January 2015

Jan 27

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: SOMANATHPURA

Chennakesava Temple was constructed in 1268 C.E by Soma, a Dandanayaka (commander) during the reign of King Narasimha III in the Hoysala Kingdom. Such detailed and intricate carving style is typical to the Hoysala temples of Karnataka. These masterpieces were carved out of Soapstone (Green schist) which gives them the incredible finish . Unlike granite or marble, the soft version of soapstone could be shaped even using our finger nails. Instead of the usual hammer/chiselling process with stones, most of such pillars & sculptures were made by lathe turning or scraping motion of the tools. A bit of polishing using oil would give them life-like appearance too. The side walls have been exquisitely carved, portraying the cavalry, elephants and scenes from the epics like Mahabharat, Ramayan & Bhagavat. From the extreme detailing of the sculpures influenced by the culture, clothing, dances, jewelry, weaponry etc, research students could learn a lot about history of that period. This Vaishnava temple has an east-facing building with a strong boundary wall (prakara) and three shrines (trikuta) constructed over a star shaped platform (jagati). The temple is equally beautiful compared to Belur & Halebid temples of the similar architecture. (Read about Belur & Halebid here). […]

Jan 24

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage 4 comments tags: bahubali, bangalore, Bhadrabahu, Brahmadeva, cave, chandragiri, chandragupta, Chikkabetta, Doddabetta, gomateshwara, gomateswara, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, hill, india, Indragiri, jain, jainism, maurya, monolithic, mysore, photography, pillar, route, SHRAVANABELAGOLA, south, statue, stone, tour, Tyagada, vindyagiri

A TRIP TO SHRAVANABELAGOLA

“THERE IS NO ENEMY OUT OF YOUR SOUL. THE REAL ENEMIES LIVE INSIDE YOURSELF; THEY ARE ANGER, EGO, PRIDE, CURVEDNESS, GREED, ATTACHMENTS AND HATRED” :- Lord Mahavir According to Jainism, Bahubali is considered the ideal of the man who conquers selfishness, jealousy, pride and anger. The 57 foot monolithic statue of Gomateshvara (Bahubali) at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations for the followers of Jain Religion. Shravanabelagola literally means “White pond of the ascetic”, which lies between two hills. The bigger hill is Indragiri/Vindyagiri (Doddabetta) and the smaller one is Chandragiri ( Chikkabetta). One could witness 2000+ years of Jain history in this place. Emperor Chandra Gupta Maurya (340 – 298 BC) spent his final years as a Jain monk at Chandragiri. He had conquered several parts of Indian peninsula inclusive of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan and the Maurya kingdom flourished well under the guidance of great philosopher Chanakya and as well through their alliance with Macedonian king Alexander and his successors. In his later years, Chandragupta decided to embrace Jainism with the help of his spiritual guru Bhadrabahu and relocated to Shravanbelgola in 298 BC after renouncing the throne to his son Bindusara. Chandragupta Maurya led the […]

Jan 22

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage 4 comments tags: architecture, bangalore, curse, dunes, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, hoysala, karnataka, kaveri, Kirtinarayana, mysore, mysterious, photography, river, road, route, sand, talakad, talakkad, talakkadu

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: MYSTERIOUS TALAKAD

They say ‘fact is stranger than fiction !!’ Talakad is a historic site near Mysore in India. Talakad once had over 30 temples that today are buried under sand. Massive sand dunes cover a vast spread area where the natives talk about several myths & legends about this unnatural phenomenon. Excavation is still going on and several Temples have been recovered from sand dunes . The photos here are taken by me from the same location within a gap of 24 years. In the first picture, we were standing on top of the partly visible Mahadwara (“grand entrance”) of Kirtinarayana temple which had been fully recovered and restored now (shown in the picture below). Talakkad was developed by the Ganga Dynasty in the first millennium CE, and then by the Tamil Cholas from the 11th through the 12th centuries. Talakkad came under the rule of Hoysalas in the 12th century. It was then taken over by the Vijayanagar rulers and the Maharajas of Mysore. Talakkad got buried under sand over 400 years back and there are several theories behind this mystery. Scientific study suggests that it could an eco-disaster triggered by a series of earthquakes. People also believe that the area got […]

Jan 21

by GOPAN NAIR in travel 2 comments tags: 1984, bangalore, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, greenery, lake, new, old, photography, ulsoor, vintage

ULSOOR LAKE, BANGALORE IN 1984 AND TODAY

ULSOOR LAKE, BANGALORE, photographed from the same spot within a gap of 30 years . The first picture was photographed by me in 1984. The famous Ulsoor Lake of Bangalore. The sepia tone came naturally due to the ageing of film. Those were the days of peace & tranquility in Bangalore…! Captured with a Yashica Electro-35 film camera. Let’s have a look at the same place today (Jan-2015), photographed from the very same location. I was happy to notice that nothing much has changed around the lake during these 3 decades, though most of the city’s greenery has been eaten up by concrete jungle..! The Public Utility Building built in 1973 was the tallest building those days, which is still visible today in the background.

