Submerged Temple near TG Halli

Dams are always controversial. They are built for a purpose, but they are never accepted by everyone as a solution to the problem they are supposed to solve. Irrespective of what you think of dams, there is no denying that they result in a lot of destruction. They are known to bury entire villages. And in some cases, heritage monuments like this temple in the photograph.

This was shot in the backwaters of TG Halli Dam (Thippagondanahalli Reservoir). For most of the year, this temple is not visible. But when the water level goes down, it surfaces from below to remind those to care to notice – that the land below water is also alive. To see water as only a product for consumption, is our generation’s foolishness. TG Halli was built to supply water to Bangalore – a city that is the epitome of water wastage.

I could not find the name of this temple, which the waters of TG Halli has submerged. I guess no one cared to record it, but at least we get a glimpse of it sometimes. The striking hillock in this photo is Savandurga. It is a popular among trekking enthusiasts. Its status has thus been reduced to a weekend recreation spot. There are several ancient structures near Savandurga as well. Like an old abandoned temple, a fort etc.  Savandurga’s place in history is forgotten like most things about our country.

Milky Way Above a Hoysala Temple

Milky Way over an ancient Hindu Hoysala Temple in Karnataka

Milky Way over an ancient Hindu Hoysala Temple in Karnataka

Hoysala style of temple building thrived in the South Deccan plateau, currently the region of Karnataka, between the 11th to 14th century. There are plenty of Hoysala temples here – both known and unknown. Among the well known temples are the ones at Belur and Halebid. Among the lesser known ones is the temple in this photo, where I got a chance to capture the Milky Way. Beautiful intricate carving and aesthetic structures are the hallmark of Hoysala temples. Most of them are near the city of Hassan.

This photo represents the peak of human intelligence, but at different periods of time. Going by the number of temples that have stood the test of time, it is safe to say that our ancestors were experts at creating these beautiful structures. Modern day science and technology on the other hand has advanced to a stage where photographs can capture the night sky without special scientific instruments. To me, this photo is a tribute to the great minds from their respective eras.

To capture the Milky Way, you need to shoot at a very high ISO and for at least 10 – 20 seconds. This is possible only when you make time for it. The Milky Way is not visible with such detail with the naked eye. But if captured right, the image can be processed to bring out the Milky Way and stars to reveal a sight that is to put it simply, out of this world. In this photograph, the galactic core of the Milky Way is above the gopura of the temple. Jupiter, the bright star near the galactic core, is also nicely aligned with one of the gopuras. I photographed with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Irix 15mm f2.4 lens. The temple was lit by street light. You can watch a short behind the scenes video of this trip: https://youtu.be/h4tjqKB1gWs

Chitrakote Falls

Chitrakote Falls in monochrome

 

Chitrakote Falls in monochrome

Chitrakote Falls in Chattisgargh is a sight to behold. The massive flow of water from the Indravathi river as it tumbles down red rock which has weathered over aeons is proof that nature is raw in its purest form. In this image I have taken away all colour from the photograph to show how slowing down time for a few seconds can alter what we see with our eyes. To see more photos from my trip to Chattisgarh, read my blog: http://www.pratapj.com/travel/waterfalls-bastar-region-chhattisgarh/

An Evening in Shillong

a blue hour photo of the city of Shillong and umiam lake

a blue hour photo of the city of Shillong and umiam lake

I was in Meghalaya recently and it felt absolutely wonderful to be so close to the natural world, and yet not too far from civilisation. My travel was confined to Sohra and Jaintia hills, and I could not decide which one I liked better. Before entering the vast beautiful expanse known as Cherrapunji, I had to cross Shillong.

This photograph is from the outskirts of the city. The waterbody on the left is Umiam lake. My travel dates were close to the full moon, so the landscape was beautifully lit by the big ball of light in the sky. I think this photograph speaks volumes about Meghalaya – City/traffic lights sandwiched between trees, mountains, water and a sky full of stars, with a layer of fog to give an atmospheric feel. 

Meghalaya is beautiful. I hope we learn how to keep it that way. For a trip report from an earlier visit to Meghalaya, visit this link. 

Jog Falls in Karnataka

Jog Falls in Black and White

Jog Falls in Black and White

Let’s face it – the internet is saturated with photos of popular tourist destinations. Especially in a country like India, where the majority of the population is young, owns a mobile phone with a camera, and has just discovered travel as a weekend routine. There are more than enough photos of places that are easily accessible by the general crowd. Jog Falls is one such destination.

