Indian Marriage & Wedding Ceremonies. (ONLY ur BEST)
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Name Nirmala generally means Clean or Virtuous, is of Indonesian, Indian origin, Name Nirmala is a Feminine (or Girl) name. This name is shared across persons, who are either Jain or Hindu by religion.
Work made with stock images and images of mine.
Stocks used: 20 different photos.
The name Kala is primarily a female name of Indian origin that means Art. Pronounced "KAH-la."
Work made with stock images and images of mine.
Stocks used:
16 different photos & textures
The distinctive Crested Caracara “combines the raptorial instincts of the eagle with the base carrion-feeding habits of the vulture” (Hudson 1920). Called ignoble, miserable, and aggressive, yet also dashing, stately, and noble, this medium-sized raptor, with its bold black-and-white plumage and bright yellow-orange face and legs, is easily recognizable as it perches conspicuously on a high point in the landscape. In flight it can be distinguished by its regular, powerful wing-beats as it cruises low across the ground or just above the treetops.
The name “caracara” is said to be of Guarani Indian origin, traro-traro, derived from the unusual rattling vocalization that the bird utters when agitated.
The Crested Caracara is a bird of open habitats, typically grassland, prairie, pastures, or desert with scattered taller trees, shrubs, or cacti in which it nests. Adult pairs are generally monogamous and highly territorial and exhibit strong site fidelity. Young remain with their parents for several months after fledging, and at some sites, two broods are raised per year.
I found this adult as a part of a family of three including a juvenile, at Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County, Florida.
The distinctive Crested Caracara “combines the raptorial instincts of the eagle with the base carrion-feeding habits of the vulture”. Called ignoble, miserable, and aggressive, yet also dashing, stately, and noble, this medium-sized raptor, with its bold black-and-white plumage and bright yellow-orange face and legs, is easily recognizable as it perches conspicuously on a high point in the landscape. In flight it can be distinguished by its regular, powerful wing-beats as it cruises low across the ground or just above the treetops. Known locally in some areas as the “Mexican buzzard”, the Crested Caracara is an opportunist and is commonly seen walking about open fields, pastures, and road edges, feeding on a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate prey, as well as on carrion, often in the company of other avian scavengers. The name “caracara” is said to be of Guarani Indian origin, traro-traro, derived from the unusual rattling vocalization that the bird utters when agitated.
While the Crested Caracara ranges from northern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, in the United States it occurs only along the southern border, primarily in Texas and Arizona and occasionally in coastal areas of other Gulf states, and in Florida, where there is an isolated population in the south-central peninsula.
I found this one along Canoe Creek Road in Osceola County, Florida.
When Prince Wilhelm purchased Villa Marienwahl in 1878, he had just become a father. At the request of his wife Marie, the couple did not live in the Crown Prince building, nor in the Ludwigsburg Castle, but in the relatively modest villa built in 1826 by Freiherr Friedrich von Varnbühler. Since then it has been called the Marienwahl.
The villa was rebuilt and re-furnished according to the needs of the couple of princes. Special features include the so-called Arab room, whose ceiling paintings are still preserved today. In this room were also stored objects which had arrived in Württemberg with the horses imported from the Orient as guest gifts, among them rifles of Indian origin and firearms.
The last king of Württemberg left the Marian election as the private property of his daughter Pauline, who spent a large part of her teenage years there. Just like her father, she loved the animals and began her own horse breeding in 1906.
When Prince Wilhelm purchased Villa Marienwahl in 1878, he had just become a father. At the request of his wife Marie, the couple did not live in the Crown Prince building, nor in the Ludwigsburg Castle, but in the relatively modest villa built in 1826 by Freiherr Friedrich von Varnbühler. Since then it has been called the Marienwahl.
The villa was rebuilt and re-furnished according to the needs of the couple of princes. Special features include the so-called Arab room, whose ceiling paintings are still preserved today. In this room were also stored objects which had arrived in Württemberg with the horses imported from the Orient as guest gifts, among them rifles of Indian origin and firearms.
The last king of Württemberg left the Marian election as the private property of his daughter Pauline, who spent a large part of her teenage years there. Just like her father, she loved the animals and began her own horse breeding in 1906.
When Prince Wilhelm purchased Villa Marienwahl in 1878, he had just become a father. At the request of his wife Marie, the couple did not live in the Crown Prince building, nor in the Ludwigsburg Castle, but in the relatively modest villa built in 1826 by Freiherr Friedrich von Varnbühler. Since then it has been called the Marienwahl.
The villa was rebuilt and re-furnished according to the needs of the couple of princes. Special features include the so-called Arab room, whose ceiling paintings are still preserved today. In this room were also stored objects which had arrived in Württemberg with the horses imported from the Orient as guest gifts, among them rifles of Indian origin and firearms.
The last king of Württemberg left the Marian election as the private property of his daughter Pauline, who spent a large part of her teenage years there. Just like her father, she loved the animals and began her own horse breeding in 1906.
Ubosot (oridination hall) of Wat Phra Maharaj built on an islet in a pond in the centre of Khorat.
It is the same temple that installed the statue of King Narai the Great and is named after the Ayutthaya king. It is also called Wat Phra Narai Maharat. It is the central temple (Wat Klang) of Khorat.
Hindu god of Phra Narai in Thai or Narayana in Sanskrit is an avatar of Vishnu. Devaraja or god king, which is a cult that regards kings as avatars of Hindu gods, has an Indian origin. It is supposed that the cult made it possible to deploy a large number of people for large-scale construction works. It was first introduced to present-day Indonesia and then to Khmer. The naming of the Ayutthaya king is indicative of the Khmer influence of Devaraja on Ayutthaya Kingdom.
King Narai's reign is regarded as the golden era of Ayutthaya Kingdom. He engaged in active diplomatic activities, and Ayutthaya prospered with the trade not only with China but also with India, Middle East and Europe. He even hired Constantine Phaulkon, a Greek adventurer, to advise his diplomacy.
Khorat is located in the western periphery of Khorat Plateau that is now called Isan or Northeast Thailand. It is a plateau with an average altitude of 200 m bounded by mountains and the Mekong. It had been the place of rivalry between present-day Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Khorat had been an important frontier town for Ayutthaya Kingdom.
Old Keyaki tree (Japanese zelkova, Zelkova serrata) with sticks in the Yasaka shrine (弥栄神社) located by the Tsuwano river.
This is a re-edit of a previously uploaded photo with Lightroom.
Yasaka shrine was originally founded by the Yoshimi, the original ruler of Tsuwano, in 1428 by requesting the Gion shrine in Kyoto to impart its deity for the spiritual protection of Tsuwano Castle.
The deity enshrined in the Yasaka shrines found all over Japan is Gozu Tennou (午頭天皇 ox-headed heavenly king) that was a guardian of Buddha's Jetavana monastery in Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh State of India. Gion (祇園) is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese translation of Jetavana meaning "mango orchard." The Indian minor deity was syncretised with the Susano'o cult of Shintoism and other folk beliefs and promoted to a major deity status in Shintoism in charge of epidemic prevention.
The Meiji government did not like the syncretism as they wanted to purify Shintoism. They did not like the Gion shrine as the name is of an Indian origin. All the Gion shrines were forced to rename to Yasaka shrines including its headquarters in Kyoto. Gion, however, survives as place and festival names in Kyoto.
Kind of a different name, but it works for a granger type of railroad running some one time Santa Fe, Frisco, and Rock Island branches. For initial operations, Farmrail picked up a fleet of old GP-9's from various roads, and painted them into this very different looking scheme. All of them received Indian origin type names, which was a nice touch of something different and classy. For any Milwaukee Road fans, you will instantly know the heritage of the diesel because of that metal plate used for the road number. Why the Milwaukee did that, who knows, but it was cool that Farmrail used the metal plate as it was intended to be used.
SSC - ICM
The challenge this week was to create an image using ICM (Intentional Camera Movement). This is a shot of a brass Pestle and Mortar probably of Indian origin, my ambition was to achieve movement that was complementary to the subject and hoping to avoid the effect looking like a ghastly mistake.
The distinctive Crested Caracara “combines the raptorial instincts of the eagle with the base carrion-feeding habits of the vulture” Called ignoble, miserable, and aggressive, yet also dashing, stately, and noble, this medium-sized raptor, with its bold black-and-white plumage and bright yellow-orange face and legs, is easily recognizable as it perches conspicuously on a high point in the landscape. In flight it can be distinguished by its regular, powerful wing-beats as it cruises low across the ground or just above the treetops. Known locally in some areas as the “Mexican buzzard”, the Crested Caracara is an opportunist and is commonly seen walking about open fields, pastures, and road edges, feeding on a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate prey, as well as on carrion, often in the company of other avian scavengers. The name “caracara” is said to be of Guarani Indian origin, traro-traro, derived from the unusual rattling vocalization that the bird utters when agitated. A common subject of folklore and legends throughout Central and South America, the Crested Caracara is sometimes referred to as the "Mexican eagle."
