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Looks like mother and daughter. The mother is in black and may be in morning. They seem to be on their front porch with what may be their most valuable possessions. I do not know what is on the lower shelf of the table. There also seems to be a device just under the drawer of the table but I don't know what it could be.
I wanted to take a picture of my two fairy girls together, and also capture their adrable ears.
Flora is more a fairy of light, while Elva is a more handy fairy, she helps out with things and isn's afraid to get her hands dirty:)
Leica M6 TTL
Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 IV "King of Bokeh"
Fuji Neopan 400
Tetenal Emofin
6+6 min 20°C
Scan from negative film
Well, the trouble with developing two films in one tank with not enough mix means the the top film only gets developed on the lower half, I should have checked the levels for a 35mm and a medium format! Bugger. So, this is the better side. Cropped to suit.
Minolta Autocord
Rokkor f/3.5 75mm lens
Medium Format
6x6; 120 Film;
Kodak 100TMX
Not entirely sure this is the Unknown Couple. My friend E thinks so. I'm not sure.
Dated June 1970. Ready to get on with the rest of your lives? It's all very exciting. She's in the middle of saying something to him. I bet there's a twin of this photo where they're both looking at the camera. If anyone has a guess as to the name of the school printed on the diplomas, please comment.
I've been assuming that they've just graduated from college, but the more I look at it, the more I'm not sure. There's a person who appears between them who is wearing a colored robe, which generally denotes a professor, but I'm not sure.
Are they just friends or more than friends? There's a lot of reasons to love this one, not the least of which is the young man hovering directly above the woman's head. (He's standing on the bleachers).
Armadale. Two milkmaids carrying buckets and stools.
Date: No date.
Copyright : West Lothian Libraries.
Scan of b&w print.
West Lothian Local History Library. www.westlothian.gov.uk/tourism/LocalHistory/
All rights reserved.
If you would like to order a print of this photo, please contact localhistory@westlothian.gov.uk, quoting A2. 536.
It has been a while since I posted here and I wanted to see if this website is still working :-)
Here is the link for the two Newfoundland rescues - Everest and Brenda: www.hopeforpaws.org/blog/Brenda
I hope you will enjoy both!
Eldad
From the May 2016 trip to Thailand and Cambodia:
Ta Som is a unique, small temple on the northeast corner of the Grand Circuit Loop. It’s rather remote, and is unique in that it has combinations of Bayon (face towers on the outer enclosure) and Ta Prohm. It’s almost on the axis formed by Preah Khan and Neak Pean. It was built by Jayavarman VII (who seems to have been responsible for the construction of a lot of these temples, or so it seems to me) in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
If pressed for time, you can probably skip Ta Som (or most any of the sites on the Grand Circuit). However, I think you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t take a few days to see the sites here. You can easily visit Ta Som in about half an hour.
Well, this is it. Save for a return flight to Bangkok on Tuesday, May 17 (a formality, really, just to pick up the return flight to China on the 18th…and no shoots on the 17th in Bangkok), Siem Reap/Angkor Wat is the last stop – and the one I was most looking forward to.
The flight over was pretty uneventful, though amusing. At Phnom Penh International Airport, we checked in at the gate, then went outside and hopped on a bus to take us to the plane…which was literally less than 100 meters away. That amused me to no end. A quick, comfortable 45 minute flight on the prop jet later – over completely black terrain; it seems the countryside is either sparsely populated, or electricity is a premium, but we may as well have been flying over a moonless ocean – brought us to Siem Reap (which, I’m glad to say, had lights). Siem Reap is the small town (and it’s basically a tourist/party kind of town where it’s great to go out at night after spending a full day in the sweltering hot sun. It’s about 10 kilometers south of Angkor Wat.
In overview, Angkor Wat is the ancient capital of the Khmer kingdom. What remains today are temples…temples…and temples. Hindu temples. Buddhist temples. They were also a people who were animists, so some temples are reminiscent of that system, too.
The detail of the temples is also fascinating. There are more asparas here than you can shake a stick at. Of the roughly 20,000 asparas, only one is shown smiling (baring teeth, that is). It fascinates – and impresses – me that people have done such extensive research and restoration that they know this. Those are the details, though.
A macro view of the Siem Reap area is just as impressive in that these temples are a study of a civilization close to one thousand years old (yet another jaw-dropping aspect of Angkor: the longevity) and their durability. The earliest temples are over a thousand years old, and the most recent are from the 14th century. (If the guide book I bought is correct, they were all built between 790-1307.) What survives today is all original (though there have been reinforcements with stone – many foreign countries support renovations of specific temples; I recall China and India among them). It’s quite obvious to tell what’s old and what’s new in most cases. However, the restorations are all good and necessary. One last note regarding the longevity of these temples is this: If these stone temples are what remained…how impressive must the society have been who created them? (That’s to say…think of the temples, houses, and all that didn’t survive as they were built of wood; these are simply the temples built by the royals or the aristocracy.)
