Hampi - ruins of a magnificient empire

Hampi was the capital of Vijayanagar, a 14th century empire. The ruins of this imperial capital are spread out over an area of 26km. Before the fall of Vijayanagar, diamonds were sold on the streets. A World Heritage Site, Hampi is a place where one can be lost among the ruins, or simply be mesmerised by the vagaries of nature.The site is significant historically and architecturally. The topography abounds with large stones which have been used to make statues of Hindu deities.The extant monuments of Vijanagara or Hampi can be divided into Religious, Civil & Military buildings. While most of the monuments at Hampi are from the Vijayanagara period, a small proportion may be assigned to pre-Vijayanagara times.Hampi has various notable Hindu temples with some mythological sculptures inside the temples, some of which are still active places of worship.

Pictutres shot during my recent visit to this historical place with D300 and Tamron 17-50/2.8

his historical place with D300 and Tamron 17-50/2.8

Bhangra - the Punjabi folk dance

Bhangra is a lively form of folk music and dance that originates from Punjab, in India. People traditionally performed Bhangra when celebrating the harvest. During Bhangra, people sing Punjabi Boliyaan lyrics, at least one person plays the the dhol drum, and other people may play the flute, dholak drum, or other musical instruments. While Bhangra began as a part of harvest festival celebrations, it eventually became a part of such diverse occasions as weddings and New Year celebrations. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae.Many people believe that Bhangra originated in the 1400s, however, it may be even older. Primarily men performed Bhangra, while the ladies performed their own fierce, yet elegent, dance called Giddha. The men wore the turbin, lungi (long cloth wrapped around the waist), and kurta (traditional Indian shirt), while the women, when performing Giddha, wore the salvar kameez (a long colorful shirt accompanied with a baggy style bottom piece) accompanied by their bright colored duppattas (cloth wrapped around the neck).

The pictures were shot during a performance in the closing ceremony of the Army Cup Polo competition

Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, Replica of the famous Taj Mahal

The Bibi-Ka-Maqbara is a beautiful mausoleum of Dilras Banu Begum, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb (1658-1707 A.D). This mausoleum is believed to be constructed by Prince Azam Shah in memory of his mother . The mausoleum draws its inspiration from the world famousTaj Mahal of Agra (constructed between 1631 and 1648 A.D.) and hence it is rightly known as the "Taj of Deccan". The mausoleum was intended to rival the Taj Mahal, but, the decline in architecture and proportions of the structure had resulted in a poor copy of the latter. Even this decline cannot stop one appreciating the setting of the tomb complex in a garden setting with the mountain ranges behind providing as a backdrop.

The pictures were shot with D300 and Tamron 17-50/2.8 during my recent visit to the monument

Lodi Garden, New Delhi

Lodhi garden is one of the historical gardens in Delhi. Lodhi garden houses the tombs of Lodhi rulers. The tombs of Muhammad Shah, the 3rd leader of Sayyid dynasty and Sikandar Lodhi are located in the garden.The gardens derive their name from the four monuments built during the Lodi dynasty, the last of the Delhi Sultanate. Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the dynasty was defeated by Babur at the battle of Panipat and thus started the Mughal rule in India. The Lodi monuments add to the serenity of the environment of the gardens.

 
The monuments around which the gardens are laid out are Muhammed Shah's Tomb, Sikander Lodi's Tomb, Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad. The tomb of Mohammed Shah, the last of the Sayyid rulers, is the earliest of these and was built in 1444 by Ala-ud-din Alam Shah to pay a tribute to Muhammed Shah. The tomb of Sikander Lodi was built by Ibrahim Lodi in 1517. It has a striking resemblance to the tomb of Mohammed Shah.

The Bara Gumbad and the attached mosque were built in 1494 during the reign of Sikander Lodi. The Sheesh Gumbad or the Glazed Dome, which stands opposite Bara Gumbad and resembles it, was built around the same time. The Sheesh Gumbad is somewhat smaller in size compared to the Bara Gumbad.

Lodi Gardens are a real heaven of tranquility and peace from the hustle and bustle of Delhi. These gardens are very beautiful and home to a wide variety of trees and plants. 

