Isa Khan and Humayun’s Tomb

Isa Khan Humayan Tomb in Delhi

Isa Khan Humayan Tomb in Delhi

The beauty of Humayun’s Tomb and Isa Khan’s Tomb lies in symmetry. While Isa Khan’s tomb is an enclosed octagonal garden, Humayun’s Tomb is like a palace by itself. Vast, and beautifully landscaped, this is one of the must-see places in Delhi. The 30-acre garden is called Char Bagh Garden.  Four central water courses define Char Bagh Garden’s quadrilateral layout. One can easily spend half a day just soaking in the detail in the architecture. And I should mention that the tourism department has done a really good job in maintaining the gardens. I was impressed!

A Glorious Sunset in Bangalore

Sunset at Lalbagh in Bangalore

Sunset at Lalbagh in Bangalore

Bangalore is as much a city of lakes, as it is a city of gardens. The lake inside lalbagh is one of those fortunate enough to survive the city’s indiscriminate growth. And in this photo, I get a feeling that the sun is smiling over the beautiful city. Enjoy this photograph of a sunset over Bengaluru.

Kaveri Flows

A view of Mekedaatu, which is a Day Trip from Bangalore

A view of Mekedaatu, which is a Day Trip from Bangalore

Presenting here, the first of many landscapes taken with my new Canon 24mm Tilt Shift lens! This lens is an absolutely stunner. If you notice the corner to corner sharpness, and the almost infinite depth of field, you’ll know what I am talking about.

I shot this image at Mekedaatu, near Bangalore. This is a photograph of the river Kaveri. The patterns on the rock tell a tale. Today, the water level is low as you can see in the photograph. But once upon a time, the water level was high enough to reach where I was standing when I took this shot. This photograph captures the warm evening light. It wasn’t sunset yet, but close. Hope this photograph inspires you  to visit this place.

Jenukallu Gudda

Jenukallu Gudda at Yellapur near Sirsi
Jenukallu Gudda at Yellapur near Sirsi
Image from www.pixelshooter.net or www.pratapj.com. Image is copyrighted. Contact hi@pratapj.in for re-use elsewhere.

Second time lucky, viewing a glorious sunset at Jenu Kallu Gudda, in Uttara Karnataka. The first time I got to this location, it was past sunset and all I saw was a feeble glow of a sun that had already set. But the second time, I got there in time to view the sun playing hide and seek behind clouds. This spot is 17 km from Yellapur, close to Magod falls, and accessible by vehicle. The last few kilometers of road is not tarred, but the drive is totally worth it. If you are visiting Jenu Kallu Gudda, be sure to be there for sunset! From here, you have a panoramic and brilliant view of Bedti River valley and surrounding mountains. They are Kodekallu Gudda and Balekallu Gudda. This place is close to Magod falls, but you may have to ask for directions to get there.

Here is the correct Google Maps location for Jenukallu Gudda. The one that shows up in search is incorrect. I have submitted a correction to Google, but I am not sure if my correction will reflect when you search.

Flow…contained

Closeup of the River Cauvery

Closeup of the River Cauvery

Mekedaatu is located 100 km from Bangalore. At this spot, a goat is said to have crossed a deep gorge by jumping from one rock, to another. Very close to Mekedaatu is also the confluence of the Arkavathi and Kaveri (Cauvery) rivers. In fact, one most cross this confluence by wading across, or by coracle, before reaching the actual spot where the goat made the leap. The distance from the confluence, or sangama, to this spot is 4.5 km. There are buses to ferry tourists to and fro.

Like many natural spots, Mekedaatu is usually highjacked by uncouth youth who came to bathe, revel and party. This behavior robs the place of its serenity. There are a lot of interesting naturally occurring phenomena to notice at Mekedaatu. For instance, it is very interesting to see how the water has eroded the granite rock over the years. We also noticed small fish being thrown out from gushing waters in large numbers.

The above photograph is a representation of the fury of the Kaveri at Mekedaatu. In nature, very few elements can withstand the force of water. Even the rocks that contain this flow, are slowing eroding. It is a matter of time, before the river wins over the rocks that contain the water. But will the river last till then? Or will man deplete all natural resources and let the river run dry? I am not sure how many think about this. So many of the hordes visiting the place get so caught up with their boozing, shouting and drinking to notice even what is in front of them. I wonder, if such a distant thought would occur to them at all. I have no problems with people partying, but to do so at the cost of the serenity of nature and ending up trashing the place with bottles and waste is certainly not good. And this is our collective failure as a society. We have failed to ensure that every human has the sensitivity to give some thought to what goes on outside of his own little mind.

