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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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Faces in the Crowd - The man at ease, at Norbulingka

We were just entering the main complex at Norbulingka, when my eyes fell on this man....




He sat, absolutely relaxed, at peace, on a chair, his feet on the railing, keeping an eye on the visitors. We smiled and nodded at him, as we went past, and he smiled back, inclining his head slightly, just acknowledging our greeting. He was still there when we returned, and was just as still. 

It made me wonder if I could ever sit like this, so peaceful, and at ease, just watching the world go by. These days, as I rush around, with a thousand things to do, a huge event next week, this pic somehow manages to soothe me. Does it soothe you too, making you wish you could just sit still like him? Do you think you could ever be so peaceful? 

This post is part of my series on my #summertrip 2015, and I hope to take you along with me as I recount stories from my month long trip, which took me across the country. To get an idea of all the places I visited, and what you can hope to read about, click here.  
Related Posts:
  • The Himachal Series- 

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Location: Norbulingka institute, Sidhpur, Himachal Pradesh 176057, India

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