Royal Gaitor Tumbas

On the northern edge of the Jaipur city centre, the walled funerary complex of Royal Gaitor contains the stately marble mausoleums (chhatris) of Jaipur’s ruling family. The Gaitore cenotaphs are located 15km away from Jaipur. It is here that many rulers of Jaipur were cremated and their chhatris were constructed. A very quiet and small place which only the locals seem to know. Tombs are all individual with beautiful stone carvings and architecture. Set in a narrow valley, the cenotaphs of the former rulers of Jaipur consist of the somewhat typical chhatri or umbrella-shaped memorials. 

The compound consists of two main courtyards, each crammed full of imposing memorials. The first (and more modern) courtyard is dominated by the grandiose twentieth-century cenotaph of Madho Singh II (d.1922).  Sawai Jai Singh II's Chhatri is particularly noteworthy because of the carvings that have been used to embellish it. It is the most impressive marble cenotaph, with a dome supported by 20 carved pillars. The second, older, courtyard is home to the elaborate tomb of Jai Singh II (d. 1743), the founder of Jaipur and the first ruler to be interred at Gaitor. The stone monuments are beautifully and intricately carved. Maharajas Pratap Singh, Madho Singh II and Jai Singh II, among others, are honoured here. 

Shot with Nikon D300 and Tamron 17-50/2.8 during my visit to Jaipur.

Matheran

Matheran is a hill station in the Raigad district in Maharashtra. It is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range at an elevation of around 800 m (2,625 feet) above sea level. It is located around 90 km from Mumbai, and 120 km from Pune. Matheran's proximity to many metropolitan cities makes it a popular weekend getaway for urban residents. Matheran, which means "forest on the forehead" (of the mountains) is an eco-sensitive region, declared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. It is Asia's only automobile-free hill station.

There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorama Point that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area . From this point, the view of sunset and sunrise is dramatic. The Louisa Point offers crystal clear view of the Prabal Fort. The other points are the One Tree Hill Point, Heart Point, Monkey Point, Porcupine Point, Rambagh Point, and more.
The roads are not metalled and are made of red laterite earth.


Neral is the nearest rail station. Matheran has a narrow gauge railway station in the town center. The old Matheran Hill Railway offers several daily trains to Neral. The toy train connected to the mainline rail route at Neral Junction.The train covers a distance of 12 miles in an hour thereby allowing the passengers ample time to soak in the beauty of the surroundings.


Trekkers prefer to travel to Dodhani ( 15 km). From Dodhani it is an hours trek to the sun set point of Matheran. This trek is very safe and easy to walk. Many trekkers prefer it during monsoon.This path passes through forest area, with lots of streams and lush green trees.

For a change shot with Fuji Finepix F70 EXR point and shoot camera.

Ameenpur Lake - Hyderabad

The 100-acre Ameenpur lake, the Hyderabad city’s second biggest bird viewing zone is under severe threat. Ameenpur Lake is a quiet little lake behind Miyapur on the way to Bachupalli and is on the backside of a heavy industrial area. The zone actually hosts the 93.15-acre Ameenpur lake or Peddacherruvu and five smaller ones: Kummarikunta (11.28 acres), Kothakunta (7.39), Settykunta (17.18), Bandamkunta (7.38) and Mallannakunta (39.18 acres).

Apart from birds, the lakes host a variety of fish, amphibians and reptiles including eight varieties of snakes such as checkered keel back and Russell’s viper. The biodiversity site has insects, butterflies and reptiles such as the oriental garden lizard, rock agama and fan-throated lizard. One can see a good numbers of egrets, herons, bee-eaters, cormorants, kingfishers, river terns etc at the lake.The lake has become one of the biggest attractions for waterfowl and migratory birds drawing in legions of photographers and birdwatchers during weekends.

Fish and insects are food for the birds. Many fish in this ecosystem have died as dangerous pollutants enter the lake. With little food, the birds are flying away to other places and are simply abandoning the lake.the lake is drying up and losing its precious eco-system to pollution. One wonders how did this lake stay intact?

The catchment area and the land abutting the lake have been encroached upon.The neighbouring colonies and industries, which sprung up on the banks and the lake bed, let out sewage and waste into the lake. Its feeder channels have been closed. Birds and reptiles are killed. The lake has been in utter neglect for a long time and the rampant encroachments continue unhindered with the connivance of the authorities concerned. Construction of apartments is undertaken in Surveys No. 322, 323, 324 which are within the full tank level area of Kothacheru of Ameenpur village.

Still on reaching the reasonably sized lake, one can see the huge number of birds that elect to stay there and make for a surprisingly pleasant viewing. The birds seem to co-exist with the surrounding industrial areas and seem comfortable in the lake area which seems to be rich with insects and fish etc keeping the birds happy. The number of species in the lake used to be 171, but a recent count recorded 186 which is a considerable number. With a little more effort, the number can reach 200. It can become a sustainable tourism site with watchtowers for children to observe the birds. 

Ameenpur Lake is designated as a biodiversity heritage site by the Government of Telangana on November 4 . The Ameenpur Lake got the tag due to sustained efforts since early 2015 by the Telangana State Special Protection Force to save the 93.15-acre lake with a series of clean-up campaigns in and around the lake. The Pollution Control Board is now working on putting up a sewage treatment plant with funds provided by the industries in the vicinity of the lake.

The litter is strewn around the banks and the plastic bags are thrown into the water and the locals just do not care. When I recently visited the lake, I found it extremely difficult to avoid the litter appearing in the pictures.

The pictures were shot with Panasonic Lumix LX3.

Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple, located in New Delhi, India, is a Bahá'í House of Worship completed in 1986. Notable for its flowerlike shape, it serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent and has become a prominent attraction in the city.The building is composed of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.

Bonalu Festival

Bonalu is a Hindu Festival. Goddess Mahankali is worshiped. Bonalu is an annual festival of Telangana. It is celebrated in the month of Ashada Masam. Women prepare rice cooked with Milk, Jaggery in a New Brass or Earthen Pot adorned with Neem Leaves,Turmeric,Vermilion and a lit lamp on the top of the Pot. Women carry the pots on their heads and make offering of Bonam along with Turmeric-Vermilion, Bangles and Saree to the Mother Goddess across the Temples.

The history of the origin of this festival traces back to the 19th Century, and is linked with the "Regimental Bazaar" and the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. In the year 1813, plague disease broke out in the twin cities, and this took away the lives of thousands of people. Just before this, a military battalion from Hyderabad was deployed to Ujjain. When this Hyderabad Military Battalion got to know about the epidemic in the cities, they prayed to the Mother Goddess in Mahankali Temple -Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. History tells us, that this military battalion prayed to Goddess Mahankali, to kill plague, and if the Goddess would do so, they had decided to install and idol of Goddess Mahankali in the city. It is believed that Mahankali destroyed the disease and kept pestilence at arms length. Then, the military battalion returned to the city & installed an idol of the goddess, which was followed by the offering of Bonalu to her. Hence, from then, this had turned a tradition, which has been followed and is still being followed by all the people belonging to Telangana.

Here are some pictures shot with Nikon D50

Please click on the pictures to get bigger versions for better appreciation.