All Saints Church, Trimulgiry

All Saints Church was constructed in 1860 AD to serve the British Cantonment of Secunderabad. The church was the first permanent structure in the Trimulgherry Entrenchment. It is located in the Trimulgherry locality of Secunderabad. It was originally a Garrison Church, presided by Army Chaplains but was subsequently bequeathed to the Church of South India in 1947.

The church is an imposing Gothic structure with a multitude of turrets and a tower belfry. The altar piece of the church is a beautiful stained glass window depicting Jesus carrying the cross. The stained glass window is dated 1884. Antique pews, lamps along with a baptismal font are some of the prized possessions of the church.

As most of the churches and temples in India, photography is not allowed inside the church unlike in USA where there are no restrictions either in churches or temples over there. I cannot comprehend the reasons, which are best known to the persons who choose to prohibit.

Hence I could only photograph the exteriors of this fine old church with Fuji Finepix 70EXR point and shoot camera.

Please click on the pictures for bigger version for better appreciation.

My tryst with snowfall

Being from the tropical country, I never have had the experience of seeing snowfall, Though, in places like Srinagar, Gulmarg, Shimla etc., in India one can witness snowfall in the winter, I could not go there to see that.

However, in one of the trips to USA to visit my children, I happened to stay there through the winter. And what an experience that was, exhilarating to see the snow-clad buildings, streets, trees.

Snow is precipitation in the form of flakes of crystalline water ice that falls from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft, white, and fluffy structure, unless subjected to external pressure. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types that fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are hail, ice pellets or snow grains.

I shot extensively to capture the beautiful visuals, in my first experience with snowfall.

Here are some pictures shot in Pennington, New Jersey where my son lives in his own home.

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Princeton University in fall season

If one wants to take pictures in the campus of any university or institution in India, one encounters restrictions. One may not be allowed to take a camera inside. It is in this background, it was indeed very surprising to me when I entered the Princeton University with my camera and a bag containing various lenses. Very hesitatingly, I took my camera out thinking that I would not be allowed to take any pictures of this historic university and I would have to leave without any pictures. No one objected to my taking pictures around this magnificent campus with many ancient buildings. So I went on the capture some of the beautiful surroundings and the structures in Gothic style architecture.

Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton,New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton was the fourth chartered institution of higher education and thus one of the nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution. The institution moved to Newark in 1747, then to the current site nine years later, where it was renamed Princeton University in 1896.

The university has graduated many notable alumni.It has been associated with 41 Nobel laureates.Two U.S. Presidents, 12 U.S. Supreme Court Justices (three of whom currently serve on the court), and numerous living billionaires and foreign heads of state are all counted among Princeton's alumni. Princeton has also graduated many prominent members of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Cabinet, including eight Secretaries of State, three Secretaries of Defense, and two of the past four Chairs of the Federal Reserve.

In the fall season, the university with it's rich vegetation, nature throws a riot of colours. From bright yellows to vibrant reds, the leaves transform, showing their rich and vibrant hues. Every year, travelers flock to to take see fall foliage, to catch a glimpse of nature's splendor. 

The following pictures were shot by me during my visit to this wonderful place in fall season, with Nikon D300 and Tamron 17-55/2.8 lens

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Lepakshi

Lepakshi is a small village in the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located 15km east of Hindupur and approximately 120km  north of Bangalore. Lepakshi is culturally and archaeologically significant as it is the location of shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Veerabhadra which were built during the Vijayanagara Kings' period (1336–1646).The temples are the location of mural paintings of the Vijayanagar kings and Kannada inscriptions. Near the temple complex is a large granite Nandi bull

The Veerabhadra temple of Lepakshi, is dedicated to Veerabhadra. It is an example of the Vijayanagar architectural style. Points of interest in the temple include a rock chain, Vastu Purush, the Padmini race lady, the hanging pillar, Durga Paadam, the eyes of Viroopaaksha and Lepakshi saree designs. The paintings on the roof are made with natural pigments.

The Shiva's bull Nandi is a granite monolithic sculpture on the main road of Lepashki approximately 200m from the temple. It is 4.5m high and 8.23m long making one of the largest nandi in India. The sculpture has been positioned so that it faces the shivalinga which is shielded by a large serpent inside the temple. The nandi wears a kaasu mala, a bell chain, earrings and other jewellery.

The following pictures were shot by me during my visit to this wonderful temple, with Nikon D300 and Tamron 17-55/2.8 lens

Please click on the pictures for bigger version to appreciate them.