A EUROPEAN MOSQUE IN HYDERABAD!

Called as “Spanish Mosque” it is an architecturally different kind of Mosque, which you can see in Hyderabad, India. This mosque stands out as a solemn testimony to a glorious past in an area where concrete structures now overshadow everything. A flyover, an over-head water tank and many other concrete buildings have submerged the mosque into the modern man made jungle!

After Viqar-ulUmra returned from his European tour, being the personal guest of Queen Victoria, he wanted to leave a mark of his own in Hyderabad. The architectural splendor of the monuments of Europe inspired him so much that he set out to build the most beautiful palace in the world ¬ Falaknuma Palace and a mosque in a very different style. Both the palace and the mosque were built during 1891 and 1904! Although he started the construction of Spanish Mosque, it was completed by his successor Nawab Sultan-ul Mulk Bahadur.

The mosque proper comprises of a main prayer hall, two rooms in front of it and a central corridor for entering the hall. An octagonal dome caps the central corridor with a perforated screen. The roof is of Jack arch type on iron girders with brick and lime concrete. The main roof is pointed and topped by two octagonal domes and four minarets.

 

Inside Charminar

This post is for those of you who have not visited Hyderabad!

I am sure many of you would have seen the picture of this Iconic structure of Hyderabad.  Once you go inside you would realize how awesome this structure is!

The best thing is that they allow you to climb up to the first floor of this monument.  This monument is more than 400 years old. Recently various agencies have come together and a big renovation work is in progress.  Here are few pictures taken inside the Charminar.

 

 

 

 

 

Another post of mine on Charminar: http://vgopalan.blogspot.in/2010/06/charminar.html

India Gate

India Gate is at the centre of New Delhi, which almost resembles “Arc-de-Triomphe” of Paris. It is 42 meters tall and commemorates the 70,000 soldiers who lost their life fighting for the British Army during the First World War. This memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afgan war of 1919. 

The foundation stone of India Gate was laid by the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and it was designed by Edwin Lutyens. The monument was dedicated to the nation 10 years later by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin.

The entire arch stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stone and rises in stages to a huge molding. The cornice is inscribed with the Imperial signs while both sides of the arch have INDIA, flanked by the dates MCMXIV (1914 left) and MCMXIX (1919 right). The shallow domed bowl at the top was intended to be filled with burning oil on anniversaries although it is rarely done.

When India got its independence another memorial was added to India Gate. It is called Amar Jawan Jyoti. Here an eternal flame burns day and night for the entire year as a mark of respect to those soldiers who laid down their lives in the India-Pakistan war of December 1971. The Amar Jawan Jyoti is made up of black marble and has a gun and a soldier’s cap on top of it.

During nightfall, India Gate is dramatically floodlit while the fountains nearby make a lovely display with coloured lights. India Gate stands at one end of Rajpath, and the area surrounding it is generally referred to as 'India Gate'. 

 

Temple for formless God!

 Avudaiyar Koil or Kovil (Koil or Kovil in Tamil language = Temple) is a small village in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu in southern part of India. The town itself is called by the name of the temple. The basic structure of this temple was built by Tamil poet Manickavasagar under the Pandian Kingdom during the 9th century and it was then called as Thiruperunthurai. Subsequently many additions were made to this temple by other Kings including the Cholas who ruled this region. What stands today as Avudaiyar Koil is a cumulative effort of various builders over time! This temple houses some of the grandest workmanship of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu, even referred to as an untouched treasure by some.

The entire temple is decorated with breathtaking sculptures. Overtime the sculptors from these parts of Tamil Nadu considered the sculptures of this temple as a benchmark in carving! 

Many of the things which we normally see in a Shiva temple are missing in this temple! First the God here is formless! Only base of the lingam (Avudaiyar – hence the name) is seen in the sanctum sanctorum. There is no Nandhi in this temple or for that matter Kodimaram (pole in which the temple flag is hoisted). Shiva temple normally faces northward but this one is facing south! The navagraha statues are carved on the pillars itself.  Only the feet of Parvathi are seen and not the entire figure! 

The striking granite sculptures in the Avudaiyar Koil temple are the many carvings, stone chains and the pillars! Each pillar in this temple is a collection of sculptures. 