I found this one along Canoe Creek Road finishing off some "Road Kill", in Osceola County, Florida.
Maya is a transgender person of Indian origin, living in the US. I met her when she came to Bangkok to undergo a series of operations resulting in her bodily transformation into a woman... She is an amazing person, full of strength and charisma.
She asked me take some snaps of her, some professional, some for social networking, and some of a more naughty kind - a selection is presented here. All are taken after she has almost completely recovered (only 2 weeks after the surgeries!).
Taken in Bangkok, 5.03.2011
© Kabir Orlowski
Thai massage follows almost similar energy lines than the meridians of acupuncture. It has Indian origins, from Ayurveda.
Laos massage is very close to Thai massage.
Both techniques are mainly done with clothes. They are efficient during a trek when it is not possible to undress in cool conditions.
Learning with a certified masseur physiotherapist able to give explanations about different Asian techniques is safer than doing anything without knowledge.
The basics of Thai massage are taught by Eric Lon when trekking in Himalaya.
Photo viewed 5.905 times on January 2012. Thanks.
Les lignes d’énergie sur lesquelles agit le massage thaïlandais ressemblent aux méridiens d acupuncture. Le massage thailandais a des origines indiennes.
Le massage thaïlandais est proche du massage laotien.
Les deux techniques se pratiquent à travers des vêtements. Ces massages sont indiqués lorsqu'il fait trop froid pour se dévêtir, comme en haute montagne.
Mieux vaut apprendre l' art du massage avec un masseur kinésithérapeute diplômé qui a étudié différentes formes de massage asiatiques plutôt que de s'improviser masseur.
L'enseignement des bases du massage thaïlandais fait partie des randonnées himalayennes auxquelles Eric Lon participe.
Photo vue 5.905 fois au 08 janvier 2012. Merci.
Chettiars are a people of Indian origin, well known for their financial dealings and hospitality. They are followers of the Hindu religion and worship the Shiva and Muruga deities of the Hindu faith. They belong to a very prolific Business Community, who in olden days moved out of India to foreign lands like Burma, Ceylon, Java, Sumatra, Malaysia, Singapore & Vietnam (Saigon) and spread their Culture in those lands. Chettiars are basically Bankers who lend money at nominal interest. They are considered as the Pioneers of Modern Banking. They are the first to introduce what is called as " Pattru (debit), Varavu (credit), Selavu (expenditure), Laabam (profit), Nashtam (loss) " which are all, collectively, known as " Iynthogai (trial balance). "
Looking back, what appealed to me in Charles Gesner van der Voort's life story were the foreign adventures, the friendships made and finding the love of his life abroad.
It reminded me of my adolescent years when I first traveled abroad without my parents. In 1986 and 1988 I made Interrail train tours through Europe with my friend since childhood, Han Dirk Hekking. It brought us to exotic places like Istanbul, in a time you made telephone calls home in phone booths and got your money cashing a cheque. At the age of 21, in Greece I met my future wife (an intelligent woman, with beautiful eyes of Greek-Indian origin I often tell her, born from the people who traveled with Alexander the Great as far as India. You're a romantic fool she then tells me, which I have to admit...).
My friend became a journalist and redid our European train journey thirty years later in 2017, covering the current situation in each country visited for his newspaper. fd.nl/economie-politiek/1207892/spoor-door-europa-de-weg-...
It was a coincidence to find out that my friend was related to the Hekking family which lived in Shanghai and was interned in Chapei Civil Assembly Centre, where Charles Gesner van der Voort was also interned.
Raksha Bandhan (रक्षा बन्धन) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters; the festival is also popularly used to celebrate any brother-sister relationship between men and women who are relatives or biologically unrelated. It is called Rakhi Purnima, or simply Rakhi, in many parts of India. The festival is observed by Hindus, Jains, and many Sikhs. Raksha Bandhan is primarily observed in India, Mauritius and parts of Nepal. It is also celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs in parts of Pakistan, and by some people of Indian origin around the world.
.......................................Wikipedia
Havana is a town in Gadsden County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Tallahassee. The population was 1,754 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named after Havana, Cuba, located about 530 miles (850 km) to the south.
Havana is of Indian origin and honors the name of Cuba's capital.
In 1902, following the completion of the of Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad, settlers moved a mile east to the present site of Havana, Florida. The railway town was important to the export of farming and tobacco. On December 5, 1906, Havana was incorporated into a town. The name "Havana" was proposed by James Mathewson, a schoolteacher. Shade tobacco was an important crop at that time.
On March 16, 1916, Havana was destroyed by a fire and 26 business-owned buildings were burned leaving only two remaining stores.
In recent times, much of the tobacco crop industry has declined and is known for its antiques, art galleries and specialty stores.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana,_Florida
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Havana is a town in Gadsden County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Tallahassee. The population was 1,754 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named after Havana, Cuba, located about 530 miles (850 km) to the south.
Havana is of Indian origin and honors the name of Cuba's capital.
In 1902, following the completion of the of Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad, settlers moved a mile east to the present site of Havana, Florida. The railway town was important to the export of farming and tobacco. On December 5, 1906, Havana was incorporated into a town. The name "Havana" was proposed by James Mathewson, a schoolteacher. Shade tobacco was an important crop at that time.
On March 16, 1916, Havana was destroyed by a fire and 26 business-owned buildings were burned leaving only two remaining stores.
In recent times, much of the tobacco crop industry has declined and is known for its antiques, art galleries and specialty stores.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana,_Florida
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Havana is a town in Gadsden County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Tallahassee. The population was 1,754 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named after Havana, Cuba, located about 530 miles (850 km) to the south.
Havana is of Indian origin and honors the name of Cuba's capital.
In 1902, following the completion of the of Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad, settlers moved a mile east to the present site of Havana, Florida. The railway town was important to the export of farming and tobacco. On December 5, 1906, Havana was incorporated into a town. The name "Havana" was proposed by James Mathewson, a schoolteacher. Shade tobacco was an important crop at that time.
On March 16, 1916, Havana was destroyed by a fire and 26 business-owned buildings were burned leaving only two remaining stores.
In recent times, much of the tobacco crop industry has declined and is known for its antiques, art galleries and specialty stores.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana,_Florida
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
#429 on explore for Aug 27, 2008
So I see everyone going mad since its Wednesday, and apparently its the day to upload pictures with bokeh (whatever that is).
Before anyone gets excited, I caught this fella at a Service station by the motorway. Fancy that.
And yeah, I had some blokes giggle seeing a guy with Indian origins taking pictures of a flower...
SSC - A minimalist view of a single object.
This is a small, about three and a half inches tall with the lid on, brass dish. I think of Indian origin that I inherited from my parents. I always get carried away with the image and realise, in pp, that I should have dusted it first, but I could say that it adds to the patina!
I had this shot in the bag on Wednesday but took a second shot on Friday that also fits the brief and had difficulty deciding which one to use. See what you think in the first comment box.
Photographer/Illustrator: Fred H. Politinsky
Subject: Outside the Box Photography
*A beguine is a popular dance of W. Indian origin.
This image is based on a photograph of Stephen Taesler performing 'The Magic Trumpet,' A Beguine, Solo for Bb Trumpet (cornet) by James F. Burke (1923 - 1981).
View my photographs on the following websites:
www.flickriver.com/photos/jackpot999
www.fluidr.com/photos/jackpot999
www.flickr.com/photos/jackpot999
GOOGLE at NPR JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHY POOL - FLICKRIVER (Look for photographs by Bebop18.)
ALL OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHTED. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. DO NOT USE, EDIT OR COPY ANY OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.
The distinctive Crested Caracara “combines the raptorial instincts of the eagle with the base carrion-feeding habits of the vulture”. Called ignoble, miserable, and aggressive, yet also dashing, stately, and noble, this medium-sized raptor, with its bold black-and-white plumage and bright yellow-orange face and legs, is easily recognizable as it perches conspicuously on a high point in the landscape. In flight it can be distinguished by its regular, powerful wing-beats as it cruises low across the ground or just above the treetops. Known locally in some areas as the “Mexican buzzard”, the Crested Caracara is an opportunist and is commonly seen walking about open fields, pastures, and road edges, feeding on a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate prey, as well as on carrion, often in the company of other avian scavengers. The name “caracara” is said to be of Guarani Indian origin, traro-traro, derived from the unusual rattling vocalization that the bird utters when agitated.
I found this one along Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County , Florida.
Theme : Green
"365: the 2017 edition","365:2017","Day 173/365","22-Jun-17"
This is a close up of a decorative wall hanging. I thnk it has Indian origins. It is larger than a domestic door and this is one small fragment. For the last several years it has brightened the wall at the top of the stairs. The main background colour is that beautiful deep green with tiny mirrors, embroidery of many colours, a mix of seemingly random stitches and swirling patterns. Ths wall hanging is a thing of beauty and that is its main purpose in my house.
