Fishing at Chilka Lake

Chilka Lake, a brackish water lagoon spread over a large area is around 55 kms from Puri.

The ecosystem of this lake has large fishery resources supporting livelihood of lot of families on the coast. 

In this area there are lot of birds that are migratory as well as local to the region.

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A glimpse of India in black and white. 

Mandwa Haveli

As I said earlier we reached Mandwa only in the night we checked into the hotel directly. We had booked in Mandwa Haveli which is close to Sonathia Gate and Subhash Chowk.

This 19th century haveli has been restored beautifully. In this magnificent haveli the rooms are surrounding a painted courtyard. We truly enjoyed our stay here.

The paintings on the interior walls of the courtyard are very beautiful. Even the paintings on the entrance to the haveli are awesome.

Cave No. 3, Kanheri

In Mumbai, there are more than 100 caves at Kanheri and among them Cave No. 3 is a magnificent structure. This west facing Buddhist cave temple is the largest and most remarkable of all caves in this site. It is entered through a gateway with a low parapet wall that is decorated with an animal frieze at the base and ornamental rail pattern above. The entrance is guarded by the guardians. 

The cave has a spacious courtyard in the front. A stone screen with two tall columns and two pilasters above which is a dwarf colonnade containing five small windows separates the verandah from the courtyard. 

On either side of the forecourt are pillars attached to the pilaster of the wall. The capital of the northern pilaster has four dwarf figures supporting a round object above. The capital of the southern pilaster has four seated lions. 

In the verandah on the two side walls of this vestibule are carved two gigantic Buddha images. These 7 m tall images were carved in later Hinayana period. Above the image in the curvature are beautiful carvings.

On two sides of the central entrance facade are carved four donor couples. The style in clothing and makeup on them resembles to what can be seen in other  Buddhist center of the same period. 

Three entrances from the verandah opens into a spacious hall. This hall measures 26 meters long, 12 meters wide and 15 meters high. There are total 34 pillars inside the hall forming two aisles and one nave. Among them 6 pillars, both on the right and left, from the hall entrance are similar in style and decoration. They all have tiered base, above which an octagonal shaft rises, ending with a square abacus above a cushion capital. 

There is a stupa measuring 5 meters in height at the apsidal end of this hall.  As per the inscriptions found here the cave belongs to 180 CE during the reign of the Satavahana king Sri Yajna Satakarni.

Kingfisher at Talakad

We had visited historic site of Talkad to see visit numerous temples. Being country side we could see various birds.

One of such bird is Kingfisher near the temple pond.

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A glimpse of India in black and white. 

Monastery No. 3, Lalitgiri

Lalitgiri Buddhist complex has various structures of religious and architectural importance that have been excavated by the A.S.I.  There are various monasteries here and Monastery No. 3. facing south-east, measures 28 x 27 m is the earliest in the complex. 

On the basis of architectural ground and excavated material this monastery came into existence between 8th and 12th century A.D during the period of Bhaumakara and Somavamsi dynasties. 

The monastery square in plan has two entrances, one in the eastern side and the other in the south-eastern side. It has open courtyard with chambers in all side. The courtyard in the center measures 8 sq.m. The monastery is provided with sanctum at the center of the western side wall. 

The construction material used is bricks lime mortar.  

Bhavnagar, the Land of the Gohils

Bhavnagar (State: Gujarat) situated at a distance of 177 km from Ahmedabad. It came into existence in 1724 by Bhavsinhji Gohil, and the city was named after its founder and ruler. The former princely state of Bhavnagar was also known as Gohilwad; "Land of the Gohils" 

It is an important city for trade with many large and small scale industries.  We reached this place in the late evening. The places of interest that I have visited before living the city next day morning are:

• Takhteshwar Temple 
• Gandhi Smriti
• Clock Tower

Other places of interest nearby are:

• Palitana
• Velavadar
• Sihor
• Lothal

Fight is on

At Avani  the rocky landscape is home for several temples, wild lizards, and several other small animals.

On our tour of the place we witnesses a fight between 2 goats.

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A glimpse of India in black and white. 