This temple’s highlights are the two statues of a Kuravan and a Kurathi (hunter and his wife). The figures are examples of the attention to intricate details shown by the sculptors. The minute details from the toe nails to the hairstyles with every strand of hair delineated, to the veins and bones of the body lovingly recreated makes the visitor wonder at the dedication and skill of the sculptors of that era.

A unique statue: There is a statue in this temple which depicts the process of child birth using gravitational force! Many people who have visited this temple would not have seen this statue. This statue is carved at the base of a pillar which is very difficult to identify! I was able to see this statue thanks to my guide who is extremely knowledgeable about this temple!  

Avudaiyar Kovil was best described by The English professional photographer Captain Edmund David Lyon (1825-1891). Here it is - “It is quite impossible to give any idea of the beauty of the work here to be found. Each pillar is of itself worthy of the closest investigation, and hours might be spent in this one outer porch, and still not half its wonderful carving be discovered. The pillars are so close together, and the light is so very obscure, that to photograph it properly would be impossible, more especially as whitewash and paint have done their worst to obscure and destroy what was originally so perfect. There is not, however, one spot in the whole porch that is not exquisite; and when we consider the nature of the stone and the quantity of the pillars, it is doubtful if there is anything so beautiful, on a small scale, in the whole of Southern India. The whole of the outer pillars in front of the portico have been carved into different incarnations of the gods, which, in point of execution, far exceed almost any to be found elsewhere, for though at Peroor and Tinnevelly, perhaps, the figures are equally good in appearance, but when the nature of the stone is considered, these must be pronounced much more wonderful”.

 

Another post on this temple: Awesome roof

The awesome roof!

 Avudaiyar Koil (Koil is a Tamil word for Temple) in Tamil Nadu, in southern part of India is an outstanding example of South Indian temple architecture. Believed to have been built between 6th and 9th century, this temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. Manickavasagar, a tamil poet is the person who built this temple. It has a collection of sculptures which are breathtaking and every part of the temple is unique in some way or the other.

The roof of this temple is something unique and cannot be seen anywhere else. The entire roof is made of granite and the way they are assembled is something one has to see to believe! Avudayar Koil is famous for the art of Kodungai carving, the work done under the stone that forms the sun shade or overhang of the roof. It usually sits on top of the beam stone and is a superb example of the craft of the 9th century artisans. The popular story is that any contract for constructing a temple that were made subsequent to the construction of this temple specifically excludes the roofing of this type as it was considered impossible to replicate this kind of roofing! In fact, a British officer who visited this temple years back did not believe that the roofing was made of granite. So to check that, he fired two shots with his pistol on the roof! The holes that were made of these bullets can be seen on the roof even today!

The granite roof is first carved in several pieces in the ground and subsequently hoisted above the temple and then assembled! One can see the assembly of the roof with screws, bolts and padlocks - all of which are made of granite! You need to observe the pictures posted here carefully to appreciate how this temple’s roofing is unique and outstanding! Such an awesome roofing is not seen anywhere in the world!

The roof also has sculptures of snake made of a single stone. Also you can see sculptures which have chains hanging and the entire structure along with the chains are made of single stone!

 

They have also sculptured the twenty eight birth starts on the roof. Baratha Natya mudhras (Baratha Natyam Dance poses) are also sculptured on the roof! I have not seen in any temple with such an elaborate work on the roof anywhere in India!

Besides the sculptures, we can also see marvelous paintings in the roof of this temple. In this post I will be posting pictures of only roofing of this temple.

The person who guided me through this temple is one Mr. Manickam (His mobile number – 91598-53680). This guy is awesome! He knows every inch of this temple and takes personal pride of this temple and its beauty!

Squirrel

Squirrel is probably the cutest animal frequently seen in our neighborhood! It is quite difficult to photograph this guy because it is extremely timid and awesomely swift! If you want to get some quality picture you definitely need a good camera with a descent zoom lens. Above all you need ‘something’ to pin it down to a place for a reasonable time so that you can shoot him nicely.

That something is – Sun flower seeds! Yes, squirrels are madly in love with sunflower seeds! When they see a sunflower seed they are attracted to it like a magnet! While they are eating a sunflower seed they are almost oblivious to the environment! So you can go very close to it and take the picture!

Recently my daughter gave me this information and also a packet of sun flower seeds. Armed with this and my Nikon I started shooting the squirrels which frequently visit our balcony. I have posted some of the shots of more than 500 pictures that I shot!