Photos from india

Living in the Shadow of the mighty Kanchendzonga

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:50:07 +0000

Photo taken near the Tumling village while on the Singalila Trek.

A lone horse grazing by the wetlands near the Tsokar lake.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:51:32 +0000

Photo taken at the Thukje village.

Kanwar Yatra Pilgrims going near the Gangotri Glacier for a closer look at Gaumukh.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:12:26 +0000

We were over 3800 meters high, walking a rugged mountain trail. The weather was cold and misty with a bit of rain in the air. But the pilgrims, some in their shorts & t-shirts, walking barefoot or just wearing chappals were undeterred by the terrain or the climate. They breezed through it all and focussing only on getting to Gaumukh ('Gau' - cow & 'Mukh - face), the terminus of the Gangotri Glacier and the source of the Bhagirathi river. One of the main tributaries of the mighty Ganges.

Shilabalika

Prashant@kettik.com (Prashant Patil) — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:34:07 +0000

Shilabalika

Last light over the Kanchendzonga peak..

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:05:12 +0000

The sunlit peak of Kanchendzonga peeking through the cloud cover. Photo taken from the Lamune campsite on the Yuksom-Gochela trek.

Green Vine Snake

Amit@kettik.com (Amit Mandal) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 05:10:41 +0000

A not-so-dangerous beauty. This snake is very common in India and has haemotoxins that are good to kill rats and all; humans are not expected to really die from its venom, though you might lose a toe or two to it.
It carries a famous myth that this snakes aims for your eyes, but that's not really true, this myth spread probably because this snake usually climbs high up in trees and thereby making it easier for it to attack you head; but then its just my speculation. In any case, its a lovely sight to watch this beauty with its cunning kung-fu master's half-closed eyes, and beautiful scales.
A piece of trivia about its scales is that when the green vine gets agitated, its skin expands to show red lines within. Will post another pic showing those (we pretty much managed to agitate it enough by constant flashing).
Final piece of trivia, (I'm not sure...but) this is not the Master Viper from Kung Fu Panda. :)
Tried hard, but am not able to control myself from offering an unsolicited gyan...pls excuse. I've seen quite a few of this snake's bodies on the roads passing through the reserved forests. Feels really sad; get the thrills of speed outside forests...its someone's home.

Zero Point

Saptarshi@kettik.com (Saptarshi Majumdar) — Fri, 06 May 2011 04:56:37 +0000

Zero Point

Guiding the flock home. Village scene from Hymia in the Indus valley.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:52:01 +0000

A typical evening scene probably played out at every village in Ladakh everyday. Shepherds guiding their flock home through the fields of their village.

This particular photo was taken at the Hymia village along the Indus valley.

The mountains of Chang Chemo range leading to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:58:12 +0000

The mountains of the Chang Chemo range on the far side of the Pangong Lake.Â

The Change Chemo range of mountains lead to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau. The dispute over the control of the Aksai Chin plateau is the reason for the 1962 war between India and China when India discovered that China was building a road through the Aksai Chin plateau to connect its Xinjiang region with Tibet.

To learn more about the mountain ranges and geography of Ladakh, check out the following Kettik article.Â

Getting to know the Mountain ranges of Ladakh

A priest offering the aarti flames to the devotees and getting donations in return.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:29:08 +0000

A priest offering the holy flames to the pilgrims during the Ganga Aarti evening ceremony at Har-Ki-Pauri in Haridwar. The devotees give some offering in the form of money back to the priests. Things did feel a bit commercialized to me, but maybe thats just the cynic in me talking.

A lone monk walking across the Hemis monastery courtyard.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 11:58:34 +0000

A lone monk walking across the Hemis monastery courtyard.

Can you see it ? Rainbow over the Tsomoriri lake in Ladakh.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:27:29 +0000

A rainbow was the last thing i expected to see on a sunny October morning in Ladakh. But this magical land is always full of surprises and this was a special one.

I arrived at the banks of the Tsomoriri lake late on the previous evening and unable to find the way to the Korzok village, i camped by the lakeside. At 4400m, the night was slightly cold and windy and i had just a packet of biscuits for dinner. You might think that its a tough situation to be in, but i enjoyed every minute of it.

The next morning i woke up to a beautiful sunny day and spent the morning basking in the warm sunlight. There was nobody around for miles and i felt that i had the lake all to myself. And if that wasn't enough, i spotted the mountains putting on a small welcome show for me with this beautiful subtle little rainbow.

Its days like this that make you feel as if you are the luckiest person alive.

A magical sunset scene from the Stok village in Ladakh.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 14:59:38 +0000

Sunset is always a magical time in Ladakh with the mountain ranges throwing out various hues of yellow and orange light as the shadows slowly creep up their sides.Â

This is a view of one such sunset from the Stok village with the Stok palace in the foreground.

Photo Note: This is a perfect scenario for using a GND filter. But even with a GND (3 stop) the range between the lights and shadows was so great that i had to use 'soft' filters in Lightroom to balance the exposure.

A Tibetan woman praying at the Namgyal Monastery in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:49:23 +0000

A Tibetan woman praying at the Namgyal Monastery in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala.

Â The devotees offer their respect by repeatedly prostrating infront of the deity. The prostration is a ritual in itself with the body dropping to the floor and stretched full length with the arms in front.

The prostration is repeated 3, 7, 21, or 108 times. And there are many wooden planks placed in the temple for this purpose.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostration_(Buddhism)

Ancient frescos telling the story of Raja Raja at the Tanjore Big Temple.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:57:09 +0000

The frescos on the walls of the Tanjore (Thanjavur) Big Temple are some of the most beautiful, intricate and richest ancient paintings that i've ever seen in my life. These paintings tell stories of the origins of the temple itself and of its patrons (mainly Raja Raja Cholan). Created using plant extracts and other natural preservatives, these paintings remain vibrant and rich even today, some 1000 years later, but not much could be said about the state of the plaster and the walls over which they are painted upon. Many of these paintings can be found along the outer corridors of the temple, while its Gopuram is said to contain even more beautiful and delicate works.

Beautiful frescos on the walls of the Tanjore Big Temple.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:58:13 +0000

Laying bare infront of mother nature. A Sadhu at Gaumukh, Gangotri.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:28:10 +0000

A Sadhu standing in front of the Gangotri glacier at Gaumukh. The altitude is about 3400m and it could get pretty cold out there. But he is wearing just a loin cloth and a shawl for warmth. Pretty amazing how the human body can be conditioned to cope with the elements.

The umbrella serves both as a walking stick and as protection against rain.

Oh those piercing eyes. A Ladakhi portrait in the Indus Valley.

Saravana@kettik.com (Saravana Kumar) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:25:05 +0000

I love the captivating eyes and the warm smiles (you'll see) of the Ladakhi/Tibetan people.

This photo was taken at a restaurant in the Hymia village where i camped overnight while cycling along the Indus valley. This kid was so fascinated by me, the he(/she) sat observing me the whole time i was at the restaurant. And, I in turn was captivated as well.