Thank you for comments, views and favs. Apologies for taking so long to get back to you.
The origins of the swastika are unknown. It has been used for thousands of years as a symbol of the sun, of infinity and continuing recreation and fertility in China, Sumeria, Egypt, India, Greece, Scandinavia, the Americas and elsewhere. It has been found on the textiles of the Incas, on the relics unearthed at Troy and in the catacombs of Rome. It is also one of the sacred signs of Buddhism.
The word comes from the Sanskrit ‘svastika’ meaning ‘prosperity’, and it was thought to bring good luck. As a decorative motif, it exists in many distorted forms on the doors of nearly all Seljuk and Ottoman buildings, notably on the gateways of Diyarbakir, and in the gateway of the Karatay Mosque in Konya.
Some extremist Teutonic nationalists in Austria began to use it in the mistaken belief that the swastika was of Indian origin and therefore an Aryan motif symbolising their self-designated racial superiority. Hitler himself saw it as symbolising, in his own words: ‘The fight for victory of Aryan man and of the idea of creative work, which in itself eternally has been anti-Semitic and eternally will be anti-Semitic’.
Ani, Eastern Turkey
This picture is #79 in the 100 Strangers project.
Meet Samantha.
Soon after I did pictures with Nicole (Stranger #78) I decided to call it a day and pick up some lunch and head back home. But even as I was awaiting my carryout order I happened to meet Samantha (or Sam) who was standing right behind me.
No prizes for guessing what drew my attention - yes the eyes- and that nose ring bringing in that extra touch. As she waited for her order, I approached the young lady and requested her permission for a few pictures. Samantha agreed and was even kind enough to step outside to do a few quick pics. We tried facing different directions for the best light and different expressions - but Samantha warned me that she finds it difficult to not smile and also that she is not photogenic. I completely agree with the first part - the second I completely disagree as I think she is very photogenic.
Sam works close-by at a paint-your-own-pottery studio. She is also a student - a major in psychology - but currently taking a break and contemplating moving towards "education" primarily because she loves working with children.
I was initially unable to place her ethnic background - with her distinctive look and unique accent - was more thinking a Middle-eastern background (which she said she gets a lot), Of course ended up feeling mighty silly when she said mentioned her Indian origins - in fact her parents hail from the same state Maharashtra and even city Mumbai that I come from. Now, when I see her pictures, I am still unable to fathom how I could completely miss that but I did.
Thanks Samantha for taking time from your lunch break to do these pictures - it was indeed nice to meet a "Marathi mulgi" (Maharashtrian girl) on the project. Wish you a lot of success for your future. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like copies of your pics.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
For my other pictures on this project: www.flickr.com/photos/vijaybrittophotography/sets/7215764...
Okay maybe not, but it is on a fence post, the favorite perch of many Meadowlarks, and it has its mouth open appearing to sing like a Meadowlark, but Alas that doesn't make it a Meadowlark. In fact not even close.
Audubon's Crested Caracara inhabits wet prairies with cabbage palms. It may also be found in wooded areas with saw palmetto, cypres, and scrub oaks. Caracaras will also inhabit pastures. Audubon's Crested Caracara is found throughout south central Florida, and also occurs in Texas, Arkansas, Mexico, Cuba, and Panama.
Crested Caracaras are often seen soaring with Black and Turkey Vultures, searching for carrion. However, they are generalists and will eat insects, vertebrates and eggs as well. When they aren't hungry, Caracaras can be found perched conspicuously on fence posts or dead snags. Crested Caracaras have been recorded in the panhandle but these individuals probably originated from the western U.S population. The subspecies in Florida is known as Audubon's Crested Caracara; it is present year-round. There are only 250 pairs of this federally threatened subspecies nesting in Florida.
The distinctive Crested Caracara “combines the raptorial instincts of the eagle with the base carrion-feeding habits of the vulture”. Called ignoble, miserable, and aggressive, yet also dashing, stately, and noble, this medium-sized raptor, with its bold black-and-white plumage and bright yellow-orange face and legs, is easily recognizable as it perches conspicuously on a high point in the landscape. In flight it can be distinguished by its regular, powerful wing-beats as it cruises low across the ground or just above the treetops. Known locally in some areas as the “Mexican buzzard”, the Crested Caracara is an opportunist and is commonly seen walking about open fields, pastures, and road edges, feeding on a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate prey, as well as on carrion, often in the company of other avian scavengers. The name “Caracara” is said to be of Guarani Indian origin, traro-traro, derived from the unusual rattling vocalization that the bird utters when agitated.
I found this one at Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County, Florida.
Great Support From Tamil Sri Lankans of Indian origin.
President Rajapaksa visited Nuwara Eliya today and addressed a public rally, speaking to an audience of primarily Tamil Sri Lankans of Indian origin.
දෙසැම්බර් 28 වන දින නුවරඑළියට පැමිණි ජනාධිපති රාජපක්ෂ මැතිතුමා එහිදී, මූලිකව ඉන්දියානු සම්භවයක් සහිත ද්රවිඩ ශ්රී ලාංකීය ජනයා සහභාගී වූ මහජන රැළියක් ඇමතීය.
டிசம்பர் 28ம் திகதி நுவரெலியாவிற்கு விஜயம் செய்த ஜனாதிபதி ராஜபக்ஷ் அவர்கள், அங்கு முக்கியமாக இந்திய வம்சாவளி தமிழ் இலங்கையர்கள் கலந்துகொண்ட பொதுக் கூட்டத்தில் உரையாற்றினார்.
(Photos by Sudath Silva)
thanks everyone for tagging me!
Remi (amazingly repainted by Emilia) and Dominique , brother and sister of Indian origin.
Today is a public holiday here in commemoration of the 1st landing anniversary (30th May 1845) of East Indian indentured labourers who were brought to Trinidad from India, to work on the sugar cane estates here at that time. Today, there are no sugar cane estates anymore and people of East Indian origin form a major percentage of the island's population. As seen, some people did not make the 3 month journey over the "kala pani" - dark water- alive.
The photo is a grab from a cell phone video I took of the original General Register A 1-10581 which is located in the National Archives in 2013. They allow photography and someday I may go back with a DSLR. This pic is not intended to be a work of art but just a bit of our recorded history.
This morning, my photographer friend Harmon Caldwell and I set out on an adventure up the Tallullah River Road into one of the most remote regions in the North Georgia Mountains. We were headed to Tate City, Georgia, which is located in an area so remote, it was the last city in Georgia to receive electricity. It also lays claim to the smallest voting precinct in the state of Georgia. Tate City is the last inhabited area up Tallulah River Road which lies south of the Appalachian Trail and "Standing Indian" in North Carolina in the Nantahala National Forest. This morning, we hiked up Denton Creek to the beautiful and imposing Denton Falls. This video features but one of the many photogenic cascading sections of the river upstream. What does Tallulah mean? Tallulah is a maiden name of Native American Choctaw Indian origin meaning "leaping water, lady of abundance". She was certainly leaping today after all the rain we've had!... Denton Creek Falls, Tate City, Georgia, North Georgia Appalachian Blueridge.
We're Here - ~Hand Drumming and World Percussion
The ko-tsuzumi is a Japanese drum of Chinese/Indian origin. It consists of a wooden body shaped like an hourglass, and it is taut, with two drumheads with cords that can be squeezed or released to increase or decrease the tension of the heads respectively. This mechanism allows the player to raise or lower the pitch of the drum while playing, not unlike the African talking drum.
The drum heads must be exposed to moisture to produce a desirable sound. Before playing the ko-tsuzumi, the player will breathe very close to the head that will be struck.
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Lux mundi, Light of the World, is one of the names given this beautiful plant by Georg Eberhard Rumphius (1627-1702). Rumphius - who was to become blind and yet persevered as a botanist - was employed by the Dutch East Indies Trading Company (VOC) on the Indonesian isle of Ambon, Maluku. He is famous for his naturalist descriptions, especially for his series of great plant books (kept a company trading secret by the VOC until 1743!).
In most of the literature our pretty plant is described as a native of the West Indies, hence one of its names: The Pride of Barbados (see also my posting: www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/2731465723/in/photolis...). But the fine new edition of Francis Ng's, Tropical Horticulture & Gardening stimulated me to delve a bit deeper. Ng mentions the debate over Caesalpinia origins, whether in the West or in the East. To get things a bit clearer in my mind I went to Curtis's Botanical Magazine, vol 25 (1806-7) and discovered there that it had already been brought to Holland in the 1670s presumably by VOC ships. Of the West-Indian origins, the Magazine writes: 'Although long since widely diffused through the West Indies and frequently found in spontaneous growth, it is doubtful whether it be originally indigenous there.' So I went to Rumphius's massive Herbarium Amboinense, vol. 4, p.55 and a clear drawing Tab.XX. Rumphius gives a long description of the plant and its provenance (China, and brought to Ambon by a Chinese skipper in the 1650s).
