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