View allAll Photos Tagged incense_sticks
Tai Hang Fire Dragon
When the people of Tai Hang village miraculously stopped a plague with a fire dragon dance in the 19th century, they inadvertently launched a tradition that has since become part of China’s official intangible cultural heritage.
Tai Hang may no longer be a village, but its locals still recreate the fiery ancient ritual today with a whopping 300 performers, 72,000 incense sticks and a 67-metre dragon. The head of this beast alone weighs 48kg, so it’s not a creature to be taken lightly! The commemorative performance wends its way in fire, smoke and festive fury through the backstreets of Tai Hang over three moon-fuelled days. It will also snake into the Urban Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival in Victoria Park during the festival.
Source: www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/events-festivals/high...
This is the most beautiful temple on earth! And I know what I am talking about: I have seen thousend! It´s not just the architecture - it`s the athmosphäre! It´s a place out of earth!
_______________________________________________
The Shwedagon Pagoda is a 99 metres gilded pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. Uppatasanti Pagoda is an exact replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma.
According to legend, the Shwedagon Pagoda has existed for more than 2,600 years, making it the oldest historical pagoda in Burma and the world. According to tradition, two merchant brothers, Taphussa and Bhallika, from the land of Ramanya, met the Lord Gautama Buddha during his lifetime and received eight of the Buddha's hairs in 588 BCE. The brothers traveled back to their homeland in Burma and, with the help of the local ruler, King Okkalapa of Burma, found Singuttara Hill, where relics of other Buddhas preceding Gautama Buddha had been enshrined.
According to some historians and archaeologists, however, the pagoda was built by the Mon people between the 6th and 10th centuries CE.
There are four entrances to the Paya that lead up a flight of steps to the platform on Singuttara Hill. The eastern and southern approaches have vendors selling books, good luck charms, Buddha images, candles, gold leaf, incense sticks, prayer flags, streamers, miniature umbrellas and flowers. A pair of giant leogryphs called chinthe (mythical lions) guard the entrances and the image in the shrine at the top of the steps from the south is that of the second Buddha, Konagamana. The base or plinth of the stupa is made of bricks covered with gold plates.
Above the base are terraces that only monks and men can access. Next is the bell-shaped part of the stupa. Above that is the turban, then the inverted almsbowl, inverted and upright lotus petals, the banana bud, and then the crown. The crown or umbrella (hti) is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. Immediately before the diamond bud is a flag-shaped vane. The very top, the diamond bud is tipped with a 76 carat (15 g) diamond.
The gold seen on the stupa is made of genuine gold plates, covering the brick structure and attached by traditional rivets. Myanmar people all over the country, as well as monarchs in its history, have donated gold to the pagoda to maintain it. The practice continues to this day after being started in the 15th century by the Mon Queen Shin Sawbu, who gave her weight in gold.
1. Glass, 2. Into the Blue, 3. Chrysler Building, 4. Top of The Rock, 5. M&M's, 6. Empire State Building at dusk, 7. Sunset at Pangkor Island, 8. Times Square,
9. Pertisau Church, 10. Night on the Rock I, 11. Wollman Skating Rink, 12. Wind Dancing at Sunset, 13. New York Skyline at night, 14. Ocarina Store, 15. The Beresford, 16. Tower of Babel,
17. Burgtheater, 18. Set Sail For The Sun, 19. Hofburg Palace, 20. Gapstow Bridge, 21. Lakeside, 22. Drifting Swan, 23. Blue Danube Blues, 24. Haas Haus Reflection I,
25. Full of Love, 26. Midtown Manhattan, 27. Windows of the Mind II, 28. DSC_0394, 29. Central Park In Fall Colors, 30. Pertisau Village, 31. DSC_0473, 32. Haas Haus Reflection II,
33. M&M'S World New York, 34. Empire of the Sun, 35. Winter Evening in Central Park, 36. 7th Ave, 37. Statue of Roman Gods, 38. flickr.com/photos/73199446@N00/467304081/, 39. Colorful tiled roof of Stephansdom I, 40. Empty Beer Bottles,
41. Harry F. Sinclair House, 42. Night on the Rock II, 43. DSC_0277, 44. Petronas Twin Towers, 45. Lantern Festival, 46. The Fortress on the Hill, 47. Incense Sticks Laid Out in Pattern to Dry, 48. State Opera at night,
49. Metallic, 50. Riverside Church, 51. The Lake, 52. DSC01455, 53. DSC_3070, 54. DSC_0631, 55. Guggenheim Museum New York, 56. Salzburg Variations,
57. Niagara Falls, 58. DSC_0291, 59. Lady in waiting, 60. ...bietet mehr, 61. DSC_0472, 62. Times Square Billboards, 63. Peterskirche, 64. DSC_0109,
65. The Balloon Man, 66. Reuters Building, 67. DSC_0412, 68. Achensee, 69. Night Falls on Manhattan, 70. Windows of the Mind, 71. Reichsbrücke, 72. Which way to go?
