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The Elephanta Caves

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
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Sleepy Felines of the Himalayan Zoological Park, Gangtok

Spread over 230 Hectares, the Himalayan Zoological Park in Gangtok is surely one of the biggest zoos in India. I am not a big fan of zoos, but when one is as huge, well planned, and well maintained as this one, I have to appreciate it. We visited the zoo on an especially clear December afternoon, and found most of the animals busy having their siesta! I shall write more about the zoo later, but for now, let me share some of my images of the sleepy felines, which surely resented our intrusion....








The first and the last images are my personal favourites, and the reason for this post. Which ones do you like? 

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Location: Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park, National Highway 310, Gangtok, Sikkim 737103, India

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