A tour of modern-day Angkor Wat can be done in one or two fairly vigorous days. However, if you’re looking for any classic shots, you’ll want to spend longer here. (Common sense: the more time here, the more chances for good shots.) For this trip – it may be the only time I come here, though you never know – we arrived on a Saturday night and checked into our hotel (My Home Tropical Garden Villa; $20/night)
Siem Reap feels, at first, like a small dusty outpost of a town. The center of town is about four square blocks of small dive restaurants (and a bar street) and slightly pricier restaurants. There is also a night market street, an art street…all in all, it’s quite nice and has a bit of a party feel to it in addition to the endless souvenir stands you would expect. Though we didn’t go out on Saturday night (since we didn’t get checked in until around 9:30 p.m.), we did get a chance to go on Sunday.
Sunday morning was an awfully early start. Before having left Phnom Penh, I jumped on Facebook and, by chance, found and hired a local tuktuk driver, Mao Khvan, for $25/day. He agreed to pick us up at 4:50 a.m. to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat.
Now, a quick note on tuktuks: almost every single hotel/hostel/guesthouse probably has tuktuks available for hire. Also, when we were picked up at the airport, the taxi driver offered to drive us for the time we were there. In short…it’s a competitive market, and finding a driver for the day will be no problem. $25 may even be slightly pricy (you could probably find a driver for $15-20), however, I was so impressed with Mao’s service that, if I were to return, I’d gladly hire him again. He wasn’t rude or pushy, provides all the ice water you could possibly want to drink, and though he’s not an “official” guide, he’s very, very knowledgeable and made both days pleasant. I even had him take us to the airport the morning we left, and he brought his wife and daughter to meet us. He’s just a genuinely good and decent guy. (For anyone who goes to Angkor Wat, here’s Mao’s contact info if you want to arrange his services ahead of time: www.facebook.com/maotuktuksiemreap/?fref=ts )
Back to the actual touring itself, Angkor is geared towards tourism and they do it well. You can buy an admission ticket for either one, three, or seven days. ($20, $40, or…$60?). It’s also nice because they don’t have to be used in consecutive days (for the three and seven day passes, obviously). The three days can be used in a given week. The seven day pass, within a month.
Conventionally, two days is enough to see the “main” sites (albeit quickly) in about 8 hours each day. There’s a small loop (which we did the first morning) in which we caught the sunrise (not a great one, but…there was one, and it wasn’t terrible, by any stretch) at Angkor Wat, followed by a quick tour of the grounds – but not the temple itself. Afterwards (we were at Angkor Wat from 5:30 until 7:00 or 8:00, I’d say), we hopped back in the tuktuk and headed over to Ta Prohm, about 15-20 minutes away. Ta Prohm is famous for those who are fans of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movies. (The first, I think. I’m not, so I don’t recall it vividly.) After those two spots – probably two of the three most famous – we went to the Khmer Country Kitchen for a rather nice, relaxing, and cheap breakfast where we spent an hour with the other two members of our group. Around 10:00, we went to our third stop: Ta Keo Temple. In 40 degree heat (roughly 104F), I was feeling a bit too exhausted to climb the somewhat steep stairs to the top of this temple, but I did enjoy the lower area just as well. From Ta Keo, we made a quick stop at two temples (they form a pair): Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda for about 20 minutes. Between these three, I’d say we spent about an hour. Our last stop of the morning, around high noon, was the Bayon complex of Angkor Thom. Passing through Bayon’s east gate, we stopped for a few quick pictures before going to the main compound of Bayon, which I would say is the the last of the three most-recognizable places here. We spent a good hour, or a little longer, shooting here after which point we were completely spent. Mao would have gladly taken us back to Angkor for sunset, but we actually decided to call it a day around 1:00. 9 hours in high heat was more than enough.
Back at the hotel, we rested, and I enjoyed myself immensely in the swimming pool. In the early evening, we walked about 600 meters to the “happening” part of town where we wandered the various streets and had a rather nice Khmer dinner. After eating and walking off a rather good dinner, we called it a night and headed back to our room. (For what it’s worth, the afternoon sky clouded over quite a bit and I heard we didn’t miss much as far as sunsets go. Mao also told us the following morning that the sunrise was a wash, as was Tuesday morning’s. Perhaps he was just trying to make us feel good.)
