Cosmic Dish
A medieval cosmic dish; this is not going to receive any TV channels, but back in its heydey, astronomers used it to help them calculate eclipses, and predict major cosmic events. (Note the marker at the intersection of the wires at the center). Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook + this on [...]
Jaipur’s City Palace – Ridhi Sidhi Pol – the Peacock Gate
The last in this series of the four gates from Ridhi Sidhi Pol at Pitam Niwas Chowk in Jaipur’s City Palace – this is the Peacock Gate situated in the Northeastern corner of the courtyard. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and associated with autumn. Each of these gates has a spiritual connection that is [...]
Jaipur’s City Palace – Ridhi Sidhi Pol – the Lotus Door
The third in the series from Ridhi Siddhi Pol and Pitam Niwas Chowk at Jaipur’s City Palace, the Lotus Door is reminiscent of the summer. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati Devi, and lies in the Southwest Corner of Pitam Niwas Chowk. These doorways are a true reflection of the colours [...]
Jaipur’s City Palace – Ridhi Sidhi Pol – the Rose Gate
The second of the four gates of Jaipur’s Pitam Niwas Chowk; Ridhi Sidhi Pol’s Southeast Gate known as the Rose Gate is dedicated to the Goddess Devi and is representative of the Winter Season. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook + this on Google+ share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it [...]
Jaipur’s City Palace – Pitam Niwas Chowk – Leheriya
Jaipur’s City Palace is home to its Royal Family (now, a very ceremonial title, but back in the days of their reign. they were true royalty). Their palace is open to tourists on a regular basis, where one can view the various nooks and corners of the palace, and their intricate designs that are part [...]
Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar
There are a couple of these around India, and they are the oldest observatories in the world. Life in India has a lot to do with what is written in the stars. The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments. It was built by Maharaja [...]
The Bagaan
The Agra Fort is a UNESCO world heritage site (one of three in Agra) and is a site with a lot of Indian history about it. While it has been around since the first Mughal Emperor, Babar, it took its real shape in its current form during the reign on of Shah Jahan. It is [...]
Dakshineshwar
The waters of the Ganges are considered sacred among Hindus, and over the centuries, several very noteworthy temples have been erected by both kings and common men and women. The Dakshineshwar Kali Temple lies towards the end of the Gangetic plain, just outside Calcutta, or Kolkata as it is now known, on the banks of the [...]
Welcome to Sikandra
Having posted several images of his father’s tomb, and an image of the interior, it was merely a matter of time before I got around to posting a picture of the exterior. This is Sikandra, tomb of the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar. Sikandra is one of the three major attractions of Agra (the other two [...]
The tomb of the second Mughal Emperor
Today’s post is yet another rendition of Humayun’s tomb… I’ve presented it in the past both from the inside, and from the outside, from the top, and from the ground level. This perspective is a little away to the right from the main entrance, in an area that was under restoration in January 2011. There [...]
Audience for the Royals
A few days ago, I had published a photograph of the Diwan-e-Am (the Hall of Public Audience) at New Delhi’s Red Fort. This image above is from the Diwan-e-Khas – the Hall of Private Audience. Cloistered within the interior walls of the fort, these chambers were reserved for the Emperor to grant audience to his [...]
The Diwan-e-Am at the Red Fort
The Red Fort in New Delhi is one of the most historic buildings in India. It is here that the Indian national flag was raised for the first time in Independent India. Consider this – the entire city of New Delhi was – at one time – contained within the walls of the Red Fort. [...]
Welcome to India
India has been on a road to rapid development over the last 10 years. Among the myriad of new metro elevated railway systems that have been constructed in 16 cities, New Delhi’s International Airport was seriously revamped. Terminal 3 is now home to facilities with over 60 gates, serving international and premium domestic airlines in [...]
A pink sunset
This monument needs no introduction – the Taj Mahal – tomb of the empress Mumtaz, wife of Shah Jahan – the 5th Mughal Emperor. The operative word here is tomb – where an individual has been laid to rest. In spite of this, Hollywood has featured scenes of people praying here when the world is [...]
Arches from the Qutb Complex
One from my trip back to India from last year – the Qutb Minar is the official symbol of Delhi (embraced by their department of tourism) and is a classic example of architecture from the era of the Slave Dynasty – the dynasty of kings who rose to power from slavery. It is also a [...]
The Terrace of a Tomb
I’ve posted a couple of images of Humayun’s tomb in the past. A world heritage site and all, it is quite a large structure in its own right, and is well worth a visit if you’re in New Delhi. To truly appreciate the structure, you need to go in, and up to the upper level [...]
Diwan-e-am at Amber
The concept of the Diwan-e-Am or “Hall of Public Audience” was not limited merely to the Mughals. The Rajputs employed the same concept too. This is the Diwan-e-Am in the Amber Fort, which sits in the main entrance way of the palace of Maharaja Man-Singh, perched high above the rest of Jaipur. A popular destination [...]
The Courtyard of Jahangir’s Palace
Jahangir was the fourth Mughal Emperor and son of Emperor Akbar, whose reign was cut short. His reign lasted a mere 8 months. Jahangir was not one of the greatest health, his body having taken the toll of a number of less than healthy choices in life. His death was the result of exposure to [...]
A condemned emperor’s view
To say that the Mughals had a bit of family conflict might come as a bit of an understatement. The ascension of several of the emperors typically followed a bloody struggle among brothers, or a son overthrowing a father. The latter was the case between Aurangzeb (the 7th Mughal emperor) and Shah Jahan (the 6th [...]
Cenotaphs at Mandore
The ‘Mandore gardens’, with its charming collection of temples and memorials, and its high rock terraces, is a major attraction of Jodhpur. The gardens house the Chhatris (cenotaphs) of many rulers of the erstwhile princely state of Marwar. Prominent among them is the chhatri of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar, built in 1793. The gardens [...]
Jaigarh framed
I spent several years in the United States of America and have now lived for four years in Australia. Whenever, I mention to people that I’m from India, one of the most common reactions that I get from people is “you have such amazing colours!”. No other place in India is more colourful than the [...]
Sunrise in Agra
Sometimes, you get lucky in life to be able to get something like this out of your camera that requires very little post processing.This is not an HDR image. I still had to wake up bright and early to get the right light to make the shot, but it required very little work in Photoshop [...]
Jaipur’s City Palace
A throwback to ths times where the title of Maharaja meant something, Jaipur’s city palace still stands to this day and serves as residence to the royal family of the Maharani of Jaipur. It is the centrepiece of the pink city, a private residence to the family that opens its doors to the public through [...]
The Pearl Mosque
Somewhat of a misnomer, this…. this is the Moti Mahal which resides in the corner of Agra Fort. The Mughals came from Persia and were of Islamic faith. When they migrated to India, they brought their faith with them. As they became more powerful, they built their fortified cities, and within them, they built their [...]
