Morning hues at Hessarghatta Lake

Hessarghatta lake just on the outskirts of Bangalore is a favorite haunt of many a photographers. Designed more than a century back to meet the water suppy to Bangalore city-this lake is home to many a variety of birds. The cacophony of the bird calls reaches a crescendo in the morning with the birds of all sizes zipping around is something to be experienced.
This area is also famous for the dance school started by the Odissi danseuse late  Protima Bedi.

However, here are some photographs of the wonderful hues the nature paints at Hessarghatta.

Nature's Pallette


Just before the sun emerges out of the clouds

Pathway leading to the lake, displays many a hue

Orange on a blue sky

BUNS at Karwar

The best  thing to do when you travel  is do what the locals do. So here I was in Karwar and landed up on the beach for a morning walk in the early hours-watching the sky change its colours, The fishermen untangle there nets to send their catch to the market. The lazy one setting out for to collect their share of nature's bounty.

Here is a group preparing for tommrow, mending their nets

After the walk we land up in a road side shop for coffee and we see the the morning rays on VADA and BUNS. Buns?  I had not heard of it it. It looks a bit like Puri and a bit like Kachori. Its normally eaten with vegetable curry, and is quite filling. I prefered to have it without the curry since it was a bit sweet- on account of the banana added to the dough. My cousin, passionate about food as I am, blogs profusely at  http://kannadacuisine.blogspot.com/
I am sure she would love to gather the recipe for buns. It would be so nice if somebody could do it.

Enjoy this Buns with vada

The Sajjeshwara Temple at Karwar - One of the Panchaliga

Mythology is always intersting-irrespective of facts. Heres another - the Mythology of Ravana handing over the Shiva Linga to Ganesh to perform his evening rituals and Ganesh grounding it in Gokarna is well known. In a fit of rage, Ravana is supposed to have tried to wrench out the Linga from ground and in this process flew out four fragments, the main remaining at Gokarna - The four other locations where the fragments flew out are purported to be, the Sajjeshwara, Gunavanteshwar, Murudeshwar and Dhareshwar ,

While Gokarna is a famous pilgrim centre – This temple - Sajjeshwara is nondescript and almost lost, with the maintenance much to be desired. Easily accessible from Karwar, its only a few Kilometres away.

A Jain Basidi in Ammanagi

Travel places and bet to find something to knock you down. Here we were on the way to Hukkeri (in Belguam District of Karnataka) and we learn of a ancient Jain temple unearthed in the year 1993. This is Ammanagi village in Hukkeri Taluk.

A magnificent temple, all black dedicated to Thirthankara Parasvanath - look as if it is cut of some soft material and not stone. Even a knock on the wall does not sound like stone. Purported to have been built in the ninth century during the Chalukyan period by their Chieftain who were Jains, this village has some dilapidated remains of buildings which points to Ammanagi being an important settlement those days.

The Basidi

Inner View of the temple

Chitradurga fort

Finaly I got to see the fort; on a trip organised  by Youth Photographic Society, Bangalore.

A massive one spread over miles and miles of many mountains, Chitradurga fort is a photographers delight, apart from being a nice place to trek, rock climb.

The best of the forts that I have seen until now, one needs to spend at least a day, trekking, photographing and of course visiting the fame Obavan Kindi (crevice) - The brave lady, single handedly killed scores of Hyder Ali's soldiers emerging out of a crevice with a pestle.
Legend has it that Bhima had a duel with the Raksha Hidamba here, and then went on to marry Hidambi, thats the beauty of India, most of the places you visit have some association with mythology.

The Gali Gopura and the hindambeshwar temple are such beauty and charm to photograph at different periods of the day, I could get it in the morning and evening light but would love to get on a full moon day.

The Gali-Gupura - Hidambeshwara temple in the morning light

The Gali-Gupura - Hidambeshwara temple in the setting sun- light

This is the ancient Murga Matha

The fort has an excellent system of rain water, harvesting at different levels of the fort- seven if I get it right. It is told Hyder Ali lifted the siege on the fort when he learnt that the fort could  sustain on its own water suppy for atleast 12 years.

This is one of the rain water harvesting tank

Pondicheery

Pondicheery or Puduchery as its called now has diverse views of people on tourism potential. Whats there to see here is what people say and then flock to it. I have always believed that any place has much more to experience than see. You can see the monuments in TV, Photographs, Experiencing is what make the place lovable.
Well, the Sri. Aurobindo's samadi is a great place to experience, especially the silence. So is the sprawling Auroville-an experiment in international community living. The matri mandir at aurovile, My friend says, has a meditation hall, wherein you could literally experience deafening silence (unfortunately is not open to common public).
So, Puducherry is all about the ashram, Auroville, the broad Promenade in the french quarters, the beautiful buildings in the Tamil quarters, and enjoying french food in few of the restaurants.
INTACH, has done some excellent work here in restoring the old colonial structures. They take on a heritage walk in the french quarters of the city on week end.