One of the names Rumphius gives it is Crista pavonis, and he mentions a whole range of other names in local languages. He devotes a paragraph also to this yellow form and says it is less frequently seen than the 'peacock' flower; he thinks it to be the female form of the flower.
It's rather curious that Carolus Linnaeus does not refer explicitly to Rumphius. I think it's due to the Great Swede that the West-Indian provenance is generally accepted. How did this happen? Well, Rumphius work was suppressed, kept secret until the middle of the eighteenth century just when Linnaeus was writing. He apparently just missed it... or at least Rumphius's articulate and learned exposition about this flower.
Here in Kerandangan 'she' is being visited by an Asian Honeybee, Apis cerana.
And I myself was reminded of a famous scholar of Groningen, Wessel Gansfort (1419-1489), who in 1614 at the founding of the university there was designated as 'Altera Lux Mundi' (after Christ, of course), which brings us back to the name Crista pavonis.
Cheyava Falls is the tallest waterfall in Arizona - beating out Angel Falls, Seven Cataracts and Carr Falls. On the World Waterfall Database Cheyava also rates as the highest in Magnitude and Aesthetics in AZ. www.world-waterfalls.com/database.php?s=T&t=G&cat...
Cheyava cascades from the North Rim on the southern end of the Walhalla Plateau north of Honan Point. Often the Falls are merely a wet streak on the Canyon Wall. But in the Spring after a wet winter as the snow on the North Rim melts, Cheyava Falls become truly impressive - cascading 800 feet down the Redwall Limestone. The longest drop is about 400 feet, then it cascades another 400 feet through a brushy slope and into Clear Creek. Thick foliage keeps you from reaching the base of the falls. Seeing Cheyava Falls flowing strong is high on the list for avid Grand Canyon Hikers.
Ellsworth Kolb named the Falls. www.grandcanyonhistory.org/09.html "After the USGS river trip in the summer of 1923, Colonel Claude H. Birdseye suggested that Ellsworth give it a name, preferably of Indian origin. Ellsworth supposed the water flowed only intermittently, and he suggested Cheyava, a Hopi word meaning intermittent river, " [25]
Here is my Hike Description and TripLog from HikeArizona.com
Guanyin
Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Venue: Cincinnati Art Museum
It is a beautiful robe she is wearing. The head has long ears that signify age and wisdom. Her face is a kind face. Is that a smile? The feet are bare–something quite unusual with women in Chinese portraits but not when it comes to Guanyin's images. It seems to me those bare feet probably harken back to her more ancient Indian origins. Guanyin's right hand offers a small vase filled with pure water.
Even the Mahāyāna Buddhist name in Chinese, Guanyin (觀音), the one who hears the cries, informs that this is a Bhodisattva. Guanyin mercifully intercedes on behalf of souls when eternity would warrant harsh justice. As someone who saves souls, she voluntarily occupies a position just a notch short of Buddha.
A. The tsuzumi is a traditional Instrument Commonly Used by the Geisha (The Geisha is represented by the doll on the left.)
Besides other traditional arts like poetry writing and reciting, flower arrangement, tea ceremony and calligraphy, geisha are also expected to be adept at elegant song and dance. They were trained musicians and artists who brought refined and tasteful entertainment to clients.
One of the instruments the Geishas plays is called the tsusumi.
The tsuzumi, or shouko, has Chinese and Indian origins, and looks much like a tribal drum. It has an hourglass body and 2 drumheads with adjustable cords that may be used to compress the drumheads to alter the pitch while playing. It is also used in other forms of Japanese theater, as well as in folk music called min-you 民謡. The lower pitched small tsuzumi is played on the shoulder, as opposed to the big tsuzumi, which is played on the side.
B. The Erhu, is a traditional Chinese instrument: (The Chinese doll on the right.)
(From Wikipedia): "The erhu (Chinese: 二胡; pinyin: èrhú; [aɻ˥˩xu˧˥]), is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a Southern Fiddle, and sometimes known in the Western world as the Chinese violin or a Chinese two-stringed fiddle.
It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. As a very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock and jazz."
Both dolls were purchased in their respective countries.
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This picture is #66 in the 100 Strangers Project - Round 2
Meet Gigi
Gigi instantly caught my attention as she walked past me in a haste. I knew I wanted to photograph her but I doubted if she would be open to the idea. Still taking a chance I excused myself and explained my request and to my luck she agreed. Yes the lady is really beautiful and can turn heads but even as I was speaking to her her eyes and ability to gaze unflinchingly was something that just stood out (and the nose ring just added that extra touch to her personality). The challenge I was facing is that it was past sunset and I didn't really have the confidence of using external light especially in a rushed set-up like this. So instead I bumped up the ISO (to 1600) and slowed my shutter to get the ambient light and shot a few frames with a white reflector near her waist. I am still cursing myself that I ended up with harsh shadows due to the overhead lights but still glad I got to shoot a few pics. After a few head-shots given that Gigi was so comfortable and confident we shot a few posed shots as well.
Gigi's is of Indian origins - her grandparents hail from Kashmir in India plus she has a Polish connection too. She is studying towards her graduation and is currently working as a therapist for autistic kids. Her favorite quality of herself is her friendly nature and her ability to meet and get along with people. I will add that I was really impressed with how articulate she was in expressing herself and how clear she appeared with her thinking.
Thank you Gigi for doing these pictures - I do appreciate you going out of your way despite being in a rush. Do let me know if you would like a copy of your pics. Wish you all the very best as you embark on your professional career.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
For my other pictures on this project: 100 Strangers - Round 2.
For pictures from my prior attempt at 100 Strangers: 100 Strangers - Round 1.
GIVEAWAY!!!
I decided to do a giveaway for my first clothing release! Drop your username and tag three friends below my post and I will be picking the winners on Wednesday @5pm!
Picking 3 winners!!
The name Asha is a female name of Indian origin that means Hope.
New from OBLIVION, the Asha Dress is now available on Marketplace (in 16 different colors)!
Asha is an original mesh that I have been holding onto for a while, but I have finally decided to release to the public!
Please try the available demo and contact me via notecard with any issues!
Known as "human horses" these poor men live short lives, exhausted by their work. They have to rent the rickshaws at high prices from unscrupulous owners. They are paid almost nothing.
Havana is a town in Gadsden County, Florida, United States, and a suburb of Tallahassee. The population was 1,754 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named after Havana, Cuba, located about 530 miles (850 km) to the south.
Havana is of Indian origin and honors the name of Cuba's capital.
In 1902, following the completion of the of Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad, settlers moved a mile east to the present site of Havana, Florida. The railway town was important to the export of farming and tobacco. On December 5, 1906, Havana was incorporated into a town. The name "Havana" was proposed by James Mathewson, a schoolteacher. Shade tobacco was an important crop at that time.
On March 16, 1916, Havana was destroyed by a fire and 26 business-owned buildings were burned leaving only two remaining stores.
In recent times, much of the tobacco crop industry has declined and is known for its antiques, art galleries and specialty stores.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana,_Florida
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
India, Heritage Food with Twist, Appam with sautéed tender spinach leaves, Scottish smoked salmon, poached egg, hand whisk sauce hollandaise & sprinkled with a hint of Curry & dill.
Appam, also called Hopper, a very popular Kerala dish, of South Indian origin. The batter is of fermented rice batter & coconut milk, baked in a wok-shaped small cast iron frying pan. Appams are a kind of pancakes, soft & spongy in the centre with a thin lacy border, it is very good for health as it does not require much oil. Appams are most frequently consumed for breakfast or dinner. There some variations of Appams, but the basic preparation is more o less the same.
Most typically especial for breakfast Appams are served with a vegetable stew, prepared with coconut milk. The South Indian cuisine, like in the Thai cuisine, does not use dairy products, like butter, cream, milk etc., instead coconut milk/cream & oil are used for food preparation.
God created Food,
the Devil created Cooks,
…but Women give us the Inspiration!
👉 One World one Dream,
...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
10 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
India, Heritage Food with a Twist, …my creation, a "Samudree Bhojan Mulligatawny" with lobster, prawns, green shell mussels, clams, baby octopus, squid, pomfret filet, mud crab, curry leafs & coconut cream, based on the classic curry spiced soup.
Mulligatawny is a Tamil name, literally meaning “Pepper Water”.
The original soup is of Anglo-Indian origin, a curry-flavoured soup created during the British occupation of India. There are many variations of the recipe for Mulligatawny in the western cuisine; basically the soup has a typical turmeric-like yellow colour, prepared with chicken stock, some curry & other spices, chicken meat or lamb & thickened with rice, which is added uncooked while preparing the soup.
