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Għar Dalam ("Cave of Darkness"), is a prehistoric cul-de-sac located in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, Malta, containing the bone remains of animals that were stranded and subsequently became extinct in Malta at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. It has lent its name to the Għar Dalam phase in Maltese prehistory.
The Talatal Ghar monument was constructed between 1696 & 1714 in Assam, India.
Talatal Ghar or underground palace is the largest of the Ahom monuments. The Ahom Kngdom was established in 1228 & lasted nearly 600 years. The irregularly shaped palace had 7 storeys, 3 of them being underground with 2 secret tunnels - one of them 16km long for use as escape routes during enemy attacks. It is a renowned historical monument that once served as a military station of the Ahom King.
Harbour Air
De Havilland Canada DHC-3T Vazar Turbine Otter
C-GHAR ( cn 42 )
Photographed at Vancouver - Harbour Seaplane (CXH / CYHC)
British Columbia, Canada. July 19, 2016.
The Talatal Ghar monument was constructed between 1696 & 1714 in Assam, India.
Talatal Ghar or underground palace is the largest of the Ahom monuments. The Ahom Kngdom was established in 1228 & lasted nearly 600 years. The irregularly shaped palace had 7 storeys, 3 of them being underground with 2 secret tunnels - one of them 16km long for use as escape routes during enemy attacks. It is a renowned historical monument that once served as a military station of the Ahom King.
Every Sufi Dargah is incomplete without Qawwals and their quintessential Qawwali..be it Makhdoom Shah Baba at Mahim,or Khwajah Garib Nawaz at Ajmer or Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi.
Qawwali is the staple diet of the devotees who come to pay their salutations to the Dargahs during the annual Urus..
No Urus is complete without Qawwali rendition in music and vocal praising the Holy Saint and his Holy Shrine.
And the qawwals get handsomely paid by the crowds , but more than money the Qawwals to seek the blessiings of the Holy Saint to achieve success in Bollywood or shows all over the world.
Indians and Pakistanis love Qawwalis..
Qawwali sourced from wikipedia.
Qawwali (Urdu/Persian: قوٌالی; Punjabi/Multani: ਖ਼ਵ੍ਵਾਲੀ, قوٌالی; Brajbhasha/Hindi: क़व्वाली) is a form of Sufi devotional music popular on the Indian subcontinent. It's a vibrant musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years. Originally performed mainly at Sunni Sufi shrines throughout the subcontinent, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Often listeners, and even artists themselves, are transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel at one with God, generally considered to be the height of spiritual ecstasy in Sufism. Although famous throughout the world, its economic and spiritual hub remains the Punjab province of Pakistan from where it gained entry into the mainstream commercial music industry and international fame.
[edit] Song content
The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi (almost equally divided between the two), although there are several songs in Persian, Brajbhasha and Siraiki.[1][2] There is also qawwali in some regional languages (e.g., Chhote Babu Qawwal sings in Bengali), but the regional language tradition is relatively obscure. Also, the sound of the regional language qawwali can be totally different from that of mainstream qawwali. This is certainly true of Chhote Babu Qawwal, whose sound is much closer to Baul music than to the qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, for example.
The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning, even though the lyrics can sometimes sound wildly secular, or outright hedonistic. The central themes of qawwali are love, devotion and longing (of man for the Divine).
Qawwalis are classified by their content into several categories:
A hamd is a song in praise of Allah. Traditionally, a qawwali performance starts with a hamd.
A naat is a song in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. The opening hamd is traditionally followed by a naat.
A manqabat is a song in praise of either Imam Ali or one of the Sufi saints. Interestingly, manqabats in praise of Ali are sung at both Sunni and Shi'a gatherings. If one is sung, it will follow right after the naat. There is usually at least one manqabat in a traditional programme.
A marsiya is a lamentation over the death of much of Imam Husayn's family in the Battle of Karbala. Once again, this would typically be sung only at a Shi'a concert.
A ghazal is a song that sounds secular on the face of it. There are two extended metaphors that run through ghazals -- the joys of drinking and the agony of separation from the beloved. These songs feature exquisite poetry, and can certainly be taken at face value, and enjoyed at that level. In fact, in India and Pakistan, ghazal is also a separate, distinct musical genre in which many of the same songs are performed in a different musical style, and in a secular context. In the context of that genre, the songs are usually taken at face value, and no deeper meaning is necessarily implied. But in the context of qawwali, these songs of intoxication and yearning use secular metaphors to poignantly express the soul's longing for union with the Divine, and its joy in loving the Divine. In the songs of intoxication, "Wine" represents "knowledge of the Divine", the "Cupbearer" (saaqi) is God or a spiritual guide, the "Tavern" is the metaphorical place where the soul may (or may not) be fortunate enough to attain spiritual enlightenment. (The "Tavern" is emphatically not a conventional house of worship. Rather, it is taken to be the spiritual context within which the soul exists) Intoxication is attaining spiritual knowledge, or being filled with the joy of loving the Divine. In the songs of yearning, the soul, having been abandoned in this world by that cruel and cavalier lover, God, sings of the agony of separation, and the depth of its yearning for reunion.