Large incense sticks at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PERMISSION TO USE: Please check the licence for this photo on Flickr. If the photo is marked with the Creative Commons licence, you are welcome to use this photo free of charge for any purpose including commercial. I am not concerned with how attribution is provided - a link to my flickr page or my name is fine. If used in a context where attribution is impractical, that's fine too. I enjoy seeing where my photos have been used so please send me links, screenshots or photos where possible. If the photo is not marked with the Creative Commons licence, only my friends and family are permitted to use it.
Beads Jewellery @ Singapore's Little India.
Every year during Deepavali, Little India transforms into an exotic treat for the senses, with thousands of coloured lights and dozens of special stalls set up, selling anything from beautiful brightly-coloured silk saris, shining jewellery, aromatic spices, scented jasmine garlands, incense sticks, and statues of Indian deities and much more.
(own photo)
I love the movement of smoke whether its from fire or from a burning incense stick.I love the way smoke turns and fades then ribbons back. I like the scent that comes from incense sticks, It allows my room to be transported into a vanilla paradise.
Every year during Deepavali, Little India transforms into an exotic treat for the senses, with thousands of coloured lights and dozens of special stalls set up, selling anything from beautiful brightly-coloured silk saris, shining jewellery, aromatic spices, scented jasmine garlands, incense sticks, and statues of Indian deities and much more.
Product name: Wedding Gift Basket
Product ID: zgb20034
This is a nice Wedding Gift Basket for a Muslim couple.
This gift basket contains:
1.A book called, "Forty solutions for your marriage problems" by Muhammad Slih al Munajjid
2.A handy book of Suratul Yasin and Ayatul Kursi
3.A pack of sweet smelling incense sticks
4.A decorative candle holder
5.A candle for the candle holder
6.An under scarf headband for her
7.A crocheted lace doily (20cm round)
8.A complimentary CD by Zahra Gift Baskets
9.A handmade basket
10.A flower stick
11.A personalized gift card.
Join us on our Facebook store at www.facebook.com/zahragiftbaskets
Visit us on www.zahragiftbaskets.com
Email us at zahragiftbaskets@gmail.com
On 28th of November was Loi Kratong. Its a festival where Thai people pray to the god of water and float home made crown made out of banana leaves and flowers.
Some facts from wikipedia.org
"Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.
Loi means 'to float', while krathong refers to a usually lotus-shaped container which floats on the water. The traditional krathong are made of the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk krathong are also biodegradable, but styrofoam krathongs are sometimes banned, as they pollute the rivers and may take years to decompose. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, incense sticks, and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits. On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their krathong on a river, canal or a pond, making a wish as they do so. The festival may originate from an ancient ritual paying respect to the water spirits."
One more from tonight's shoot. This one has 2 incense sticks and a mirrored layer.
What do you see in this one.
Mysore (India)
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© All rights reserved. Do not use without written permission.
Mermaid Incense Back Burner B1122
€7.87 Ali (€20.71@62% off)
Ordered: 14-02-2018
Arriver: 26-03-2018
40 days from order date to arrival.
Not sent in foam packing as shown in advert. The base was put on top and it had the poly bag packing next to it but not around it.
Comes with 10 incense sticks of varying colours and I assume stink.
I got this as a USB Stick holder but it seems to be smaller than I had thought it would be.
Might paint it and have it anyway to annoy the sad people here.
