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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Contest ‘Travel Photos’ - BlogAdda+PringOO



Photography is my latest craze and so is travelling. Of late I have been blessed with a lot of travelling and thus the blog, Saycheese. My imagination seems to be sightseeing too! Funny how photography can make you see things differently...poetically!



Firduas Click to be taken to my Photoblog
Taken on 18 January, 2010, from a boat on the Kabini River, Nagarahole', Karnataka.

Gar Firduas ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto hamin asto hamin asto ....
a couplet by the Persian poet Jami, which is inscribed on many other buildings in India and Pakistan...This is what was ringing in my ears as I went up and down the Kabini River. We stayed at the Cicada Kabini Resort for 3 days in January. A wonderful trip full of comfort; and at the time it allowed us to rough it out in nature with jeep and boat safaris. Nature walks with bird watching and tree hugging, enlivened us during the day and tired us so much by night that dragging our feet up till the bed was an herculean task. More than flowers and pretty faces, what excites me more are trees, the size and shape of which always fills me with awe.
Here in the wild, while we were all starry eyed taking in the succulent offerings of nature, we were rudely brought out of the trance by the sound of a mobile SMS that said "welcome to Wyanad". We were informed that we were now on no-man's waters... Karnataka to the north, Wyanad to the west and Tamil Nadu to the south!


Intruders Click to be taken to my Photoblog
 ............. Taken on 18 Jan, 2010 in the core forest of  Nagarahole', Karnataka. 


A handsome Gaur, Bos gaurus, the Indian Bisoncrossed the path first before the whole herd of 30+ crossed over. The guards said it could weigh 3 tons! The calves were just like those of our water buffaloes and it was a joy to watch them gambol just that bit extra on seeing us, the intruders. All the adults were alert with their nostrils flared up, sniffing the air. After they were sure that we meant no harm, they started grazing again.


Picture Postcard Perfect Click to be taken to my Photoblog

Taken on 27 Feb 2010 from the train in Kerala.

This was taken from a moving train, as it for the first time crossed over from Tamil Nadu through the Palghat Gap, with the Nilgiris to the north and the Anaimalai Hills to the south. This is a major break in the Western Ghats and is the spot where the Southwest Monsoons and storms cross the Ghats. The mountains you see are the Anaimalai Hills. The river in the picture is Bharathapuza which starts from these mountains and flows through three districts before emptying itself into the Arabian Sea. The flowers bloom in Feb but I have not got it identified yet. Maybe the readers can tell me it's Malayalam name.

Idyllic Click to be taken to my Photoblog

Taken 21 March, 2010 at Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Nellore District, 100 km from Chennai.

A breeding ground for Grey Pelicans, Open-Billed Storks, Little Cormorants, Spoon Bills, White Ibises and Night Herons. The birds that you see are painted storks, Mycteria leucocephala, and cattle egrets(white birds). 
Barringtonia acutangula, Freshwater Mangrove, Indian Oak, Indian Putat, grows on the banks of freshwater rivers, the edges of freshwater swamps and lagoons and on seasonally flooded lowland plains, commonly on heavy soils as it is in this sanctuary. The freshwater catchment area is now a huge lake with the Forest Dept. pumping in water during the hot summer months. The tree is called  Hijja or Hijjala by Sanskrit writers. The fruit is spoken of as Samudra-phala and Dhātriphala or ”nurse’s fruit,” and is one of the best known domestic remedies for many diseases.
We were hidden behind a thick growth of trees, bushes and creepers and were asked to maintain silence. That was not to be since the tourists had little babies with them, who were unaware of the disturbance they created...they just howled when hungry!

Monolith Temple Click to be taken to my Photoblog
Taken on May 10, 2009, Bhairavakona,  Badvel (14°45'0"N   79°2'59"E)

The spectacular monolith temple at Bhairavakona, very near a waterfall. 
We walked down a 200 paces into a little valley and the first sighting of this temple was spellbinding. This is a Shiva temple built in the 9th century.  Lord Shiva is called Bharguleshwara Swamy  and Goddess Durga is called Sri Trimukha Durga Bhavani here. Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvathi represent the three Mukhas.
The waterfall emerges from a rock at the top of a hill face and falls in a trickle now; but it is said that it was once a robust waterfall with water that had medicinal properties. There is a cave there with a statue of Goddess Durga and ancient inscriptions on the walls. It is said that the 50km tunnel dug by the Pandavas ends here and that this was where they lived during their days in exile.


© Nalini Hebbar/openmind/2009 - all rights reserved
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11 COMMENTS:

Parth J Dave said...

Wow! Gorgeous pictures.. you are sure to win this contest!!!

Unknown said...

Beautiful, all your pictures are mesmerizing, but my personal favorite is "Intruders" :)
Good Luck for the contest.

Indli said...

Your blog is cool. To gain more visitors to your blog submit your posts at Indli.com

Vinita Apte said...

Fantastic post Nalini...I especially loved it because of your description. You have provided us with so much information.

Wish you all the best for the contest.

Anonymous said...

Loved that picture postcard perfect! Great shot. Though, personally, intruders is an excellent picture as well :)

Rajesh said...

Wow! Beautiful images.

My Travel Photos

pixelshots said...

have to say an excellent write up and photos. really love the shots and as an intense travel and photography lover am hoping to visit this photo blog in leisures.

kerala photos

sharmila said...

.... that's exactly what i like - traveling n photography ... enjoy ur journey n keep clicking :)

Journomuse said...

Wow...I think you'd be a strong contender..The Picture of the cow walking Gaur walking across the jeep track is the best one...loved it...All the best for the contest

S.. Diva said...

great stuff Nalini.. Kabini, as always is my best :)

Theacharyamukti said...


Nice story thanks for sharing with us hope i read
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