The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan
Have you ever wondered about the difference between pigeons and doves? I have, and when I thought of doing a post on the doves I photographed at Mount Abu, this was the first thing that struck me. A quick search revealed that it is simply a matter of nomenclature - the smaller ones are called 'doves' and the bigger ones 'pigeons' (in most cases, that is.. of course, as with every rule, there are exceptions!)
The pigeons which haunt our house, looking for a nook to build their own homes are so common that I never feel the urge to capture them on camera. Doves are quite common too... at least some varieties, and we see them wherever we go. However, they look so graceful that I can't resist photographing every single one I see.... This is meant to be a photoblog of the doves or pigeons I have photographed, so without more ado, here I go....
First, here is the pigeon.....
I photographed this one at Mount Abu after taking so many pics of doves, simply as an afterthought... when I realised that I didnt have a single photo of a pigeon with me!
This one is called the 'Laughing dove' or 'Little Brown Dove'. The second name seems more apt, for this little bird is just, well, small and brown!
And here is the 'Spotted dove', getting its name no doubt from the spotted collar it sports!
Then there is the Eurasian Collared Dove... again named for its 'collar' around the neck!
But here is one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen - the Emerald dove.
We saw this bird while staying at The Hermitage Guest House, at Belgaum, Karnataka. The photo is unfortunately not as good as I would have wished, but then I just coudnt write a post on doves without mentioning this one!
The pigeons which haunt our house, looking for a nook to build their own homes are so common that I never feel the urge to capture them on camera. Doves are quite common too... at least some varieties, and we see them wherever we go. However, they look so graceful that I can't resist photographing every single one I see.... This is meant to be a photoblog of the doves or pigeons I have photographed, so without more ado, here I go....
First, here is the pigeon.....
I photographed this one at Mount Abu after taking so many pics of doves, simply as an afterthought... when I realised that I didnt have a single photo of a pigeon with me!
This one is called the 'Laughing dove' or 'Little Brown Dove'. The second name seems more apt, for this little bird is just, well, small and brown!
And here is the 'Spotted dove', getting its name no doubt from the spotted collar it sports!
Then there is the Eurasian Collared Dove... again named for its 'collar' around the neck!
But here is one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen - the Emerald dove.
We saw this bird while staying at The Hermitage Guest House, at Belgaum, Karnataka. The photo is unfortunately not as good as I would have wished, but then I just coudnt write a post on doves without mentioning this one!
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