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Temples of Kashi - The Kardameshwar temple

The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...
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Yellow Billed Blue Magpies

We first caught a brief glimpse of the bird at the Aghanjar Mahadev Temple. The temple had been disappointing, but the stream behind had more than made up for it. We were walking back to the car, when a harsh call and a flash of blue alerted us that there was a bird nearby. A big one. Gone were thoughts of getting back to the car and to our next destination. Samhith and I were completely focused on identifying the elusive bird. It took us a while to spot it properly, and when we did, I recognized it as the Yellow Billed Blue Magpie! 





The photo above was the best I managed to capture, as the bird remained hidden within the thick foliage, giving us only a brief glimpse now and then. Eventually, spurred by our driver's impatience, we moved on to our next destination - The Norbulingka Institute. By now, Samhith was tired and hungry, and we headed straight to the cafeteria to have lunch before setting out to explore the institute. And there it was again - the Yellow Billed Blue Magpie!!



It was so much closer now, and least bothered by visitors. There were lots around, so we were told by the staff! 



And that was how we had lunch, with such a beautiful bird for company. At first, I went on clicking, trying to get the perfect shot. After a while, however, I decided to give up, and simply enjoy the experience.....





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.  

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  • The Himachal Series- 
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Location: Norbulingka institute, Sidhpur, Himachal Pradesh 176057, India

Comments

  1. TusharJuly 15, 2015 at 4:09 AM

    During Uttarakhand tour specially in Devprayag I have seen many Yellow Billed Blue Magpie. Thanks for rewinding memory.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NatalieGJuly 15, 2015 at 8:53 PM

    I love discovering so many birds that are new to me via your posts. Thanks for introducing me to this Magpie! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. RanchiRJuly 23, 2015 at 2:55 PM

    Ohhh its awesome watching yellow billed blue magpie is an great experience, but its my bad that i missed this opportunity well hoping for next time. Well the clicks shared here inspire me a lot thanks for sharing such a lovely clicks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. rickyFebruary 15, 2017 at 8:53 PM

    i live between bhagsu and dharamkot villages..and last three years i was here for whole year round...in winter as all other birds flew away to lower altitudes but this magpie dared to stay here only.even i did not see any other bird in very cold days and they were in good numbers.

    ReplyDelete

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