BRV Building at Bangalore 

Cave No. 34, Kanheri

In Mumbai, there are more than 100 caves at Kanheri of which many of them have beautiful carvings. One of the interesting cave among them is Cave No. 34. This cave dates between to 5th – 6th centuries A.D.

This cave has a open courtyard in the front with pillars that are carved a little. 

This is the only cave where remains of paintings are found on the ceiling. 

Here Buddha is shown in Bhumi-Sparsha-Mudra. This is only seen in paintings here but not as carvings. 

Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad

Jama Masjid in old area of Ahmedabad located close to Teen Darwaza is one of the most magnificent mosque that was built in 1424 during the reign of Ahmed Shah I. The mosque built with yellow sandstone carved with the intricate detail. One enters the mosque through one of the three entrances.

The mosque built in Indo-Saracenic architecture contains many symmetric elements. The central entrance of rectangular courtyard is beautifully carved with motifs and flower designs. The two principal minarets flanking the central arched entrance collapsed in the 1819 earthquake and their lower portions still intact.

The prayer room is also rectangular and covered by four domes. The interior of central domes are carved like lotus flowers that are mostly seen in Jain Temples. 



The main prayer hall has over 300 columns supporting the roof. The columns are symmetrically arranged to form 15 bays across the long axis of the hall.

The facade and interiors are beautifully carved show casing craftsmanship of the period.

Birds in Neighbourhood - 20

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 Purple-rumped Sun bird.

It is found mostly in Indian subcontinent. They are small in size less than 10 cms long, feeding mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects. 

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

Lingaraja Temple area in Bhubaneshwar

Brick Minars, Ahmedabad

The Brick Minars of Ahmedabad are not as popular as other heritage structures in the city. Still they are no less magnificent when compared to its counterparts. This is the last site we visited before moving out of the city.

They are located next to Ahmedabad Junction railway staion are the only minars in the city built out of bricks. These two magnificent lofty brick minars were part of the mosque which no longer exists. On the minars one can see traces of colored tiles are nearly 31 meters in height.

Their style and material suggest that they might have been built sometime in 16th century. The spiral stairs in the body of the minars can be used to reach the balconies above. 

These minars were damaged by the earthquake of January 2001, but are still standing tall.

Nandankanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneswar

Nandankanan Zoological Park at Bhubaneswar is a 400-hectare zoo and botanical garden. It was established in 1960, but was opened to the public only in 1979. In 2009 it has the distinction of being the first zoo in India to be part part of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The botanical garden has been declared a sanctuary. 

The zoo was devastated by the cyclone that hit the coastal of Orissa in 1999. But thankfully in 2000 a major upgrade was done to it. The zoo is home to about 1660 individual animals representing 166 species, including 67 species of mammals, 81 species of birds, and 18 species of reptiles.

Endangered species such as the Asiatic lions, White Tigers, Black Panthers, Indian crocodiles, Sangal lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Indian pangolin, mouse deer and countless birds, reptiles and fish have been breeding successfully at Nandankanan.

The zoo also has a scheme where one can adopt an animal and promote the Zoo's operation. This unique program was started in 2008 to invite public participation in financing the zoo. It is just 20 kms away from the city of Bhubaneswar and the visiting Hours of park are:

• April to September (07.30 hrs. to 17.30 hrs.)
• October to March (08.00 hrs. to 17.00 hrs.)
• And the park & garden remains closed on every Monday

Dangmal, Bhitarkanika National Park

At Bhitarkanika National Park we hired a private boat for a cruise over the river. The Government boats were not available for one or other common reasons like they have already have been booked or they under maintenance.

We first got down from the bot at Dangmal and followed the guide along a winding trail. Here there is a conservation center that houses a few crocodiles born and bred in captivity.

On the mud banks of the river we spotted many red fiddler crabs and skipper fish.

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A glimpse of India in black and white. 

New Year Greetings

Your continuous support and interest in my blog enthused me to show more of my Little World.

Looking forward to do more of it in the New Year.

Thanks to all and happy blogging.

Friends wish you all

HAPPY & PROSPEROUS
New Year