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Temples of Kashi - The Tilbhandeshwar Temple

The city of Kashi is filled with temples, big and small, old and new. There are temples at every corner, and you never know where you will stumble upon a small shrine. There are idols beneath what remains of trees (there are hardly any trees any more within the core area of the city), there are saffron covered forms resembling deities which seem attached to walls, an especially incongruous sight when the idol itself appears to be old, while the wall is evidently new…. And there are surprisingly large temples rising from what appear to be a bunch of houses. The city is sometimes colloquially said to be as old as time, and some of the shrines and temples are said to date back to times unknown, at least the deity itself, if not the structure. Not much remains of the ancient structures anyway. The city has seen more than its fair share of good and bad times. It has seen the heights of grandeur, and the lows brought about by destruction. The city that exists today has grown so haphaza...
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The Vultures of Orchha

I have already written about the monuments and art of Orchha. However, this series on Orchha will be incomplete without one post dedicated to the Vultures of Orchha!




We saw these Vultures nesting on the cenotaphs. It seemed sort of fitting, that birds which live off the dead, were nesting in monuments built for the dead. And, at least to us, they were far more interesting than the cenotaphs themselves!









From what I have been reading, it appears that there are 4 varieties of vultures here, but we only saw this one type, which seem to be Indian Vultures.




Also, apparently, their numbers had drastically reduced due to rampant use of diclofenac in cattle, but now the situation has improved, as we could see for ourselves.




It has often happened that Samhith and I go to see a monument, and get distracted by birds. This was no different, and yet, memorable, for we have never seen so many vultures in one place, ever! It was quite a satisfying end to our visit to Orchha.

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Location: Orachha, Madhya Pradesh 472246, India

Comments

  1. AartiSeptember 3, 2016 at 12:55 PM

    oh my, what cool captures... :) next time you plan a trip am definitely coming along.. promise to behave and be good..

    ReplyDelete
  2. NatalieGSeptember 4, 2016 at 5:53 AM

    They are very interesting birds! We have turkey vultures here in South Carolina. I often see them riding the air currents as I drive around town.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 6, 2016 at 4:00 PM

    Orchha is an amazing place of tourist interest and you have covered this place amazingly. Good read!

    ReplyDelete
  4. sumit srivastavaSeptember 26, 2016 at 7:35 PM

    orchha is really a awesome place to visit such a wonderful place thanks for share

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJune 2, 2017 at 4:51 PM

    I am stunned with the monuments, vultures and art of Orchha, all are so interesting to see very nice trip you have shared thanks.
    same day agra tour

    ReplyDelete

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