Modhera

Modhera located on the bank of river Pushpavati located at distance of around 102 kms of Ahmedabad. We had been to this place on the way to Ambaji during our tour of Gujarat state.

According to ancient epics this area in the ancient days was known by the name Dharmaranya. According to Ramayana, Lord Rama purified himself from the sin of killing a Brahmin. In the 11th century the place was ruled by Solanki Dynasty. The Sun Temple and Surya Kund of the temple here is a architectural marvel that is worth a visit.

Other place of interest close by is Patan.

Another lesser known place of interest is Shamalaji.

Lothal, The City of Dead

Lothal in Gujarat has a history that is more than 4000 years old. It is one of most important city during the ancient period of Indus valley civilization. This remote village is at a distance of around 85 kms from Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad in either direction. "Lothal" when translated into local language Gujarati means "The City of Dead".

It is here we see the one of the Worlds ancient dock. In the ancient times this city was a port city that traded in beads, gems and valuable ornaments reaching far of places.

The Archaeological Survey of India has started excavation at this site in 1955 and what we discover is city with excellent Town Planning. Harappan Civilization created planned town and port after earlier village was destroyed by flood around 2300 BCE.

The excavated area is 935 feet north-to-south and 748 feet east-to-west. Some of the interesting structures that have been excavated are:

• The Warehouse
• The Lower Town
• The Upper Town
• Main Well
• House layout
• Dockyard

Apart from this there is also a Archaeological Museum displaying artifacts excavated from this site.

Mysore Zoo - Sloth Bear

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 Sloth Bear.

They have a lankier built with shaggy coats that form a mane around the face. Their muzzles are thick and long, with small jaws and bulbous snouts with wide nostrils.

   
This bear is a insectivorous bear feed on termites, honeybee colonies, and fruits. They are mostly seen in India and Sri Lanka.

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A glimpse of India in black and white. Here we see a number of trains stained at Bangalore City  Railway station.

Here we see a different shapes of engines attached to each train. 

Raopura Tower, Vadodara

Raopura Tower located in Vadodara is a clock tower built in the year 1896 and then it was central part of the fort. 

The Tower is designed in Indo-Saracenic style with clock in all the four directions. The design also includes Chhatris above the clock.

It is also known as Maharani Chimnabai Tower as it was built in memory of Maharani Chimnabai the first wife of the Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. 

Cave No 41, Kanheri

Cave No 41 of Kanheri is one of the important cave in the area that is built sometime around 3rd century B.C. The cave consists of a porch in the front followed by a verandah and a hall. The porch is supported on four pillars of square shaft topped with cushion capitals and square abacus. 

The veranda can also be reached from the sides of this front porch. The hall is approximately 26 feet long and 22 feet wide with many Buddhist icons carved all around. There is a cell in the centre of the back wall, inside which a Buddha image flanked with two attendants is carved. 

One of the important sculptures here is Litany of Avalokiteshvara and the Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara. Unfortunately the Litany of Avalokiteshvara is much defaced hence the ‘Eight Fears’ are almost disappeared.

Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara is only one of its kind in India. Thisn Buddha here is depicted with four arms.

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A glimpse of India in black and white. Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturti festival.

Same image in color.

Navamuni Gumpha, Khandgiri

Navamuni Gumpha located on middle terrace of the Khandagiri Hillock of Orissa. It belongs to 1st century B.C.  during the period of Mahameghavahana Chedi dynasty. 

The cave consists of pillared veranda with a single spacious chamber. The rock cut cave is known by this name as there are images of nine Tirthankaras in the cave.

The back wall preserves several sculptures of Sasanadevi with Ganesha and the  9 Jaina Tirthankaras.

Junagadh, City of the Yona

Junagadh is located at the foot of Jain piligrimage center Girnar Hills. The name when translated to local dialect menas "Old Fort". Another ancient name of the city is "Yonagadh"  meaning of "City of the Yona" as this place in the ancient times was inhabited by Greeks under the Indo-Greek Kingdom.

This ancient city was in the control of several dynasties such as Maurya, Solanki, Chudasama. The places of interest we visited here are:

• Uperkot
• Mahabat Maqbara
• Ashokan Rock Edicts
• Bahauddin ka Maqbara

We visited this place during our journey from Rajkot to Somnath. We had a car breakdown and lost around 6 hours. The car was finally ready at 9 p.m and we proceeded to Somnath.

The places of interest nearby are:

• Gir
• Girnar
• Rajkot
• Diu

Purple Swamphen at Jakkur Lake, Bangalore

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

One among them is Purple Swamphen. These birds have bright plumage and red bill and a large frontal shield. They have red eyes.

They prefer wet areas such as swamps, lake edges and damp pastures. They are often seen in pairs and larger communities. 

They feed on tender shoots and vegetable-like matter, eggs, small fish. 

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The new Indian rupee currency sign is designed by D. Udaya Kumar, and his design was selected from a competition conducted by Indian Government among Indian residents.

The new sign is a combination of the Devanagari letter "र" and the Latin capital letter "R" without its vertical bar. The parallel lines at the top are said to make an allusion to the tricolor Indian flag.

But to my surprise I found this sign on the window of an ancient temple.

This temple is Siddeshwar Temple at Bhubaneshwar.

Kambadahalli

Kambadahalli is a small village that is a Jain Heritage center. It is located just 18 Kms from Shravanabelagola another historic Jain center. The place has the name Kambadahalli due to the presence of Brahma Yaksha Pillar here.

As per the inscriptions the history of the place is more than 1500 years old. This place came into prominence as a Jain Center during the period of Gangas and Hoysalas dynasties. Here there are two Jain temples of historic importance. They are:

• Panchakuta Basadi 
• Shantinatha Basadi

Though it is one of the oldest Jainism site sadly it is not part of tourist circuit. We visited this place late in the evening on our way back to Bangalore from Udupi. The place near by of interest is Shravanabelagola.

Jakkur Lake, Bangalore

The Jakkur Lake in Bangalore is in the north-eastern part of the city. Today, it is one of the largest and cleanest water bodies in the city.

This would not have been possible without the initiative taken by the people who took keen interest in developing it into a beautiful and scenic place. This 160 acre lake allows for limited fishing activities and is frequented by various birds.

Among other birds the pelicans and painted stork throng this lake as they come here for nesting. As a result this park has now become paradise for bird watchers.

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

On a rainy day traffic at a junction in Aluva

Rishabhanatha Cave, Khandagiri

Rishabhanatha Gumpha located on Southern-eastern side of the Khandagiri Hillock of Orissa. It belongs to 1st century B.C.  during the period of Mahameghavahana Chedi dynasty. 

Presently the cave has entirely collapsed except for the back wall of the cave.

On the back wall there are three reliefs images, two of Rishabhanatha and one of Amra carved at the top portion.