Dreaming by Moonlight

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“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
(Oscar Wilde quotes – Irish Poet and Novelist, 1854-1900)

Following the birds which belongs to some kind of ethereal dreams, this is now the Asfi Masjid (mosque) which is one the largest places of worship in India.
It is in the Bara Imambara (also called the Asafi Imambara) complex in Lucknow, the city of Nawabs, built by Asaf-ud-daulah, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784.
Bara means big, and an imambara is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari.

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Dreaming the Past

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“I can only note that the past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time.
It expands later, and thus we don’t have complete emotions about the present, only about the past.”
(Virginia Woolf – English writer, 1882-1941)

This is a view of the Chhota Imambara, also known as Hussainabad Imambara, which is located in the city of Lucknow, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Built by Muhammad Ali Shah, The third Nawab of Avadh in 1838, it was to serve as his own mausoleum.
It is also known as the Palace of Lights.
Thousands of labourers worked on the project to gain famine relief.

This picture was shot at the time of sunset, the monument was reflecting in the waters and there was a kind of magic all around the place, it was easy to feel how the past could have been beautiful in the City of Nawabs.

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A Tear Drop in the Face of Eternity

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Since many years I wanted to take a few pictures of the Taj Mahal from the other side of the Yamuna river and a few days ago I could at last do it while I was going by car from Delhi to Lucknow.
Rabindranath Tagore once said that this wonder of the world was “A tear drop in the face of eternity”, those words allow me to fly away with the birds and to open a new ethereal dream, under a mysterious moonlight…

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Dreaming With Eyes Wide Open

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This is the main entrance of the tomb of the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great (1542-1605).
It is located at Sikandra, in he suburbs of Agra, on the Mathura road (NH2).
I always saw this architectural masterpiece by night as I often use this road in order to go to Varanasi from Delhi and last week I decided to stop there during daytime and to take a few pictures.
Once again it was a dream with eyes wide open…

Akbar considered all faiths to be equal, and felt that they all taught of the same divine truth.
He invited missionaries and teachers from many faiths to visit his court, and teach their beliefs.
The grandson of Babur encouraged everyone to get along, and to be tolerant of one another with the will of strengthening his kingdom by bringing peace and stability to his land.
It was he who wanted both Hindus and Muslims to be united.

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Contemplating the Name

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“Contemplate the Name yourself; inspire it to others;
By attending to it, discoursing of it, living by it, obtain liberation.
The true essence, eternal is the Lord’s Name:
By spontaneous devotion, says Nanak, chant the Lord’s praise.”
(Guru Granth Sahib Adi Granth)

This image was shot last Friday at the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib which is located near Connaught Place in Delhi.
It was at sunset, those two young men were praying facing the Temple.
I took several pictures that I showed them after.

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The echo of God on the human wall

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“Whenever we encounter the Infinite in man, however imperfectly understood, we treat it with respect.
Whether in the synagogue, the mosque, the pagoda, or the wigwam, there is a hideous aspect which we execrate and a sublime aspect which we venerate.
So great a subject for spiritual contemplation, such measureless dreaming — the echo of God on the human wall!”
Victor Hugo (French romantic Poet, Novelist and Dramatist, 1802-1885)

I shot this picture a few hours ago as I was passing by this mosque which is located nearby Sigra in Varanasi (Benaras).
My Indian dreams have oftenly been under the influence of those bulbous domes with slender minarets and cupolas…

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Converting dreams into reality

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Last afternoon it was already very hot in Delhi, I was with some friends and we went to Humayun’s tomb which is a complex of buildings in Mughal architecture located in Nizamuddin East.
Over there we could enjoy some cool wind coming from the gardens intersected by watercourses and it was for a while something close to an Eden dream.
It is said that the architecture of the mausoleum inspired Shah Jahan for the construction of the Taj Mahal.

“Anarkali: Don’t snatch my dreams from my eyes, I’ll die.
Prince Saleem: Anarkali! I’ll convert those dreams into reality…”
from the movie “Mughal-E-Azam” (1960)

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The Twilight of a Mughal Dream

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Following the birds flying in the twilight it becomes easy to pass quickly from one dream to another.
This is the twilight of a Mughal dream.
The ethereal beauty and tranquil charm of Safdarjung’s Tomb, which is located in Delhi, is a distinctive and an elegant style of architecture in which indigenous traditions of Indo-Islamic architecture were combined with forms and techniques imported from Iran and Central Asia.
Safdarjung was the powerful Prime Minister of Muhammad Shah, the Mughal emperor between 1719-48.

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Searching for Enlightenment

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This is a picture of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya which was built next to the Bodhi Tree where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment, it is located in the Indian state of Bihar.

According to the Jataka tale, when Buddha first came here, the Papilla, or Indian fig (Bodhi) was a massive tree.
It stood at the centre of a mandala composed of a silver white sandy ridge, encircled by creepers and a grassy woodland with all the trees inclining towards the Bo tree that stood in the middle.
Close by were the pure, glassy waters of the Neranjara river, with many pleasant bathing pools.
When he sat down in front of it facing East, a long vista opened out to through an avenue of Sale trees to the glistening beach of the crystal Neranjara.

After he left, he never looked back, and never visited again.
But he did recommend it as one of the four memorable places worth visiting for inspiration.
Buddhist believe this is the navel of the universe, the vajra seat, where past and future buddhas achieve the ultimate state.

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The Land of Mowgli

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“As the moon came up behind the hill it shone through the openwork, casting shadows on the ground like black-velvet embroidery.”
– Rudyard Kipling, “The Jungle Book” (Kaa’s Hunting).

As far as I can remember The Jungle Book must certainly be one of the first book I ever heard about.
It never left me, it’s always in a corner of my mind ready to overpower my dreams.
I took this picture during monsoon in the temple complex of Khajuraho in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
It is surrounded by a dense jungle which inspired Rudyard Kipling and it is not too far from the village where the real Mowgli leaved.
Don’t get amazed when you read this little piece of information, it is even possible to visit his house near Katni where he died when he was very old.

This is indeed the land of Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo and of course the harrowing Sher Khan.

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