So when I visited Jog and took photos with my Canon 5D Mark IV, I wasn’t sure how I can tell the story of the place any differently. To add to that, a perpetual fog veiled the most common view of Jog Falls.

Luckily for us, we noticed a spot on our way out of the parking lot which presented a view of the falls in its full glory. That is where I clicked this photo. To find more information about Jog Falls and how to make the best of your visit, see this: Weekend Trip to Jog Falls

Lights on! Vidhana Soudha on Independence Day

Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore with the lights on during blue hour

On the eve of Independence day, the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka, Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore was lit up. This magnificent building constructed in 1956 is in the Neo-Dravidian style.  The authorities light up the outside of the building on Sundays and important national holidays. Recently, the road in front was concreted and landscaped. The whole area looks grand and invites visitors who come to see the building and click photos.

It was a special treat to photograph Vidhana Soudha with the lighting on, during the blue hour of twilight. It had rained a few hours before the so the wet roads reflected the lights beautifully.

Here is another photo of Vidhana Soudha which I photographed 10 years ago, one evening.

Mysore Palace Lit Up

Mysore palace lit up on a public holiday

Mysore palace lit up on a public holiday

Ambavilas Palace popularly known as Mysore Palace is a beautiful structure and the pride of Karnataka. On Sundays and public holidays, the Palace is lit up. A thousand incandescent bulbs turn the Palace into a fairyland. It is magical to watch the golden glow of the building against the dark sky. The lights come on at 7.00 pm. On Sundays, the police brass band performs in front of the palace.When I shot this image on Saturday, the 16th of June, a crescent moon was setting above the palace. Look closely and you can see it in the photograph. The bright dot next to the moon is Venus, the brightest planet and the second-brightest celestial object. See a time-lapse of the moon setting over the Mysore palace here.

Revisiting Kaup Beach

Kaup Beach Light house near Udupi

Kaup Beach Light house near Udupi

In 2014, I posted a picture of the lighthouse in Kaup Beach. That photo went on to sell in exhibitions and got copied by other websites (without my permission of course). I guess I can say it was popular. In 2018, I visited Kaup again and shot this photo of the lighthouse. The weather conditions were different. A storm was approaching, and the same evening, the entire South Canara district saw the heaviest rainfall in a decade. And there I was in the beach at 7.30 am – watching dark clouds approach mainland. I will not forget the making of this picture.

I absolutely love shooting by the ocean. I totally enjoy including lighthouses in my composition. The one at Kaup is certainly very photogenic and for this reason has been featured in many movies. I used a Loxia 21mm and Sony A7r II camera to make this photograph. And no, I did not use any ND filters. Why? Watch out for a blog post on this soon!

Backwaters at Krishnagiri Dam

Green water at Krishnagiri Dam backwaters

Green water at Krishnagiri Dam backwaters

One Saturday evening, some friends and I decided to explore Krishnagiri Dam which is located in Tamil Nadu. We set out from Bangalore after lunch and hit NH44 which goes all the way to Kanyakumari. Somewhere after Hosur we got caught in a major downpour which included a brief hailstorm. Visibility was poor, but thanks to the well marked three lane roads, we managed to reach our destination in time for sunset.

Krishnagiri Dam is close to the highway, but yet fairly unexplored. It was still drizzling when we got there, so drove around looking for a nice spot. The turquoise colored backwaters of the dam looked very enticing. To our luck, the rains stopped and we got a chance to capture some frames by the shore. Constant lightning in the sky offered some spectacular fireworks and the grey rain clouds added a touch of drama to the photographs. After spending a good hour or so, we headed back, happy to have enjoyed the place without disturbance from other tourists.

I shot this photograph with the Sony A7rII and ZEISS Loxia 21mm f/2.8 Lens. The dynamic range of the Sony camera never fails to amaze me 🙂

Milky Way Close to Home

Milky Way in the sky with a house in the foreground

Milky Way in the sky with a house in the foreground

Although technically the Milky Way is above us during the right seasons, we cannot see it due to weather conditions and light pollution. This year, I was lucky to see it twice. Both times, it was towards Kanakapura. An attempt to spot it near Magadi did not yield much success. I captured this image at a farm house 50 km from Bangalore. By far, this is the best spot to gaze at the skies. We were in a well protected enclosure, and the light pollution levels were certainly manageable. The weather did not play spoilsport and around 10 of us spent the night looking up at the night sky. Some of them were astronomers and had telescopes – big and small. I also got a sight of Jupiter through one of the telescopes!