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Rajasthan (Devanagari: राजस्थान) is een deelstaat in het noordwesten van India, grenzend aan Pakistan. De hoofdstad van Rajasthan is Jaipur.
Rajasthan heeft een oppervlakte van 324.239 km² en telt 56.507.188 inwoners (2001). In oppervlakte en inwonertal staat het dus ongeveer gelijk aan Italië. Een groot deel van het westen van de staat wordt in beslag genomen door de Tharwoestijn
Rajasthan was eveneens bekend als Rajputana, naar de kaste van de Rajputs die hier sinds de 6de eeuw over lokale koninkrijken hebben geregeerd. Zij boden met wisselend succes weerstand tegen de islamitische Moguls die vanaf de 16de eeuw vanuit Afghanistan gebied in Rajastan innamen en tegen het midden van de 17de eeuw het grootste deel van het overwegend hindoeïstisch India beheersten.
Na de ondergang van het Mogulrijk in de loop van de 18de eeuw boden de maharaja's vervolgens verzet tegen de naburige koninkrijken van de Maratha's en Pindaris. Ze vroegen daarbij de hulp van de Britten, die hen in ruil voor handelsvoordelen steun en bescherming boden, waardoor de koninkrijken van Rajasthan vanaf het einde van de 19de eeuw koloniale provincies van Brits India werden, zij het met sterke lokale autonomie.
Sinds de onafhankelijkheid van India (1947) maken de koninkrijken integraal deel uit van de Indiase republiek, en vervullen de maharaja's geen enkele officiële functie meer.
Belangrijke steden in Rajasthan zijn:
Jaipur
Udaipur
Pushkar
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Bikaner
Ajmer
Jodhpur.
Jaswant Thada.
Jaswant Thada is considered to be one of the architectural landmarks of Jodhpur and popularly known as the 'Taj Mahal of Marwar'. The royal monument is a cenotaph dedicated to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, the 33rd ruler of Jodhpur.
The Pushkar Fair, or Kartik Mela, is a multi-day livestock fair and cultural fête. Animal breeders and buyers descend on the small Northern Indian town of Pushkar, and for five days they display and trade their camels, horses, cows, goats, and sheep. As the name implies, the camels take centre stage: they are everywhere, in all their decorated, bad-tempered glory.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/among-the-camels-and-...
Agra - Itimad-ud- Daulah or "Baby Taj".
Itimad-ut-Daulah has a special place in the chronicles of both history as well as architecture.
This is precisely because Itimad-ud-Daulah is the very first tomb in India that is enterily made out of marble. This is actually a mausoleum that overlooks the River Yamuna and is a tomb of Mir Ghiyas Bey, a minister in the court of Shah Jahan.
The World Heritage Site of Champaner (Gujarat).
The Jami Masjid (mosque).
It is one of the finest mosques of Gujarat. This is a gigantic structure with two imposing minars on either side of the central entrance to the prayer hall. The dome behind the high central screen of the façade is elevated on two extra storeys of open arcades. The roof just behind this dome is filled by a carved slab of great beauty and ingenuity of workmanship. There are seven mehrabs (prayer niches) in the back wall of the main prayer hall, the central being more elaborated. The northern section of prayer hall was separated by a perforated screen, reserved for ladies from where an extra entrance was provided. A pillared corridor goes round the vast court yard opening inside in ogival arches supported by pillars. The Mosque has three entrance porches to courtyard but the eastern porch is most remarkable for its intricate carving and Jaali work. Construction of mosque is datable to late 15th century A.D.
Sahar Ki Masjid (mosque).
It is one of the most imposing structures constructed very close to the royal enclosure. It might be the private Masjid of the Sultans with five mehrabs. The main entrance is through an arched doorway flanked by two minarets. It is covered by a projection, sloped chhajja. Two more entries on either side of the central one are flanked by jharokhas. Corresponding to each arched entry is a large dome, surrounded on all its four sides by smaller domes. A rectangular ablutions tank was constructed on a platform.
Champaner.
The historical town of Champaner is a city in the Gujarat state of western India. It is located in Panchmahal District, 47 kilometres from the city of Vadodara (Baroda). The city was briefly the capital of Gujarat. It was founded by Vanraj Chavda, the most prominent king of the Chavda Kingdom, in the 8th century. He named it after the name of his friend and general Champa, also known later as Champaraj. By the later 15th century, the Khichi Chauhan Rajputs held Pavagadh fort above the town of Champaner. The young Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada, captured the fort on 21 November 1484, after a siege of 20 months. He then spent 23 years rebuilding and embellishing Champaner, which he renamed Muhammadabad, after which he moved the capital there from Ahmedabad. The town finally succumbed to attacks from the Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1535.