Monday morning we gladly skipped the sunrise and had a late start around…10:00. After a good old-fashioned breakfast of a ham & cheese omelet, Mao came by and we spent the second full day on the large loop. The first stop of the day was at Ba Phuon, a lesser temple just north of Bayon in Angkhor Thom. This was accompanied by quick stops at the adjacent Elephant Terrace and Leper King Terrace. After about an hour in the Ba Phuon area, we rode off to the northeast and stopped at Preah Khan, which was a rather interesting ruins. Another hour or so gone, we continued along the northeastern loop, bypassing Neak Pean (which, following English pronunciation rules, could theoretically be pronounced “neck pain,” which amused me for some reason…). The next stop was a rather small temple named Ta Som on the eastern end of the outer loop. Just down the road from Ta Som, we stopped at the East Mebon temple. When it was constructed, this was an island, only accessible by boat. That, however, was centuries ago. Now, it’s just a very dry, dusty area – with the temple still standing – and it’s hard to imagine it was once surrounded by water. At any rate, it was a quick stop at East Mebon, followed by another nice meal at the Khmer Country Kitchen before we continued with the tour. The next stop on the list was due east of the restaurant (southeast corner of the outer loop, which is really slightly northeast of Angkor Wat). Pre Rup (or Bre Rup) was a fairly photogenic temple. By this point, the heat – also around 40 degrees, just like Sunday – was starting to take a toll, though we still managed to stay out and see all we could. The last “new” temple for us was Banteay Kdei, a citadel that is at the corner of where the inner and outer loop meet on the eastern side of Angkor Wat. Directly across the street from Bnateay Kdei is what should be a nice lake called Sra Srang. A long, rectangular lake, which is also across the street from the Khmer Country Kitchen, it’s now nothing but a dustbowl. Though it’s rainy season now, there’s been so little rain that the lake has completely dried up. (But, please don’t tell any “right”-thinking politicians in my country that global warming is a problem. It certainly isn’t, despite what your eyes see.) After some rather sad contemplation at Sra Srang, we went back to Angkor Wat around 4:00 and were there until 6:30 or so for sundown. However, a boomer of a thunderstorm (light rain, but heavy on thunder & lightning) came through and there wasn’t much to see. However, we did finally get to tour the interior of Angkor Wat, and found that a pretty fitting way to end the initial Siem Reap shoot. From there, we went back to the hotel where we passed out from exhaustion.
The only thing left to do was wake up on Tuesday for a quick 45 minute flight at noon to Bangkok. We concluded the trip as we started it: eating well at a Thai restaurant. Other than that, we just had a quiet night in Bangkok (no shooting at all) and a very early (3:30 a.m.) wake up call for our return flights out of Thailand. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Thailand again soon.
Pic: After five years providing high quality yet affordable accommodation to guests at KLIA’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here, the Tune Hotel KLIA-LCCT will close down effective 9 May 2014, giving way to the brand new, 400-room Tune Hotel klia2 that will open on the same day.
NEWS RELEASE
TUNE HOTEL klia2 OPENS 9 MAY
Latest airport hotel set to be Group’s largest, flagship property
SEPANG, 1 May 2014 – After five years providing high quality yet affordable accommodation to guests at KLIA’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here, the Tune Hotel KLIA-LCCT will close down effective 9 May 2014, giving way to the brand new, 400-room Tune Hotel klia2 that will open on the same day.
Tune Hotel klia2 is directly connected to the new klia2 terminal via a covered walkway and link bridge. A short 10 minute walk is all that it takes to get to the terminal, allowing easy and convenient access to check-in counters as well as the Gateway@klia2 shopping mall.
With an annual capacity of 45 million passengers, the klia2 is the world's largest purpose-built terminal dedicated for LCCs that replaces the current LCCT. The new airport commences commercial operations on 2 May 2014, while the AirAsia Group will move its entire operations at LCCT to the klia2 on 9 May 2014.
Group CEO of Tune Hotels, Mark Lankester said: “We are extremely excited with this new hotel. To us and all our guests, the new Tune Hotel klia2 is as highly anticipated as the klia2 airport itself. It is set to be the largest in the Tune Hotels platform and will be our flagship property.”
He said guests with a booking at the Tune Hotel KLIA-LCCT will automatically be transferred to the Tune Hotel klia2 on 9 May 2014.
“Tune Hotel KLIA-LCCT will operate until 8 May and for all bookings with dates of stay made up to 8 May, guests will remain at the current Tune Hotel KLIA-LCCT. To facilitate guest relocation, all in-house guests will be provided complimentary transfer to the klia2 terminal building and Tune Hotel klia2 on 9 May. For guests with bookings for 9 May and after, check-in will be at the Tune Hotel klia2,” Mark explained.
All affected guests will be notified by email. They can also get in touch with the Customer Care Team by emailing to enquiry@tunehotels.com or by calling 1300 88 8863 (within Malaysia) or +603 7962 5888 (from overseas).
To celebrate the opening of Tune Hotel klia2, guests will be enjoying an all-in rate from only RM98 nett per room per night. Booking can be made from 2 May up to 4 May 2014 for stays at Tune Hotel klia2 from 9 May 2014 up to 31 January 2015. The offer is exclusively for online booking at www.tunehotels.com and is on a first come, first served basis.
“We’ve really listened to our guests over the last few years and have taken into account collaborative comments made to us in terms of how we can improve what we do. As a result, we have innovatively transformed the guestroom experience into a modern-style accommodation featuring the all-new room design with a sleek writing table, luggage platform and a 32-inch flat screen LED TV, bringing about an improved, sophisticated but cool ambience throughout the property. Business and leisure guests as well as airline passengers on extended waits will enjoy a totally improved experience and most importantly a very comfortable and refreshing stay,” said Mark.
Meanwhile, guests on short transits can opt for short stay ‘Refresher Package’ that is available between 9.00 am to 6.00 pm daily, subject to availability of rooms. This option is however only available for walk-in guests.
