Nature’s Masterpiece

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“Nature’s great masterpiece, an elephant – the only harmless great thing.”
(John Donne – English poet, 1572-1631)

This is a close-up of a couple of elephants met in a street of New Delhi.
It is still the shaadi season (wedding season) and a few mahouts (persons who drive an elephant) come to the capital in order to make some money at Baraat, the bridegroom’s wedding procession.

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A Contrast in Attitude

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“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
(Charles R. Swindoll – American Writer and Clergyman, b.1934)

This picture was shot in New Delhi where it is still possible to see such a contrast in the streets.
Elephant and rickshaw…after all it is indeed a contrast in attitude…

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The Pavilion of Heaven

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“…I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;I change, but I cannot die.
For after the rain when with never a stainThe pavilion of Heaven is bare,
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams
Build up the blue dome of air,
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,
And out of the caverns of rain,
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,
I arise and unbuild it again.”
(From “The Cloud” by Percy Bysshe Shelley- English Poet, 1792–1822)

This is Bir Singh Deo’s chhatri which stands on the bank of the Betwa river in Orchha, a town in Tikamgarh district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
During the rule of his ally, Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, Raja Bir Singh Deo (r. 1605-1627) became the most illustrious ruler of Orchha and erected a total of 52 forts and palaces across the region which are a reminder of its architectural glory.
The term “chhatri” means umbrella or canopy, it is a cenotaph (empty tomb) or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere.
Those memorials are basic element of Hindu as well as Mughal architecture.

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The Oilman’s Temple

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“If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out.
To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”
(Mother Teresa of Calcutta – Albanian born Indian Missionary. Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979. 1910-1997)

The Telikā Mandir or “oil-man’s temple” located in the complex of Gwalior fort, in Gwalior in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, was built in the late eighth century.
Elevating to the height of 100 feet ( about 30m), Teli Ka Mandir is the tallest temple in the confines of the Fort.
The building was erected just as the Gurjara Pratihāras were asserting their power over central India.
It is actually dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the form of his mount, Garuda and this unusual image makes the circlet of the doorway.
The structure of this Rajput temple presents a perfect fusion of the northern and southern architectural styles of India.
The ‘shikhar’ (spire) of the temple is undeniably Dravidian in its style, whereas the ornamentation is done in the Nagara style (specific to North India).
Unlike other temples, Oilman’s Temple doesn’t have any ‘mandap’ or pillared hall.
The temple comprises a sanctum sanctorum accompanied by a porch and a doorway imprinted with elaborate carvings (amorous couples, coiled serpents, gods and goddesses).
The weird and wonderful arrangement of two architectural styles show how Teli Ka Mandir boasts about the heritage and rich culture of India.

“Teli Ka Mandir” sounds as an unusual term, but it has several theories behind its name.
According to one of the legends, Rashtrakuta Govinda III seized the Gwalior Fort in 794.
He handled the service of religious ceremonies and rituals to Telang Brahmins and as a result of this, the temple acquired its name.
Another legend says that oil merchants or the men of Teli Caste took the initiative of temple’s construction and due to it, the temple got its name.
The third speculation reveals that name is linked with Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.
This revelation also approves with the synthesis of Dravidian and North Indian architectural styles.

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Scattering Cheerful Beams

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“O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart.
Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.”
(Saint Augustine – Ancient Roman Christian Theologian and Bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430. One of the Latin Fathers of the Church. 354-430)

This picture was shot before sunset inside the Small Sas Bahu temple in Gwalior located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.It was initially dedicated to Lord Vishnu by the King Mahipala and was built in red sandstone during the 10th century.
Lord Vishnu is also known as Sahastrabahu, the one with many hands however gradually the name changed into Sas Bahu Temple, perhaps by mispronunciation, or misinterpretation.
Lord Vishnu is supposed to be the preserver of this Universe and keeps vigilance over this earth and if there is any disobedience among men, he punishes them.
But he is also considered to be the most kind hearted among the Hindu Avatars of God, who come to help his followers under any circumstances.
The construction of this temple was completed in the year 1092 AD by the king Mahipala who shed for the success of his Kingdom and the overall prosperity.

There are two temples, which are conjointly known as the Sas Bahu Temple.
One of the temples is bigger than the other, and perhaps for that reason, one is considered as the Mother-in Law whiles the other as the Daughter-in-Law.