A kafi is a song in Punjabi, which is in the unique style of poets such as Shah Hussain and Baba Bulleh Shah. Two of the more popular Kafis include Ni Main Jana Jogi De Naal and Mera Piya Ghar Aaya.
A munadjaat is a song where the singer displays his thanks to Allah through a variety of linguistic techniques. It is often sung in Persian, with Mawlana Jalāl-ad-Dīn Rumi credited as its inventor.
[edit] Composition of a qawwali party
A group of qawwali musicians, called a party, typically consists of eight or nine men — women are, for all intents and purposes, excluded from traditional Muslim music as respectable women are traditionally prohibited from singing in the presence of men, though these traditions are changing — including a lead singer, one or two side singers, one or two harmoniums (which may be played by lead singer, side singer or someone else), and percussion. If there is only one percussionist, he plays the tabla and dholak, usually the tabla with the left hand and the dholak with the right. Often there will be two percussionists, in which case one might play the tabla and the other the dholak. There is also a chorus of four or five men who repeat key verses, and who aid and abet percussion by hand-clapping.
The performers sit in two rows — the lead singer, side singers and harmonium players in the front row, and the chorus and percussionists in the back row.
Before the fairly recent introduction of the harmonium, qawwalis were usually accompanied by the sarangi. The sarangi had to be retuned between songs; the harmonium didn't, and was soon preferred.
[edit] Musical structure
Songs are usually between 15 to 30 minutes long. However, the longest commercially released qawwali runs slightly over 115 minutes (Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochhunga by Aziz Mian Qawwal). The qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has at least two songs that are more than 60 minutes long.
Qawwalis tend to begin gently and build steadily to a very high energy level in order to induce hypnotic states both among the musicians and within the audience. Songs are usually arranged as follows:
They start with an instrumental prelude where the main melody is played on the harmonium, accompanied by the tabla, and which may include improvised variations of the melody.
Then comes the alap, a long tonal improvised melody during which the singers intone different long notes, in the raag of the song to be played.
The lead singer begins to sing some preamble verses which are typically not part of the main song, although thematically related to it. These are sung unrhythmically, improvised following the raag, and accompanied only by the harmonium. After the lead singer sings a verse, one of the side singers will repeat the verse, perhaps with his own improvisation. A few or many verses will be sung in this way, leading into the main song.
As the main song begins, the tabla, dholak and clapping begin. All members join in the singing of the verses that constitute the refrain. Normally neither the lyrics of the main verses nor the melodies that go with them are improvised; in fact, these are often traditional songs sung by many groups, especially within the same lineage. As the song proceeds, the lead singer or one of the side singers may break out into an alap. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan also popularized the interjection of sargam singing at this point. The song usually builds in tempo and passion, with each singer trying to outdo the other in terms of vocal acrobatics. Some singers may do long periods of sargam improvisation, especially alternating improvisations with a student singer. The songs usually end suddenly.
The singing style of qawwali is different from Western singing styles in many ways. For example, in words beginning with an "m", Western singers are apt to stress the vowel following the "m" rather than the "m" itself, whereas in qawwali, the "m" will usually be held, producing a muted tone. Also in qawwali, there is no distinction between what is known as the chest voice and the neck voice (the different areas that sound will resonate in depending on the frequency sung). Rather, qawwals sing very loudly and forcefully, which allows them to extend their chest voice to much higher frequencies than those used in Western singing, even though this usually causes a more noisy or strained sound than would be acceptable in the West.
[edit] Singing Order in Chistiya
Instrumental: This is supposed to be the announcement of the arrival of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti's, as Sufi believes their saints are free of time-space. Also that Nabi, Siddique, Shaheed, and Saleh category of faithfuls are never dead, just gone into some other state from where they visit whenever they are mentioned, especially if there is a function in their honor.
Hamd
Naat
Manqabat Ali
Manqabat Ghous: Praise of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jelani
Manqabat Khwaja: Praise of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
Manqabat Shaikh: Praise of the Shaikh/Pir if it is his anniversary
Rang or Badhawa: If it is the death anniversary of the Pir, then it is usually Rang, a poem by Amir Khusro. If it is the Shaikh's birthday, it is usually the Badhawa.