Green fields and windmills of Hassan

Windmills at Hassan

Windmills at Hassan

Hassan being a transit town doesn’t sound like an ideal destination for a photographer. Surrounded by scenic places like Sakleshpur, Chikmaglur, Belur and Halebid, Hassan isn’t going to get a lot of attention from photographers. But I was in for a pleasant surprise as friends and I were driving down to Halebid one early morning. Having stayed over at Hassan, we were on the road to Halebid by about 6 am when we came across some beautiful light bathing green fields on either side of the highway. Although our aim was to cover Halebid and Belur before the crowds got there, we couldn’t resist stopping the car to explore a small hillock. Much to our surprise, tucked away behind the hillock was a vast expanse of beautiful fields. Windmills towered at a distance, we we watched the morning light sweep over the grand vista in front of us.

There was no one around, and I took my own sweet time to compose and shoot many frames – just the way I like working on my landscape imagery. I used my Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS Mark II and Canon 17-40L along with Lee GNDs to create a variety of compositions. This frame was taken with the wide angle, and summaries the coming together of a beautiful sight, lovely light, and an undisturbed environment, all conducive for the creative juices to flow.

Tailed Jay at Lalbagh, Bangalore

Tailed Jay at Lalbagh in Bangalore

Tailed Jay at Lalbagh in Bangalore

This is a photograph of a Tailed Jay species of butterfly, shot in Lalbagh, Bangalore. This butterfly is very jumpy, and restless. I had to patiently wait for almost half an hour, and take multiple exposures, to get a few good ones. The Tailed Jay wouldn’t sit on a flower for more than a few seconds, before quickly scampering off to other flowers. And of course, chasing butterflies is a futile exercise 🙂 Luckily, the previous day’s rain and overcast skies made the setting perfect for me to make this photograph. The leaves and flowers wore a fresh look.

Lalbagh is a botanical garden in the Garden City of Bangalore. An oasis for flora and fauna that was once defined Bangalore. Every year in August, the Horticulture Department organizes a flower show at Lalbagh. When I first moved into Bangalore, I found the flower show interesting. But over the years, the lack of creativity on the part of organizers and the large crowds that attend this program has forced me to stay away from the flower show. However, the horticulture department maintains flowers within the garden even after the flower show. This is a good time for macro photography, and to shoot flowers and insects/butterflies that feed off the flowers.

Gomata Statue at Shravanabelagola

Gomata Statue at Shravanabelagola near Bangalore

Gomata Statue at Shravanabelagola near Bangalore

Friends and I visited Shravanabelagola to see the impressive 57 feet statue of Bahubali. It was an overcast day, with occasional blue skies. The weather was perfect to spend mid-morning shooting atop the hill-shrine, where otherwise no cover  protects visitors from the elements. I took this photograph of the monolithic statue of Bahubali with a Canon 17-40L in the main sanctum-sanatorium area. This is a blend of three hand-held bracketed photographs.

I found the area around the statue to be very serene, devoid of loud chants or poojas as in Hindu temples. The statue is carved out of granite, and blends well with the color scheme of the surrounding buildings. It was rewarding to climb the hill not just to visit this temple, but to also get a birds eye view of the surrounding villages. Those interested in history can find inscriptions in old Kannada in various places atop the hill. Shravanabelagola offers a mix of culture, archeology and pilgrimage.

The Western Ghats

Monchrome of the Grasslands of the Western Ghats

Monchrome of the Grasslands of the Western Ghats

The Kadamane Tea Eastate in Sakleshpur is one of the last of the wild areas in the Western Ghats. Well, that is if you go by a loose definition of pristine. It is a tea estate, and has been cultivated since the British Raj, but large part of the estate is uncultivated and pure grasslands. This is also the elephant corridor, and the local guide told us that the elephants use the estate property to migrate because they are less bothered by humans. This is a monochrome rendition of the beautiful grasslands where we spent one evening, watching the sun go down.

The Sinnadorai guest house is open to outsiders, and I highly recommend a two day stay there to get a feel of how the British lived in India.