Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Skywatch Friday - Sunset over the Mumbai Skyline

Summer is here, and Mumbai is sweltering hot! This is not really the best time to travel, for its hot everywhere, but this does not seem to stop us from travelling!! I just returned from two short trips - a week long trip to Gujarat, where we visited Somnath, Junagadh and Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, and another shorter break to Alibag. There is lots I have to write about, and hopefully I shall get started soon.... Meanwhile, another good news is that I have finally upgraded my camera!!! I am now the proud owner of  Nikon P510!! Those of you who are wondering why I didn't finally switch to a DSLR, the reason is that I decided that Samhith was quite enough to handle for now! I didn't want the additional burden of lenses and stuff that had to be cared for at all times! The P510 seemed to be the perfect compromise, and I set off for Gir with the new camera in hand..... I have been agonising over which images to post first, and have finally decided that these sunset scenes over the Mumbai skyline would be the best place to begin, for they marked the beginning of a wonderful trip!




I clicked these images from the Catamaran which took us to Alibag from the Gateway of India... We would have liked to go in the morning, but Samhith's school ensured that we could not leave before evening. We caught the last boat to Alibag, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for we caught the sun set over the concrete skyline of Mumbai...







For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page!


Alibag is the perfect getaway from Mumbai. It is accessible by road as well as by sea, and though many prefer to drive over, I always prefer taking the boat, for I get to see such wonderful sights along the way!!

Related Posts about Alibag

Comments

  1. congratulations on the upgrade!!

    gorgeous captures!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Deepak!! and in fact, I must thank you for making the suggestion about the bridge camera!!! its really nice and perfect for me!!

      Delete
  2. Mumbai just became more beautiful to my eyes after seeing the pics!!!! Eagerly awaiting your post on this trip :)

    Kanthi

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow - these photos are amazing! What a huge and glorious sun!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very beautiful photos for SWF!Thank you for sharing and have a nice weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Steffi!!! have a great weekend too!!

      Delete
  5. Great captures. Wonderful evening shots. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anu, gorgeous shots.... the Sun looks beautiful indeed :)

    Trust you are doing good!! just remembered, i havent replied to your mail..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Aarti!!! And its perfectly ok.. no hurry at all :D

      Delete
  7. Congratulations on your new camera, I am sure you will buy a DSLR at some point :D Loved the close up of the sun and the city skyline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mridula!! When I bought this one, Samhith told me that he wouldnt mind waiting for one of his own,but whenever i bought him one, it should be a dslr!!!! so i if i have to buy one for myself, i have to do it real soon!!

      Delete
  8. These photos are fantastic! I love it!

    SWF

    ReplyDelete
  9. These are absolutely breathtaking captures and such gorgeous skies and colors! Superb composition! Thanks for sharing the beauty! Enjoy your weekend!

    Sylvia

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Anu, thanks for the beautiful images. I have always thought that sunsets and sunrises are best watched in natural settings and not over a concrete skyline and after seeing the giant lollipop and the balloon of a sun, I have changed my mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Zephyr! I am not a great fan of the concrete skyline either, but the Mumbai skyline seen from the sea has always been something special! u dont see the mess from the distance and the sun's rays seem to make everything glow! which is why i love going by the ferry.. either to elephanta or to Alibag.. in fact, this time, my cousins wanted to drive down, but i pestered them until they agreed!!! and they loved it too!

      Delete
  11. Thanks so much, chubskulit!! Have a great weekend too!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Mumbai Skyline is truly beautiful... But it looks the best when the sun slowly disappears behind the waters of the Arabian Sea.

    As a child I used to think that the sun would sink into the water, and always wonder how it would rise again the next day! :)

    These are very beautiful pictures of the sun set near the Mumbai skyline...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Awesome pictures! and awesome you!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's not the traveling that takes courage Tally. I've done much longer trips on my own. It's leaving home.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie