Temple orchestra or Panchari Melam is a percussion ensemble, canonically lasting more than four hours, performed during temple festivals in Kerala, India.
Shepherd with his flock
Morning, Victoria Memorial, Kolkata
Camera Canon G10
With less than a month to the showdown the whole of Kumortuli seems to be on their feet.It's Durga Puja time folks.
It is once again the time to forget our miseries, our differences, the animosities and embrace what we all have been longing for.It's a celebration of the victory of good over evil.On this Puja let us kill the evil in ourselves.
26 more Days to go !!!!
shot @ Kumartuli artisans lane, Kolkata, West Bengal
Jaigarh Fort near Jaipur, India was built in 1726 by Sawai Jai Singh. It was built on a hill overlooking the Amber Fort.
Tarna temple also called Shyama Kali temple was built in the 17th century by Raja (King) Shyam Sen who was a devout worshiper of the Hindu goddess Kali.
The temple is built on a small hill overlooking the town of Mandi and the entire town can be seen from here. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple has intricate designs carved in gold.
Vengurla is a port town on the Konkan coast in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, India. This port is amidst hills with vegetations of cashew, mango, coconut, etc . There are several beaches and lovely beach temples around Vengurla
A saffron flag bearing the auspicious "Om", flying on top of a temple across the street..!
"chhath puja" is celebrated on the 5th and 6th day after "deepabali"... its a thanks giving festival for lord sun.. the rituals are take place on various ghats of india mostly by "bihari" peoples..although mostly ladies are go through for 3 long days of fasting and after completion of "brata" they are only then allowed for foods...
babughat, kolkata
The prayer wheels of the Buddhists at the monastry
The Brihadeeshwara temple is one of the largest temples in the world. Observe the people on the lower right and you will get an idea of it's sheer size.
The temple was constructed by Rajendra Chola-I, the son of Raja Raja Chola who constructed the larger version in Thanjavur. The temple was constructed circa 1030 A.D. to celebrate Rajendra Chola's campaigns in the north.
Rajendra Chola moved up the east coast conquering all the kingdoms along the way. He stopped only when he reached the waters of the Ganges. He returned with the waters of the Ganga in golden pots and began the the construction of a new capital. He called it Gangaikondacholapuram - "The City of the Chola who Conquered the Ganga".
The Brihadeeshwara temple was built to symbolise his might. Almost a 1000 years later it still does. Most of the Chola kings who succeeded him had their coronation ceremonies here.
I visited the temple in the afternoon; a wrong time to visit. The heat was intense and the inner sanctum was closed. I did not get to see the enormous 13 foot Shiva lingam. I spent an hour looking at the external reliefs of the temple. There were no signs of the great city that once flourished here. In every direction, I could see green paddy fields stretching out to the horizon. Only the temple remains.
I took that photo near the Amber Fort near Jaipur, Rajasthan.
The old lady was selling dove food (not in bags but on small plates).
I don't know why she was selling through the bars.
I guess the price for one plate was about twopence, at least if you are Indian.
(Tourist always pay a little bit more, but that's OK.)
Actually she didn't like to have her picture taken without buying a plate of bird food.
(But I didn't like to feed the birds there, sorry for that.)
after having a bath in river-ganges, these pilgrims are drying their cloths(mostly shari) in sunshine.... "ganga-sagar transit camp", outram ghat, kolk
The Airavateshwar temple is a part of the world heritage monuments - The great living Chola temples. The mantapam (covered porch) is in the form of a chariot drawn by rearing horses.
According to legend it is believed that Airavat, the divine mount of Indra, worshipped Shiva here. He was praying for the restoration of his white skin which had turned black due to a curse. Airavateshwara means "The Lord of Airavat"
This temple is famous for it's musical steps (not seen here). The steps when struck at different points produce the 7 basic notes of music .
The temple was constructed in the 12th century by Raja Raja Chola II. The region around the temple was known as Raja Raja (pronounced as Rasa Rasa) Puram which over time got corrupted to Darasuram.
I had spent the morning exploring the temples and tanks of Kumbakonam. The heat and the intense humidity had drained all my energy and I wanted to skip this place. But the option of spending the evening in my windowless hotel room was not very appealling.
I arrived here a couple of hours before sunset and felt glad about it. The light was perfect for a few shots and most of the tourists had left for the day.
A Gurukulum (training school for priests) in Pillaiyarpatti, run by Pichai Sivacharya. It is a very traditional priest training school teaching all aspects of temple worship and the Vedas. Priests who graduate are very rigorous in the performance of the complex rites of temple worship and are a joy to watch and listen to their chanting. The students here are very special.
The face of the statue is a fine example of art showing a subtle smile and a genuine gaze at the worshippers.
Elephanta caves are located on an island called elephanta island near mumbai and have huge scuptures of hindu god shiva.A UNESCO world heritage site,these caves date back to 810-1260 period
This is the utsavam thats held at Purnathrayeesan's temple once every year. The melam, the elephants, the rituals, the crowd nothing nowhere else to match this one.
This was part of the view from the balcony of our hotel up the side of a mountain above Munnar. We idled there for most of a day because there was a general strike going on. Our tour leader said the strikers were preventing any vehicles from moving on the road. It was a cloudy day with the sun peeking through now and then. This photo captures one of the now and thens.
This shot was taken at a road construction site , near village Jhollari - Rewari , Haryana , India.
This shot is of the lady walking back in the evening afetr a days hard work .... somehow the twig in the hand intrigues me.
She is carrying her tools of work on her head - a fairly common sight on the construction areas in and around india.
Haryana has its borders with Rajasthan - both are known for the vibrancy and clors both in heritage as well as clothing .
This is the main entrance to the mosque... The carvings on it are very beautiful and can still be very clearly seen...
Morning ablutions in Dasaswamedh ghat
Dalhouise is a popular tourist destination in northern india... Subhas chowk is the main mall-area of dalhouise... peoples enjoying the sun rays in a cold afternoon of december... the name of this place is originated from the statue of "Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose" which can be visible in background...
Tamil Nadu/India(yeah, its a sunrise with a bit of PS)
A shepherdess from a Desia Kondh tribe in one of the villages near Lakshmipur.
Shot near Rayagada, Orissa, India.
Alankar means Decoration. A decoration of colour or interest that is added to relieve plainness. A simple dress without adornment./ delicate adornments. In the context of Indian classical music, the application of an Alankar is essentially to embellish or enhance the inherent beauty
Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh, India
Dharamshala/Himachal Pradesh/India
