Category: Asia
-
The Envy of Heaven
The Envy of Heaven Reflections of light make the dark teak arches and ceilings of Tipu Sultan’s palace gleam, where he used to spend the summer with his royal consorts. Perhaps that is why it was known as the ‘Envy of Heaven’. Photo of the week: Tipu Sultan’s summer palace (1791), Bangalore, Karnataka, India 2019
-
Palm pond
Palm pond I was walking past a pond and saw the leaves of a dark-green palm reflected in it. This made me pause for a moment and wonder. A pond lined with dark plastic, filled with water, with light brown, undulating sand at the bottom and a thin wire mesh on the surface. All of…
-
A drunk’s dream
A drunk’s dream Had the bottles been full this would have been a drunk’s paradise. Empty they’re his worst nightmare. Photo of the week: Bottle room, Mythri Manasa Sangama, near Bangalore, Karnataka, India 2019
-
Admiring Chamundi
Admiring Chamundi Chamundi angrily chasing Kalabhairava is a high point during the mid-December festival at Kakotuparambu in Coorg. Chamundi is the frightening form of the Divine Mother, so we can also identify her as Kali or Durga. As is often the case when stories of the gods are enacted, female roles are performed by males.…
-
Source of life
Source of life At the source of the Cauvery River: a flow of water comes out of Mother Earth, giving life to plants, animals and humans downstream. The yoni placed at this very spot, signifying the source of life, is well chosen. It calls up the painting of “the origin of the world” (“l’origine du…
-
Mountain pillar
Mountain pillar Just a pillar at the site where the Cauvery River rises in the mountains of Coorg in South India. But see how the top of the pillar visually resonates with the gentle slopes of the mountains. Well done stone cutter! Photo of the week: At the source of the Cauvery River, Coorg, Karnataka,…
-
Happy New Year
Happy New Year Let’s start the new year with a smile. Photo of the week: Holy Ghost Church, Bangalore, Karnataka, India 2019
-
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas A little messy?A little hidden?A little unobtrusive?A little clandestine?Merry Christmasin Hindutva land. Photo of the week: Catholic Club, Bangalore, Karnataka, India 2019
-
Maiktoli
Maiktoli And then, in the late sun at the end of the day, Maiktoli peak suddenly shows up between the dramatic bank of clouds hanging over the Nanda Devi chain of Himalayan mountain tops. Photo of the week: Maiktoli peak (6803 m), view from Kasardevi-Almora, India 2021
-
Monsoon skies
Monsoon skies Towards the end of the monsoon, when the rainwater tanks are filled up again to the brim, the clouds suddenly disperse and the sky opens up. I love the monsoon in the mountains, and not just the end of it. Photo of the week: View at Binsar, Kasardevi-Almora, Uttarakhand, India 2019
