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Odisha Part 6: The Yogini Temple of Hirapur

I fell in love with this temple the first time I set eyes on it. Back in 2017 , I had been excited to see yet another Yogini temple, when I visited Puri. The resort I was staying at (and writing for), had arranged for a car and driver to take me around. The driver was happy to take me to most of the places I wanted to go, but when it came to Hirapur, he was appalled. He knew of the temple, but had never been there. It was a tantric temple, one not visited by women, and certainly not women travelling alone. He tried to convince me not to go, but my stubbornness and persistence paid off, and he reluctantly agreed when I told him that if he didn’t take me, I would find another driver who would. All along the way, he kept going on about the sinister things that happened at the temple, the tantric rituals that were performed at night…. An Odisha brahmin who took his religious duties very seriously, to the extent of stopping the car to perform the sandhyavandam when he deemed it time, he...
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Some Incidental Birdwatching in Gwalior

Now that I have finished writing about Gwalior, it is time to move out, to all the other interesting places around. However, before I begin my posts on the sites around Gwalior, which are going to be all about our built heritage, it is time to take a break to look at our natural heritage, just waiting to be seen around us... like birds, for example! 
I can’t remember the last time I went bird-watching. But, wherever I go, I do see birds... lots of them. The Gwalior trip was no different, and we frequently stopped, on the road as well as within the fort, hearing the call of some bird. It surely irritated our guides and our drivers, and while some grumbled, others simply stared at us in astonishment! These birds aren’t exotic, and they aren’t rare. Yet, it’s always a delight to see them, which is why deserve a post to themselves! And so, here are some birds we saw, in and around Gwalior! 

Peacocks we saw in plenty, almost everywhere we went. But this one was the best. He posed so beautifully atop the rock, somewhere on the road near Gwalior




We spotted this Hoopoe at the Gwalior Fort, as we explored the monuments. Our guide and a group of French tourists were surprised to see me pay so much attention to the bird! The guide actually paused his narration to glare at me! 

This Drongo was such a beautiful sight, perched on the finial of one of the monuments. This time, the guide didn't even bother to glare. He had given up! 


An entire flock of parakeets living in the wall of the Vikram Mahal created a racket while we were walking around. We, of course, were happy to click them, lagging behind while the others moved on, giving up on us, and our fascination for birds!

Samhith spotted this Egyptian Vulture in a field as we were driving to Batesar. Our driver was too surprised and stunned that we actually wanted him to drive back a little to photograph a bird! He looked on, amused, as we clicked and clicked....

The bird finally becomes aware of us, and the attention it generated!

Another Hoopoe, this time in the grass

And finally, the highlight of the day.... a bird of prey... Unfortunately, I have not been able to conclusively identify this bird, so any help will be appreciated. 


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Location: Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh 474001, India

Comments

  1. BIGBIGBANGAugust 16, 2016 at 4:12 PM

    Thanks a lot I really enjoyed the picture

    ReplyDelete
  2. NatalieGAugust 16, 2016 at 6:12 PM

    I believe the last pic of that beautiful raptor is a black-shouldered kite. Such a striking-looking bird! But most raptors are, aren't they? :)

    Love your bird pics! Hope you get a chance to dedicate some time to bird watching again soon. It was fun to see the Egyptian vulture - they are so very different than the vultures we have in our area.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RajeshAugust 17, 2016 at 11:29 AM

    Wonderful shots of beautiful birds.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RajeshAugust 17, 2016 at 11:29 AM

    Wonderful shots of beautiful birds.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 26, 2017 at 3:29 PM

    White shouldered kite...the last one....a very beautiful Bird...

    Once I had seen a huge group of Yellow Wattled Lapwing in Gwalior University ground :)

    ReplyDelete

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