Devotee in the Sun Temple of Modhera.
Sun Temple at Modhera is one of the few shrines that are dedicated to the Sun God. Situated on the banks of Pushpavati River in Modhera, Sun Temple is easily accessible from Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat.
In 1026, the temple was built by King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty (believed to be the descendants of the lineage of Sun God). This ancient temple revives the reminiscences of Sun Temple at Konark in Orissa. Turning in the pages of history, one can notice the mention of Modhera in the scriptures like Skanda Purana and Brahma Purana. The surrounding area of Modhera used to be known as Dharmaranya (forest of righteousness) and the place was blessed by Lord Rama.
The brilliant architecture of the temple is one of its own class. The temple encompasses three different yet axially-aligned and integrated constituents. As per the Konark Temple, this shrine is designed in a manner, so that the first rays of the Sun cast on the image of the Lord Surya. The Temple was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni; still the architectural grandeur is not vanished. No matter what is left, yet the remnants provide a great enchantment to behold.
Erected on a high platform, the Temple appears majestic with its grand structure. However, the spires are out of the scene, but the 'Toranas' (Archways) that lead to the main halls overshadow the absence of spires or shikhars. The exterior walls are engraved with intricate carvings, boasting about the mastery of art in those times. Every single inch of the structure is covered with the sculptural patterns of Gods, Goddesses,
birds, beasts and flowers. Actually, the Sun Temple is divided into three parts namely Surya Kund, Sabha Mandap and Guda Mandap.
Surya Kund is a deep stepped tank in the front of the temple. The tank was named after the Lord Surya (Sun God). In the earlier times, this 100 sq meter rectangular tank was used to store pure water. The devotees used to take a halt here for ceremonial ablutions before moving towards the temple. Not less than 108 shrines mark the steps of this tank including the shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Sheetala Mata and many others. In front of this tank, a huge 'torana' (archway) leads to the Sabha Mandap.
Sabha Mandap: literally, Sabha Mandap refers to an assembly hall where religious
gatherings and conferences are conducted. This hall is open from all the four sides and has 52 delicately carved pillars. The intricate carvings depict scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata (Indian Epics) and scenes from the life of Lord Krishna. In order to get into the Sanctum Sanctorum, one has to cross the passage with pillars and arches.
Guda Mandap is the sanctum sanctorum that is supported by a lotus-base plinth. Once, this hall used to house the idol of the Sun God. The designing of the hall was done in a way, so that the idol gets the first glimpse of the Sun at equinoxes. However, the idol was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni yet the walls represent the Sun God in his 12 different facets of each month. The carved walls also depict the aspects of human life like the vicious circle of birth and death. The façade of this hall was renovated in the recent years, despite the fact that the roof over the Guda Mandap had already been shattered.
Rabari woman in Dubhrej village (Gujarat).
The region of Gujarat has played host to many a tribal culture and nourished them from the very earliest periods of history. One such tribe here, the Rabaris, still pursue a pastoral lifestyle—much in the same way as they did ages ago.
The Rabaris are a semi-nomadic tribe—pursuing a pre-agrarian, pastoral lifestyle—found mainly in the Kutch and Saurashtra regions of Gujarat. Though living today in permanent settlements, they are believed to have originally migrated from Baluchistan more than a millennium ago.
But over these thousand and more years, the Rabaris have undergone many changes and have been widely influenced by the local cultures with which they came in contact. Not only are they divided into distinct clans, they also prefer to trace their origin to Hindu Gods and even the Rajputs.
Without delving into the garbled clues provided by folk lore about their origin, a closer look at the Rabari today leads one into his quaint, colourful and rugged lifestyle.
By no means are the Rabaris an isolated people. The men are on the move—almost 10 out of the 12 months—in search of grazing pastures for their livestock; while the women and children remain in their villages. These villages are normally small, devoid of more than superficial amenities and, almost always, set in bleak, barren suroundings.
