One upon a time, in a land not too far away, there lived a handsome Prince named Dis.
And, once upon the same time, in a land close to the previous land, there lived a beautiful Princess named Din.
A Simple Love Story
Connections – Play Time
~C~O~N~N~E~C~T~I~O~N~S~
Connection Dance Series
An Evening In Jaipur
Returned from Abhaneri – after visiting the Chand Baori and Harshat Mata temple – and reached Jaipur by afternoon. Decided to walk /taxi around in the old city and catch the colors and sights in Jaipur.
Amer or Amber Fort was breathtaking. Visited it at a particularly crowded time – so took a quick tour of the Fort and proceeded to the less known and less crowded Amer or Amber town, located behind the Fort. Made a note to revisit this fort and spend more time at the next visit.
After the crowds at Amer Fort, the Amer town seemed like a different world. With narrow, clean, cobbled streets, it was a welcome change. Was greeted by these shy children returning home from school.
In the Amer town, visited the Panna Mian Ki Baori / Baoli (Panna Meena Ka Kund) – another impressive step-well – much smaller than the Chand Baori – but impressive and a must-see nevertheless.
The symmetric steps leading down to the water were eye catching. The Baori apparently served as a water reservoir and a community gathering place.
Nearby was the ancient Meera temple or the Jagat Shiromani Temple – a magnificent temple with exquisite carvings and paintings. It is dedicated to Lord Krishna and Meera – it is believed that the statue of Lord Krishna worshipped here is the same statue that Meera Bai used to worship in Mewar – it was brought here from Mewar by the Amer rulers during the war with the Mughals. It is one of the few temples in India where the idol of Meera is worshipped.
Was particularly intrigued by the paintings on the ceiling in the main temple – natural dyes and colors used to create intricate artwork, depicting pictures of the past Kings and stories about Vishnu’s Dashavataras.
Finished the tour of Amer town and taxied back to Jaipur city – desperately looking for a hot cup of Chai / Tea. Went to the highly recommended ‘Tapris’.
Ordered ‘cutting chai’ and followed it with three rounds of eats – didn’t really want to stop. But it was getting dark, and I had one more place to visit.
Stepped out of Tapris and took an Auto Richshaw to Hawa Mahal. This is in the old part of Jaipur and we made our way through the busy crowded streets of Johri Bazar and the other old city streets. Was a little worried about being able to photograph Hawa Mahal at night – had earlier planned to come here during the day. Was delighted to see the Hawa Mahal well lit and illuminated.
After that, spent some time roaming the crowded streets around Hawa Mahal. Then decided to walk back to my hotel – and on the way was rewarded by this alluring sight of the Albert Hall Museum
After a fruitful evening in Jaipur, I made my way back to my room in the pleasant and quaint Hotel Diggi Palace. A day well spent.
Baori And The Temple
Chand Baori and Harshat Mata Temple
Baori or Bawdi – are step wells built in ancient times seen at different locations in India.
Travelled to Jaipur recently – took a day trip to Abhaneri – about 95 km away – to visit the Chand Boari and the adjacent Harshat Mata temple. Was thoroughly impressed by the structures. Both are a bit offbeat places with not may tourists around. Could spend a lot of time taking pictures. Would have loved to go down the steps at Chand Boari – but its been barricaded – wisely I guess.
Chand Baori or Bawdi is one of the largest step well in the world, built around the 9th century AD by King Chanda – hence the name. These large steps wells helped to store water all year round in these arid areas. It also served as a community gathering place for the locals and the royals. Its a rectangular structure with steps along three sides and a three-storeyed pavilion with intricately carved windows (jharokas), galleries and balconies for the royals, built on the 4th side. The geometric symmetry of the steps and the play of light and shadow they cast in the sunlight is mesmerizing. There are 3500 steps – going down to a depth of about 64 feet – 13 floors down. It is said that the temperature at the base is about 5-6 degree cooler that at the top.
Chand Baori was featured in two hollywood movies – The Fall and The Dark Knight Rises.
Chand Baori – a symphony of steps.
HARSHAT MATA TEMPLE
Adjoining the Chand Baori – is the Harshat Mata temple. This is an ancient temple – built in the 7 – 8th centuries – but was plundered and destroyed by Mahmud Gazni. The pillars, walls and statues still lie scattered but the main temple is still in use – saw a friendly temple priest reading and chanting holy verses when I visited. He allowed me to take pictures inside – may his tribe increase.
Harshat Mata is the goddess of happiness and joy – hence the small village around it was called Abhanagri (city of brightness) – now known as Abhaneri.
The temple walls – some in ruins, the intricate carvings, the setting of the temple and the general quiet, soothing ambience makes the place a must visit.
A photographers delight.
Art On The Road
Sunday, 15th Jan 2017. Our daughter was visiting us and had to be picked from the airport by afternoon. We spent our morning at Chitra Santhe – Art for All – organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore. This is an annual one day event showcasing affordable art and providing a platform for budding artists. The artworks are displayed on the Kumara Krupa Road, which is made pedestrians only for the day. We spent the morning there, and came back again from the airport to capture the evening crowds.
Crowd was slowly building up – by afternoon the roads were packed. It was a festive atmosphere, with colours all around. Great time for clicking.
The Art …..
The Artists …..
And the Crowds …..
Sticks Of Trade – Fisherman’s Stick
Spent a free Sunday morning at the Delta beach, a short drive from Udupi in South India, watching the fishermen setting out to sea, and coming back with their day’s catch. Was facinated by their use of a stick – a short, sturdy cut branch of a tree – for multiple purposes. It was indeed an indispensible part of the proceedings. Be it for hauling in the nets with the catch from the sea, carrying the catch, rolling in the nets, carrying the ropes – the stick seemed to be used for everything. A true fisherman’s mate.
Fishermen’s Village
On a short visit to our ancestral hometown in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, India. I’d come on work with a morning to spare and decided to explore. Went to Kaup beach in the evening to photograph the lighthouse. The next day, we woke up early and drove down to Delta beach to catch the fishermen at work.
Came across an idyllic village on the way back – Kodi Bengre – a short drive from Udupi in Karnataka, India. We were struck by the neat, clean surroundings and brightly painted houses on either side of the wind-swept road. It was still early, the village folk were either at sea or on the beach; hauling in the day’s catch. The village was deserted and very charming. The bright colors amidst the trees, the sea in the background, the morning light – we needed no prompting. The camera was out and clicking.