Interiors of a refurbished buildings which houses the INTACH office today. The yellow Oxide floor in this building is exquisite to see.

Rows of Old houses in the Tamil quarters

Wonderful to walk, on the beach front
Gateway to the many french building
Streets bear the french names even today

Facade of a Hotel typically french

Hotel de Ville being refurbished-houses the State Govt. offices

The magnificent interiors of the Alliance Francaise buildings

Ranganathittu and Bandipur

The Youth Photographic Society, Bangalore brings together Professionals and rookies like me together and arranges trip all over the country.
My first trip with this wonderful group of people to Ranganathittu bird sanctuary and Bandipur wild life sanctuary in Karnataka.
A River Tern

Stone Plover

A flock of white ibis in animated conversation

I live in towns too

Serious Introspection

A cute one

Streaming light through Venetian blind

When I walked in for Break fast at Hotel Hans in Hubli, It was dazzling to see the effect the light streaming through venetian blind, I had to run back to the room to fetch the camera, lest I lose the effect. The photographs are no where as good, since I could not capture the minute squares cast on the floor and tables. well, tommrow is always there....

KAMALA BASIDI_BELGAUM

Kamala Basidi or the kamal Basti, so called because of the enchanting chandelier carved in stone on the ceiling of the main temple or basidi dedicated to Jain tirthankaras. Purported to have been built by the Goa Kadamas, at its heights, this complex had many basidis, but regular invasions by Moguls, Bhamanis etc. has taken its toll
If lucky, one can have the darshan of a young Jain muni, resplendent in nature's splendour. Honestly dressed in branded stuff top to down, I felt absolutely naked in his august presence. Its a humbling experience.

The Kamala Basidi

All I could manage was this of the KAMALA

The Chikki Basti

Children posing with the intricately carved facade of the Chikki Basti in the back ground

Belgaum Lake

For someone habituated to take a morning wake in the pristine surrounding of Sankey Tank in Bangalore, the Belgaum lake situated near the fort was a boon.
Much bigger than Sankey, the maintenance is much desired. All the same its heavenly to walk around in the morning.

Over cast sky in the early hours lends a different hue

Ducks lumbering out after their morning Bath (they do have one every morning)

Madhugiri Betta

Namuru chandvo Nemuru chandvo...........So goes the kannada song ( Is my city beautiful or yours..), this had been the topic for my wife who believes that the Madhugiri hillock is the second biggest monolithic rock in Asia, and I argue it is the Bellary rock, Well after seeing both I can only say the measurements for Bellary Hillock is available on the net, none for madhugiri, the case rests, but then Savandura too lays its claim.


This is the Hillock

The Indo-Sarsenic influence seen at the entrance to the fort

British influence seen in this old machinery and a building within the fort

GOLCONDA FORT

Golconda reminds one of the famed Kohinoor diamond which was not mined here as I had assumed, but sold in the Mina bazaar in the precincts of the town. Its one of the most glamorous forts I have seen. The Acoustics of this fort is just fantastic and the reception across the wall is so clear it beats any of the modern communication methods.


An interesting entrance to the fort, the main door is blocked by a huge bastion like structure to which rules out the possibility of the main door being rammed open.

The Sprawling fort, the building with the minars seen at the top, was the inspiration for the charminar

Repair work of any kind on monuments ruin the whole effect, I wish they let it be and instead maintain the same condition.

A sound and light show amidst these ruins make a great effect

The Barracks

Seine River Cruise

Every ancient civilization sprung up on the banks of a river. Be it the Egyptian on the banks of Nile, or the Mesopotamian on Tigris and Euphrates, the Indus valley on Indus. And every great city is built on a river, be it Agra and Delhi on Yamuna, Calcutta on Ganga, London on Thames, New York on Hudson , Budapest, Vienna and Belgrade on Danube.
A River adds a great dimension to the city. Imagine Taj Mahal without the Yamuna, Calcutta without the Hoogly Ghats, and Varanasi without the Ganga.
So is Seine to Paris. Dividing Paris into the left and the right bank, A must for any visitor to Paris is the Seine river cruise. Guaranteed to trill even a hard demeanor person , It showcases the history of the city. One can get to see beautiful bridges across Seine (called Pont in French), the Louvre Museum, The famed Notre Dame Cathedral, The Obliex at the place de la Concorde, the location where Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette was beheaded, the french revolution unfolds.....

This pier opposite the Eiffel tower from where the cruise start

Waiting for the service to start after buying tickets, it would be great to have pancakes with chocolate spread

One of the most beautiful and ornately decorated, the Alexander III rd bridges

Le Grand Palais_ an Exhibition Hall

A statute on the Pont de l’Alma

The Pont des Arts against the fiery evening sky

The Pont Royal with Lourve in the background

The Obelisk –A gift from Egypt at the Place de la Concorde

The Eiffel sparkling at the stroke of the hour from across the river