Saturday, October 31, 2015

Birds in Neighbourhood - 22

I get to see variety of birds in the back yard of my parents house in Udupi. I have captured few of them in my camera and here they are. One such beautiful bird is Peahen.



They are mostly brown with a white belly, a green neck and the same type of head crest. 



Their diet include plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and and reptiles.



Friday, October 30, 2015

Images of India - 136

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




Ambaji Temple tower at Ambaji 



Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Hiriyangadi

Hiriyangadi is a hamlet of Karkala town in the state of Karnataka. The place is associated with Jainism from the ancient times.



Two interesting structures of interest to people who love exploring India are Neminatha Basadi  and Manastambha.



Karkala as we all know important Jainism center.



Other important Jainism centre close by is Moodbidri.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Patan

Patan is an ancient fortified city located at distance of around 126 kms from Ahmedabad. We had been to this place after visiting Modhera on the way to Ambaji during our tour of Gujarat state. This place was founded in 745 AD by Vanraj Chavda of Chavda Dynasty.



In the 14th century it was capital of Gujarat Sultanate after the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate. Some of the prominent structures and architectural marvel here are:

The places of interest near by are:

Monday, October 19, 2015

Old Goa

Old Goa town is an UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Northrern part of Goa state. In the ancient times it was a port city on the banks of river Mandovi. 



In the 15th century the place was under the control of Bijapur Sultanate. From 16th century onward it was under Portuguese until they abandoned in the 18th century due to a plague. The abandoned city came to be known as "Velha Goa

Here there are churches affiliated to various congregations. Some of them are:

Other places near by are:

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Birds of Jakkur Lake - 1, Bangalore

Jakkur Lake in north Bangalore you can come across some colorful birds. 



Here is glimpse some of the birds.






Friday, October 16, 2015

Images of India - 134

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



Taj Mahal at Agra

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Nagoa Beach, Diu

A trip to Diu is not complete without a visit to one of the many beaches here. Being a place on  the sea shore there are plenty of beaches here one adjacent to each other.


We visited one of the famous beaches, the Nagoa Beach located in the Nagoa hamlet of Bucharwada village. Around the beach there are row of hoka trees.



One can get lot of entertainment with water oriented sports like water scooter, bumper boating, water skiing, speed boat, Para sailing and hot air balloon in the air.



It is one of the most beautiful and serene beach that has something for everyone here.


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Monday, October 12, 2015

Nanjangud, the Dakshina Kashi

Nanjangud is a small town located on the banks of Kapila river just 23 kms from Mysore. This place is also known by the name "Dakshina Kashi".



Between 11th  and 12th century this ancient city was under the control of Chola Dynasty. There after it was under the control of Hoydsalas, Wodeyars etc., The place is famous for Srikanteshwara Temple. 



This city is also famous for a variety of banana grown in the region. There is also lake in the  town where you can spot birds.

The places of interest near by are:

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Mysore Zoo - Red-necked Wallaby

Mysore Zoo is the most popular zoo at Mysore in India. There are various wild animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Red-necked Wallaby



They are medium sized measuring head-body length of 90 cms. Their body is covered with grizzled medium grey soft fur that has a reddish wash across the shoulders. They have black nose and paws, white stripe on the upper lip.



They are mostly seen in eastern parts of Australia, including Tasmania. They feed on grasses, roots, tree leaves, vegetables, sprouts and weeds.

Friday, October 9, 2015

Images of India - 133

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


Radar on display at HAL Museum in Bangalore


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Arulmigu Mariamman Temple, Ooty

This temple in Ooty is located near the market area of the city. It is dedicated to Mariamman, the Hindu Goddess of rain. The Goddess is considered to be a form of Kaali, and is also referred to as Mahamaayi or Seethala Gowri.



The entrance tower of the beautiful and colorful. The tower has sculptures of diety in her various forms. 



The temple festival is celebrated in the month of April and thousands of people celebrate it with great fanfare.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Sun Temple, Modhera

Sun Temple at Modhera is one of the architectural marvel in the state of Gujarat. The temple that was built in 1026 AD has a unique architecture is most important Sun Temple in the whole of Gujarat. The temple dedicated to Sun God was built by Rushabh Bhimdev I of Solanki Dynasty. 




The whole structure standing on a basement consisted of the Garbhagrha, Guha Mandapa, Sabha Mandapa. In front of the temple is the sacred pond called the Surya Kunda



The Guha Mandap is the main temple with sanctum is a rectangular structure, with its length inside the walls 51 feet that is almost double of its width of 25 feet. It was designed so that the rays of the rising and setting sun on the day of Summer solstice and not equinox falls on the idol of Sun. Unfortunately there is no idol in the temple as in the olden days it was plundered by Mahmud Gazni. 



The Sabha Mandap is a magnificent pillared hall that has been carved ornately. It is open from all sides and has 52 intricately carved pillars.



The exterior of the temple walls has been carved exquisitely with 12 different postures of Sun God along with various other deities. Between the Sabha Mandapa and the Main Sanctum is a beautiful hall with exquisitely carved pillars and arches.



The Surya Kunda is a large rectangular stepped tank under the east face of the Sabha Mandapa is used to store pure water. Devotees were required to perform ceremonial ablutions here before worshipping the Sun God.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Indian Blackbird at Ooty

We came across many birds during our visit to Ooty. One such bird we spotted in the Botonical Garden is Indian Blackbird.



It is a small bird that has has black plumage; yellow eye-ring, bill. They feed on wide range of insects, earthworms, seeds and berries. It feeds mainly on the ground, running and hopping with a start-stop-start progress.



It is seen mostly in India and Sri Lanka.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Images of India - 132

October 2nd is birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatama Gandhi. Here is a sculpture of Mahatama titled "Unto the Last". This meant "All have the right of work to earn their livlihood and discrimination is useless."