A man and his dog

The Beginner's Portfolio: Waiting for the Bus

Portraiture: Sam

Kaas

The delayed rains ruined my visit to Kaas last year. The thick fog meant I couldn't see anything beyond five feet away. This year, once again, I was early. The fog still hung around, though it did give me slightly better opportunities to shoot. The lack of a macro lens was extremely frustrating, given the 850 species of flowers that bloom here over an approximate period of a month. The drive up to the plateau displays some seriously brilliant landscapes as well. Here's what you get when you go at not-exactly-the-right time.

Hopefully next year, my timing should be right!

Junk?

Little Egret

St Philomena's

Oriental White-eye

The Cave Temples of Ajanta and Ellora

Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta caves are located in the district of Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The collection of 30 odd Buddhist caves form a horseshoe around a bend of the Waghora river. A group of caves was built around 2nd century BC while the rest date from approximately 7th century AD. They were rediscovered by an officer of the Madras Presidency, John Smith, in April 1819. He carved his name into a pillar in Cave number 10.
The caves are a combination of monasteries, residences and educational halls. The paintings and sculptures in the caves depict scenes from the life of Buddha.  They have been fairly well preserved but the murals that are in a poor condition are being restored by the Archaeological Society of India. The caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and the cave complex is a protected monument under the Archaeological Society of India.

The horseshoe shaped complex of the Ajanta Caves

The 30 Buddhist caves contain fine examples of art, dating from the 2nd century BC to the 7th century AD

A damaged mural in cave 1

A reconstructed version of the above mural, being worked on by the ASI

The caves are lit with fibreoptic lighting, which doesn't damage the paintings

Paintings in cave 2

Inside cave 10

Sculptures in cave 26

Sculptures in cave 26

Langurs from the forests around the cave complex

The entrance to cave 9

Ellora Caves
Located about 30 kms from the city of Aurangabad, Ellora caves are a group of 34 caves consisting of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves and temples. Built between the 5th and 10th century, 12 of the caves are Buddhist, 17 of them Hindu and 5 of them Jain. Of the Buddhist caves, Cave 10, known as the Vishwakarma cave, is the most important one. Cave 15 and 16, Dashavatara and Kailashnatha are prominent Hindu temples, while Cave 30, Chhota Kailash and Cave 32, Indra Sabha are the most remarkable of the Jain shrines. The Ellora Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are under protection of the Archaeological Society of India.

Sculptures in cave 2

Cave 10, the Vishwakarma cave or "the cave of the celestial carpenter", is the most beautiful of the Buddhist caves

The ribbed roof of the chamber is made to look like it is done in wood

A water beetle skates in a pool outside a cave

Sculptures in the porch outside one of the caves

The path outside Kailashnath temple, cave 16

Inside the Kailashnath temple

The premises of Kailashnath temple

Bats cling to the ceiling of a cave

The path to the Jain caves

Sculptures at Indra Sabha, cave 32, one of the Jain caves

An unfinished cave

Glimpses of the Konkan

Dakshin Kashi beach, Harihareshwar

Dakshin Kashi beach, Harihareshwar

A Pond Heron, Harihareshwar

A cart horse paws the ground at Dakshin Kashi, Harihareshwar

A seagull picks up a fish, Harihareshwar

Dusk at Dakshin Kashi, Harihareshwar

A horsecart does its rounds by the shore, Harihareshwar

A common moon crab, Harihareshwar

A wildflower, Harihareshwar

A fisherwoman collects crabs at low tide at Bankot pier

A fisherman at the harbour of Daagibandar, Diveagar

A fisherman rows his boat to the quay at Daagibandar, Diveagar

Red ants chew the cuticle off a leaf

The beach at Ganpatipule

Brahminy kites follow the main roads in search for roadkill, Devgarh

A fisherman's daily catch, Devgarh

A worker at a percussion instrument store, Devgarh

Bullock carts on the beach at Dapoli

A crested serpent eagle, Dapoli

Inside a cashew factory at Malwan