Just About Everything

Prayer hall  Tucked away a midst the beautiful sylvan hills near Lonavla, Maharashtra, are the Karla caves dating back to the 2nd century BC to the 6th-7th century AD. This cave overlooks the Indrayani valley. There used to be a monastery in the Karla cave complex dating back to the 2nd century BC. In the complex there are viharas or places where monks lived. The artistic decoration of the caves is of the Hinayana and Mahayana sect of Buddhism. It is a modest climb to the cave and well worth it. On the way to the cave, you will come across waterfalls, and the view from the top is absolutely amazing. The cave has a huge prayer hall where the Stupa is situated and there is a veranda in the front. There are beautiful sculptures of men, women, and animals in the cave. The most interesting part of the caves is that the roof of the hall is fitted with actual wooded ribs. And the wood is absolutely intact! Donations and support from many individuals, a prince of a Marathi famil...

It is difficult to come to terms with the terrible tragedy of the Uttarakhand floods.  This is so very difficult to accept. My heart goes out to people who lost their loved ones, mother, father, wife, daughter, son...it is unacceptable that so many people have lost their lives. Some of the scenes from Kedarnath looked almost as if the world was ending! Scary for onlookers who are watching it on the television, what about the people who actually lived through this and lost their loved ones? What about people who lived and made a living in Kedarnath? What will they do now, they are homeless, jobless, and many of them have lost their near and dear ones. It is in moments such as this that I am reminded about how lucky I am to be alive, healthy, and comfortable. Life is so uncertain. While I am writing this, there are still so many people who are perhaps stuck somewhere near Kedarnath, without food, water, or any hope for help, and watching othe...

Tawny Rajah-fem butterfly I am sharing some pictures of Birds and butterflies that my cousin chanced upon during her visit to China. These were easy to sight and I guess they might be quite commonly sighted there. Nevertheless, I find all of them quite fascinating! Azure winged magpie China Brambling Eurasian magpie Eurasian tree sparrow light vented Bulbul Mugimaki flycatcher Sooty Bulbul Small cabbage white butterfly

The long corridor My cousin's recent visit to China, made me a little more knowledgeable about China. One of the places she visited was the Summer palace in Beijing. I am sharing some pictures from the "Long Gallery" in the Summer palace. The Long Gallery is also known as the "coloured paintings museum" because of the beautiful colour paintings, over 14,000 Su style colored paintings on every beam of the Gallery. I believe it is called Su style because this form of painting was first started in Suzhou, Hangzhou, China. The Long Gallery is 728 meters long; no surprise why it should be called the Long Gallery! It is perhaps the longest corridor in Chinese classical gardens. The history behind it is very interesting. It was built in 1749-50. Emperor Qianlong built it for his mother so that she could enjoy the outdoors no matter what weather it would be outside. I believe the view from the Long gallery is beautiful. It provides a wonderful view of the hill ...

Mahadeva temple Itagi, South India Sharing another temple from the Gadag, Lakkundi series. The Mahadeva temple  is equally spectacular. Located in Itagi around 35kms from Gadag, this temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. Built in the early 12th century by Mahadeva, who was a commander in the army of Chalukya King Vikramaditya, this temple has some beautiful carvings. I wonder how the engineers and artisans in the ancient times managed to carve out such beauties, especially when there was no electricity or sophisticated instruments. It is amazing! Mahadeva temple Spectacular pillars Around the temple