Map In My Pocket

Tag: Photo Essay

In Photos: Terracotta Temple of Hyderabad

A quiet descends over you as you find your way – through the expansive grounds of the Dadabadi Jain Sevashram hemmed in with trees – towards the Terracotta Jain Temple in Hyderabad. Only a stones throw from the other, more popular Karwan Jain Temple in Gudimalkapur near Mehdipatnam, the Dadabadi Jain Temple is a lyrical beauty of dulcet contrasts and a true oasis of peace in the otherwise crowded and narrow lanes of Karwan.

Dadabadi Shwetamber Jain Temple, Hyderabad

Built in a combination of terracotta and marble, this two hundred year old Shwetambar Jain temple makes for striking contrasts. You cannot but stop to admire the beauty of the rather unusual combination of the brick red of the terracotta and the pristine white of the Rajasthani Marble. Not to mention the intricate patterns carved into them. And, there is never a frisson of disturbance to the peace. Not by the pigeons flocking to the basins of birdseed kept out for them, nor by the steady trickle of regulars who come by everyday from all parts of the city to go about their solitary sojourn of faith and religion.

Past all this, as you enter the main sanctum, the smile on Dada Shri Jin Kushal Suri’s idol, to whom this temple is dedicated, only adds to the mood. You don’t have to be a Jain to experience a sense of stillness, here in this atmospheric temple.

Alongside the Dadabadi Shrine and terracotta temple, you will also find an old step-well, now in disuse, a conspicuously bright and new play ground, a multi-tiered marble fountain here and there amidst all the lush foliage on the grounds here. There is also an old peoples home and a wedding hall for Jains here.

Explorers Guide

Don’t Miss

Sundays and full moon days, if you want to attend a ritualistic Jain prayer.

Handy Tip

Though not mandatory, it is recommended that one wears white when visiting the Dadabadi Jain Temple. For it is of the Shwetambar Jain Sect.

Getting There

Head towards to the Gudimalkapur Park from Mehdipatnam. The temple is inside the Dadabadi Jain Sevasharam complex opposite the Sarada Nagar Community Hall, a little beyond the Gudimalkapur Park.

READ: 56 Incredible Weekend Getaways for other Jain Temples near Hyderabad

September 6, 2018
In Photos: The Valley of Flowers

The Valley of Flowers. A breathtakingly beautiful (literally!) high altitude meadow of alpine flowers in the Western Himalayas.

Accessible only through a trek route through the mountains, this valley is located in a transition zone that lies between the Zanskar Region of the Himalayas to the north and the Greater Himalayas to the south. Together with the Eastern and Western Himalayas on either side this valley is endowed with some extraordinary bio diversity.

From numerous restricted range bird species to highly threatened species of medicinal plants this high-altitude Himalayan valley isn’t just about stunning flowerscapes.

Together with the rugged wilderness of the Nanda Devi, these two National Parks are inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Commandeered over by India’s second highest mountain, Nanda Devi and reached through the world’s deepest gorge, Rishi Ganga, the Nanda Devi National Park is renowned for its spectacular topography. It is surrounded by glaciers and meadows, of which the Valley of Flowers is one.

Also Read: 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2017

September 2, 2017
20 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Spiti Valley this Summer

Here are 20 Photos to Inspire you to visit Spiti Valley this Summer. Ladakh’s lesser known cousin.

Separated from the popular Kullu valley in Himachal Pradesh by the Rohtang Pass, this middle land between India and Tibet is home to some of the most stunning lakes and monasteries in the world.

Of which, the mythical Chandratal Lake is one. Roads to the lake open mid July. So, peak tourist season in the Spiti Valley (for lack of a better word, tourism is yet to catch on here the way it has in Ladakh) is July and August. A difficult terrain as is, the four months of summer is when this desert valley in the Himalayas is most accessible.

Road Trip through tricky terrains, along rocky roads.

Be amazed by the stark landscapes.

Or the ‘moonscape’ of this land, as it has come to be known.

Rediscover colour.

Vivid skies, cloud shadows, wild flowers et al.

Fall in love.

With the starry nights.

Find peace amidst the many Himalayan Monasteries.

Befriend the most adorable kids you will ever see!

Stay with the locals in a homestay and experience life, their way.

Get to know them. In their houses that are built to shelter them in the harsh winter months when they can only be indoors. Over soft, doughy bread which is but a variant of our regular Indian roti and sweet milky chai.

& of course, no trip to Spiti Valley is complete without a visit to the Chandratal Lake.

Did You Know? The Chandratal Lake reflects the colour of the sky. So the lake is a bright turquoise blue at sunrise and a lush serene green at sunset!

Besides, it isn’t just this one lake in Spiti Valley that is breathtaking. There are more.

Read Next: a Fortress, a Monastery & a Lake: Dhankar

Read More on Spiti:

Driving through Lahaul & Spiti
Where The Monasteries are.
The Road to Serenity: Chandratal

July 18, 2017
Little Ones of Ladakh

I was never interested in shooting portraits, or so I thought!

Standing still, on the sidelines, as columns of brilliantly dressed Ladakhis walked by to the Polo Grounds for the Opening Ceremony of the Ladakh Festival, I watched. The multitude of tourists and photographers clamouring to capture everything. It stuck me. I was just a shy mouse.

Embarrassed though I was, I did make a not-so-successful attempt at clicking the performers as they made their way to the Ladakh Festival. So, over the week as I journeyed through these Himalayan lands, I tried to remedy this. I overcame my natural inhibitions & clicked portraits of the kids I became friendly with.

& seeing their eager smiles as they hugged my camera close and stuck their noses to the screen gave me more satisfaction than anything else on this trip!!

So, here you go.

This little girl was the perfect model & gave me the confidence to pursue travel portraits of the Little Ones of Ladakh. Which is why this is my favourite picture & therefore the first in this series.

I clicked this picture in Leh, as these little boys waited for their dad to take them to the Ladakh Festival.

& this little baby girl here, at the opening ceremony, watching the performances from the protective lap of her grandmother.

On our way to Tso Moriri, when we stopped at the village of Chumathang for lunch, I came across this group of children. The smallest & undoubtedly the cutest one, the little Matryoshka Doll in this photo was the subject of every photographer in that area then and by the time I got to clicking this photo she was ready to flee! While the older girl wanted her photo taken & was preening for it. Quite an interesting conflict I thought :)

Again a conflicting picture, where the older of the two gets very conscious as she tries to pose for the camera, on the way back from school in Thiksey.

To end this post, a photo of the most adorable baby boy I have ever seen, excited to be clicked as he stumbles across to the grocery downhill from Shey Palace.

Did you have to overcome some fear or reserve on your travels? Do tell me. Would love to get any ideas on how I can take better photos in my further travels!

Read Next: Ladakh Festival: Celebrating Life & Beyond.

Read More on Ladakh:

Royal Ruins: Shey Palace
In The Realm of The Passes: Khardung La
5 Reasons You Should Travel to Ladakh Off-Season
In The Nomadic Settlement of Puga

September 25, 2015