Here are some of the pictures shot with Nikon S8200 p&s camera during one of my visits to this beautiful garden

Sheesh Gumbad

Badagumbad

Three domed Mosque near Bada Gumbad

Tomb of unknown from Sheesh Gumbad

View of Tomb from the Sheesh Gumbad

Mohammad Shah's Tomb

Steps to Mohammad Shah's Tomb

Side view of Mohammad Shah's Tomb

Another view of the beautiful tomb of Mohammad Shah

Minaret outside Sikander Lodi's tomb

Walled enclosure of Sikander Lodi's Tomb

Konaseema

Konaseema is a delta located in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. This delta is surrounded on all sides by waters (of River Godavari and the Bay of Bengal). Konaseema is famous for its scenic greenery.The origin of the name may be from Telugu word "Kona" meaning corner which resembles its shape. The northern side is bounded by Gautami Godavari and southern side is bounded by Vasista Godavari.

It is one of most fertile lands. The entire region is rich in Coconut trees, Mango groves, Cashew and paddy fields.Its magnificent landscape, artistic temples, lavish greenery, lustrous coconut grooves and fields takes ones breath away.Coconut palms, the arboreal symbol of Konaseema landscape, fringe the backwaters framing the blue tropical sky during daytime and a starry twinkling firmament during evenings. 

There are diverse sceneries along the backwaters crisscrossing the coastal areas.Konaseema is known for its backwaters. They as a whole, form an intricate network of lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries, and rivers that drain into the bay of bengal. Boating along the backwaters offers spectacular views and vistas of konaseema’s pristine natural beauty.Cruising along the backwaters is an ideal way to discover the real Konaseema. The placid backwaters that stretch for kilometers are covered with swinging coconut trees, canals and small islands.

Holy Temples have always been a strong reason of travel to Konaseema. There are many temples herewith excellent architecture and a story behind each temple. The important temples are Vinayaka temple at Ainavilli, Sri Jagan Mohini Keshava Swamy at Ryali, Sree veereswara swamy temple at Marumalla, Sri Someswara Swamy Temple at Kotipalli , Sri Suryanarayana Swamy Varu at G Mammidada, Bheemeshwara Swamy at Draksharamam, Sri Kukkuteshwara Swamy Temple at Pithapuram, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Anthervedi, Venketeshwara swamy at Appanpalli, Sri Kshira Rama Lingeshwara swamy at Pallakollu, Sri Someshwara Janardhana Swamy at Bhimavaram.

These are pictures shot with a simple p&s Nikon Coolpix S8200, during my visit to this magnificient countryside alongwith my son, a post doctoral scholar at Harvard University, when he came on a vacation, to show him the beauty our countryside.

After the visit I realised why the people who hail from this place love Konaseema and are very proud to tell others that they belong to this beautiful place.

Small boat in Godavari

Hutments

Coconut grove around beautiful pond

Coconut trees skirting paddy fields

My son shooting in a paddy field

Tractor and cranes

Beautiful greenery

Tiled house surrounded by coconut trees

 

Hauz Khas

Hauz Khas is named after an ancient water reservoir by the same name, now part of the extensive Hauz Khas Complex in New Delhi the capital of India. In Urdu language, 'Hauz’ means “water tank” (or lake) and ‘Khas’ means “royal”, giving it the meaning - the “Royal tank”. The large water tank or reservoir was first built by Allauddin Khilji (1296–1316) to supply water to the inhabitants of Siri Fort.

It houses an Islamic seminary, a mosque, a tomb and pavilions built around with medieval history traced to the 13th century of Delhi Sultanate reign. It was part of Siri, the second medieval city of India of the Delhi Sultanate of Allauddin Khilji Dynasty. The Hauz Khas village which was known in the medieval period for the amazing buildings built around the reservoir drew a large congregation of Islamic scholars and students to the Madrasa for Islamic education.This site also holds forth the days of ruin that ravished the grandeur of Khilji’s reign after his death. Hauz-Khas is considered to be the only structure of Siri Fort, which has survived the thwarts of ravishing time.

The present status of the village also retains not only the old charm of the place but has enhanced its aesthetic appeal through the well manicured green parks planted with ornamental trees all around with walk ways, and the sophisticated “gentrified” market and residential complexes which have sprung up around the old village. The tank itself has been reduced in size and well landscaped with water fountains.

Some of the pictures were part of many shot by me with Nikon D50 and a front element damaged Kiron 28-105/3.2 1980 made zoom lens.