The Shwedagon Pagoda is a 99 metres gilded pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. Uppatasanti Pagoda is an exact replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma.
According to legend, the Shwedagon Pagoda has existed for more than 2,600 years, making it the oldest historical pagoda in Burma and the world. According to tradition, two merchant brothers, Taphussa and Bhallika, from the land of Ramanya, met the Lord Gautama Buddha during his lifetime and received eight of the Buddha's hairs in 588 BCE. The brothers traveled back to their homeland in Burma and, with the help of the local ruler, King Okkalapa of Burma, found Singuttara Hill, where relics of other Buddhas preceding Gautama Buddha had been enshrined.
According to some historians and archaeologists, however, the pagoda was built by the Mon people between the 6th and 10th centuries CE.
There are four entrances to the Paya that lead up a flight of steps to the platform on Singuttara Hill. The eastern and southern approaches have vendors selling books, good luck charms, Buddha images, candles, gold leaf, incense sticks, prayer flags, streamers, miniature umbrellas and flowers. A pair of giant leogryphs called chinthe (mythical lions) guard the entrances and the image in the shrine at the top of the steps from the south is that of the second Buddha, Konagamana. The base or plinth of the stupa is made of bricks covered with gold plates.
Above the base are terraces that only monks and men can access. Next is the bell-shaped part of the stupa. Above that is the turban, then the inverted almsbowl, inverted and upright lotus petals, the banana bud, and then the crown. The crown or umbrella (hti) is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. Immediately before the diamond bud is a flag-shaped vane. The very top, the diamond bud is tipped with a 76 carat (15 g) diamond.
The gold seen on the stupa is made of genuine gold plates, covering the brick structure and attached by traditional rivets. Myanmar people all over the country, as well as monarchs in its history, have donated gold to the pagoda to maintain it. The practice continues to this day after being started in the 15th century by the Mon Queen Shin Sawbu, who gave her weight in gold.
WIKIPEDIA
Gumbo limbo tree (Bursera simaruba), Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden, Kaneohe, Oahu, November 2008: In Guatemala, its resin is used to make incense sticks. In Florida its red, flaky skin gives it the name "tourist tree"!
created with incense sticks, a long exposure while firing a flash in hand - then mirrored and leveled the image
Taking shots of smoke is very additive... from a photography point of view. I burned through several incense sticks (finding a shop to buy them today was an exercise in itself!) and took over a hundred shots. I'm now all incensed out and the house will probably reek for days!
The colour comes from RED cellophane over my Joby light. The depth of colour varied with closeness to the subject of the light and/or the camera, as I kept moving them around.
Just a few weeks before we were due to leave Hong Kong, John, Bethan and I made a trip to Macau.
We went with Michael Hansen of Hansen's Hikes in Hong Kong as we were anxious to see as much as we possibly could and not have to do the planning and thinking.
We took the ferry to Macau and embarked on a couple of hours walking on Coloane Island, one of the few wild areas in the SAR and visited the A-Ma statue and temple. We had a delicious lunch at a Portuguese restaurant that served real crusty bread, and then headed to the Macau Peninsula where we wandered through the Portuguese streets, saw the Mandarin's House and other highlights!
Sadly the day was pretty grey and cloudy and many of the photos have ended up being quite grainy because the light levels were so low.
The grandmother is buying the incense sticks for her.
They put it in that big incense burner. They say that there is a divine grace in this smoke.
The Seven-Five-Three Festival
七五三のお参り
Nikon D300 / Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm F3.5-5.6G ED VR
Self Portrait... 2 strobes from either side of incense sticks, i was lucky to get that twirl of smoke wrapped around my face.
This is one of the shots i liked from about 50 attempts....
The burning flame to light incense sticks at the Seafarer's Goddess Temple of A-ma in Macau island. The burning of incense is not to help send the message to god but actually just to keep the flies away
China, Oct 08
That's an earthen lamp lit during a pre-wedding ritual that happens at Bengali weddings in India. Once lit, this lamp is not allowed to burn out and oil is constantly added to it whenever necessary. The smoke coming off from the wick of the lamp is considered auspicious. There are a few incense sticks kept across the pack of incense sticks there along with the matchbox used to light the lamp and the incense. There is a plate in the background with other things that are part of this ritual. There on the plate you can see a cloth with the typical print called a "gamchha" in India. There is a single one-rupee coin on it. A one rupee coin is a token that is offered with the things used in the ritual.
