Guru Padmasambhava, Samdruptse

The main tourist attraction in Samdruptse is tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rimpoche. 

This wide gigantic 45m high statue of Guru Padmasambhava over the forested Samdruptse ridge and is visible for miles around.

Painted in shimmering copper, pink and bronze, the statue of the hallowed Buddhist leader sits atop a giant lotus plinth. 

Within the complex, there are some splendid art and crafts objects such as statues, several paintings, and other artefacts. 

The walls of the complex are adorned by attractive sculptures and paintings. 

Uma Maheshwar Shrine, Nandi

The Bhoganandisvara Temple at Nandi is the finest architectural  specimen of Dravidian order built anytime between 9th and 15th century A.D. 

In the Bhoganandisvara Temple complex  between the twin temples Bhoganandisvara and Arunachalesvara there is a intervening shrine of Uma Maheshwar.

In front of shrine there is a Kalyan mantapa built of soap stone very interestingly carved with creepers and birds.

The interior of the central dome has 3 layer of fine carvings of interesting figures.

The excellent craftsmanship can be seen in every inch of the carvings. Each pillar of the mantapa is carved very intricately.

Birds of Jakkur Lake - 6, Bangalore

At Jakkur Lake in north Bangalore you can come across many colourful birds.  The egret which was flying over the lake finally could find its target.

It caught a fish and flew back to its destination.

Moon over Lachen

Lachen is a scenic mountain village surrounded by imposing snow capped peaks, glaciers and rock cliffs.

During our stay in this picturesque valley we could see half moon over the snow peaks.

Here are few shots that I could capture in the cold night.

Mahadeva Temple, Tambadi Surla

Tambdi Surla is a small place in in the midst of a forested area of Mollem National Park. This offbeat place which is 65 kms from Panaji is known for the ancient temple in the whole of Goa. 

Here small, beautifully carved and perfectly proportioned 13th century Mahadeva Temple built by Hemadri, a minister of the Yadava king Ramachandra. This temple has been preserved intact amidst serene picturesque Anmod Ghats. The temple consist of garbhagriha, antarala and a pillared Nandi mandapa that is built using finest weather–resistant grey–black basalt. 

The mandapa had balustrade entrances on three sides and it is covered with a roof of plain grey sloping slabs. The mandapa has four pillars embellished with fine carvings of elephant and chains support a stone ceiling decorated with intricately carved lotus flowers of ashtakon variety. 

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and there is linga mounted on a pedestal inside the inner sanctum.

The intricate carvings created by skilled craftsmen adorn the interior and the sides of the building.

There is a headless Nandi in the centre of the mandapa, surrounded by four matching columns.

Sunbird at Coonoor

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 Sunbird.

It is having good time with nectar in the flower.

Upper Town, Lothal

The archaeological remains of the 4000 year old town of Lothal has many interesting structures spread around. The entire area is divided into two primary zones – the upper and the lower town. 

The upper town is located in the south eastern corner of the ancient town and it is separated by other part of town by mud brick wall of 4 meters in height. his area has drains and rows of bathing platforms, that represent a planned layout. Warehouse is also part of the Upper town.

An elaborate sanitary and drainage system, a hallmark of ancient Indus cities, is in evidence everywhere in this part of the town.  Kitchen of upper town with pot furnace.

Kitchens and wells were spread across the upper town.

Chennakesava Temple, Somnathpura

Chennakesava Temple at Somnathpur is one of the masterpiece of Hoysala architecture. The temple within the high walled enclosure is entered through a porch supported by tall lathe-turned pillars. 

The construction of temple was initiated by Soma, a commander-in-chief of Hoysala king Narasimha III in 1268 A.D. The arhitect and sculptor of the temple was Ruvari Malithamma.

The temple built on a platform is a triple shrine with independent tower on top. The three towers are connected by a common rectangular closed mantapa. There is a gallery with lathe-turned pillars all along the enclosure of the temple complex.

This magnificent temple is built in soapstone. The outer wall of the temple has well decorated reliefs and friezes, with pierced windows screens above them.

Each shrine has 16 pointed star-shaped pattern and towers follow the same pattern. This decorated projections and recesses enhance the beauty of the temple. On the exterior the tower and and the walls have been carved with beautiful sculptures.

There are six moldings at the base of the outer walls divided into two sections. The lower section there is a orderly placement of friezes. Lower most is procession of elephants, above it horsemen in the second and a band of foliage in the third. In the upper section, the upper band has swans and lowest band has scenes from the Hindu epics and middle band has yalis.

The ceiling of the hall is supported by lathe turned pillars. The ceiling is intricately decorated with beautiful designs.

Karanji Lake Aviary, Mysore

In the park on the Karanji Lake bed at Mysore an aviary is constructed. It measures 40 m in width, 60 m in length and 20 m in height. It is possibly India's biggest walk-through aviary.

The aviary has an artificial water fall and two small water bodies. 

It has around 40 to 50 birds. Some of them are Hornbills, peacocks, white-peacocks, turkeys, black swans and more. One can also see tortoise here.

Dodda Ganapathi Temple, Bangalore

Dodda Ganapathi Temple located on the Bull Temple Road in Bangalore is one of the popular temples in the city. The construction of the temple is done by Kempegowda I founder of the city in the year 1536.

The temple has huge monolith of Lord Ganesha that is 18 feet high and 16 feet wide.

The idol is given different types of decorations that are done during the week. The most captivating one is the butter coating of the idol where idol is smeared with a whopping 100 kg of butter.

Stupa No. 1, Ratangiri

The excavation conducted by Archaeological Survey of India at Ratnagiri have yielded various interesting structures of the during the reign of the Gupta king Narasimha Baladitya in the first half of the sixth century CE. These structures were built till 12th century CE.

One among them is Stupa No 1 located on the south-western flank of the highest part of the hill. This large brick stupa has a 47 feet square base with a height of 17 feet. Sadly the superstructure is missing and it consists of five recesses and six projections. 

It is surrounded by a large number of votive Stupas of varying dimensions. 

There are hundreds of miniature votive stupas decorated with lotus petals and beaded tassels.

Red Vented Bulbul on Pavagadh Hills

On our trip to Pavagadh we were exploring the ancient sites on the Pavagadh Hill which is part of the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park. On our way back to rope way, we could spot few birds on the trees. One of them is  Red Vented Bulbul.  

Their body is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. The rump is white while the vent is red. The black tail is tipped in white. 

Harishchandra ni Chori, Shamalaji

The beautiful Harishchandra ni Chori temple at  Shamalaji dates back to 10th century. The structure is enclosed within courtyard with lost walls except the ornamental gateway.

The temple has a rectangular sanctum and a large pavilion in front of it.

The exquisite 10th century gateway here is oldest in the Gujarat state.