Year 2013 Closure

The year 2013 was an exciting year in terms of travel across India. 

It all begin in the month of April with a trip to Somnathpur, Talakad, Mysore, Najangud, Ooty and Conoor.

But we did not forget to visit some of the places in my present city of Bangalore. In the month of October we went around Koteshwar, Myladi and Kumbasi in Karnataka. 

I went around seeing some of places in Aluva and Chennai during my official trip after office hours.

Finally in the month of December in a short tour we covered Belur and Halebidu for the umpteenth number. The new places we visited are Belvadi, Hulikere, Doddagadavali and Shravanblegola.

Wish you all Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Birds of Hebbal Lake - 5, Bangalore

Hebbal Lake in north Bangalore is favorite spot for joggers, photography enthusiasts and birds. Here are some shots of the birds around the lake.

Meghesvara Temple, Bhubaneswar

This temple is located very close to the Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneswar. This ancient temple is built using sandstone in the period 1171 and 1195 A.D. 

This temple is built on saptha-ratha style with two structures; a central shrine with the curvilinear spire over its roof raising up to a height of 15.5 m and a viewing hall with a stepped roof. 

At the entrance of the temple on either side there are round thick columns entwined by naga (snake). The door frame is beautifully carved with motifs and on the lintel of entrance above which is the architrave of Navagrahas.

There are beautiful carvings on the walls of the temple. They are small in size and there are various designs.

Images of India - 42

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

Krishna Temple at Dodda Mallur

Aluva

Aluva in the state of Kerala is located on the banks of river Periyar. The town is divided into two halves by the river, making the commercial town towards southern side of river and residential areas towards northern side. 

It used to be summer home for Travancore royal family.

Popular tourist spots include:

• Aluva Palace
• Sree Krishna Temple
• Shiva Temple
• St. Joseph's Church

Birds in Neighbourhood - 14

I am the few of the fortunate who occasionally get to see few birds of different variety around my house in Bangalore. I have captured few of them in my camera and here they are. One such beautiful bird is Asian Koel. 

It is a member of the cuckoo genus of birds. They are large, long-tailed, measuring 15 to 18 inches. The male and female are distinctive in their appearance. The female has brownish crown and has rufous streaks on the head. The back, rump and wing coverts are dark brown with white and buff spots.

They are omnivorous, consuming a variety of insects, caterpillars, eggs and small vertebrates. Adults feed mainly on fruits. They are unusual among the cuckoos in being largely frugivorous as adults.

The familiar song of the male is a repeated koo-Ooo. It is mostly seen in South East Asia.

National Art Gallery, Chennai

The National Art Gallery located in Egmore area of Chennai, is one of the oldest art galleries in India. Henry Irwin designed this Gallery in Indo-Saracenic in a well orchestrated combination of Mughal, Hindi and classical elements. Main front echoes Buland Darwaza in Fatehpur Sikri. 

It has been constructed in 1906 with red stones. The gallery contains several Mugul paintings and rare works of Raja Ravi Varma. There is also a good collection of Tanjore Paintings.

The gallery is closed at present as ASI has taken up the work of restoration.

Images of India - 41

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

Entrance of fort at Fathepur Sikri

Chennai, Automobile Capital of India

Chennai, the capital of state of Tamil Nadu is known for its cultural heritage and temple architecture. It is the industrial and commercial center as well as it is a major cultural, economic and educational center in South India. 

In the ancient period it was under the control of Chola and Pallava Dynasty, but modern city arose from the British settlement of Fort St. George. Later surrounding villages were merged along with it to become what it today a metropolitan city.

It is the "Automobile Capital of India", as forty percent of the automobile industry is based out of this place and major portion of the nation's vehicles are produced there. 

Places of interest here are:

• Kapaleeshwarar Temple
• San Thome Basilica
• Fort St. George
• Karaneeswarar Temple
• Chennai High Court
• Edward Elliot's Beach
• Ashtalakshmi Temple
• Madras Central
• Valluvar Kottam
• Government Museum Complex (1, 2, 3)
• St. Thomas Mount
• Parthasarathy Swamy Temple
• Marina Beach
• Light House
• National Art Gallery
• St. Mary's Church
• The Birla Planetarium
• Sri Ramakrishna Math
• Arinjar Anna Zoological Park
• Golden Beach
• Vivekanda House
• Victoria Public Hall
• War Memorial
• Marudheeswarer Temple
• Vadpalani Andavar Temple
• Guindy National Park
• Ripon Building
• University Senate House
• Fort George Museum

Getting around the heart of Chennai city often takes time, due to traffic and heavy congestion. This problem has increased because of construction work in progress for Chennai Metro. 

Lalbagh Flower Show - White Rose

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2011 there were lot of colorful roses. The colors were bright and amazing.

White rose is one of the color on display.

