Taken November 23, 2013 from Shravanabelagola Hill
The other day I posted a pic of the gigantic statue of Bahubali that’s located on Shravanabelagoli Hill. This is the view from the hill looking down toward the village. A Jain adherent was standing on the edge of the temple base looking down at path up to the temple.
Taken November 23, 2013 at Belur.
Chennakeshava temple at Belur is a Hoysala era temple to Vishnu–the deity of the Hindu trilogy responsible for processes of sustenance and evolution (as opposed to creation or destruction, which are the bailiwicks of Brahma and Shiva, respectively.)
This temple and its sister temple at Halebidu, Hoysaleshwara temple, are probably the most ornate structures I’ve seen anywhere in the world. They are covered with soapstone carvings arranged in several tiers. For example, the bottom layer is a series of elephants, each one unique. There is a layer that tells tales from the Mahabharata in pictures.
Soapstone is soft and easily worked when quarried, but it becomes hard enough to survive everything but looters as it’s exposed to the elements. You’ll note the “windows” carved in the rock to allow in light and breezes.
Close up
Taken November 3, 2013 at Hampi.
These trees, raising like hands out of fresh, graveyard soil in front of this tiny temple really captured my imagination. It would probably be a better picture in low light, when the creepiness of the scene could really root around in your brain–but I took what I could get. There were a couple of places around Hampi that I thought would make the perfect setting for horror, and this was one. Another was the banyan tree that had many-colored satchets of rock tied to hang from the tree’s drooping roots.
This picture is taken on top of the hill that overlooks Virupaksha temple, not far from the Ganesh temple.
Taken in September of 2013 in Bangalore.
The background in this photo is the Hindu temple that is on the site of Tipu Sultan’s Palace, but which predates the Sultan’s Indo-Islamic teak structure. There is a simple but beautiful garden in between the palace and the temple that displays various flowering plants.
Taken in October 2012 at Doi Suthep (near Chiang Mai.)
Taken October 2012 at Wat Phrathat, Doi Suthep (near Chiang Mai.)
Tiger Riding for Beginners 