main road between Rivona to Neturlim.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

White-cheeked Barbet at Karanji Lake, Mysore

Karanji Lake at Mysore is a beautiful lake spread over a area of 55 hectares with many trees all around even in the lake. 



It is one of the favorite haunts of many birds and we spotted one such bird the White-cheeked Barbet.




Thursday, November 26, 2015

Tomb of Sikander Shah, Halol

Tomb of Sikander Shah at Halol is one of the beautiful structure in this city. He is ruler of Champaner who was assassinated by Imad-ul-Mulk, Khusqadam in 1526 AD. 


This tomb standing on an elevated plinth is a simple stone structure at beautiful. The aesthetics and craftsmanship of the structure are remarkable. 



On the pillars there are intricate carvings of flowers and other artistic designs. The simple domes are fluted and they are quite  elegant.



This tomb also houses the graves of the two brothers of Sikander Shah.



Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Images of India - 140

A glimpse of India in black and white. A chefs special in a 5-star hotel at an event.