Jan 19

by GOPAN NAIR in poetry 0 comments tags: fallen, flower, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, kumaranasan, malayalam, photography, poet, poetry, veenapoovu, തര്‍ജ്ജമ, വിവർത്തനം, വീണപൂവ്

SORROWS OF A FALLEN FLOWER ( വീണപൂവ് )

A fallen flower ! It might be a worthless subject to most of us. Over a hundred years ago (to be precise; in 1907), one of the great poets from Kerala described the unfulfilled dreams of a fallen flower with thousands of words. Remembering the great poet Kumaranasan… വിലകുറഞ്ഞ ഒരു വിഷയം എന്നു തോന്നുമെങ്കിലും, 100 വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് മുൻപ് (1907-ൽ), മഹാകവി കുമാരനാശാൻ ഒരു പൂവിന്റെ പൂർത്തീകരിക്കാൻ കഴിയാതെപോയ സ്വപ്നങ്ങളേക്കുറിച്ച് 1000-ൽ കൂടുതൽ വാക്കുകളിൽ വർണ്ണിച്ചു. “ഹാ” എന്നു തുടങ്ങി, “കഷ്ടം” എന്ന് അവസാനിക്കുന്ന ഈ കവിത, മനുഷ്യജന്മത്തിന്റെ പ്രതിഫലനം തന്നെയല്ലേ ?! THE FALLEN FLOWER (Kumaran Asan) : വീണപൂവ് (കുമാരനാശാൻ) :- Translated from MALAYALAM by Manjeri S. Isvaran (1910 – 1966) Translator’s Note: – (Born April, 1870 in Kayikkara, Trivandrum, the Poet received his early education in the village school; he studied for a while in the Sanskrit College, Mysore, and later in the Sanskrit College, Calcutta. An ardent social reformer, he was a member of the Sri Mulam Popular Assembly and Secretary for over fifteen years of the S. N. D. P. Yogam. During this time he edited Vivekodayam. In recognition of his greatness as a poet he was presented with a silk shawl and a gold medal by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. He died in January 1924, in […]

Jan 17

by GOPAN NAIR in Varanasi 0 comments tags: boat, ganga, ganges, ghats, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, india, kashi, night, photography, ride, row, spiritual, varanasi, video

FEEL THE PEACE, ENJOY A BOAT RIDE AT VARANASI…

Jan 17

by GOPAN NAIR in Life in this India 2 comments tags: basava, bull, decorated, folk, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, gypsies, gypsy, handsome, india, karnataka, kole, photo, photography, tradition

HUNGER PARTNERS ( KOLE BASAVA )

“THE HANDSOME BULL ( KOLE BASAVA )” A tradition or folk art of Southern India called “Kole Basava”. The elaborately decorated bulls accompanied by their masters are trained to entertain people . The pictures are from the Indian state of Karnataka. These people are gypsies or nomads who wander around the streets, blessing people in exchange for money, clothes or food. The masters are usually talented musicians who play some musical instruments or demonstrate some trick. He may even ask questions to the bull and the bull will nod his head to answer Yes or No . The heavy bulls also perform some stunts like standing on the stomach of a person without injuring him. The bull being associated with Hindu God Shiva, has been considered holy in India. Women of the villages offer ragi, paddy, chillies, salt and tamrind. They even worship the bulls with turmeric, vermillion, agarbathi sticks. The kole basavas are taken good care by their masters because they fill their feeding bowls. During performance, the bulls are gaily dressed, colourful ribbons are tied to the horns and are capped at the tips. Anklets are tied to its legs and a bell around its neck. One can […]

Jan 16

by GOPAN NAIR in funny street photos 0 comments tags: animal, funny, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, india, monkey, photo, photos

MONKEY STORIES – PART1

“എന്ത്?! ഹെൽമെറ്റ് എവിടെയെന്നോ ? പൊട്ടിപ്പോകാൻ ഈ തലയ്ക്കുള്ളിൽ ഒരു മണ്ണാങ്കട്ടയുമില്ല സാറേ…! “

Jan 14

by GOPAN NAIR in travel, Wonders of Nature 2 comments tags: bloom, blossom, flower, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, kerala, Kunthiana, kurinji, munnar, neela, NEELAKURINJI, nilgiri, Strobilanthes, Strobilanthes Kunthiana

WHEN NEELAKURINJI BLOSSOMS

The breath-taking view of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana), a legendary purple-blue coloured flower which blooms once in 12 years on the hill ranges of Munnar in Kerala. After the last flowering that occurred in 2006, another mass flowering in the Nilgiris-Palanis-Munnar belt can be expected only in 2018. Strangely enough there was a group of plants in the locality whose flowering cycle was four years ahead of the rest of the community in the region and I was lucky to capture this rare occurrence in Oct 2014 . However, one could not be sure whether these plants would survive for the next season. It is believed that Nilgiri Hills, which literally means “blue mountains”, was named after the Neelakurinji flowers. Interestingly, the people of Paliyan tribes who lived here used to calculate their age based on the blossoming cycle of these flowers.

