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

RAIN AND SHINE

Karwar still retains the old charm of a typically town much akin to the Malgudi of R K Narayan. The multi storied building with glass facades are yet to invade the market places. The laid back approach typical of coastal people is very much to be seen, and how would you expect the monsoon to be in a coastal town.

RAIN AT TIMES

SHINE AT TIMES

REPAIR AT YOUR DOOR STEP

Those were the times. When the village/town used to be self contined in itself. You had the brick maker, The black smith, the baker, the oil extractor, the lime maker in the kilns, the potter and not to mention the locally grown grains and vegetable, milk butter, everything in the village and for some other items which could be considered exotic you had the weekly santhe (market day).
And these are the times: One single or couple of manufacturer of Milk for the whole state, Packed bakery products, branded grocery, no pottery or lime used but only cement. so on and so forth.
And times to come, globalisation will see a single maker of milk worldwide, like wise for cement, brick, bakery, and so on. We already have only two manufactures making Cola, all other items will follow.
Nice to see this scene which was prety common in our childhood. Wandering/mobile repair men with their little pump and earthen stove approching and repairing almost anything. Here we see the old man soldering the chain of the wrist watch, while the kerosene stove lies in line for repair.

World Photographic Day

Yesterday was the world photographic day. The Youth Photographic Association, Bangalore organised a exhibition of photographs on The Monuments of Karnataka, got to see some beautiful photographs.

Hard pressed for time these days, I choose this one photograph on this occasion. The credit for this shot though goes to my wife who insisted I shoot this combination of pink and white bougainvillea.

Patadakal

Patadakal is mindbogglingly and sheer poetry in stone. I was torn between photographing the structures and admiring it. The temple architecture represented here boast of both The Nagara and the Vesara style, adopted by later dynasty like the Rastrakutas, the Hoysala the Kalyani Chalukyas etc.
Sheer poetry is required to describe these structures and I am no poet. I hope the photographs speak for themselves.

The Entire Complex with various styles of Architecture

A closer look

The Virupaksha, Sangameshwara temples, the Chalukyan kings being shaivates, all the temples here are dedicated to Shiva.

The nandi as always present in front of the Virupaksha

Sigandoor

The best thing I loved about Signadoor is that the Chudeshwari Devi temple is almost located in thick forest sans any commercial activity. Located near Sagara and just a short distance away for the famed Jog falls, reaching this place is no easy.
One has to take a launch to cross the river Sharavati and then a drive in the woods to reach the place. Serene Atmosphere and tranquility prevails all around.

The dried stumps makes the scene all the more attractive

The Chudeshwari temple nestled in deep woods

Aihole

The architecture at Aihole is termed as the cradle of Hindu temple architecture. Artisan are purported to have experimented here before evolving the rock cut concepts and the full fledged Chalukayan style and probably the later Rastrakutas sytle.
As is the truth with all tourist places, the main complex is of interest and the rest in and around the place remains in ruins unvisited, un preserved. I wish the authorities could do some thing to demarcate these precious monuments which will automatically bring in people.

Some shots of both the main complex and the village...


Did Edwin Lutyens visit Aihole ? Was this inspiration for the Parliament house?



Shiv ling fascinates me. Yes, it is a quiet simple structure but all the same it can be fashioned in many forms. I have been making it out of the chapatti dough and clay for myself in my childhood and later for my kids. Until recently they would run to me to fashion one out of dough each evening.
You could see them in many forms many a thing qualify to look like a ling, but this one below is something I had not seen earlier or imagined ,

A ling more like mortar pestel .

There are many temples all around the village of Aihole. Sad, it does not interest the tourist one such complex in the heart of the village.

Nice place to park the bullock cart and store firewood.

Ancient and the new co-exist perfectly. This must have been a grand structure

Nice place for a smoke in royal style?

Banvasi_ the ancient city of Kadambas

Banavasi, touted as the ancient city next only to Varanasi is today a town of population less than 5000. It was during the rule of Kadambas this kingdom acquired its great heights and the words of poet Pampa which made Banavasi all the more famous (for Pampa’s exact lines see http://www.banavasibalaga.org/laanchana_en.html ). A sleepy village nestled in the western ghats, the principal attraction is the Madhukareshwara Temple, is a quiet place in spite of the town having a history of more than 2000 years. Many dynasties are reported to have added their own stamp to the temple complex and it was fascinating to learn that Shantala- The dancing queen had challenged the famed Allam Prabhu in the very precincts of this temple.

Exquisitely carved elephants at the entrance

Temple Precincts

This Probably is the spot where the Hoysala queen Shantala danced, with the imposing nandi in the backdrop

A very intricate work on a stone cot, captured partly

Can't say for sure how old this figurines could be but was just wondering if the style reminds of Dandiya

A solitary bird

Last time I posted a couple of birds, Rajkumar and Arun were kind to identify it, from their data given this one is probably from the family of erget.

Chola temple at Binnamangala

Not very far from Nelamangala the Bangalore – Tumkur highway, a drive of about a kilometer on kutcha road leads to the Mukti Nateshwar temple and regular worship is on these days.
This temple is rebuilt by the ASI, I would say they have done a reasonable job, but I would always want to see ancient ruins preserved in the conditions it is found rather than remodel and built it. To cite an example, I have Seen the Urga Narashima statues at Hampi in ruins, with the legs broken and lying in the floor. One should see this now, the legs are joined using cement plaster. I would say preservation and not restoration is what is important.

Well, expect for the Nelamangala town website, I do not find anything much about this temple other than that it was built by Raja Raja Chola. Though a local man tells his parents from the nearby village used to come to this temple to pray for rains and at times it used to rain on their journey back home.

Rich caving of the old and new on the walls.

Pillars are ancient all right