Saurav Pandey - Glimpses of India

Big Banyan Tree, Bangalore

2011-03-18T01:00:00.000-04:00

[ Wikipedia ]

See my flickr set - http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellosaurav/sets/72157625801074044/

Bannerghatta National Park

2011-03-11T01:00:00.000-05:00

Pictures from Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore [ Wikipedia ]

Pictures at the Zoo

Pictures at the Safari

Pictures from the Butterfly Park

Link to my Flickr Set with all the pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellosaurav/sets/72157625547662379/

Lalbagh Flower Show, Bangalore, Jan-2011

2011-01-25T23:00:00.001-05:00

Pictures from the recent flower show at Lalbagh

From Lalbagh Flower Show, Bangalore, Jan-2011

Kempe Gowda Tower at Lalbagh, Bangalore

2010-08-22T01:00:00.000-04:00

Kempe Gowda (Wikipedia) tower at Lalbagh (Wikipedia).

The rock is one of the oldest rock formations on earth, dating back to 3000 million years (Geological Survey of India)

Begur Temple

2010-08-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

Begur Temple (Wikipedia) is Bangalore's oldest temple - about 1300 years old.

Even though I had written about the Begur Temple earlier, I took upon a self-assignment to photograph this historic place and share with you all.

Temple Front

The stone pillars inside the Begur temple

A view of the side of the temple

Rear view

A closeup of one of the windows on the side of the temple

Nandi outside the temple

Shivanasamudra Falls

2010-07-06T01:00:00.001-04:00

Shivanasamudra is a small town in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on the banks of the river Kaveri and is the location of the first Hydro-electric Power station in Asia, which was set up in the year 1902.

Begur, Bangalore

2010-07-02T01:00:00.001-04:00

Begur is a village in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is in the state capital Bangalore. It is off Bangalore-Hosur highway. It is said to have been a prominent place during the rule of the Chola Kingdom. A historical tank and a beautiful old temple(Naganatheshwara temple) dating back almost 1300 years can be seen there along with a broken old fortress which is the home of another temple.

Historical Naganatheshwara temple at Begur.

Indian Numbering System

2010-06-10T16:15:00.002-04:00

The Indian Numbering System also known as the Lakh and Crore system is used in the Indian sub-continent and neighbouring countries. This system uses separators differently from the western Million numbering system.

For example, 413,945,000 would be written as 41,39,45,000 and read as forty one crores thirty nine lakhs and forty five thousand.

You can read more about this in Wikipedia

Festive season at Bangalore

2009-08-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

Madiwala market readied for the festive season - Ganesh Pooja and Ramzan

A R Rahman

2009-03-07T10:00:00.002-05:00

With the genius music composer being recognized with the Oscar awards, it is time to see some of his music over the years.

These two are from the soundtrack for Roja which was listed in TIME's "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time in 2005:

"Chaiyya Chaiyya" (below) was 9th in BBC World Service top 10 songs of all time

Indian drinks

2008-10-10T04:00:00.000-04:00

A glass of falooda	Frothy Madras Filter Coffee Metal South Indian coffee filter disassembled	A cool glass of Lassi
A cup of Chai.	A boy in India preparing Chai.	Chai (Tea) is a staple beverage throughout India. The less popular coffee is largely served in South India. Other beverages include nimbu pani (lemonade), lassi, and coconut milk

Mumtaz Mahal

2008-10-09T04:00:00.001-04:00

Artistic depiction of Mumtaz Mahal

Mumtaz Mahal was buried in the Taj Mahal

Lothal

2008-10-08T04:00:00.001-04:00

An ancient well, and the city drainage canals at Lothal.	Archaeological site of Lothal.
The dock, with a canal opening to allow water to flow into the river, thereby maintaining a stable water level.	The main well.

Kathak

2008-09-26T04:00:00.000-04:00

Padma Vibhushan Birju Maharaj and his disciple Saswati Sen

Kathak is one of the classical dance forms of India

Panchatantra

2008-09-25T04:00:00.001-04:00

A page from Kelileh va Demneh dated 1429, from Herat, a Persian translation of the Panchatantra derived from the Arabic version - Kalila wa Dimna - depicts the manipulative jackal-vizier, Dimna, trying to lead his lion-king into war.

A page from the Arabic version of Kalila wa dimna dated 1210 CE

Shimla

2008-09-24T04:00:00.000-04:00

Shimla from south

Shimla formerly Simla, was the summer capital of the erstwhile British Raj in India.

Indian rupee

2008-09-23T04:00:00.001-04:00

1000- rupee note

Coins of various denominations

Vishu

2008-09-22T04:00:00.000-04:00

Kani Konna (Cassia fistula), Kerala's regional flower, is a popular vishukanni

A traditional vishu kanni setting

The "Konna" tree
Vishu is a festival held in the state of Kerala

Irani Chai

2008-09-06T04:00:00.002-04:00

Talk about Hyderabad and what comes to mind is it's Biryani, Haleem and Irani Chai (Tea). A trip to Hyderabad is incomplete without savoring Irani Chai.

Irani Chai has a strong distinct flavor and color. It is sweetened with sugar, giving it a flavor more like a syrup than tea. If you prefer, ask for a sugarless option, although not all places have this option.

Many Iranis (Persians) migrated to Hyderabad during Qutub Shahi period in around 1500 AD. Irani Chai has been the result of cultural blending of the Iranis and the existing Hyderabadi culture.

Bangalore

2008-08-31T04:00:00.000-04:00

I was amazed on receiving an email forwarded across by friends with these pictures of Bangalore. It has been three years since I had been to Bangalore.

See the slideshow for yourself.

