223 - 26th - Blooming tall

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 26th July'08

This flowery grass was waving in the air as we were walking past a pavement. I had my camera in my hand & took some shots. I was trying to have some part of the grass in the foreground and then focus on the one in the background. This is the best I could get. I really need to work with the zoom & focus functions of my camera :)

I will suggest you to click on the photo and see the full version. Looks really nice to me ;)

Click here to see the full sized image

221 - 24th - Forgot to paint

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 24th July'08

Me & my friend Aakash were driving down a hill in Mysore when we came across this turn. As on almost all the other turns on the spiraling road we were treading, this one too had a sign. But surprisingly it was blank. We saw it in a flash as we were driving & it took a moment to really understand what we saw. We decided to stop & go back to take a picture.

We took the photo and spent the next minute laughing our hearts out. Its amazing how ignorant & irresponsible the authorities can become.

Click here to see the full sized image

219 - 22nd - Chamundeswari temple

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 22nd July'08

I know a lot of my posts have come related to Chamundeswari, but I think this is going to be the last one :) This temple is situated on top of hill on the outskirts of the city of Mysore. You can have a picturesque view of the whole city from the top of the hill. The statue of Goddess Chamundeswari is made of solid gold while the doors at the entrance of pure silver. Devotees can be seen flocking the temple right from 6 AM in the morning. Most of them trek the hill barefoot to show their devotion towards God.

The typical temple architecture evident in the image is the most common way in which the temples are built throughout Southern part of India. A huge pyramidal dome on top of the temple with intricate artwork consisting of big and small idols of different gods and goddesses. If you see the full image, you can see the art work more closely and admire its beauty.

Click here to see the full sized image

217 - 20th - The giant demon

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 20th July'08

This giant idol of the demon "Mahishasur" stands tall at the entrance to the Chamundeshvari temple in Mysore. The legend says that goddess Parvathy reincarnated in the form of Chamundeshvari to bring the end of the demon who was causing havoc on earth.

Though many temples in India are made based on the same concept - some god demolishing some demon - but this was the first place where I saw such a glorification of the demon himself in the form of a gigantic idol.

Click here to see the full sized image

216 - 19th - The tap

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 19th July'08

Though there is nothing special about this image but somehow the texture of the overall picture and the "complete" look it gave, caught my attention. I really don't know what to write about this except that it will fall under those "abstract images" of mine for whom I dont have any explanation that why I clicked them in the first place.

Click here to see the full sized image

215 - 18th - Nandi

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 18th July'08

Nandi the bull, is considered to be the carrier of lord Shiva according to Hindu mythology. Though associated with Shiva, it enjoys a separate 'holy status' of it's own. You can find people worshiping the nandi idols in most of the Shiva temples throughout India.

This giant Nandi idol is situated on the Chamundi hills in Mysore. I was amazed by the sheer size and magnanimity of the statue. I wonder how they would have brought this giant thing up on the hill, or did they carve it out there itself?

Click here to see the full sized image

214 - 17th - Gentleman's game

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 17th July'08

Infosys Mysore is a mini city in itself. Multiplex theater, bowling alleys, shopping facilities & every other thing you can think of. If you are inside the campus, you don't feel the need to step out. The campus is huge & is still growing.

I was walking towards a friend's hostel room in the campus when I walked past this cricket field. A game was on & a perfect scene to be captured in my camera.

Click here to see the full sized image

201 - 4th - Behind the clouds

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 4th July'08

We were riding down the mountain of Chamundi when we had a pit stop to click some photos. It was then when I saw the sun coming out from behind the clouds. Given the tree in the foreground, the scene looked all the more magnificent.

Click here to see the full sized image

200 - 3rd - Glowing

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 3rd July'08

I was just testing the performance of my camera under dim light conditions when I took this shot. Unlike the results which I used to get from my previous camera, this picture came out to be pretty clear and completely devoid of any inherent disturbance. The symmetry in the photo was also a factor to increase my liking for it.

Click here to see the full sized image

P.S. I have touched the 200 mark with this post today; can't believe its happening so soon.

198 - 1st - The holy offering

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 1st July'08

Religion is very tightly interwoven in the Indian social fabric. India is home to all major religions of the world - Islam, Christianity, Buddhism & obviously the one followed by the majority; Hinduism. Hindu temples can be found almost every 200 meters all over the country.

Presenting Gods with different offerings is one of the Hindu rituals. These offerings vary from flowers to fruits & all other kinds of eatables and non eatables. As is true with other aspects of Hinduism, there are no rigid rules or guidelines for these offerings.

I clicked this one at the Chamundi temple in Mysore. These flowers and coconuts were kept on display at a small shop, waiting for some devotees to pick them up and take them on their journey towards God.

Click here to see the full sized image

69 - 23rd - The silhouette

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 23rd Feb'08

Just after the evening sun had gone down and the night was about to take over the world in its cover of darkness, my camera was ready to capture this beatuiful silhouette visible at quite some distance from my balcony.

Click here to see the full sized image

64 - 18th - The "highway" trees

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 18th Feb'08

I was racing away on the Mysore-Bangalore highway when i took this photograph from my speeding cab. The sun was just going to fade away and was giving a fabulous background lighting to the coconut trees standing tall at some distance. I clicked this one just in time to avoid the glare of the sun and get a nice looking shot.

Click here to see the full sized image

63 - 17th - The Grand Palace

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 17th Feb'08

Mysore palace is one of the main tourist attractions in the calm city of Mysore, Karnataka. At night you can just see it blazing away its grandeur & magnanimity. You can't help yourself from just standing there and admiring the beaty in pure awe.

Click here to see the full sized image