The Shwedagon Pagoda is a 99 metres gilded pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. Uppatasanti Pagoda is an exact replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma.
According to legend, the Shwedagon Pagoda has existed for more than 2,600 years, making it the oldest historical pagoda in Burma and the world. According to tradition, two merchant brothers, Taphussa and Bhallika, from the land of Ramanya, met the Lord Gautama Buddha during his lifetime and received eight of the Buddha's hairs in 588 BCE. The brothers traveled back to their homeland in Burma and, with the help of the local ruler, King Okkalapa of Burma, found Singuttara Hill, where relics of other Buddhas preceding Gautama Buddha had been enshrined.
According to some historians and archaeologists, however, the pagoda was built by the Mon people between the 6th and 10th centuries CE.
There are four entrances to the Paya that lead up a flight of steps to the platform on Singuttara Hill. The eastern and southern approaches have vendors selling books, good luck charms, Buddha images, candles, gold leaf, incense sticks, prayer flags, streamers, miniature umbrellas and flowers. A pair of giant leogryphs called chinthe (mythical lions) guard the entrances and the image in the shrine at the top of the steps from the south is that of the second Buddha, Konagamana. The base or plinth of the stupa is made of bricks covered with gold plates.
Above the base are terraces that only monks and men can access. Next is the bell-shaped part of the stupa. Above that is the turban, then the inverted almsbowl, inverted and upright lotus petals, the banana bud, and then the crown. The crown or umbrella (hti) is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. Immediately before the diamond bud is a flag-shaped vane. The very top, the diamond bud is tipped with a 76 carat (15 g) diamond.
The gold seen on the stupa is made of genuine gold plates, covering the brick structure and attached by traditional rivets. Myanmar people all over the country, as well as monarchs in its history, have donated gold to the pagoda to maintain it. The practice continues to this day after being started in the 15th century by the Mon Queen Shin Sawbu, who gave her weight in gold.
WIKIPEDIA
This is what my family does every Chinese New Years Day. Food like noodle, fish, dried squid, egg, chicken, duck, also fruits and dessert are set up in the morning. After incense sticks have burn down, we go outside and burn golden paper (bottom left) which the ancestor would receive as the belief of Chinese people.
At lunch we cook those things and eat them up! ;)
An improvised altar in the shape of a bucket full of burnt incense sticks, in an undisclosed alley.
Learn more about at my travelog post about it.
Wan Awk Pansa
The Meaning of Wan Awk Pansa
Wan Awk Pansa (วันออกพรรษา) means the day of leaving the rains retreat. It is a public holiday in Thailand, held on the fifteenth, or full moon day, of the eleventh lunar
Tuesday, 27 October, 2015.
Wan Awk Pansa signals the end of the Buddhist Lent period, a period when many Thai Buddhists abstain from eating meat, drinking alcohol, and smoking. This is a day when many Thai people will visit a temple, often their local temple in their birthplace, to pray and to bring offerings. In the evenings, many people will take part in a tian wian or candlelit circumambulation of the main shrine of the temple. The devotees walk three times, in a clockwise direction, around the shrine, carrying a candle, three lit incense sticks and a lotus bud.
Today we went to the Thai Buddhist Temple in Kissimmee, Florida to join in the Celebration of "Wan Awk Pansa" Kannika prepared a variety of foods and gifts to give to the Monks as a normal part of this Buddhist Celebration. There is a complete series of photos of today's festivities uploaded together. I hope you take a minute and scroll through the collection and enjoy them. This was my first experience participating in this celebration and I found it to be very interesting and satisfying.
Wan Awk Pansa
The Meaning of Wan Awk Pansa
Wan Awk Pansa (วันออกพรรษา) means the day of leaving the rains retreat. It is a public holiday in Thailand, held on the fifteenth, or full moon day, of the eleventh lunar
Tuesday, 27 October, 2015.