To add to the guest experience and comfort, he said, the hotel’s spacious lobby is designed to feature a cool casual seating lounge with free wifi, and an expansive open-air courtyard lounge, overlooked on the ground floor by a 24-hour restaurant and beverage centre. For guests with further transportation needs, the hotel includes a transport counter for overland transport needs and for flights, two AirAsia self check-in kiosks within the lobby for added convenience to hotel guests. For airline passengers the lobby area features flight information displays for up-to-date information on arrivals and departures.
In terms of transport connectivity, the klia2 terminal boasts not only bus and taxi services but also the Express Rail Link KLIA Express train service that connects to and from Kuala Lumpur Sentral. For guests arriving at or departing from the KLIA Main Terminal, they can make use of the scheduled shuttle service via the Express Rail link that charges just RM2 one way and stroll over to the hotel via its covered link bridge and walkway.
For those who drive in, Tune Hotel klia2 has 167 parking bays which are conveniently located just a few steps away from the airport terminal.
Tune Hotels is part of Tune Group, a lifestyle business conglomerate co-founded by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, who are the Group CEO and Executive Chairman respectively of Asia’s largest low cost carrier AirAsia.
There are currently 44 Tune Hotels available for booking across Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, England, Scotland, Australia, India and Japan.
For real-time updates and promotion alerts, guests can stay connected with Tune Hotels via Facebook at www.facebook.com/tunehotels and on Twitter via www.twitter.com/tunehotels.
For booking and further information, visit www.tunehotels.com.
-ENDS-
About Tune Hotels
Tune Hotels is part of the lifestyle business conglomerate Tune Group that was founded by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun. Tune Hotels seeks to innovate and revolutionise the way services are made available and has employed efficient web-based technologies to reach and engage its customers, presenting a unique lifestyle opportunity. All Tune Hotels’ properties feature space-efficient, streamlined rooms focusing on high-quality basics: a five-star bed, powerful hot showers and energy-conserving ceiling fans along with housekeeping services, electronic keycard access into rooms, CCTV surveillance, and 24-hour security. The Tune Group companies are Tune Air (a substantial shareholder of AirAsia), Tune Hotels, Tune Money, Tune Insurance, Tune Talk, the AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme, Tune Box, Tune Studios, Caterham Group, Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR) and the Epsom College in Malaysia.
Photos are available from www.flickr.com/tunehotels.
Media enquiries:
Cymantha Sothiar
Mobile: +6012 315 3638
Email: cymantha@tunehotels.com
Two SD50's and a GP38-2 made for some great road power, and it made for the second WB in a row with three EMD standard cab consists.
Indianapolis, IN.
12-23-15
Junagarh Fort (Rajasthani: जुनाग्द क़िला) is a fort in the city of Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. The fort was originally called Chintamani and was renamed Junagarh or "Old Fort" in the early 20th century when the ruling family moved to Lalgarh Palace outside the fort limits. It is one of the few major forts in Rajasthan which is not built on a hilltop. The modern city of Bikaner has developed around the fort.
The fort complex was built under the supervision of Karan Chand, the Prime Minister of Raja Rai Singh, the sixth ruler of Bikaner, who ruled from 1571 to 1611 AD. Construction of the walls and associated moat commenced in 1589 and was completed in 1594. It was built outside the original fort of the city, about 1.5 kilometres from the city centre. Some remnants of the old fort are preserved near the Lakshmi Narayan temple.
Historical records reveal that despite the repeated attacks by enemies to capture the fort, it was not taken, except for a lone one-day occupation by Kamran Mirza. Kamran was the second son of the Mughal Emperor Babur who attacked Bikaner in 1534, which was then ruled by Rao Jait Singh. In the battle, the Mughals were defeated by Rathors. Kamran then returned to Lahore.
The 5.28 hectares large fort precinct is studded with palaces, temples and pavilions. These buildings depict a composite culture, manifest in the mix of architectural styles.
GEOGRAPHY
Junagarh fort is located in the arid region of the Thar desert of Rajasthan bordered on the northwest by the Aravalli range, a range of mountains in western India. Part of the desert area is in Bikaner city, which is one of the three desert triangle cities; the other two cities are Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. The name of the place where Bikaner city with its forts was established was then known as Jungladesh.