God created the Food,
the Devil created the Cooks,
…but are Woman that giving us Inspiration!
👉 One World one Dream,
...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
10 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Holi (English pronunciation: /ˈhoʊliː/) (Sanskrit: होली) is a spring festival also known as the festival of colours and the festival of love. It is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become popular with non-Hindus in many parts of South Asia, as well as people of other communities.
It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, and other regions of the world with significant populations of Hindus or people of Indian origin. The festival has, in recent times, spread in parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic and colours.
Holi celebrations start with a Holika bonfire on the night before Holi where people gather, sing and dance. The next morning is a free-for-all carnival of colours, where everyone plays, chases and colours each other with dry powder and coloured water, with some carrying water guns and coloured water-filled balloons for their water fight. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People move and visit family, friends and foes, first play with colours on each other, laugh and chit-chat, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks. In the evening, after sobering up, people dress up, visit friends and family.
Holi is celebrated at the approach of vernal equinox, on the Phalguna Purnima (Full Moon). The festival date varies every year, per the Hindu calendar, and typically comes in March, sometimes February in the Gregorian Calendar. The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships.
For more about holi: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi
Known as "human horses" these poor men live short lives, exhausted by their work. They have to rent the rickshaws at high prices from unscrupulous owners. They are paid almost nothing.
Bali is an island and province of Indonesia. The province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan. It is located at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. Its capital of Denpasar is located at the southern part of the island.
With a population of 3,890,757 in the 2010 census, and 4,225,000 as of January 2014, the island is home to most of Indonesia's Hindu minority. According to the 2010 Census, 83.5% of Bali's population adhered to Balinese Hinduism, followed by 13.4% Muslim, Christianity at 2.5%, and Buddhism 0.5%.
Bali is a popular tourist destination, which has seen a significant rise in numbers since the 1980s. It is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. The Indonesian International Film Festival is held every year in Bali.
Bali is part of the Coral Triangle, the area with the highest biodiversity of marine species. In this area alone over 500 reef building coral species can be found. For comparison, this is about 7 times as many as in the entire Caribbean. There is a wide range of dive sites with high quality reefs, all with their own specific attractions. Many sites can have strong currents and swell, so diving without a knowledgeable guide is inadvisable. Most recently, Bali was the host of the 2011 ASEAN Summit, 2013 APEC and Miss World 2013.
HISTORY
ANCIENT
Bali was inhabited around 2000 BC by Austronesian people who migrated originally from Southeast Asia and Oceania through Maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are closely related to the people of the Indonesian archipelago, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Oceania. Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.
In ancient Bali, nine Hindu sects existed, namely Pasupata, Bhairawa, Siwa Shidanta, Waisnawa, Bodha, Brahma, Resi, Sora and Ganapatya. Each sect revered a specific deity as its personal Godhead.
Inscriptions from 896 and 911 don't mention a king, until 914, when Sri Kesarivarma is mentioned. They also reveal an independent Bali, with a distinct dialect, where Buddhism and Sivaism were practiced simultaneously. Mpu Sindok's great granddaughter, Mahendradatta (Gunapriyadharmapatni), married the Bali king Udayana Warmadewa (Dharmodayanavarmadeva) around 989, giving birth to Airlangga around 1001. This marriage also brought more Hinduism and Javanese culture to Bali. Princess Sakalendukirana appeared in 1098. Suradhipa reigned from 1115 to 1119, and Jayasakti from 1146 until 1150. Jayapangus appears on inscriptions between 1178 and 1181, while Adikuntiketana and his son Paramesvara in 1204.
Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian, Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture, beginning around the 1st century AD. The name Bali dwipa ("Bali island") has been discovered from various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD and mentioning "Walidwipa". It was during this time that the people developed their complex irrigation system subak to grow rice in wet-field cultivation. Some religious and cultural traditions still practised today can be traced to this period.
The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. The uncle of Hayam Wuruk is mentioned in the charters of 1384-86. A mass Javanese emigration occurred in the next century.
PORTUGUESE CONTACTS
The first known European contact with Bali is thought to have been made in 1512, when a Portuguese expedition led by Antonio Abreu and Francisco Serrão sighted its northern shores. It was the first expedition of a series of bi-annual fleets to the Moluccas, that throughout the 16th century usually traveled along the coasts of the Sunda Islands. Bali was also mapped in 1512, in the chart of Francisco Rodrigues, aboard the expedition. In 1585, a ship foundered off the Bukit Peninsula and left a few Portuguese in the service of Dewa Agung.
DUTCH EAST INDIA
In 1597 the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived at Bali, and the Dutch East India Company was established in 1602. The Dutch government expanded its control across the Indonesian archipelago during the second half of the 19th century (see Dutch East Indies). Dutch political and economic control over Bali began in the 1840s on the island's north coast, when the Dutch pitted various competing Balinese realms against each other. In the late 1890s, struggles between Balinese kingdoms in the island's south were exploited by the Dutch to increase their control.
In June 1860 the famous Welsh naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, travelled to Bali from Singapore, landing at Buleleng on the northcoast of the island. Wallace's trip to Bali was instrumental in helping him devise his Wallace Line theory. The Wallace Line is a faunal boundary that runs through the strait between Bali and Lombok. It has been found to be a boundary between species of Asiatic origin in the east and a mixture of Australian and Asian species to the west. In his travel memoir The Malay Archipelago, Wallace wrote of his experience in Bali:
I was both astonished and delighted; for as my visit to Java was some years later, I had never beheld so beautiful and well-cultivated a district out of Europe. A slightly undulating plain extends from the seacoast about ten or twelve miles inland, where it is bounded by a fine range of wooded and cultivated hills. Houses and villages, marked out by dense clumps of coconut palms, tamarind and other fruit trees, are dotted about in every direction; while between them extend luxurious rice-grounds, watered by an elaborate system of irrigation that would be the pride of the best cultivated parts of Europe.
The Dutch mounted large naval and ground assaults at the Sanur region in 1906 and were met by the thousands of members of the royal family and their followers who fought against the superior Dutch force in a suicidal puputan defensive assault rather than face the humiliation of surrender. Despite Dutch demands for surrender, an estimated 200 Balinese marched to their death against the invaders. In the Dutch intervention in Bali, a similar massacre occurred in the face of a Dutch assault in Klungkung.
AFTERWARD THE DUTCH GOVERNORS
exercised administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali came later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku.
n the 1930s, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, artists Miguel Covarrubias and Walter Spies, and musicologist Colin McPhee all spent time here. Their accounts of the island and its peoples created a western image of Bali as "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature." Western tourists began to visit the island.
Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II. It was not originally a target in their Netherlands East Indies Campaign, but as the airfields on Borneo were inoperative due to heavy rains, the Imperial Japanese Army decided to occupy Bali, which did not suffer from comparable weather. The island had no regular Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) troops. There was only a Native Auxiliary Corps Prajoda (Korps Prajoda) consisting of about 600 native soldiers and several Dutch KNIL officers under command of KNIL Lieutenant Colonel W.P. Roodenburg. On 19 February 1942 the Japanese forces landed near the town of Senoer [Senur]. The island was quickly captured.
During the Japanese occupation, a Balinese military officer, Gusti Ngurah Rai, formed a Balinese 'freedom army'. The harshness of war requisitions made Japanese rule more resented than Dutch rule. Following Japan's Pacific surrender in August 1945, the Dutch returned to Indonesia, including Bali, to reinstate their pre-war colonial administration. This was resisted by the Balinese rebels, who now used recovered Japanese weapons. On 20 November 1946, the Battle of Marga was fought in Tabanan in central Bali. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai, by then 29 years old, finally rallied his forces in east Bali at Marga Rana, where they made a suicide attack on the heavily armed Dutch. The Balinese battalion was entirely wiped out, breaking the last thread of Balinese military resistance.
INDIPENDENCE FROM THE DUTCH
In 1946, the Dutch constituted Bali as one of the 13 administrative districts of the newly proclaimed State of East Indonesia, a rival state to the Republic of Indonesia, which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali was included in the "Republic of the United States of Indonesia" when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence on 29 December 1949.
CONTEMPORARY
The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung killed thousands, created economic havoc and forced many displaced Balinese to be transmigrated to other parts of Indonesia. Mirroring the widening of social divisions across Indonesia in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bali saw conflict between supporters of the traditional caste system, and those rejecting this system. Politically, the opposition was represented by supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), with tensions and ill-feeling further increased by the PKI's land reform programs. An attempted coup in Jakarta was put down by forces led by General Suharto.
The army became the dominant power as it instigated a violent anti-communist purge, in which the army blamed the PKI for the coup. Most estimates suggest that at least 500,000 people were killed across Indonesia, with an estimated 80,000 killed in Bali, equivalent to 5% of the island's population. With no Islamic forces involved as in Java and Sumatra, upper-caste PNI landlords led the extermination of PKI members.