Wan Awk Pansa signals the end of the Buddhist Lent period, a period when many Thai Buddhists abstain from eating meat, drinking alcohol, and smoking. This is a day when many Thai people will visit a temple, often their local temple in their birthplace, to pray and to bring offerings. In the evenings, many people will take part in a tian wian or candlelit circumambulation of the main shrine of the temple. The devotees walk three times, in a clockwise direction, around the shrine, carrying a candle, three lit incense sticks and a lotus bud.
Product photography by Marie Phu
Theme - Deadly beauty
The theme was created with the idea of chopstick designs. The idea of never placing the sticks vertically upright, this is symbolising death as it represents the notion of incense sticks in a rice bowl.
Wan Awk Pansa
The Meaning of Wan Awk Pansa
Wan Awk Pansa (วันออกพรรษา) means the day of leaving the rains retreat. It is a public holiday in Thailand, held on the fifteenth, or full moon day, of the eleventh lunar
Tuesday, 27 October, 2015.
Wan Awk Pansa signals the end of the Buddhist Lent period, a period when many Thai Buddhists abstain from eating meat, drinking alcohol, and smoking. This is a day when many Thai people will visit a temple, often their local temple in their birthplace, to pray and to bring offerings. In the evenings, many people will take part in a tian wian or candlelit circumambulation of the main shrine of the temple. The devotees walk three times, in a clockwise direction, around the shrine, carrying a candle, three lit incense sticks and a lotus bud.
2 sticks of incense burning, one below the other. Top stick calmed down when lower stick's smoke started tumbling. Great combo.
Strobist info: ISO 100, F/8.0 at 1/200th sec. 2 580 EX's - one below incense sticks @1/4 power with green gel shooting straight up, one camera right positioned higher @1/4 power shooting across. Both speedlights were gobo'ed to keep light off black seamless background.
I duplicated the layer in Photoshop, then used levels to create reddish brown tint and painted it in using a layer mask.
Mermaid Incense Back Burner B1122
€7.87 Ali (€20.71@62% off)
Ordered: 14-02-2018
Arriver: 26-03-2018
40 days from order date to arrival.
Not sent in foam packing as shown in advert. The base was put on top and it had the poly bag packing next to it but not around it.
Comes with 10 incense sticks of varying colours and I assume stink.
I got this as a USB Stick holder but it seems to be smaller than I had thought it would be.
Might paint it and have it anyway to annoy the sad people here.
The traditional ethnic Thai puppet show in the Baan Sinlapin Artist's House gets off the ground with the performers paying respects to the founders before the start of the show. The kneeling down and holding of three incense sticks is typical Thai prayer tradition. The players wear black clothes and a black face masks for the show and they are already dressed for the performance, barring the mask of course, which they will wear after the prayer. Thai traditional puppetry, known as hun lakhon lek in the local vernacular, is an ancient art form of the fine arts similar to Japanese buruku puppetry. Generally enacting scenes from the Hindu epic Ramayana (called Ramkein in the Thai version), the puppet shows are called Khon (masked-play). The lively performances involve singing, dancing, acting, acrobatics, and music. The singing is accomplished by an offstage chorus which also recites the narrative and dialogues. In this particular show, they used recorded music, playing out of a loudspeaker. The use of a back stage chorus (wherever there is still live music) is because the majority of actors are not able to actually sing while performing because of the Khon masks they are wear as part of the performance. (Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 2018)
Temnothorax cf. nylanderi doesn't like incense sticks in the living room and partly evacuated the nest
Essential oils and incense elaborated in Ecuador are ideal for aromatherapy and skin care. The extraction of pure essential oils from raw material grown up in Ecuador, and performed by steam distillation, allows to maintain healing oils properties and characteristic aroma.
Our incense sticks and incense cones which are extracted from PaloSanto trees of Ecuador, are very used for relaxing the mind and body as well as purifying the bad energies off your enviroment.
You can obtain ecuadorian aromatherapy products at EcuadorianHands.com
www.ecuadorianhands.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywor...