In a typical village, their rectangular houses, called vandhas, are built in rows. The white-washed mud walls and tiled roofs may have an appearance of starkness when viewed from outside. But within each house, the Rabari’s fondness for patterns is easily visible from the many geometric patterns that adorn its interiors. The tiny mirrors embedded into these mud-plaster patterns only enhance their beauty as they catch the faint glimmer of light streaming in from a small window or a low doorway. A home usually consists of two rooms, and an extended enclosure in the verandah which forms the kitchen.
The room at the back is normally used as a storehouse—a virtual treasure house of embroidered clothes and quilts kept in carved wooden pataras (chests); and the kothis and kothlas (granaries) made of mud and cowdung. The other room is mainly a living room decorated with embroidered torans or decorated doorways, while the doors are covered with brass foil etched in a myriad patterns. Often, the only piece of furniture that one might find is a carved, wooden cradle.
The community’s main stay is milk and milk produce from their livestock in order to purchase commodities that they trade in various forms at the local village or town markets.
Much of the handiwork seen in their decorated homes is that of their women. In fact, Rabari women are famous for their embroidery work, called bharat kaam, from which they make numerous traditional garments and furnishings. The kediyun, a gathered jacket with an embroidered smock, worn by young Rabari men and children, skirts and blouses for the women and girls—are al dexterously embroidered. Interestingly, the Rabari girl, completes over the years, her entire dowry which includes clothes as well as beautiful quilts or derkee.
Kokulashtami, after the rains, is marriage time. The men are back from their wanderings for this al important occasion. All marriages take place on this one day. Since child marriage is still very much in vogue within this tribe, outsiders are distrusted. Again, the Rabari marries only within the tribe and often into families which are closely located. Marrying outside the fold leads to social castigation and is very rare. While Rabari couples are probably the most exotically dressed, the marriage is a simple ritual performed by a Brahmin priest.
Rabaris, by and large, and ardent followers and worshippers of the Mother Goddess. Each clan has its own tribal goddess as the patron deity, though their homes often have pictures of other gods and goddesses as well. Strong tendencies of deifying and invoking the dead are still prevalent—a pointer to the community’s old world origin.
Another old world custom that has persisted is the custom of tattooing and there is a marked similarity In the motifs used in their embroideries and tattoos.
As an outsider it is difficult to communicate with these people since they speak a dialect which is a mixture of Marwari and Gujarati. But once they understand the visitor’s innocent curiosity, they exude the warmth and friendship that has always been a part of their make-up.
The Jat - one of the hidden tribes in Gujarat (India).
Dhaneta Jat woman.
The Jats who live in Kutch are particularly conscious of their identity as a group and their sense of unity comes from a perception of shared historical traditions and a belief in common ancestry.
Originally the Jats were herders who lived in an area called Half in Iran. Five hundred years ago these shepherds migrated from Half and came to Sindh and Kutch to search for new grazing lands. They crossed the Rann of Kutch and settled there taking up farming, they became known as Dhaneta Jats. Some have devted themselves to the study of the Koran and are known as the Fakirani Jats. All the Jats in Kutch are Muslims and have similar marriage and dowry customs.
The Dhanetas are the largest of the Jat Communities. They live throughtout north western Kutch. The Dhanetas live in the Banni, herd cattle. The men care for the animals and women remain in camp looking after their families.
People on the way from Bera to Denpasar - Most of them belongs to the Garasia or Rabari tribal group.
Kolukkumalai Tea Estate,
Taking Jeep from Muunhar to Kolukkumalai Mountain Hut,
Kottagudi,
Tamil Nadu, India
Vadodara - Gujarat - India
Wandeling naar de omwalling en het vroegere fort Champaner. ( Pauagadh) Bezoek aan de vrijdag moskee, Jami Masjid en verder naar de omwalling en de resten van het Pavagadh fort. Via de South Bhadra Gate binnen de fortmuren naar de Sahar Ki Masjid moskee.
Vadodara which used to be known as Baroda, is the third largest city in the Western Indian State of Gujarat, after Ahmedabad and Surat. It is the administrative headquarters of Vadodara District and is located on the banks of the Vishwamitri river, southeast of Ahmedabad, 139 kilometres from the state capital Gandhinagar.
The city is the site of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace, the residence of the Maharaja of Baroda and the royal family; and his erstwhile Darbar. It is also the home of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (Vadodara), the largest university in Gujarat. An important industrial, cultural and educational hub of western India, the city houses several institutions of national and regional importance while its major industries include petrochemicals, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, IT and foreign exchange services amongst others.
Vadodara has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.