As a result of the 1965/66 upheavals, Suharto was able to manoeuvre Sukarno out of the presidency. His "New Order" government reestablished relations with western countries. The pre-War Bali as "paradise" was revived in a modern form. The resulting large growth in tourism has led to a dramatic increase in Balinese standards of living and significant foreign exchange earned for the country. A bombing in 2002 by militant Islamists in the tourist area of Kuta killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. This attack, and another in 2005, severely reduced tourism, producing much economic hardship to the island.
GEOGRAPHY
The island of Bali lies 3.2 km east of Java, and is approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. Bali and Java are separated by the Bali Strait. East to west, the island is approximately 153 km wide and spans approximately 112 km north to south; administratively it covers 5,780 km2, or 5,577 km2 without Nusa Penida District, its population density is roughly 750 people/km2.
Bali's central mountains include several peaks over 3,000 metres in elevation. The highest is Mount Agung (3,031 m), known as the "mother mountain" which is an active volcano rated as one of the world's most likely sites for a massive eruption within the next 100 years. Mountains range from centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Bali's volcanic nature has contributed to its exceptional fertility and its tall mountain ranges provide the high rainfall that supports the highly productive agriculture sector. South of the mountains is a broad, steadily descending area where most of Bali's large rice crop is grown. The northern side of the mountains slopes more steeply to the sea and is the main coffee producing area of the island, along with rice, vegetables and cattle. The longest river, Ayung River, flows approximately 75 km.
The island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand while those in the north and west have black sand. Bali has no major waterways, although the Ho River is navigable by small sampan boats. Black sand beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are being developed for tourism, but apart from the seaside temple of Tanah Lot, they are not yet used for significant tourism.
The largest city is the provincial capital, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Its population is around 491,500 (2002). Bali's second-largest city is the old colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta, which is practically part of Denpasar's urban area, and Ubud, situated at the north of Denpasar, is the island's cultural centre.
Three small islands lie to the immediate south east and all are administratively part of the Klungkung regency of Bali: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. These islands are separated from Bali by the Badung Strait.
To the east, the Lombok Strait separates Bali from Lombok and marks the biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia. The transition is known as the Wallace Line, named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who first proposed a transition zone between these two major biomes. When sea levels dropped during the Pleistocene ice age, Bali was connected to Java and Sumatra and to the mainland of Asia and shared the Asian fauna, but the deep water of the Lombok Strait continued to keep Lombok Island and the Lesser Sunda archipelago isolated.
CLIMATE
Being just 8 degrees south of the equator, Bali has a fairly even climate year round.
Day time temperatures at low elevations vary between 20-33⁰ C although it can be much cooler than that in the mountains. The west monsoon is in place from approximately October to April and this can bring significant rain, particularly from December to March. Outside of the monsoon period, humidity is relatively low and any rain unlikely in lowland areas.
ECOLOGY
Bali lies just to the west of the Wallace Line, and thus has a fauna that is Asian in character, with very little Australasian influence, and has more in common with Java than with Lombok. An exception is the yellow-crested cockatoo, a member of a primarily Australasian family. There are around 280 species of birds, including the critically endangered Bali myna, which is endemic. Others Include barn swallow, black-naped oriole, black racket-tailed treepie, crested serpent-eagle, crested treeswift, dollarbird, Java sparrow, lesser adjutant, long-tailed shrike, milky stork, Pacific swallow, red-rumped swallow, sacred kingfisher, sea eagle, woodswallow, savanna nightjar, stork-billed kingfisher, yellow-vented bulbul and great egret.
Until the early 20th century, Bali was home to several large mammals: the wild banteng, leopard and the endemic Bali tiger. The banteng still occurs in its domestic form, whereas leopards are found only in neighbouring Java, and the Bali tiger is extinct. The last definite record of a tiger on Bali dates from 1937, when one was shot, though the subspecies may have survived until the 1940s or 1950s. The relatively small size of the island, conflict with humans, poaching and habitat reduction drove the Bali tiger to extinction. This was the smallest and rarest of all tiger subspecies and was never caught on film or displayed in zoos, whereas few skins or bones remain in museums around the world. Today, the largest mammals are the Javan rusa deer and the wild boar. A second, smaller species of deer, the Indian muntjac, also occurs. Saltwater crocodiles were once present on the island, but became locally extinct sometime during the last century.
Squirrels are quite commonly encountered, less often is the Asian palm civet, which is also kept in coffee farms to produce Kopi Luwak. Bats are well represented, perhaps the most famous place to encounter them remaining the Goa Lawah (Temple of the Bats) where they are worshipped by the locals and also constitute a tourist attraction. They also occur in other cave temples, for instance at Gangga Beach. Two species of monkey occur. The crab-eating macaque, known locally as "kera", is quite common around human settlements and temples, where it becomes accustomed to being fed by humans, particularly in any of the three "monkey forest" temples, such as the popular one in the Ubud area. They are also quite often kept as pets by locals. The second monkey, endemic to Java and some surrounding islands such as Bali, is far rarer and more elusive is the Javan langur, locally known as "lutung". They occur in few places apart from the Bali Barat National Park. They are born an orange colour, though by their first year they would have already changed to a more blackish colouration. In Java however, there is more of a tendency for this species to retain its juvenile orange colour into adulthood, and so you can see a mixture of black and orange monkeys together as a family. Other rarer mammals include the leopard cat, Sunda pangolin and black giant squirrel.
Snakes include the king cobra and reticulated python. The water monitor can grow to at least 1.5 m in length and 50 kg and can move quickly.
The rich coral reefs around the coast, particularly around popular diving spots such as Tulamben, Amed, Menjangan or neighbouring Nusa Penida, host a wide range of marine life, for instance hawksbill turtle, giant sunfish, giant manta ray, giant moray eel, bumphead parrotfish, hammerhead shark, reef shark, barracuda, and sea snakes. Dolphins are commonly encountered on the north coast near Singaraja and Lovina.
A team of scientists conducted a survey from 29 April 2011 to 11 May 2011 at 33 sea sites around Bali. They discovered 952 species of reef fish of which 8 were new discoveries at Pemuteran, Gilimanuk, Nusa Dua, Tulamben and Candidasa, and 393 coral species, including two new ones at Padangbai and between Padangbai and Amed. The average coverage level of healthy coral was 36% (better than in Raja Ampat and Halmahera by 29% or in Fakfak and Kaimana by 25%) with the highest coverage found in Gili Selang and Gili Mimpang in Candidasa, Karangasem regency.
Many plants have been introduced by humans within the last centuries, particularly since the 20th century, making it sometimes hard to distinguish what plants are really native.[citation needed] Among the larger trees the most common are: banyan trees, jackfruit, coconuts, bamboo species, acacia trees and also endless rows of coconuts and banana species. Numerous flowers can be seen: hibiscus, frangipani, bougainvillea, poinsettia, oleander, jasmine, water lily, lotus, roses, begonias, orchids and hydrangeas exist. On higher grounds that receive more moisture, for instance around Kintamani, certain species of fern trees, mushrooms and even pine trees thrive well. Rice comes in many varieties. Other plants with agricultural value include: salak, mangosteen, corn, kintamani orange, coffee and water spinach.
ENVIRONMENT
Some of the worst erosion has occurred in Lebih Beach, where up to 7 metres of land is lost every year. Decades ago, this beach was used for holy pilgrimages with more than 10,000 people, but they have now moved to Masceti Beach.
From ranked third in previous review, in 2010 Bali got score 99.65 of Indonesia's environmental quality index and the highest of all the 33 provinces. The score measured 3 water quality parameters: the level of total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).
Because of over-exploitation by the tourist industry which covers a massive land area, 200 out of 400 rivers on the island have dried up and based on research, the southern part of Bali would face a water shortage up to 2,500 litres of clean water per second by 2015. To ease the shortage, the central government plans to build a water catchment and processing facility at Petanu River in Gianyar. The 300 litres capacity of water per second will be channelled to Denpasar, Badung and Gianyar in 2013.
ECONOMY
Three decades ago, the Balinese economy was largely agriculture-based in terms of both output and employment. Tourism is now the largest single industry in terms of income, and as a result, Bali is one of Indonesia's wealthiest regions. In 2003, around 80% of Bali's economy was tourism related. By end of June 2011, non-performing loan of all banks in Bali were 2.23%, lower than the average of Indonesian banking industry non-performing loan (about 5%). The economy, however, suffered significantly as a result of the terrorist bombings 2002 and 2005. The tourism industry has since recovered from these events.
AGRICULTURE
Although tourism produces the GDP's largest output, agriculture is still the island's biggest employer; most notably rice cultivation. Crops grown in smaller amounts include fruit, vegetables, Coffea arabica and other cash and subsistence crops. Fishing also provides a significant number of jobs. Bali is also famous for its artisans who produce a vast array of handicrafts, including batik and ikat cloth and clothing, wooden carvings, stone carvings, painted art and silverware. Notably, individual villages typically adopt a single product, such as wind chimes or wooden furniture.