Well on a cold Tuesday morning, I was walking into town,
Had my headphones blaring, didn't notice what was around,
I crossed the road, a car swerved and nearly ran me down,
Looked in the driver's seat, I swear to God it was Doc Brown,
He said "Are you Michael J Fox?" I said "No I'm Jonny Fox",
He said "Close enough, get inside,
I'm taking you with me to see another time,
A place you could only have dreamed in your mind,
An alternative reality situated just outside of Clapham,
So strap yourself in,
Cos where we're going you don't need roads,
To get to where punk never happened"
We landed in a concrete desert, rubble as far as the eye could see,
I says to Doc "Where we goin'?"
Doc says he's following me,
We found the only building in the city that was left standing,
It was my local venue,
I know cos I recognised the landing,
And there's a gig on tonight! This town ain't so bad,
I got everything I need, right here in this pad,
So I pulled out a bottle and took a heroic swig,
Made myself comfortable and got ready for the gig,
Well an hour after doors and there was still no-one there,
The soundman was on acid, the fucking long hair,
The bands never showed cos they didn't see the point,
When all the kids are at home still smoking a joint,
They won't go out and do nothing, not on your nelly,
They're just watching the telly and then feeding their belly,
Their parents listen to The Beatles, while they listen to Nirvana,
Cos Green Day and The Pistols, well they never heard either,
They got long sleeve T-shirts and they never shower,
They still believe in flower power,
The hippy dream's faded but they got nothing new,
So they wear flares and slippers and burn incense sticks too,
The kids would rather skate than go out and smash the state,
While their parents sit still and meditate,
Action's at a low when people just don't care,
They zoned out to their surroundings, the anger's not there,
And I'm stuck in this hippy, grunge reality,
Where the buildings are crumbling down from apathy,
They grab you at school when you've just turned 13,
And show you your brand new, life long routine,
You can sleep and work, and work and sleep,
So you can save up the money to buy a new jeep,
So you can sleep and work, and work and sleep,
Then sleep. Then work. Then work. Then sleep.
I pulled a fanzine out my back pocket, held it in my hands,
And watched the colours slowly fade away,
The words bled right off of the pages til it had nothing left to say,
I banged on the jukebox but it was useless,
It had no good records on,
Not even something weak like 'The Best Punk Album In The World Ever Volume 1',
Outside the windows, I saw the excavators coming to tear the place down,
No-one stopped them, for there is no community left in this town,
There's no-one around to fight Margaret Thatcher,
The power of the flower just couldn't match her,
Too strong was the will of Parliament to cause damage,
That with no punk rock everything went unchallenged,
Land got knocked down to build more land,
That got knocked down again for a couple more grand,
With no punk the protests were full of throwbacks calling each other comrade,
Of course the young folks' attendance started to fade,
So it was easy for the police to move in, they were trusted,
And that's when the whole damn town got busted,
They moved CCTV cameras in everywhere,
But the people were too apathetic to care,
They made them carry I'd cards to state where they're from,
As if by being born they had done something wrong,
They shipped all the poor folk to live out in the edges,
So the rich folk could move in and peer over their hedges,
"But before you leave, you'd better build our homes,
There, we've done you a favour, now you're on your own,
This ain't your home no more, go find somewhere new,
I know you ain't got the money, cos it's me who employs you,
I know everything about you, what you eat, how you dress,
Your hobbies, your turn-ons, your email address,
While I had you working in the dark, you didn't realise,
That I completely stopped your ability to organise,
I didn't let you have a reason to communicate,
I banned punk rock knowing you hippies would seal your own fate,
I controlled everything you wrote, everything you created,
I distracted you with advertisements so you forgot what you hated,
I fed your dark side, kept you consuming and competing,
And like a dog that doesn't know when to stop eating,
You took it all, oh and long was it my intention,
You could have beat me if punk rock was your invention",
Instead the city will be sold to the highest bids,
If only Sham 69 had of united the kids,
If only the 4 Skins had told us ACAB,
If only The Ramones had let us know we were a happy family,
If only The Buzzcocks had shown us how to do it ourself,
If only Crass had shown us there are things more important than wealth,
If only The Vandals had shown us it was OK to smile,
If only The Dead Kennedys had helped us put our government on trial,
If only Rancid had played live, and brought with them that vibe,