HISTORY
Before the present Junagarh Fort was built, an old stone fort existed in the city. This fort was built in 1478 by Rao Bika who established the city of Bikaner in 1472. Rao Bika was the second son of Maharaja Rao Jodha of the Rathor clan, the founder of Jodhpur city. He conquered the large arid lands to the northern region of Rajasthan to set up his domain. As the second son of Jodha he had no chance of inheriting his father’s territory of Jodhpur or to the title of Maharaja. He, therefore, reconciled and decided to build his own kingdom at Bikaner at the place then called "Jungladesh". Bikaner, though a partly of the Thar Desert, was considered an oasis on the trade route between Central Asia and the Gujarat coast since it had adequate spring water sources. Bika’s name was thus tagged to the Bikaner city as well as to the then state of Bikaner (“the settlement of Bika”) that he established. The history of Bikaner and the fort within it thus start with Bika. It was only about 100 years later that Bikaner’s fortunes flourished under Raja Rai Singhji, the sixth ruler of Bikaner, who ruled from 1571 to 1611. During the Mughal Empire’s rule in the country, he accepted the suzerainty of the Mughals and held a high position of an army general in the court of Emperor Akbar and his son Emperor Jahangir. His successful war exploits by way of winning half of Mewar kingdom won him accolades and rewards from the Mughal emperors. He was gifted the jagirs (lands) of Gujarat and Burhanpur. With the large revenue earned from these jagirs, he built the Junagarh fort on a plain land, which has an average elevation of 230 m. The formal foundation ceremony for the fort was held on 17 February 1589 and the fort was completed on 17 January 1594. Raja Rai Singhji, was an expert in arts and architecture and the knowledge that he acquired during his several sojourns to several countries are amply reflected in the numerous monuments he built in the Junagarh fort. Thus the fort, a composite structure, became an outstanding example of architecture and a unique centre of art, amidst the Thar desert.
Karan Singh who ruled from 1631 to 1639, under the suzerainty of the Mughals, built the Karan Mahal palace. Later rulers added more floors and decorations to this Mahal. Anup Singh, who ruled from 1669–98, made substantial additions to the fort complex, with new palaces and the Zenana quarter (royal dwelling for females). He refurbished the Karan Mahal with a Diwan-i-Am (public audience hall) and called it the Anup Mahal. Gaj Singh who ruled from 1746 to 1787 refurbished the Chandra Mahal (the Moon palace). Following him, Surat Singh ruled from 1787 to 1828 and he lavishly decorated the audience hall (see picture in info box) with glass and lively paintwork. Dungar Singh who reigned from 1872 to 1887 built the Badal Mahal (the weather palace) named so in view of a painting of falling rain and clouds (a rare event in arid Bikaner). Ganga Singh who ruled from 1887 to 1943 built the Ganga Niwas Palace, which has towers at the entrance patio. This palace was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob.[10] Ganga Singh’s son Sadul Singh succeeded his father in 1943 but acceded to the Union of India in 1949. He died in 1950.
Bikaner came under the suzerainty of the British Raj under a treaty of paramountcy signed in 1818, where after the Maharajas of Bikaner invested heavily on refurbishing their Junagarh fort. However, during the 18th century, before this treaty was signed, there was internecine war between rulers of Bikaner and Jodhpur and also amongst other Thakur, which was put down by the British troops. It is reported that during the attack by Jodhpur army, of the two entrances to the fort (one in the east and the other in the west), the eastern entrance and the southern rampart were damaged; marks of cannonballs fired are seen on the southern façade of the fort.
Ganga Singh was the best-known king among the Rajasthan princes. A favourite of the British Raj, he earned the title of Knight Commander of the Star of India. He served as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, represented the country at the Imperial First World War Conferences and the British Empire at the Versailles Peace Conference and was aware of the shift of fortunes in the World War II but died in 1943, before the war was won by the allies. His contribution to the building activity in Junagarh involved separate halls for public and private audience in the Ganga Mahal and a durbar hall for formal functions. The hall where he held his Golden Jubilee as a ruler of Bikaner is now a museum. He also got a new palace - north of Junagarh fort - designed and built by Swinton, the third of the new palaces built in Bikaner and named it Lalgarh Palace in the name of his father and shifted his residence from Junagarh fort to this palace in 1902. The royal family still lives in a special suite in the Lalbagh palace, which they have converted into a heritage hotel.
STRUCTURES
The structures built within the Junagarh fort are the palaces and temples, which are made of red sandstone (Dulmera) and marble. The palaces are described as picturesque with their assortment of courtyards, balconies, kiosks and windows. The fort, the temples and the palaces are preserved as museums and provide insight into the grandiose living style of the past Maharanas of Rajasthan. The fort is called “a paradox between medieval military architecture and beautiful interior decoration”.
OVERVIEW
The massive fort built in the plains of Bikaner has a rectangular (quadrangular) layout with a peripheral length of 986 m. The fort walls are 4.4 m wide and 12 m in height. It encompasses an area of 5.28 ha. It was surrounded by a moat which was 6.1–7.6 m deep with a base width of 4.6 m and top width of 9.1 m. However, the moat no longer exists. The fort is well fortified with 37 bastions (‘burj’ in local language) and seven gates (two are main gates) to counter enemy attacks. The fort was built as a “new stronghold” outside of the ruins of an old fort built by Rao Bika and on the periphery of the Bikaner city walls (1.5 kilometres from the city centre); the old fort was demolished a century after it was built.