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With Gratitude

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“Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and hearing the good Dhamma, this is the best good luck”.
(Buddha – Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)

This is a view of the city of Gwalior located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, it was shot from the Small Sas Bahu Ka Mandir (temple) built in red sandstone during the 10th century and dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

According to local tradition, Gwalior owes its name to a sage of former times.
Suraj Sen, a prince of the Kachhwaha clan of the eighth century, is said to have lost his way in the jungle.
On a secluded hill he met an old man, the sage Gwalipa, whose influence almost took him by surprise.
Upon asking the sage for some drinking water he was led to a pond; the waters not only quenched his thirst but cured him of leprosy.
Out of gratefulness, the prince wished to offer the sage something in return, and the sage asked him to build a wall on the hill in order to protect the other sages from wild animals which often disturbed their yagnas (or pujas).
Suraj Sen later built a palace inside the fort, which had been named “Gwalior” after the sage who had given him the gift of a new life; the city which grew around the fort took the same name.
The city became, over the centuries, the cradle of great dynasties and with each, the city gained new dimensions from the warrior-kings, poets, musicians and saints who contributed to making it a capital renowned throughout the country.

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One’s Own Deeds

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“Az mast ke bar mast chon digari nist “
{What ever happens to you (good or bad) is a result of your own actions (comes from within you)}
(Nāsir Khusraw – Persian poet, philosopher, Isma’ili scholar and traveler, 1004 – 1088)

Everything that we face in life is the result of our own actions not others.
This quote comes from a famous Farsi poem about an eagle hunted by an arrow which has eagle’s feathers so it can go as fast as the bird; it is used by the character of Akbar in the movie “Jodhaa Akbar”.
A part of the movie was shot in Fatehpur Sikri which is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and built by Mughal emperor Akbar in 1570, in honour of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chisti.
This is a picture taken from a room of this royal palace.

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Between Zero and Infinity

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“God is the tangential point between zero and infinity”
(Alfred Jarry – French writer, 1873-1907)

This is a view of the back of Man Singh Palace in Gwalior, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Gwalior Fort was built in the 8th century and stands on an isolated rock overlooking the city.
It is said that the Mughal Emperor Babur (1483–1531) described it as, “The pearl in the necklace of the forts of Hind”.

Gwalior Fort also occupies a unique place in the human civilization as the place which has the first recorded use of zero ever.
Also referred as ‘Shunya’ in sanskrit, this site is of mathematical interest because of what is written on a tablet recording the establishment of a small 9th century Hindu temple on the eastern side of the plateau (marked by the ’0′ on the nineteenth century map at the left).
By accident, it records the oldest “0″ in India for which one can assign a definite date.

Gwalior occupies a strategic location in the Gird region of India, and the city and its fortress have served as the center of several of historic northern Indian kingdoms.
The Gwalior Fort has changed hands many times, from the Tomaras in the 8th century it passed on to the Mughals, then the Marathas under the Scindia’s (1754), followed briefly by Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Tatiya Tope and the British.

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Endless Time

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“Time is endless in thy hands, my lord.
There is none to count thy minutes.

Days and nights pass and ages bloom and fade like flowers.
Thou knowest how to wait.

Thy centuries follow each other perfecting a small wild flower.

We have no time to lose,
and having no time we must scramble for a chance.
We are too poor to be late.

And thus it is that time goes by
while I give it to every querulous man who claims it,
and thine altar is empty of all offerings to the last.

At the end of the day I hasten in fear lest thy gate be shut;
but I find that yet there is time. “
(“Endless Time” by Rabindranath Tagore- Indian Poet, Playwright and Essayist, Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, 1861–1941)

This is a window of the Jahangiri Mahal in Orchha which is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

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“But my Soul”

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“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart.
It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.”
(Judy Garland – American actress and singer, 1922–1969)

This was shot from the Chaturbhuj Temple situated in Orchha, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
This spacious Temple, enormous as any European cathedral was almost empty.
There was a young couple inside, they were engaged, not married yet but obviously deeply in love.
When they saw me coming they stopped holding their hands and whispering to each other.
They asked for a picture and took stricking formal poses.
A few minutes later as they were leaving the sanctuary, I saw the young lady standing at the gate, she was ajusting her sari with grace, like a fairy.
All around seemed to look a Bollywood set, even the “love” graffitis on the wall added an unreal touch to this dreamy atmosphere and it became a moment of magic framed in an everlasting sunset…

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