If we had Sick Of It All and Madball we could put them all on the frontline,
If we had GG Allin we'd have learned it's OK to be hated,
If we'd have had The Refused then we could have innovated,
If we'd had Poison Idea then they couldn't push us over,
If we'd had Minor Threat then we could have done it sober,
If we'd have had Against Me we could have done it all unplugged,
If we'd had Operation Ivy we could have done it then fucked off,
If we had The Blitz, The Clash, Disorder, Propagandhi,
The Exploited, NOFX and anyone that's handy,
There's a lesson to be learned, one that I will take home,
When I return to my normal reality zone,
Punk rock has the power to change the world,
It lies in every single punk rock boy and girl,
So don't let anyone tell you you're not worth the earth,
These streets are your streets, this turf is your turf,
Don't let anyone tell you that you've got to give in,
Cos you can make a difference, you can change everything,
Just let your dreams be your pilot, your imagination your fuel,
Tear up the book and write your own damn rules,
Use all that heart, hope and soul that you've got,
And the love and the rage that you feel in your gut,
And realise that the other world that you're always looking for,
Lies right here in front of us, just outside this door,
And it's up to you to go out there and paint the canvas,
After all, you were put on the earth to do this,
So shine your light so bright that all can see,
Take pride in being whoever the fuck you want to be,
Throw your fist in the air in solidarity,
And shout "Viva la punk, just one life, anarchy"
There are many a stories of cities of Delhi; how many people came, made it their home, only to be replaced by a new bunch. Today, their remnants are most visible as monumental heritage of Delhi. And south Delhi happens to be one of the densest in terms of these remains. After all, this is where the story of urban Delhi started; this is where the first cities of Delhi came up. Even when the capital moved up north & closer to the river Yamuna, this area was never abandoned. As a result, Mehrauli sees a continuous settlement for a 1000 odd years, which is an incredible trail back to the past!
Our heritage walk in Mehrauli Archaeological Park shares some of nuggets of this rich history. The starting point of this trail is the entrance to the Park on Mehrauli Gurgaon road. We walk through a gateway into a clearing which is the site of archeological excavation about 2 years ago. A few steps ahead, Balban’s tomb stands out. Although in a ruined condition, its scale gives us some idea of how magnificent this tomb might have been. There is also a faint trace of plaster & tile decoration on one of the walls, which helps us imagine how it might have looked in the 13th century. Balban’s grave is no longer extant & the burial we see in the adjacent chamber is believed to be of his son, Khan Shaheed. Now are days, it has become a site for ritual prayers. A couple of local Muslims offer prayers here, leaving incense sticks, perfume & rose petal as offerings. Next to it is another ruined complex, where we can see foundations of rooms, with decorative niches. These niches are not deep enough for storage, so they were probably chiragdaans, for placing lamps. Some rooms have stairs, which now lead to nowhere, but originally would have been access to the upper storey. Walking on, we come to the building which gives the area its local name. This is the Jamali Kamali mosque. Built by sufi & poet Sheikh Fazullah, this is a well preserved mosque which also has Jamali Kamali tomb in the adjacent courtyard.
Later in the 19th century, this entire piece of land was purchased by a British Resident, Thomas Metcalfe. He went about re-landscaping the terrain to suit his tastes & converted it into his weekend retreat named ‘Dilkusha’. He took many a pains to work at this site: purchased a tomb & converted it into his residence; a Lodi period building was converted into a boathouse, which stood on an artificial lake, created by diverting a stream! Moreover, he went about planting follies of all shapes & sizes through his estate. Some of them still survive, like the pavilion atop a hill opp. Jamali Kamali mosque. There are two more bizarre follies by his just outside the Qutb complex: one shaped like a ziggurat & the other like spiral! They are easy to spot, if you are standing outside the ticket counter to Qutb.
After walking though the Dilkusha, we tracked our way back to the centre of the Park & then took a slight detour to the west, which led us to Rajon ki Baoli, a step well. This is a 4 tiered step well, which is named after masons. It has recently undergone extensive restoration work, but sadly some of the debris & material is still dumped around, defeating the very purpose of such initiatives. Still, the step well is an amazing site of behold, each level revealing itself as we move closer to it!
(posted by Kanika Singh & Kavita Singh, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)