Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...
Post a Comment

Bay Backed Shrike

I have seen this bird before, but had never been able to capture it on camera. On my recent visit to Nanded and around, we saw these birds in plenty. However, it was only when we were in an auto, visiting the temples around Shegaon, that I could stop and photograph it.





The Rufous Bay Backed Shrike is quite a common bird in India. Our auto driver was surprised that I was stopping to photograph it, but he seemed to be used to people with cameras who stopped every now and then to click something, and he happily indulged me!


Thanks so much, to Karthik for pointing out that this is a Bay Backed Shrike.. 
Labels:

Comments

  1. magiceyeDecember 1, 2012 at 11:06 AM

    Lovely captures!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MridulaDecember 1, 2012 at 11:07 AM

    Lovely clicks Anu.

    ReplyDelete
  3. R Niranjan DasDecember 1, 2012 at 12:51 PM

    Nice clicks.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  4. ArtiDecember 1, 2012 at 7:29 PM

    Nicely shot! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. TeamgsquareDecember 3, 2012 at 8:34 AM

    Wonderful capture of this beautiful bird .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 6, 2012 at 2:09 PM

      Thanks Team GSquare. nice to see u here after such a long time!

      Delete
  6. UnknownDecember 3, 2012 at 1:30 PM

    Anu,

    This was lovely. Truly a great pic. I know what a challenge it is to shoot birds! Awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bindhu UnnyDecember 4, 2012 at 11:14 AM

    Nice one, Anu. Many times we spot birds but getting a nice photo is difficult. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 6, 2012 at 2:12 PM

      THanks Bindhu!!! and so nice to see u here after so long!

      Delete
  8. AnonymousDecember 14, 2012 at 5:47 PM

    Wow!! fantastic Photography and Description.

    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