The Mysore palace constructed around 1897, was conceived as a residence befitting the monarch of the majestic state. Mysore, which was laid out as the capital of the princely state, now part of Karnataka, retains a very strong connection with its royal past. The palace was constructed using fine grey granite and features beautiful domes that are made of deep pink-colored marbles. Every wall, pillar, ceiling, and doom is filled with such intricate work of art that one is struck by awe, just being there.
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 2000 : 16 mm : f/4.0 : 1/50 sec
The city of Badami in Northern Karnataka, also called Vatapi, was the capital of one of the most enduring dynasties in Southern India – the Chalukyas. Nestled by a ravine that cuts through the sandstone landscape the site is graced by some beautiful temples – rock-cut and otherwise.
One of the prominent temple that I loved from my visit is the upper Shivalaya Temple. It had quiet ornamantal windows. It might have held equally ornate sculptures too within and probably was deprived of the same as time passed. The majestic mandapa stands as remnants of a bygone era, but still loaded with such grace and grandeur. It takes some effort to get up the hill. But the view is worth all the effort, especially around sunrise.
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 250: 16 mm : f2.8 : 1/200 sec
Just an hour’s drive from Badami is Aihole – a historic site of ancient & medieval era with Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments. There are a variety of temples sprinkled all over this place. With so much variety, Aihole is indeed the cradle of temple architecture. The incredible work here dates from the sixth century through the twelfth century.
This week’s shot is from one such complex which hosts a collection of about 30 temples by the banks of river Malaprabha. The quarter moon was just enough to light the temple complex, while still allowing to enjoy the grandeur of the stars. The trip from earlier this Feb was not conducive to enjoy the Milky Way, but it helped to get an enticing composition around the north star with equally captivating temples in the foreground. How do you like it ?!
The Chettinad region around Sivaganga district is well known for its 19th-century mansions, whose wide courtyards and spacious rooms are embellished with marble and teak – imported from around the world like Italy and Burma. Along with the exotic imports, local legend has it that even things like egg whites were used to get the smooth texture on the walls.
Chettiars were a mercantile community involved with commerce, banking and money lending from as early as Chola and Pandiya kingdom. Much of their profits went into building these grand residences, which used to be called natukottai or regional fort.
Some of the Chettinad homes are so big that their entrance and exits are on parallel streets. The distant door on this shot opens up to the cooking area and the inner courtyards. Can you imagine – what you see below is just one of the several courtyards that spawn up the Natukottai.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f4.5 : 1.5 sec
Sakaleshpur – a hill station town, in Malnad region lies on the magnificent range of the Western Ghats. It has a temperate climate surrounded with lofty green hills full of Coffee, Cardamom, Pepper and Areca Plantations. And hidden in this forest is the amazing fort of Manjarabad.
Started in 1785 and after almost 7 years, Tipu Sultan completed this star-shaped fort as part of his defense strategy. This enabled him to see the British Army from Mangalore. Also, it is said to be used for storing ammonia, horses, and a secret tunnel to Srirangapatna – the capital of Tipu Sultan.
Though – in the present day – the busy Bangalore Mangalore N48 runs close to the fort, not many take time to stop by and enjoy this marvel. I was glad I did :)
DJI Mavic Pro : ISO 100 : 4.73 mm : f2.2 : 1/250 sec
One of the amazing things in life – just when we think we have everything figured out & then you stumble upon something new or suddenly see the same things in a different perspective & everything shifts again :)
Today’s shot is that of a top perspective of Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam temple – something that most would never have witnessed, lest be captured in the golden twilight.
Perspective – it changes everything :)
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam Madurai, TamilNadu, India
Some dreaming, some planning and a lot of waiting was involved for this shot. When I first got to visit this spot, I went crazy with ideas like a kid with cotton candy. Of those, capturing this beauty under the cosmic stars was on top. This past weekend everything came together to make this possible …
The temple was just couple feet away while the milky way was 25,000 light years away. The temple was constructed around 1000 years back while the milky way is from a couple million years back. Separated vastly by space and time, yet in in cosmic unison – it was one beautiful sight to behold !
Being no moon, it was quiet dark. Hence decided to play with light painting to make the temple pop. To make it even sweeter, I had a lovely assistant who diligently worked with me thru the process. Having to accompany my son on his first night out and shooting stars was even a greater experience :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20 sec
Vijayalaya Choleswaran Temple Pudukottai, TamilNadu, India
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam (வண்டியூர் மாரியம்மன் தெப்பக்குளம்) is a temple tank located near to Vandiyur Mariamman Temple and situated at a distance of about 4 km from the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai. Teppakulam, literally translates to temple pond and is mainly used for devotional festivals. The tank is connected to Vaigai River through an ingenious system of underground channels. This was constructed by the King Thirumalai Nayak. One of the largest Ganesha, the Mukkuruni Vinayagar in Meenakshi Amman Temple is said to be found when this tank is dug in 1645.
As a kid, I had seen this pond often used as cricket playing field. But when filled with water, the artificial tank makes the temple within – an island and is a sight to behold. An walk around this would take 30 minutes and would be awesome during early morning or evening times. The place is filled up with lot of road side shops to eat and walk with. If the tank is filled with water and the climate is breezy, you definitely would enjoy this spot !
DJI Mavic Pro : ISO 172 : 4.73 mm : f2.2 : 1/50 sec
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam
Madurai, TamilNadu, India
Mysore palace is now one of the most famous tourist spot attracting more than 2.7 million visitors in the recent years. This Indo-sarsenic style Palace reflects Muslim architecture on the outside, while the interior is a fine example of Hindu architecture. The palace is in its full grandeur in the night, as it is lit with thousands of bulbs and it becomes the most attractive monument in the city. Even without the thousands of light bulbs, it is a sight to watch when it is back lit with flash lights. The below was shot at one such occasion. I really like the way the Big cats came out as silhouette on the back lit palace.
The part I did not like about the place is – though tourists are allowed to visit, they are not allowed to photograph inside the palace, what crap :( Wish they make it photographer friendly, so that the grandeur can be shared with you, who are not able to make it to the palace in person.
On the processing, the HDR accentuated the intricate work on the palace walls (worth checking out on the larger size), highlight part of inner chambers , garden and the walkway.
Toroweep is one of a kind – awe inspiring, rare places, where one can stare into the face of time, still un-touched and un-spoilt. Check this out for the amazing 3000 feet Vertical drop at the view point. Anyways, while visiting this place, we stayed at a small inn, enroute from Kanab to Toroweep. It was a small cozy place, with a typical country side set up. The rooms were based on tribe themes with wooden floors – it went really well with the outside surrounding of red rocks. As soon as we entered the room, the hanging on the wall caught my attention – a framed letter from Seattle Chief to then US President (1855). It was quiet touching and I feel it is even more applicable today and not just for the whites referred here. Present to you the same, below.
The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land * How can you buy or sell the sky * The warmth of the land * The idea is strange to us * Yet we do not own the freshness of the air or the sparkle of the water * How can you buy them from us * Every part of this earth is sacred to my people **
We know that the white man does not understand our ways * One portion of the land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs * The earth is not his brother but his enemy and when he has conquered it he moves on * He leaves his fathers’ graves his children’s birthright is forgotten **
The is no quiet place in the white man’s cities * No place to hear the leaves of spring or the rustle of the insect wings * But perhaps because I am savage and do not understand, the clatter only seems to insult the ears * And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lovely cry of the or the arguments of the frog around the pond at the night **
The Whites too shall pass, perhaps sooner than the other tribes * Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste * When the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret corners of the forest, heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of ripe hills blotted by talking wires * Where is the Eagle * Gone * Where is the Buffalo * Gone * And what is to say goodbye to the swift and the hunt, the end of living and the beginning of survival **
This weeks let us visit the famous Big temple at Tanjore, Tamilnadu. It is an carving with amazing details on solid stone. The place is filled with details in nook and corner. It probably would justify to call this a teaser- for things to come on Tanjore temple – on subsequent posts. To get a bigger picture (i mean not in a literal sense) of the grandeur, multiply the awesomeness of the below shot with 4 for one face on each side, then by another 3 or 4 for the number of levels in each pillar and then finally 100+ for the # of pillars. Behold we are just talking about the pillars. There are still – the walls, the smaller temples around and multitude of temple towers along with the big one that the place is actually know for. You should probably visit the place to experience it !
Lepakshi – small town, in Ananthpur district of Andhra Pradesh state – is about 140 kms from Bangalore. It is enroute from Bangalore to Hyderabad (BIAL road). At the RAKSHA academy in Andra Pradesh , take the left for lepakshi. The temple would be 15 kms from this turning. This stretch is real bad, but is probably keeping the crowd away and the sanctity of the heritage temple in place :). The place is a good day trip from Bangalore, but watch out, it would be real hot during summers.
Lepakshi is famous for its temple, which is dedicated to Veerabhadra, the fiery incarnation of Lord Shiva and the big Nandhi. The nandhi sits outside the temple, facing the Shiva. But probably as time passed, the Lepakshi village has developed right in between. When you drive, the nandhi is on the right side and a little further down the left is the entrance to the temple. The Nandhi is quiet grand at 15 x 27 feet and made of a single monolithic granite. Makes one wonder how grand this place would have been, during its glory.
Buy Print
Flickr Page
Like the Ocean 