Venkataramana Temple - Gingee, originally uploaded by © Arjun Valsaraj.

This picture was taken in the ghost town of Gingee. After a series of wars the city was abandoned. The citadel is located in a boulder strewn landscape, between 3 hills.

Much of what remains, like the Venkataramana temple was built during the reign of the Vijayanagara empire. The superstructure of all buildings here is hard granite. The granite sections were made to interlock with each other and held in place by virtue of their weight.

The Venkataramana temple was one of the most eeriest temples I have ever visited. It is spread out over thousands of square meters and there was not a single soul there. The place had an apocalyptic feel to it and I felt like the last surviving human.

While exploring the ruins, I became conscious of my heightened senses. I became sensitive to even the slightest movement (usually a bat or a squirrel) and I still remember the smell of the dust that my footsteps raised. I could hear the wind blowing gently across the inner courtyard and the sound of my footsteps. My camera sounded so loud that I almost felt that the ghosts of the past would rise and tell me to be quiet. :)

I took this picture when I was leaving. A sole visitor like me was about to enter through the crumbling gateway tower (gopuram). I hope his visit was more pleasant than mine.