The Arabica coffee production region is the highland region of Kintamani near Mount Batur. Generally, Balinese coffee is processed using the wet method. This results in a sweet, soft coffee with good consistency. Typical flavours include lemon and other citrus notes. Many coffee farmers in Kintamani are members of a traditional farming system called Subak Abian, which is based on the Hindu philosophy of "Tri Hita Karana". According to this philosophy, the three causes of happiness are good relations with God, other people and the environment. The Subak Abian system is ideally suited to the production of fair trade and organic coffee production. Arabica coffee from Kintamani is the first product in Indonesia to request a Geographical Indication.
TOURISM
The tourism industry is primarily focused in the south, while significant in the other parts of the island as well. The main tourist locations are the town of Kuta (with its beach), and its outer suburbs of Legian and Seminyak (which were once independent townships), the east coast town of Sanur (once the only tourist hub), in the center of the island Ubud, to the south of the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Jimbaran, and the newer development of Nusa Dua and Pecatu.
The American government lifted its travel warnings in 2008. The Australian government issued an advice on Friday, 4 May 2012. The overall level of the advice was lowered to 'Exercise a high degree of caution'. The Swedish government issued a new warning on Sunday, 10 June 2012 because of one more tourist who was killed by methanol poisoning. Australia last issued an advice on Monday, 5 January 2015 due to new terrorist threats.
An offshoot of tourism is the growing real estate industry. Bali real estate has been rapidly developing in the main tourist areas of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Oberoi. Most recently, high-end 5 star projects are under development on the Bukit peninsula, on the south side of the island. Million dollar villas are being developed along the cliff sides of south Bali, commanding panoramic ocean views. Foreign and domestic (many Jakarta individuals and companies are fairly active) investment into other areas of the island also continues to grow. Land prices, despite the worldwide economic crisis, have remained stable.
In the last half of 2008, Indonesia's currency had dropped approximately 30% against the US dollar, providing many overseas visitors value for their currencies. Visitor arrivals for 2009 were forecast to drop 8% (which would be higher than 2007 levels), due to the worldwide economic crisis which has also affected the global tourist industry, but not due to any travel warnings.
Bali's tourism economy survived the terrorist bombings of 2002 and 2005, and the tourism industry has in fact slowly recovered and surpassed its pre-terrorist bombing levels; the longterm trend has been a steady increase of visitor arrivals. In 2010, Bali received 2.57 million foreign tourists, which surpassed the target of 2.0–2.3 million tourists. The average occupancy of starred hotels achieved 65%, so the island is still able to accommodate tourists for some years without any addition of new rooms/hotels, although at the peak season some of them are fully booked.
Bali received the Best Island award from Travel and Leisure in 2010. The island of Bali won because of its attractive surroundings (both mountain and coastal areas), diverse tourist attractions, excellent international and local restaurants, and the friendliness of the local people. According to BBC Travel released in 2011, Bali is one of the World's Best Islands, ranking second after Santorini, Greece.
In August 2010, the film Eat Pray Love was released in theatres. The movie was based on Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir Eat, Pray, Love. It took place at Ubud and Padang-Padang Beach at Bali. The 2006 book, which spent 57 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the New York Times paperback nonfiction best-seller list, had already fuelled a boom in Eat, Pray, Love-related tourism in Ubud, the hill town and cultural and tourist center that was the focus of Gilbert's quest for balance through traditional spirituality and healing that leads to love.
In January 2016, after music icon David Bowie died, it was revealed that in his will, Bowie asked for his ashes to be scattered in Bali, conforming to Buddhist rituals. He had visited and performed in a number of Southest Asian cities early in his career, including Bangkok and Singapore.
Since 2011, China has displaced Japan as the second-largest supplier of tourists to Bali, while Australia still tops the list. Chinese tourists increased by 17% from last year due to the impact of ACFTA and new direct flights to Bali. In January 2012, Chinese tourists year on year (yoy) increased by 222.18% compared to January 2011, while Japanese tourists declined by 23.54% yoy.
Bali reported that it has 2.88 million foreign tourists and 5 million domestic tourists in 2012, marginally surpassing the expectations of 2.8 million foreign tourists. Forecasts for 2013 are at 3.1 million.
Based on Bank Indonesia survey in May 2013, 34.39 percent of tourists are upper-middle class with spending between $1,286 to $5,592 and dominated by Australia, France, China, Germany and the US with some China tourists move from low spending before to higher spending currently. While 30.26 percent are middle class with spending between $662 to $1,285.
SEX TOURISM
In the twentieth century the incidence of tourism specifically for sex was regularly observed in the era of mass tourism in Indonesia In Bali, prostitution is conducted by both men and women. Bali in particular is notorious for its 'Kuta Cowboys', local gigolos targeting foreign female tourists.
Tens of thousands of single women throng the beaches of Bali in Indonesia every year. For decades, young Balinese men have taken advantage of the louche and laid-back atmosphere to find love and lucre from female tourists—Japanese, European and Australian for the most part—who by all accounts seem perfectly happy with the arrangement.
By 2013, Indonesia was reportedly the number one destination for Australian child sex tourists, mostly starting in Bali but also travelling to other parts of the country. The problem in Bali was highlighted by Luh Ketut Suryani, head of Psychiatry at Udayana University, as early as 2003. Surayani warned that a low level of awareness of paedophilia in Bali had made it the target of international paedophile organisations. On 19 February 2013, government officials announced measures to combat paedophilia in Bali.
TRANSPORTATION
The Ngurah Rai International Airport is located near Jimbaran, on the isthmus at the southernmost part of the island. Lt.Col. Wisnu Airfield is found in north-west Bali.
A coastal road circles the island, and three major two-lane arteries cross the central mountains at passes reaching to 1,750m in height (at Penelokan). The Ngurah Rai Bypass is a four-lane expressway that partly encircles Denpasar. Bali has no railway lines.
In December 2010 the Government of Indonesia invited investors to build a new Tanah Ampo Cruise Terminal at Karangasem, Bali with a projected worth of $30 million. On 17 July 2011 the first cruise ship (Sun Princess) anchored about 400 meters away from the wharf of Tanah Ampo harbour. The current pier is only 154 meters but will eventually be extended to 300–350 meters to accommodate international cruise ships. The harbour here is safer than the existing facility at Benoa and has a scenic backdrop of east Bali mountains and green rice fields. The tender for improvement was subject to delays, and as of July 2013 the situation remained unclear with cruise line operators complaining and even refusing to use the existing facility at Tanah Ampo.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by two ministers, Bali's Governor and Indonesian Train Company to build 565 kilometres of railway along the coast around the island. As of July 2015, no details of this proposed railways have been released.
On 16 March 2011 (Tanjung) Benoa port received the "Best Port Welcome 2010" award from London's "Dream World Cruise Destination" magazine. Government plans to expand the role of Benoa port as export-import port to boost Bali's trade and industry sector. The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry has confirmed that 306 cruise liners are heading for Indonesia in 2013 – an increase of 43 percent compared to the previous year.
In May 2011, an integrated Areal Traffic Control System (ATCS) was implemented to reduce traffic jams at four crossing points: Ngurah Rai statue, Dewa Ruci Kuta crossing, Jimbaran crossing and Sanur crossing. ATCS is an integrated system connecting all traffic lights, CCTVs and other traffic signals with a monitoring office at the police headquarters. It has successfully been implemented in other ASEAN countries and will be implemented at other crossings in Bali.
On 21 December 2011 construction started on the Nusa Dua-Benoa-Ngurah Rai International Airport toll road which will also provide a special lane for motorcycles. This has been done by seven state-owned enterprises led by PT Jasa Marga with 60% of shares. PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol will construct the 9.91 kilometres toll road (totally 12.7 kilometres with access road). The construction is estimated to cost Rp.2.49 trillion ($273.9 million). The project goes through 2 kilometres of mangrove forest and through 2.3 kilometres of beach, both within 5.4 hectares area. The elevated toll road is built over the mangrove forest on 18,000 concrete pillars which occupied 2 hectares of mangroves forest. It compensated by new planting of 300,000 mangrove trees along the road. On 21 December 2011 the Dewa Ruci 450 meters underpass has also started on the busy Dewa Ruci junction near Bali Kuta Galeria with an estimated cost of Rp136 billion ($14.9 million) from the state budget. On 23 September 2013, the Bali Mandara Toll Road is opened and the Dewa Ruci Junction (Simpang Siur) underpass is opened before. Both are ease the heavy traffic congestion.
To solve chronic traffic problems, the province will also build a toll road connecting Serangan with Tohpati, a toll road connecting Kuta, Denpasar and Tohpati and a flyover connecting Kuta and Ngurah Rai Airport.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The population of Bali was 3,890,757 as of the 2010 Census; the latest estimate (for January 2014) is 4,225,384. There are an estimated 30,000 expatriates living in Bali.