The fort with seven gates contains several palaces, pavilions and many temples of Hindu and Jain religions - the earliest dated to the 16th century. A major feature of the fort is the stone carving done in red and gold coloured sandstones. The interiors of the palaces are decorated and painted in traditional Rajasthani style. The Junagarh palaces have a large number of rooms, as every king built his own separate set of rooms, not wanting to live in his predecessors’ rooms. These structures were considered as “at par with those of Louis’s France or of Imperial Russia”. Several types of architectural style are discerned in the fort complex and hence it is called a true depiction of composite culture. The earliest style is of Rajput architecture, defined by Gujarati and Mughal architectural influence reflecting the association with Mughal rulers, the second type is of semi-western architecture reflecting British influence, and finally the revivalists Rajput architecture that evolved particularly during the rule of Maharaja Ganga Singh. Only the most representative of all these architectural styles are on display for visitors. Thus, the unique monuments on display in the Junagarh Fort represent sixteen successive generations of the rulers of Bikaner, starting from the end of the 16th century.
GATES
While the main entry gate was Karan Pol or Parole, facing east, the current gate of entry is called Suraj Pol (meaning the Sun gate), 'pol' also colloquially spelt prol, built in gold coloured or yellow sandstone, unlike the other gates and buildings built in red sandstone. It is the east facing gate permitting the rising Sun’s rays to fall on the gate, which is considered a good omen. The doors of this gate are strengthened with iron spikes and studs to prevent ramming by elephants during an attack. At the entrance to the gate, two red stone statues of elephants with mahouts stand as sentinels. The gate was also the location for announcing the arrival and departure of royalty by musicians playing the trumpet from a gallery in the gate. The other gates are Karan Pol, Daulat Pol, Chand Pol (a double gate) and Fateh Pol; these provided access to various monuments in the fort. The Karan Pol gate is also braced with iron spikes to prevent battering of the gate by elephants. To the right of this gate is Daulat Pol. Forty-one hand imprints are seen on the Daulat Pol gate wall, in red colour, of the wives of the Maharajas of Bikaner, who committed sati (self immolation) on the funeral pyres of their husbands who died in battle.
Between the main gate and the palace, there is a quadrangle, and then another gate called the Tripolia gate (triple gateway) before accessing the royal chambers. Next to this gate is a small temple called the Har Mandir, where the Royal family used to offer worship. In the quadrangle, which houses a large pavilion with a water pool built in Carrara Italian marble. The Karan Mahal, where public audience was held in the Diwan-i-Am by Karan Singh (1631–39) and his successors till the 20th century, can also be seen in the same quadrangle.
TEMPLES
Har Mandir temple was the royal chapel - private temple of the royal family. The royal family celebrated the Hindu festival of Dussera and Gangaur here, apart from celebrating other family functions such as birthdays and marriages. In the Dussera celebrations, weapons and horses were worshipped here. The main deities worshipped in this temple are the Hindu deities Lakshmi Narayan, a combined representation of god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi.
The Ratan Behari temple located near the Junagarh Fort, was built in 1846 by the 18th ruler of Bikaner. It was built in Indo-Mughal architectural style using white marble. The Hindu god Krishna is deified in this temple.
PALACES
Karan mahal (Public Audience Hall) was built by Karan Singh in c.1680 to mark his victory over the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It is considered as one of the most exquisite palaces built with gardens, which displays the aesthetic sensibilities of the royalty of Rajasthan. It has stained glass windows and intricately carved balconies built in stone and wood fluted columns. Later Rajas, Anup Singh and Surat Singh, also added lot of glitter to this palace with inlaid polychrome glass, intricate mirror patterns, and red and gold paint. In the coronation chamber, there is a shored up alcove, which was used as a throne.
Phool Mahal ("Flower Palace") is the oldest part of the palace and was built by king Raja Rai Singh of Bikaner, who ruled between 1571-1668.
Anup Mahal is a multi-storey structure, which functioned as the administrative headquarters of the kingdom. It has ornate wooden ceilings with inlaid mirrors, Italian tiles, and fine lattice windows and balconies. It has some gold leaf paintings. It is considered as one of the “grandest construction”.
Chandra Mahal has the most luxurious room in the palace, which houses gold plated deities and paintings inlaid with precious stones. In the royal bedroom, mirrors have been strategically placed so that the Maharaja could see from his bed, any intruder entering his room.
Ganga Mahal was built in the 20th century by Ganga Singh who reigned for 56 years from 1887 to 1943, has a large durbar hall known as the Ganga Singh Hall that houses the Museum. The museum has exhibits of war weaponry and also a World War I aeroplane (biplane), which is stated to be well maintained.
Badal Mahal (The weather palace) is part of the Anup Mahal extensions. It has paintings of Shekhawati Dundlod chiefs paying respects to the Maharaja of Bikaner in different types of turbans. Photos of people standing on nails, wood, swords and saws are also depicted here – a display of faith and endurance. The walls in this palace depict fresco paintings of the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha amidst the rain clouds.
Bikaneri Havelies located both within and outside the fort in the Bikaner city’s by lanes are also of unique architectural style in home architecture. Aldous Huxley who visited these havelis reportedly said “They are the pride of Bikaner.”
FORT MUSEUM
The museum within the fort called the Junagarh Fort Museum was established in 1961 by Maharaja Dr.Karni Singhji under the control of "Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust". The Museum exhibits Sanskrit and Persian manuscripts, miniature paintings, jewels, royal costumes, farmans (royal orders), portrait galleries, costumes, headgear and dresses of gods’ idols, enamelware, silver, palanquins, howdahs and war drums. The museum also displays armoury that consists of one of the assorted collection of post medieval arms.