Jan 14

by GOPAN NAIR in Life in this India 0 comments tags: bhoot, bhoota, bhootha, elements, five, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, of nature, panch, pancha, photography

PANCHA BHOOTA ( पन्च भूत )

PANCHA BHOOTA ( Sanskrit: पन्च भूत ) refers to the five prime elements of nature : LAND, WATER, AIR, SKY and FIRE . Though there is tremendous potential in each element, man always underestimate the power of nature . It is believed that the Pancha Boothas are kept in a certain balance in the Universe as well in the human body. The variation in this balance could cause natural disasters, and diseases in the body . This frame symbolizes the five elements of nature. The man on top represents the human life filled with energy and an empty bottle in the bottom depicts death. One of my ever favourite captures . License this image for commercial use here : http://www.gettyimages.in/detail/photo/five-elements-of-nature-royalty-free-image/502150131

Jan 13

by GOPAN NAIR in Life in this India, Varanasi 4 comments tags: barber, benaras, ganga, ghat, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, gopsphotography, kashi, life, photography, river, street, varanasi

OPEN AIR SHAVE

VARANASI ( Also known as Benaras or Kashi ) is the oldest living city in the world with a known history of over 3000 years. Mark Twain once wrote, “Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” This city existed even when Sri Budha was a young boy. Varanasi belongs to the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, situated by the west bank of holy Ganga River. The revered and ancient city Varanasi is the religious centre of the world of Hindus, Budhists, Jains & Sikhs. Even after several centuries of destruction by Mughals & other invaders, this city still stands, where the past and present, eternity and continuity, philosophy and wisdom co-exist. To Hindus, Kashi is as holy as Mecca to Muslims & Jerusalem to Christians. One of the main attractions in Varanasi must be its street life, and it is perhaps every photographer’s dream land. In this series, I have tried to capture the spiritual moments and street life of Varanasi without losing its charm. About this particular frame : I was fascinated by the activities of a barber who appeared from nowhere, made a quick setup and got busy with his […]

Jan 13

by GOPAN NAIR in Wonders of Nature 0 comments tags: DAMSEL, DAMSELFLIES, DAMSELFLY, DRAGON, DRAGONFLIES, DRAGONFLY, EGG, FLY, LAYING, MATE, MATING, ODONATE, OVIPOSITION, POSITION, REPRODUCTION, WHEEL

LUST, LOTUS BUD & A DAMSEL

You must have noticed the strange love-making rituals of dragon flies over a pond or river bed. At times, the male could be seen towing the female while performing several aerobatic manoeuvres. Though their relationship seems quite harmless and romantic, it is more of a sexual harassment in reality. Let me present you a few pictures showing their peculiar behaviour . These were captured some time back in 2010 . LOVE ON A LOTUS BUD :: Odonate Reproduction, Damselflies in the “wheel” position. To mate, damselflies join together in the “wheel” position and commonly fly in tandem this way. Later on, the male will usually remain attached to the female as she lays eggs. When doing so he retains his grip on the front portion of the female’s thorax, using claspers located at the tip of his abdomen. Usually a male fly would use his organ to cleanse his rivals’ sperm before depositing his own. THE BALANCING ACT :: Damselflies in the Odonate Oviposition (Egg Laying). While the female is getting ready for laying eggs, the male keeps other potential mates away by remaining clasped to the female. Dragonflies are highly territorial in nature and the males have a tendency to drive away […]

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: SOMANATHPURA

A TRIP TO SHRAVANABELAGOLA

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: MYSTERIOUS TALAKAD

ULSOOR LAKE, BANGALORE IN 1984 AND TODAY

SORROWS OF A FALLEN FLOWER ( വീണപൂവ് )

FEEL THE PEACE, ENJOY A BOAT RIDE AT VARANASI…

HUNGER PARTNERS ( KOLE BASAVA )

MONKEY STORIES – PART1

WHEN NEELAKURINJI BLOSSOMS

PANCHA BHOOTA ( पन्च भूत )

OPEN AIR SHAVE

LUST, LOTUS BUD & A DAMSEL

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