[edit] Legendary Qawwals of the Past
Aziz Ahmed Warsi
Aziz Mian Qawwal
Badar Ali Khan (aka Badar Miandad)
Bahauddin Qutbuddin
Fateh Ali Khan Mubarik Ali Khan
Jafar Husain Khan Badauni
Muhammed Saeed Chishti
Munshi Raziuddin
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Sabri Brothers
[edit] Well-known Qawwals of Today
Abida Parveen
Amjad Sabri
Aziz Nazan
Bakshi Javed Salamat
Chhote Aziz Nazan
Faiz Ali Faiz
Fareed Ayaz
Ghulam Sabir Nizami and Ghulam Waris Nizami
Mehr Ali Sher Ali
Najmuddin Saifuddin
Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Sher Miandad Khan
Waheed and Naveed Chishti
From my trip in 2017 showing the main building & some of the decorations on it plus some of the animals seen in the garden..
Rang Ghar located about 3 km from Sivasagar Town in Assam, India is the two-storied building which used to be the sports pavilion where the Ahom Kings and other royals used to enjoy the sports like buffalo & bird fighting and other sports. The pavilion was constructed during the reign of Swargadeo Pramatta Singha in AD 1744-1750 and is one of the oldest surviving amphitheaters in Asia.
It is built in typical Ahom style of architecture with the roof like an inverted boat and the base had series of arched entrances.The abutting field, known as Rupohi Pothar was beautified whenever the amusements like bull-battle, rooster battle, elephant battle, wrestling, and so on., were organized on distinctive events throughout the Ahom rule. Rang Ghar, other than remaining as the illustrious structure, also helped in spreading the recreations and sports to other parts of the kingdom and its neighbouring States.
C-GHAR De Havilland Canada DHC-3T Harbour Air
in 1954 delivered to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) - with Harbour Air since 2002.
ghar pe bol ke aye ho kya? Whatever might be the language but you might have heard this kind of shouting when you suddenly come across a vehicle by mistake. Or you might have shouted on some body when they run across your vehicle.
I was on the over bridge taking this shot and I heard train coming from the other side. Immediately I was gearing up for the right moment to shoot. Mean while I saw this girl so immersed in her doings next to railway track. I was little worried and I did hear the train driver honking multiple times. But this girl did not respond. I was little worried and at the last moment I clicked and moved on. How much you might be busy but can't one hear train honking also?
While reviewing the photos on the computer, there I saw the driver shouting at the girl / signaling her. Reminded me my 6 months stay at Mumbai during initial days of my career. There trains and life next to train tracks are just like that. Life goes on.
The Talatal Ghar monument was constructed between 1696 & 1714 in Assam, India.
Talatal Ghar or underground palace is the largest of the Ahom monuments. The Ahom Kngdom was established in 1228 & lasted nearly 600 years. The irregularly shaped palace had 7 storeys, 3 of them being underground with 2 secret tunnels - one of them 16km long for use as escape routes during enemy attacks. It is a renowned historical monument that once served as a military station of the Ahom King.
Harbour Air
De Havilland Canada DHC-3T Vazar Turbine Otter
C-GHAR ( cn 42 )
Photographed at Vancouver - Harbour Seaplane (CXH / CYHC)
British Columbia, Canada. July 19, 2016.
Harbour Air, C-GHAR, De Havilland, Turbo Otter, DHC-3T, Vancouver South, CAM9 Early morning arrival with the no pilot.....
In Lalitpur, also known as Patan, the tradition of the Kumari is observed with its own revered Kumari known as the "Patan Kumari." During our visit, our guide arranged a brief meeting with the Patan Kumari, and I had the opportunity to quickly capture a portrait. Regrettably, given the sub-optimal lighting, the limited time frame of less than 2 minutes, and my inability to establish a connection with her, capturing a perfect portrait that showcases her friendly demeanor proved to be quite challenging. Now, let's delve into some background information. Similar to the Kumari in Kathmandu, the selection process for the Patan Kumari involves identifying a young girl from the Newar community who meets specific eligibility criteria. She must belong to the Shakya or Bajracharya caste and fulfill certain physical and mental requirements, as she is believed to possess the qualities necessary to embody the goddess. Once chosen, the Patan Kumari resides in the sacred Kumari Bahal or Kumari Ghar, a dedicated residence located near Patan Durbar Square. Like her Kathmandu counterpart, the Patan Kumari is highly revered as a symbol of purity and worshipped during religious festivals and ceremonies. Devotees visit the Kumari Bahal seeking blessings and an audience with her. Similar to the Kumari in Kathmandu, the Patan Kumari's tenure as a living goddess comes to an end with puberty or a significant loss of blood. At that point, a new Kumari is chosen through a strict process, and the outgoing Kumari resumes a regular life within the community – Kumari Bahal, Patan, Nepal