ETHNIC ORIGINS
A DNA study in 2005 by Karafet et al. found that 12% of Balinese Y-chromosomes are of likely Indian origin, while 84% are of likely Austronesian origin, and 2% of likely Melanesian origin. The study does not correlate the DNA samples to the Balinese caste system.
CASTE SYSTEM
Bali has a caste system based on the Indian Hindu model, with four castes:
- Sudra (Shudra) – peasants constituting close to 93% of Bali's population.
- Wesia (Vaishyas) – the caste of merchants and administrative officials
- Ksatrias (Kshatriyas) – the kingly and warrior caste
- Brahmana (Bramhin) – holy men and priests
RELIGION
Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 83.5% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism, formed as a combination of existing local beliefs and Hindu influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. Minority religions include Islam (13.3%), Christianity (1.7%), and Buddhism (0.5%). These figures do not include immigrants from other parts of Indonesia.
Balinese Hinduism is an amalgam in which gods and demigods are worshipped together with Buddhist heroes, the spirits of ancestors, indigenous agricultural deities and sacred places. Religion as it is practised in Bali is a composite belief system that embraces not only theology, philosophy, and mythology, but ancestor worship, animism and magic. It pervades nearly every aspect of traditional life. Caste is observed, though less strictly than in India. With an estimated 20,000 puras (temples) and shrines, Bali is known as the "Island of a Thousand Puras", or "Island of the Gods". This is refer to Mahabarata story that behind Bali became island of god or "pulau dewata" in Indonesian language.
Balinese Hinduism has roots in Indian Hinduism and Buddhism, and adopted the animistic traditions of the indigenous people. This influence strengthened the belief that the gods and goddesses are present in all things. Every element of nature, therefore, possesses its own power, which reflects the power of the gods. A rock, tree, dagger, or woven cloth is a potential home for spirits whose energy can be directed for good or evil. Balinese Hinduism is deeply interwoven with art and ritual. Ritualizing states of self-control are a notable feature of religious expression among the people, who for this reason have become famous for their graceful and decorous behaviour.
Apart from the majority of Balinese Hindus, there also exist Chinese immigrants whose traditions have melded with that of the locals. As a result, these Sino-Balinese not only embrace their original religion, which is a mixture of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Confucianism, but also find a way to harmonise it with the local traditions. Hence, it is not uncommon to find local Sino-Balinese during the local temple's odalan. Moreover, Balinese Hindu priests are invited to perform rites alongside a Chinese priest in the event of the death of a Sino-Balinese. Nevertheless, the Sino-Balinese claim to embrace Buddhism for administrative purposes, such as their Identity Cards.
LANGUAGE
Balinese and Indonesian are the most widely spoken languages in Bali, and the vast majority of Balinese people are bilingual or trilingual. The most common spoken language around the tourist areas is Indonesian, as many people in the tourist sector are not solely Balinese, but migrants from Java, Lombok, Sumatra, and other parts of Indonesia. There are several indigenous Balinese languages, but most Balinese can also use the most widely spoken option: modern common Balinese. The usage of different Balinese languages was traditionally determined by the Balinese caste system and by clan membership, but this tradition is diminishing. Kawi and Sanskrit are also commonly used by some Hindu priests in Bali, for Hinduism literature was mostly written in Sanskrit.
English and Chinese are the next most common languages (and the primary foreign languages) of many Balinese, owing to the requirements of the tourism industry, as well as the English-speaking community and huge Chinese-Indonesian population. Other foreign languages, such as Japanese, Korean, French, Russian or German are often used in multilingual signs for foreign tourists.
CULTURE
Bali is renowned for its diverse and sophisticated art forms, such as painting, sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, and performing arts. Balinese cuisine is also distinctive. Balinese percussion orchestra music, known as gamelan, is highly developed and varied. Balinese performing arts often portray stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana but with heavy Balinese influence. Famous Balinese dances include pendet, legong, baris, topeng, barong, gong keybar, and kecak (the monkey dance). Bali boasts one of the most diverse and innovative performing arts cultures in the world, with paid performances at thousands of temple festivals, private ceremonies, or public shows.
The Hindu New Year, Nyepi, is celebrated in the spring by a day of silence. On this day everyone stays at home and tourists are encouraged to remain in their hotels. On the day before New Year, large and colourful sculptures of ogoh-ogoh monsters are paraded and finally burned in the evening to drive away evil spirits. Other festivals throughout the year are specified by the Balinese pawukon calendrical system.
Celebrations are held for many occasions such as a tooth-filing (coming-of-age ritual), cremation or odalan (temple festival). One of the most important concepts that Balinese ceremonies have in common is that of désa kala patra, which refers to how ritual performances must be appropriate in both the specific and general social context. Many of the ceremonial art forms such as wayang kulit and topeng are highly improvisatory, providing flexibility for the performer to adapt the performance to the current situation. Many celebrations call for a loud, boisterous atmosphere with lots of activity and the resulting aesthetic, ramé, is distinctively Balinese. Often two or more gamelan ensembles will be performing well within earshot, and sometimes compete with each other to be heard. Likewise, the audience members talk amongst themselves, get up and walk around, or even cheer on the performance, which adds to the many layers of activity and the liveliness typical of ramé.
Kaja and kelod are the Balinese equivalents of North and South, which refer to ones orientation between the island's largest mountain Gunung Agung (kaja), and the sea (kelod). In addition to spatial orientation, kaja and kelod have the connotation of good and evil; gods and ancestors are believed to live on the mountain whereas demons live in the sea. Buildings such as temples and residential homes are spatially oriented by having the most sacred spaces closest to the mountain and the unclean places nearest to the sea.
Most temples have an inner courtyard and an outer courtyard which are arranged with the inner courtyard furthest kaja. These spaces serve as performance venues since most Balinese rituals are accompanied by any combination of music, dance and drama. The performances that take place in the inner courtyard are classified as wali, the most sacred rituals which are offerings exclusively for the gods, while the outer courtyard is where bebali ceremonies are held, which are intended for gods and people. Lastly, performances meant solely for the entertainment of humans take place outside the walls of the temple and are called bali-balihan. This three-tiered system of classification was standardised in 1971 by a committee of Balinese officials and artists to better protect the sanctity of the oldest and most sacred Balinese rituals from being performed for a paying audience.
Tourism, Bali's chief industry, has provided the island with a foreign audience that is eager to pay for entertainment, thus creating new performance opportunities and more demand for performers. The impact of tourism is controversial since before it became integrated into the economy, the Balinese performing arts did not exist as a capitalist venture, and were not performed for entertainment outside of their respective ritual context. Since the 1930s sacred rituals such as the barong dance have been performed both in their original contexts, as well as exclusively for paying tourists. This has led to new versions of many of these performances which have developed according to the preferences of foreign audiences; some villages have a barong mask specifically for non-ritual performances as well as an older mask which is only used for sacred performances.
Balinese society continues to revolve around each family's ancestral village, to which the cycle of life and religion is closely tied. Coercive aspects of traditional society, such as customary law sanctions imposed by traditional authorities such as village councils (including "kasepekang", or shunning) have risen in importance as a consequence of the democratisation and decentralisation of Indonesia since 1998.
WIKIPEDIA
Firstly, these were the two pots of chicken that I ordered at Bala Tikka House in Banni Chowk, Rawalpindi. The dish is called Chicken Karahi. Karahi is Urdu for the pan in which the chicken was made. The place reminds me of my university days when I would come to Banni Chowk with my friends to have this Karahi made in loads of butter. It is surprising that three or four of us would finish one or two karahis in minutes. Many many years later, today, I couldn't even finish a few bites of naan and karahi. I am getting old! or am I already old? Chicken Karahi is sometimes also referred to as Makhni Chicken Karahi (Makhan is Urdu for butter and makhani means 'made with butter'). Sharafat was working on these two karahis with full enthusiasm. My presence and long portrait lens couldn't distract him. He looked at me for a few seconds, and kept on rotating the karahi and mixing loads of butter in it. The trick behind this food is butter, spices, and extreme heat. He was quite vigilant and keen to get it done on time for me and my wife. Although my Indian origin wife was wearing local clothes, he realised that 'madam saab' was not from Pakistan. Madam Saab is the term that the locals used for the wives of British Officers during the British rules over India. Saab or Sahab means Mr., but because the women were the wives of the 'sahabs', they were called as 'Madam Sahab' or 'Maim Saabs'. Chicken karahi is a famous dish in Pakistan and the flavour, recipes and presentation is different depending on the region. You eat it with fresh roti or roghani naans. The use of karahi is not limited to making chicken only, in the north west, the best dish is the lamb karahi which is finger looking good! If you visit the north western area of Pakistan, do it justice, and eat with your hands!