Black-headed Ibis at Chilka

Chilka Lake is home for various migratory birds. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. Here one can see over 100 species of birds in the peak migratory season.

The Black-headed Ibis or Oriental White Ibis is one such migratory bird that can be seen here. This bird is seen prominently in the Southeast Asia.

These birds have white-plumage, with some grayer areas on the wings. The bald head, the neck and legs are black. The thick down curved bill is black. 

They feed on various fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on insects. 

Images of India - 40

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

Kendarya Mahadeva Temple at Khajuraho 

Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore

Vidhana Soudha located in Bangalore  is a magnificent building that resembles nothing less than a palace. But it is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah is architect of this beautiful structure and it got completed in 1956. The  sryle is Neo-Dravidian, and incorporates elements of Indo-Saracenic and Dravidian styles.

It has 4 floors above the ground and one floor below ground level. It coveres an area of 2,300 by 1,150 feet. Its eastern face has a porch with 12 granite columns, 40 feet tall. Leading to the foyer is a flight of 45 steps.

The central dome, 60 feet in diameter, is crowned by a likeness of the Indian national emblem. The front of the building is inscribed with the words Government's Work is God's Work.

Lalbagh Flower Show - Pink Rose

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2011 there were lot of colorful roses. The colors were bright and amazing.

Pink rose is one of the color on display.

Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Buland Darwaza, the "Gate of Magnificence" is located in Fatehpur Sikri. It was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 A.D. at Fatehpur Sikri to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. It is a high gateway that guards the southern entrance of the city of Fatehpur Sikri.

Symmetrical in plan It is made of red and buff sandstone. Decorated with small turrets and inlay work by white and black marble it is topped by pillars and chhatris on the top. On the outside a long flight of steps sweeps down the hill giving the gateway additional height.

It is 40 meters high and the total height of the Structure is about 54 meters from the ground level. This exquisite architectural masterpiece is to be seen to soak in its magnificence.

Images of India - 39

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

Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur

Udayagiri, the Buddhist Heritage

Udayagiri is an important part of Buddhist Circuit in Orissa comprising of 2 more places Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri. This place has been dated back to 1st to 13th centuries AD.  

Numerous excavations by the A.S.I. have been conducted since 1958, and it continues to this day. They've been undertaken in two phases across two settlements around 200 meters apart. Places of interest here are:

• Maha Stupa
• Brick monastery
• Stone well
• Buddhist sculptures

This place is 20 km far from the north-east of Cuttack. It is about 10 km interior from the 5A National Highway, and just 5 km away from Ratnagiri. We reached this place vaery late in the evening. We are thankful to person in-charge there who allowed us to explore even though it was closing time.

Birds of Hebbal Lake - 4, Bangalore

Hebbal Lake in north Bangalore is favorite spot for joggers, photography enthusiasts and birds. Here is the sequence of shots when a flying Pond Heron landed next to Egret in the lake.

Dark Passage, Devgiri Fort

The only entrance to citadel of 14th century Devgiri Fort is through a devious tunnel which in times of siege was rendered impassable by an ingenious contrivance. This sub-terrain passage is indeed mysterious and in spite of several individual's attempts, all its mysteries are not known. 

The long ascending tunnel rises rapidly and tortuously by a flight of steps, which are uneven in width and height, difficult for climb in the absence of light.

The labyrintheine passage coupled with the darkness confuse the enemy army to kill themselves along a tunnel containing numerous chambers cut out of solid rock which were used then as guard rooms and store houses. The tunnel was impassable when the great obstacles come in the form of darkness, barrier of smoke, splash of oil and water from above. 

Images of India - 38

A glimpse of structures of India in black and white. They may not be ancient, yet artistic.

A window of one of the house in Jaisalmer

Talkad

Talkad is an ancient town located 33 kms from Mysore. This city on the banks of Cauvery river in the ancient days had been the capital city of Chola and Ganga kingdoms. 

It was ruled by the Gangas before the 11th century and then Cholas from the 11th through the 12th centuries. It came under the control of Hoysala in the 12th century. It was then patronized by the Vijayanagar rulers and the Maharajas of Mysore. 

Apart from the temples, this place is known for its sand dunes. The sand dunes here have buried large number of monuments. The excavation work is in progress here to unearth these precious treasures. 

Some of such monuments are:

• Vaidyeshwara Temple
• Arkeshwara Temple
• Pataleshwara Temple
• Maruleshwara Temple 
• Mallikarjuna Temple
• Kirthinarayan Temple

Being the countryside you can get to see many birds here. On the way to this place there are several water ponds with birds in them.

Tiger Relaxing

Mysore Zoo is the most popular zoo at Mysore in India. There are various wild animals and birds at the zoo.  

Tiger at Mysore Zoo in relaxing mood.