A glimpse of India in black and white. This picture is taken while vegetable vendor on his cart selling vegetables to interested customers.
Another image at the same place in color.
Elephanta is famous for the magnificent Great Cave. But there are also other caves here that are not in great shape. One among them is Cave No. 4 built anytime between 6th and 7th century A.D.
It has a portico in front of the cave with several entrances. On either side of central entrance there was probably a chapel or room with pillars in front. The central entrance on the portico leads to a damaged shrine.
The shrine door has door-keepers at each side, leaning on dwarfs, with door-keepers and demons on the jamb and architrave. The shrine is a plain room 6 m deep by 6 m wide with a low altar, holding a Shiva Linga.
The historical place Champaner was named by this name in the 8th century by the King Vanraj after General Champa. Later this place was ruled by Rajputs and Gujarat Sultans. Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada in the 15th century rebuild this place and whatever we see today here is constructed in that period.
Today the place is part of Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park. The historical monuments here consist of a series of fortifications, temples, mosques which can be seen on the hill top as well as plains below it.
Most prominent places of interest in this site are:
Being the country side one can also see some birds and flowering trees.
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 Swamp Deer or Barasingha.
It is a medium sized deer with a shoulder height up to 120 cm. Its body is covered with yellowish brown hair above with white spots along the spine. The throat, belly, inside of the thighs and beneath the tail is white. The antlers carry more than three tines.
They graze mainly on grasses and those in the wetland feed commonly on aquatic plants which they obtain by completely submerging its head in the water.
It is one of the species of deer found mostly in Indian subcontinent. Today it has been categorized as vulnerable as their global population has undergone a dramatic decline principally as a result of habitat loss.
A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Check other posts that will give you more details about this monument.
This is one of the oldest temples in the Barkur region. The Temple is identified as Bairagi Ganapathi Temple, as the idol here was installed by a monk.
This temple is also known by the name Chowlikeri Temple as it build during the Chola period in the 7th century A.D. Like every temple in the region this temple also has a unique sloping roof.
The entire temple including the walls and ceiling is hewn out of stone and undamaged it has stood the test of time across the seasonal changes.
Exquisite corridor with pillars etched out of stone is in front of this beautiful temple. There are beautiful carvings on these pillars.
Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery located at Sayajibaug in Vadodara is one of the finest museums in the country. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III founded this museum in 1887 and it was opened to the public in 1894.
This museum resembles Victoria & Albert and Science Museums of London. The building on the lines of Indo-Saracenic architecture was designed by Major Charles Mant and R.F. Chisholm.
It showcases a rich collection of art, sculpture, wood carvings, Akota bronzes. The picture gallery has diverse works of art from both India and abroad, including works by British painters J. M. W. Turner and John Constable, a gallery of Tibetan art, and a collection of Mughal miniature paintings. Here one can also see The Egyptian mummy and skeleton of a blue whale.
In Sim's Park of Coonoor among the various plants and trees one can also see a lot of birds. During tour of the park we also spotted many birds and one such bird is Spotted Dove.
The upper parts of body are brown, broadly streaked with black; head and breast pinkish grey; bill black; feet red.
They eat grass seeds, grains and bits of vegetation. They forage on the ground, on open land.
A glimpse of India in black and white. This picture is taken during our one of our travel by road in India.
The colorful image of the same.
Bhadrakali Temple at Ahmedabad is one of the oldest temples of the city, probably it is as old as the city. Located inside the famous Bhadra Fort it was built by Marathas in 1411 A.D during the rule of Aazam Khan.
The temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. It has a black statue of Goddess Bhadra Kali with four hands.
This place is worth visiting when in the city.
This mosque is located opposite to St.Xaviers High School in Mirzapur area of Ahmedabad. The mosque was constructed during 1430 - 1440 AD by Sultan Mehmud Beghara and it was named after his wife, Rupmati.
It is one of the most beautiful mosques in the city that showcases Indo Islamic architecture. The high central arch of the mosque is very imposing with slim minarets on either side.
The entrances on the side are flanked by balcony windows. The minarets, windows and perforated stone lattices are richly carved. Its minarets were damaged in the earthquake of 1819.
Its intricate wall carvings, sculptured minarets, beautiful galleries make it architectural gem in the city.
When we were in Adalaj to visit the ancient well near Ahmedabad we could spot several common birds in the vicinity. One of them is Indian Mynah.
It has brown body with a black head. It has a yellow bill. In flight it shows large white wing patches.
It is an omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct. It has adapted extremely well to urban environments.
They are accomplished scavengers, and they feed on insects, fruits and vegetables and even fledgling sparrows.
A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Other posts will give you more details about this monument.
We saw this school in Gondal on our way to visit the beautiful palaces of the city.
This school was built more than 100 years ago and is modeled on Eton College of UK. The school boasts a impressive Gothic architecture.
Sim's Park in Coonoor is one of the major attraction that is feast for the nature lovers. At a height of 1780 meters above mean sea level this park extends over an area of 12 hectares of mountain terrain.
This park-cum-botanical garden was developed around the natural contours of the land by Mr. J.D. Sims and Major Murray in the year of 1874. This park not only has naturally occurring trees, shrubs and creepers, as well as many unusual species of plants that have been brought in from a variety of places around the world.
The lanscape has beautiful terrace with colorful flower beds, lawns. One can also see some rare trees like Rudraksh, Cinnamomum, Queensland karry pine. This park has more than 1000 species of plants.
This park which is more than 100 years old is a feast of flora offset with ponds and walking paths. The park is home to various birds that is treat to the eyes.
Nadankanan Zoo at Bhubaneswar is one of great zoo in India. There are various animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Bengal Tiger.
Its body color is yellow to light orange, with stripes ranging from dark brown to black.
The tiger's belly and the interior parts of the limbs are white, and the tail is orange with black rings.
They have exceptionally stout teeth, and the canines are the longest among all living felids.
A glimpse of India in black and white.
Anjaneya Temple at Mulbagal is one of the many ancient temple in the town. This 15th century temple was renovated and enlarged by Raja Todar Mal who was the finance minister in Akbar’s court.
It is believed that 12 ft high Anjaneya idol here has been installed by Arjuna after the epic Mahabharata war as a mark of respect to Hanuman, who was the symbol of his flag.
The temple also has small shrines for other deities.
