My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
Khajuraho. The very name conjures up exotic images of erotic
art on temple walls. However, there is so much more to Khajuraho than just the
erotic, or even just temples. Last December, Samhith and I spent three days at
Khajuraho, exploring as much of the ancient town as we could, and over the next
few weeks, I shall try to show you the Khajuraho that we saw, beginning
with this photo clicked at the Kandariya Mahadev Temple.
The Kandariya Mahadev is one of the most impressive temples
at Khajuraho, and it’s the details which make it so impressive. This particular
figure is of Agni, the God of Fire. Here, though, he is one of the Ashta-Dikpalas, the guardians of the 8
directions. Agni guards the South-East, and it’s his placement on the South
East wall of the temple, which allows us to identify him here. Notice the finer
details, such as his beard….
These photos are among my favourites; among the hundreds I
clicked at Khajuraho, thanks to this female Plum-Headed Parakeet which chose
Agni to be her perch!
Her mate was nearby, perched on one of the smaller
Shikaras….
And they patiently posed for me as I went click-happy;
thrilled by the sight of birds on a temple, a combination I am always thrilled
to see!
Lovely pics.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI usually wait for the birds to fly away before taking pictures. :P
ReplyDeleteBut this time at the Rani ji ki Baori in Bundi there was a flock of pigeons who refused to fly away and all my pictures of the Baori are with them in the frame.
And I look for birds to photograph! no matter where they are!
Deletelooking forward to your pics of the Bundi! esp with the pigeons now!
Thank you!
ReplyDelete