MAHARAJA RAI SINGHJI TRUST
Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust has been set up by the 'Royal family of Bikaner' with the basic objective to showcase the fort with professional inputs in various areas and to improve the experience for visitors. Another objective is to promote education and research scholarships, cultural activities, setting up of libraries and integration with other such trusts.
WIKIPEDIA
Day two of Their Royal Highnesses' tour included a visit to the Indian Military Academy, the Doon School and the Navdanya Bija Vidyapeeth organic farm.
Copyright Clarence House 2013.
Another evidence of climate changes: figs can be grown here, in temperate climate zone, survive winter, and even yield two times a year!
Cortesia de Ana Maria Lopez Tamayo para Catedrales e Iglesias
Catedral de Bristol
Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity
Catedral de Bristol de la Santisiima Trinidad,
College Green, Bristol BS1 5TJ, Reino Unido
+44 117 926 4879
Diocese of Bristol (Anglican)
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By Catedrales e Iglesias
By Cathedrals and Churches
Par Cathédrales et Eglises
By catedrals i esglésies
Diócesis de Bristol (Anglicana)
Bristol Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican church in the English city of Bristol. It was founded in 1140, and in 1542 became a bishopric and cathedral of the new diocese of Bristol.
La catedral de Brístol es la catedral de la iglesia anglicana en la ciudad inglesa de Brístol. Fue fundada en 1140, y en 1542 se convirtió en sede obispal y catedral de la nueva diócesis de Brístol.
The temple was founded as St Augustine abbey in 1140 by Robert Fitzharding, real local official and landowner. The first stone building on the site was constructed throughout the twelfth century. From this period remain the chapter house and the Great Gatehouse, which represent two good examples of Norman architecture.
Under the rule of Abbot David (1216-1234) held a new phase of construction, which highlights the chapel, built in 1220, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, called Elder Lady Chapel, adjacent to the northern part of choir, its architect, was believed to Adam Lock, master mason of the cathedral of Wells.
Between 1298 and 1332, being abbot, Edward Knowke, the eastern part of the church was rebuilt in Gothic style decorated English. Thereafter the works were halted over a hundred years, ending around the middle of the fifteenth century, the transept and central tower. The reconstruction of the nave was incomplete at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries called. In 1539, this ship was demolished, while the eastern part, already completed, would remain closed until it reopened as a cathedral.
El templo fue fundado como abadía de san Agustín en el año 1140 por Robert Fitzharding, terrateniente local y oficial real. La primera construcción de piedra en ese emplazamiento se levantó a lo largo del siglo XII. De esta época permanecen la sala capitular y la Great Gatehouse, que representan dos buenos ejemplos de la arquitectura normanda.
Bajo el gobierno del abad David (1216-1234) se llevó a cabo una nueva fase de la construcción, de la que destaca la capilla, construida en 1220, dedicada a la Virgen María, denominada Elder Lady Chapel, colindante con la parte norte del coro, su arquitecto, se cree que fue Adam Lock, maestro cantero de la catedral de Wells.
Entre 1298 y 1332, siendo abad, Edward Knowke, se reconstruyó la parte oriental de la iglesia, en estilo gótico decorado inglés. A partir de entonces las obras quedaron paralizadas más de cien años, concluyéndose hacia la mitad del siglo XV, el transepto y la torre central. La reconstrucción de la nave central quedó incompleta en el momento de la denominada Disolución de los monasterios. En 1539, esta nave fue demolida, mientras que la parte oriental, ya terminada, permanecería cerrada hasta su reapertura como catedral
Por edicto de junio de 1542, el rey Enrique VIII y Thomas Cranmer crearon la diócesis de Brístol, estableciendo su sede en la antigua abadía, que fue dedicada a la Santísima Trinidad. El primer obispo de la diócesis de Brístol fue el excapellán de la casa real, Paul Bush.
En el siglo XIX con el nacimiento del movimiento neogótico, se completó la construcción del templo, añadiéndose una nave central, que se levantó entre 1868 y 1877, en armonía con el estilo existente de la parte oriental y que fue diseñada por George Edmund Street. La ceremonia de inauguración fue el 23 de octubre de 1877. La fachada oeste, con sus torres gemelas, proyectada por John Loughborough Pearson, se terminó en 1888.
Arquitectura
El extremo oriental de la Catedral de Brístol es inusual en la arquitectura gótica inglesa. En primer lugar, fue concebido como una "iglesia salón", lo que significa que las naves laterales son de la misma altura que el coro. Si bien ésta es una característica principalmente de la arquitectura gótica alemana, no es raro encontrarla en Gran Bretaña, siendo la catedral de Brístol el ejemplo más significativo. Cuando en el siglo XIX, Street diseñó la nave principal continuó la misma estructura del templo que la parte ya existente, manteniendo la altura de la nave principal similar a la de las naves laterales y el coro.
