Love ...

Love ..., originally uploaded by £$þ.

Take away love and our earth is a tomb.
~ Robert Browning

Taken at Qutb Shahi Tombs, Hyderabad.

1,2,3 .. Care to feel the nature?

1,2,3 .. Care to feel the nature?, originally uploaded by £$þ.

After the single butterfly picture I posted couple of days back, I thought of doing a collage with other 2 pictures I had of the same butterfly.

I named it 1,2,3 for what it is :-) Not many times that we stop and pay attention to tiny things and patterns around us. Thanks to the 3rd eye, we photographers pay little more attention to things around us than others :-)

Have a nice week ahead!!

Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak!, originally uploaded by £$þ.

A collage of different pictures I took yesterday in the famous Charminar area of Hyderabad.

It was really amazing to see thousands of people out in the market shopping for their big festival.

Need for solitude!

Need for solitude!, originally uploaded by £$þ.

Oh boy! Last 2 weeks were like hell for me at work. Was loaded and loaded with work. At one point I decided I really need a break!

I quickly packed my bags and left for a trek. Far away, really far away from the computers and work. And guess what I did there? Just slept in the middle of the jungle enjoying the company of these colorful butterflies :) Nature has its own way of recharging us!

Bidri, an exquisite art in making

Bidri, an exquisite art in making, originally uploaded by £$þ.

Bidri is an art from Bidar, located in Karnataka, India. Bidri is a form of surface ornamentation in black colors, which never fades and is coated with silver and gold coverings.

Gunmetal, which is an alloy of Zinc and Copper is used for Bidri. The manufacturers use various moulds to give shape to the gun metal. Saline mud is kept out of sun light and air for almost 100 years and is used as oxidizing agent to give shine to the metal.

The Bidri designs are usually patterns such as the Asharfi-ki-booti, stars, vine creepers and stylized poppy plants with flowers. Traditional designs include the Persian Rose and passages from the Quran in Arabic script.

Flower vases, Cigar and Jewellery boxes and Huqqa buttons are the most sought after products of Bidri craft. Items like key chains, cuff links, paper weights, and paper knives are other Bidri craft which are used as gift articles.

For more information on this artwork, check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidri

Boudhanath

Boudhanath, originally uploaded by £$þ.

This is famous Boudhanath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. I visited this temple to offer prayers before embarking on my trekking trip to the base camp of Mt.Everest.

I wanted a totally different perspective of the temple and hence this particular view with prayer flags covering one half of the frame and the stupa covering the other. Since there are variety of colors in this picture, thought of doing a HDR to bring them out. Let me know your views/feedbacks on this.

Boudhanath is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu, Nepal. Located in the northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. As of 1979, Boudhanath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with Swayambhunath, it is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Kathmandu area.

To know more about this place, refer
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudhanath

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

F.R.I.E.N.D.S, originally uploaded by £$þ.

Portrait of 2 boys sitting in front of Madarsa in Bidar.

View in Color. Which one suits better - The monochrome or the color?

Story of a bygone era

Story of a bygone era, originally uploaded by £$þ.

Last weekend I got a quick chance to visit Bidar, a small city in the North Eastern part of Karnataka.

Bidar was one of the most prosperous cities of south India during the period of 11th century to 16th century.

The first Rashtrakuta capital, Mayurkhandi, was in Bidar district. The regal capital was later moved by Amoghavarsha I to Manyakheta in the present Gulbarga district.

Kalyani (today called Basavakalyan, after Basaveshwara) in Bidar district was the capital of Western Chalukyas, who were also called Kalyani Chalukyas after their capital. The Kalachuris continued with Kalyani as their capital.

Later, Bidar was ruled in succession by the Sevuna Yadavas of Devagiri and the Kakatiyas of Warangal, before being invaded by the armies of Allauddin Khilji, Malik Kafur and Muhammad bin Tughluq.