Sari

2008-08-30T04:00:00.001-04:00

This painting by Raja Ravi Varma depicts many (but not all) traditional styles of draping the sari	Banarasi Saree from Baily Road, Bangladesh
Illustration of a sari-clad woman, c. 1847	A Malayalee lady wearing a type of sari called Mundum neriyathum.
The sari can be counted amongst the most graceful dresses

Thar Desert

2008-08-24T04:00:00.001-04:00

A NASA satellite image of the Thar Desert	The Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur
Desert tribes near Jaisalmer	Nahar Garh Fort, Jaipur

Veena

2008-04-15T12:11:00.002-04:00

Close-up of a veena's scalloped fretboard

Veena performance

Nilgiri Langur / Nilgiri leaf monkey

2007-08-13T16:45:00.000-04:00

The Nilgiri Langur is a lutung (a type of Old World monkey) found in the Nilgiri hills of the Western Ghats in South India.

Lakshadweep

2007-08-10T13:14:00.000-04:00

Lakshadweep meaning 'A Hundred Thousand Islands' is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands, 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks in the Arabian Sea.

The islands look like emeralds in the vast expanse of blue sea. Varying hues of turquoise blue translucent water surround them.

Indian Independence

2007-08-06T18:50:00.000-04:00

India's Independence Day is August 15th each year. At midnight, on 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation.

Read about the Indian Independence Movement.

Ramayana रामायण

2007-08-01T16:41:00.000-04:00

Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki

In his Ramayana, Valmiki expresses his view of human code of conduct through Rama: life is evanescent and the hedonistic approach to it is meaningless. However, that should not allow one to be indifferent to one's own rights and duties laid down in the ancient texts. He thus adopts the view that Dharma is what is proclaimed in the Veda and it should be followed for its own sake, not for what it brings you in pain or pleasure. Doing this will ensure one's welfare in this and the next world. In addition, Ramayana also reinforces the need for thinking about the consequences before making promises, for if you make them you must keep them, no matter how hard it may be.

Backwaters of Kerala

2007-07-30T16:23:00.000-04:00

The Kerala Backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast) of Kerala state in southern India.

Travel information is here.

Himalayas

2007-07-26T14:28:00.000-04:00

The Himalaya mountain range is the highest on earth and is often referred to culturally as the "roof of the world". The range is home to the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest.

Bhagavad Gita

2007-07-14T08:08:00.000-04:00

The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit भगवद्‌ गीता Bhagavad Gītā, "Song of God") is a Sanskrit text from the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata epic.

Quoting from Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
"Bhagavad-gita is also known as Gitopanishad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanishads in Vedic literature."

The Bhagavad Gita elaborates on a number of different Yogic and Vedantic philosophies, with examples and analogies. This has led to the Gita often being described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and also as a practical, self-contained guide to life.

In summary the main philosophical subject matter of the Bhagavad-gita is the explanation of five basic concepts or truths:

Ishvara (The Supreme Controller)

Jiva (Living beings/the soul)

Prakrti (Matter)

Karma (Action)

Kala (Time)

Wikisource has the Bhagavad Gita text in Sanskrit and English. Currently the English version is not complete.

Royal Bengal Tiger

2007-07-09T18:39:00.000-04:00

The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger primarily found in Bangladesh and India and also in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and in southern Tibet. It is the most common tiger subspecies, and lives in a variety of habitats.

Read about this species here.

Bhimbetka rock shelters

2007-07-08T19:13:00.000-04:00

The Bhimbetka rock shelters compose an archaeological site and World Heritage Site located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The Bhimbetka shelters exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India; its Stone Age rock paintings are approximately 9,000 years old, making them among the world's oldest.

Mahatma Gandhi

2007-07-02T19:19:00.000-04:00

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of Satyagraha — the resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence — which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is commonly known in India and across the world as Mahatma Gandhi. In India, he is recognized as the Father of the Nation and October 2nd, his birthday, is commemorated each year as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday. On 15 June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution declaring October 2 to be the "International Day of Non-Violence."

Nalanda

2007-06-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

Nālānda is the name of an ancient university in India.

Nalanda was one of the world's first residential universities, i.e., it had dormitories for students. In its heyday it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. The university was considered an "architectural masterpiece," and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate.

Malgudi, Malgudi Days

2007-06-30T11:02:00.000-04:00

Malgudi is a fictitious town in India created by R.K. Narayan in his novels and short stories. It forms the setting for most of Narayan's works. Starting with his first novel, Swami and Friends, all but one of his fifteen novels and most of his short stories take place here. Narayan has successfully portrayed Malgudi as a microcosm of India.

Malgudi Days, based on the collection of short stories penned by R.K.Narayan, was a television serial which left an indelible mark on the Indian television scenario.

One can watch the episodes (for free) online at Rajshri.com - Malgudi Days online.

Vidhana Soudha

2007-06-19T13:25:00.000-04:00

The Vidhana Soudha, located in Bangalore, is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka. It is an imposing building, constructed in a style, sometimes described as 'Neo-Dravidian', incorporates elements of Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani Jharokha and Dravidian styles.

ताज महल Taj Mahal

2007-06-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

The Taj Mahal is the most sought after tourist destination in India. Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as a "universally admired masterpiece of the world's heritage."

ताजमहल दुनिया के ७ आश्चर्यो मे से एक है। शहंशाह शाहजहाँ ने अपनी बेगम मुमताज महल के प्रेम की अभिव्यक्ति की ख़ातिर इस खूबसूरत स्मारक का निर्माण करवाया था। यह उत्तर प्रदेश">उत्तर प्रदेश के आगरा शहर मे स्थित है।