La altura de las naves laterales provoca una ausencia de triforio que de luz al espacio central, como es habitual en la arquitectura medieval inglesa. Toda la luz interior debe llegar desde las ventanas laterales que, en consecuencia, son muy grandes. A la altura del coro, en la Lady chapel un gran ventanal recorre toda la parte superior de la pared del altar, y baña de luz toda la capilla.
Debido a la falta del triforio, las bóvedas son relativamente bajas, aproximadamente la mitad de la altura que en la Abadía de Westminster. El interior de la catedral tiene una apariencia ancha y espaciosa.
Desde el punto de vista arquitectónico son muy destacables los arcos existentes en la sacristía de la capilla Berkeley, realizados hacia 1330, son arcos denominados de nervios flotantes, de naturaleza específicamente inglesa, y que se caracterizan porque tiene nervios sin celdas o relleno, formando un esqueleto de bóvedas. Este tipo de bóvedas se encuentran también en la catedral de Lincoln y en Southwell, en Inglaterra, y en la Catedral de San Esteban de Viena.
Portugal has some of the most impressing two storied cloisters I have ever seen ...
Portugal hat einige der schönsten zweigeschossigen Kreuzgänge, die ich je gesehen habe ...
The Manueline or Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the first decades of the 16th century, incorporating maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral.
This innovative style synthesizes aspects of Late Gothic architecture with influences of the Spanish Plateresque style, Italian urban architecture, and Flemish elements. It marks the transition from Late Gothic to Renaissance. The construction of churches and monasteries in Manueline was largely financed by proceeds of the lucrative spice trade with Africa and India.
The style was given its name, many years later, by Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, Viscount of Porto Seguro, in his 1842 book, Noticia historica e descriptiva do Mosteiro de Belem, com um glossario de varios termos respectivos principalmente a architectura gothica, in his description of the Jerónimos Monastery.
Varnhagen named the style after King Manuel I, whose reign (1495–1521) coincided with its development.
The style was much influenced by the astonishing successes of the voyages of discovery of Portuguese navigators, from the coastal areas of Africa to the discovery of Brazil and the ocean routes to the Far East, drawing heavily on the style and decorations of East Indian temples.
Although the period of this style did not last long (from 1490 to 1520), it played an important part in the development of Portuguese art.
The influence of the style outlived the king. Celebrating the newly maritime power, it manifested itself in architecture (churches, monasteries, palaces, castles) and extended into other arts such as sculpture, painting, works of art made of precious metals, faience and furniture.
Each model is folded from an uncut square. The Chinese dragon is China and the Indian elephant is India.
Two of a kind - Our Daily Challenge
Sassette: PERFECT!
Slouchy: What's perfect?
Sassette: Bikes! Two of them. One for me, one for you!.
Slouchy: I don't ride bikes.
Sassette: Silly you! Of course you don't since you don't HAVE a bike!.
Slouchy: I don't like the color.
Sassette: That's probably why they are on sale. Can't you just see yourself riding down the street on a bike, your hair blowing in the wind?
Slouchy: YOUR hair blowing in the wind.
Sassette: "Slouchy! Just think how much fun it would be!"
Slouchy: I don't think so, Sassette. Maybe ask Snappy. He'll do anything dangerous.
Sassette: Great idea. Snappy'll want a bike. Only one problem.
Slouchy: What?
Sassette: I don't have any money.
Slouchy: Well that makes two of us.
This card was inspired by this lovely card
www.flickr.com/photos/bearpaw14/4371398188/ by quilterlin.
Background stamp is from Darkroom Door Christmas Reindeer set.
Seasons Greetings is part of a stamp from Darkroom Door Yuletide vol2.
Birds and flowers Hero Arts (Two Birds) CG152
Background was inked with Antique Linen Distress ink, then sponged with same ink. Vintage Photo distress ink around edges. Flowers stamped in Peeled Paint distress ink direct to paper. Then stamped again on scrap card in Fired Brick ink,cut out and paper pieced to first image.
Birds and flowers coloured with aquabrush and distress inks.
Inks used for birds...tattered rose,victorian velvet and fired brick.
Two film shots scanned together from last april ...!
LARGE HERE : farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4265426657_b279189a90_o.jpg
Joe Perry & Steven Tyler
The Bad Boys from Boston, American rockers Aerosmith headlined the first of two nights of the Calling Festival newly relocated to South London’s Clapham Common.
The Steven Tyler-led rockers brought their unique blend of entertaining rock to a damp London evening, re-energising the sodden crowd with a mixed set drawn from their extensive back catalogue as well a cover of The Beatles 1969 hit Come Together. They began the 18-song set with Mama Kin from their 1973 eponymous debut album before moving onto Get a Grip hit Eat the Rich and Pump classing Love in an Elevator.
Hits Walk This Way and Dude (Looks Like a Lady) also featured before the encore was opened with classic Dream On featuring Tyler playing piano and Joe Perry playing guitar … on the piano!
It’s surprising just how much energy the 66-year-old Tyler and 63-year-old Perry convey up on stage with such engaging performances and on-stage hijinks that kept the crowd enthralled from the outset until the closing bars of Toys in the Attic classic Sweet Emotion.