Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 11: Discovering the Jaina Heritage of Odisha at the caves of Udaygiri and Khandgiri

The Hindu and Buddhist history of Odisha , or rather, ancient Kalinga, is rather well known to everyone. Who hasn’t heard of the grand temples of Odisha – Puri, Lingaraj and Konark, or the great war of Kalinga which inspired Ashoka to convert to Buddhism? In contrast, very few know of the Jaina heritage of this region. This is quite a pity, since, just around 7 km from the city, is one of India’s most ancient inscriptions, which throws light on the Jaina heritage of Odisha. This inscription is the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, in the hills of Udaygiri. Udaygiri and Khandgiri are two hills located opposite each other, and both are testaments to the rich Jaina heritage of Odisha. The caves at Udaygiri are older, while Khandgiri is relatively newer, but has lasted much longer, and continues to be a place of pilgrimage for Jains even today. These hills, from inscriptions and excavations of caves, shrines and rock beds, appear to have been a haven for Jaina monks, right from the ...
Post a Comment

Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

The Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur is the oldest museum in the state of Rajasthan. Located picturesquely in a garden just outside the walls of the old city, it is impossible to miss or ignore.





The building was originally intended to be the town hall, but it was later decided to house the museum. We were unable to enjoy the museum from inside thanks to lack of time, but it looked so beautiful that we were unable to resist stopping to click some pics!



And the multitudes of pigeons ensured that we got some amazing ones!!





And thats my entry for Sky Watch today! For more beautiful skies from around the world go to Sky Watch Friday! 



Labels:

Comments

  1. MridulaJune 22, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    Lovely pictures, it has some interesting collections including a mummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 22, 2012 at 11:51 AM

      Thanks Mridula!! yeah, i read about the Mummy, which is why i actually went ahead and bought a combined ticket which included entry to this one too... but as it turned out, i wasnt able to visit.. anyway, this was just an off the cuff jaipur trip.. and we missed a lot.. will definitely go again!

      Delete
    2. TripndealJune 22, 2012 at 4:23 PM

      Amazing shots !!!!

      Delete
    3. Anuradha ShankarJune 23, 2012 at 9:10 AM

      THank you!

      Delete
  2. ArunJune 22, 2012 at 11:49 AM

    The population of pigeons in Jaipur is simply amazing..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 22, 2012 at 11:52 AM

      oh yes, Arun! absolutely!! samhith enjoyed making them fly away wherever we went !!

      Delete
  3. R Niranjan DasJune 22, 2012 at 12:38 PM

    Brilliant shots Anu. Perfect timing!!

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. eileeninmdJune 22, 2012 at 2:06 PM

    Amazing shots of the building and the pigeons. Love it. Thanks for sharing, have a great weekend. Happy Skywatching!

    ReplyDelete
  5. KusumJune 22, 2012 at 7:09 PM

    Lovely set! I have seen these pigeons!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 22, 2012 at 10:17 PM

      Thanks Kusum!! I guess these pigeons are almost always a part of that scene!

      Delete
  6. AnuJune 22, 2012 at 7:59 PM

    The building's architecture is beautiful... And those pigeons - so many!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. x_pEpPeRoNi_xJune 22, 2012 at 8:19 PM

    Oh wonderful!! Perfect timing too!

    The architecture in the background looks amazing, and with all the pigeons flying out from its direction makes it stand out even more!

    ReplyDelete
  8. LizJune 22, 2012 at 9:11 PM

    Beautiful shots. Happy sky watching.

    My Sky.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownJune 22, 2012 at 11:13 PM

    What an incredible museum!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 23, 2012 at 9:12 AM

      THanks Gary! Its even more incredible inside, apparently!

      Delete
  10. vincibeneJune 23, 2012 at 5:13 AM

    Stunning series, wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  11. P.N. SubramanianJune 23, 2012 at 9:05 AM

    The architecture is really soothing. Beautiful shots. We were also there but could not get inside as that was closed that day. The area is pretty clean and princely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 23, 2012 at 9:21 AM

      thanks PNS! looks like we both need to make another visit to see this museum!

      Delete
  12. VetirmagalJune 23, 2012 at 6:16 PM

    beautiful pictures. Those pigeons are having a good place to live.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 23, 2012 at 9:27 PM

      Thanks, Vetrimagal!! the pigeons indeed have found a beautiful mansion to live in!! lucky ones!

      Delete
  13. SudhageeJune 29, 2012 at 8:10 PM

    Beautiful capture, Anu.

    Thanks for letting me know about this Museum. I hope to visit Rajasthan in November and will definitely try to visit it the.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 2, 2012 at 10:36 AM

      Thanks Sudha!! You should def go there... it seems to have some interesting stuff... would love to hear and read a first hand account from you.!

      Delete
  14. Vishal RathodDecember 23, 2012 at 1:04 PM

    I might try to visit this from inside . Thanks once again for sharing

    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...
10 comments
Read more

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
9 comments
Read more

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.
7 comments
Read more