Life is simple –
Tweet
it will continue to be so
if only, we stop to make it complicated
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 250: 16 mm : f4.0 : 1/1000 sec

Paddy Fields
Sagara, Karnataka, India
Life is simple –
Tweet
it will continue to be so
if only, we stop to make it complicated
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 250: 16 mm : f4.0 : 1/1000 sec

Paddy Fields
Sagara, Karnataka, India
Kolli Malai or Kolli Hills is one of the beautiful places, situated in Namakkal District of the state of Tamil Nadu. The hills are covered with evergreen forests and are actually the part of discontinuous Eastern Ghats. Furthermore it is comprised of three reserve forests namely Ariyur Solai, Kundur Nadu, Pulianjolai.
In recent times, increasing areas of forests are being cleared for farming black pepper, jackfruit, banana, pineapple, Oranges, Tapioca, and other spices. Still, the area is home to a wide variety of medicinal plants and herbs used in Ayurveda and Siddha and Unani. Here is a wonderful sunset from the treasured Kolli Malai.
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 100 : 16 mm : f4.0 : 1/20 sec

Forests of Kolli Malai
Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India
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

Upper Shivalaya Temple
Badami, Karnataka, India
Sometimes – to take in all that life has to give – you just got to be still. Absolutely still.
Stagnation is dying, in many ways. But Stillness is beautiful. Especially when you are so with awareness of each breath & each fleeting moment. Here is one such fleeting moment of stillness from the the land where even the stones sing – Hampi :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 320 : 12 mm : f11 : 1/20 sec

Hemakuta Hill
Hampi, Karnataka, India
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 ?!
PS : This shot was made possible with ~200 shots over 45 mins and composited with the “Creative Effects” Photoshop script. You can download the same for free here :)

By the banks of Malaprabha
Aihole, Karnataka, India