469
Cycling across the Morey Plains..
Out of Pang the road climbs up a hill and then the landscape opens up into the Morey plains. Situated at about 4500m, it is a dramatic flat stretch of land about 45km long and 20km wide, fringed by low hills. On a clear day with a splattering of a few puffy clouds it can look quite beautiful up there. Occasionally one can spot a Tibetan wild asses, Kiang, grazing the plains here and maybe even a red tailed fox or two.
322
View of the Kullu valley as seen from Marhi.
The view of the Kullu valley as seen from Marhi. The town settlements seen down below on the valley is Kothi.
666
Living in the Shadow of the mighty Kanchendzonga
Photo taken near the Tumling village while on the Singalila Trek.
358
Oh those piercing eyes. A Ladakhi portrait in the Indus Valley.
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.
432
The village of Sissu on the banks of the Chandra river.
Here you see the Sissu village lying on the banks of the Chandra river. In the background are the snowcapped mountains of the Pir Panjal range holding back the rain clouds coming in from the plains of India.
316
Waking up to clear star studded skies and the snow capped peaks of the Pir Panjal range.
Waking up to clear star studded skies and the snow capped peaks of the Pir Panjal range.
148
sunset throwing shadows over the mountain ranges near shey village. Leh, Ladakh.
sunset throwing shadows over the mountain ranges near shey village. Leh, Ladakh.
401
Beautiful frescos on the walls of the Tanjore Big Temple.
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.
459
The road from Lachulung La to Pang along the Lachulung Lungpa stream,
After Lachulung La the landscape once again changes dramatically. The road snakes its way down through a narrow canyon with the Lachulung Lungpa stream running right beside the road. Eventually the canyon opens up to reveal an even more dramatic landscape. Extraordinary shapes, chiseled by the elements, jut out of the sandy mountain sides. These shapes appear mostly in clusters, some looking like anthills while some other clusters look as if they are pieces from a chess set.
633
Green Vine Snake
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.
347
Laying bare infront of mother nature. A Sadhu at Gaumukh, Gangotri.
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.
436
Keylong town.
Keylong is the district head quarters of the Lahaul region. The town owes its relative popularity to the increased traffic on the Leh - Manali road with numerous hotels cropping up here to cater to the tourists stopping over here enroute to their destinations.
433
The village of Sissu on the banks of the Chandra river.
Here you see the Sissu village lying on the banks of the Chandra river. In the background are the snowcapped mountains of the Pir Panjal range holding back the rain clouds coming in from the plains of India.
443
The ochre mountains towering over the Bharatpur tent city.
The descent from BaralachLa brings forth another stunning change in the landscape. The dull grey scree slopes are replaced with spectacular ochre mountains powdered with a little snow on top and laced at the edges with a dark reddish hue.
150
A Changpa nomad with his flock at the Tsomoriri lake.
A Changpa nomad with his flock of sheep on the shores of the Tsomoriri lake.
468
Cycling along the Morey Plains.
Out of Pang the road climbs up a hill and then the landscape opens up into the Morey plains. Situated at about 4500m, it is a dramatic flat stretch of land about 45km long and 20km wide, fringed by low hills. On a clear day with a splattering of a few puffy clouds it can look quite beautiful up there. Occasionally one can spot a Tibetan wild asses, Kiang, grazing the plains here and maybe even a red tailed fox or two.
471
A lone horse grazing by the wetlands near the Tsokar lake.
Photo taken at the Thukje village.
146
autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.
autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.
450
Start of the Gata Loops
Passing Sarchu, the road continues north through the Tsarap valley (the Yunam river now takes on the Tsarap name) and arrives at the infamous Gata loops. The Gata loops are a series of 21 switchbacks (hairpin bends) carved out of a massive scree slope of the Zanskar range. The loops take the road from an altitude of about 4200m all the way up to 4700m over a span of 10km. The slopes have a scrubby vegetation here and it is not uncommon to see herds of Blue mountain sheep (Bharal) grazing here.Â
444
The Yunam river cutting across the Sarchu plains.
The Sarchu Plains, is a high altitude (4300m) grassy plain forming the valley system between the Great Himalaya and Zanskar ranges. The Yunam river cuts through the Sarchu plains forming a deep, wide canyon in the middle of the grasslands. At the far end of these plains lie the Sarchu camp, consisting of numerous tented camps providing hot food and accommodation to weary travelers.
466
View from the hill leading up to the Morey plains.
Out of Pang the road climbs up a hill and then the landscape opens up into the Morey plains. Situated at about 4500m, it is a dramatic flat stretch of land about 45km long and 20km wide, fringed by low hills. On a clear day with a splattering of a few puffy clouds it can look quite beautiful up there. Occasionally one can spot a Tibetan wild asses, Kiang, grazing the plains here and maybe even a red tailed fox or two.
445
The Sarchu Plains, is a high altitude (4300m) grassy plain forming the valley system between the Great Himalaya and Zanskar ranges. The Yunam river cuts through the Sarchu plains forming a deep, wide canyon in the middle of the grasslands. At the far end of these plains lie the Sarchu camp, consisting of numerous tented camps providing hot food and accommodation to weary travelers.
497
A magical sunset scene from the Stok village in Ladakh.
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. 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.
325
A priest offering the aarti flames to the devotees and getting donations in return.
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.
634
Last light over the Kanchendzonga peak..
The sunlit peak of Kanchendzonga peeking through the cloud cover. Photo taken from the Lamune campsite on the Yuksom-Gochela trek.
686
Grasslands along the banks of the Pangong lake at the Merak village.
The glacial run of stream from the mountain irrigates the grasslands making this spot one of the most beautiful camping spots in Ladakh.
657
Kanwar Yatra Pilgrims going near the Gangotri Glacier for a closer look at Gaumukh.
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.
186
Pangong range towering over the Merak Village
The snowcapped peaks of the Pangong range mountains towering over the Merak village.
324
Ganga Aarti ceremony at Har-Ki-Pauri, Haridwar.
Seeking blessings from the scared flames. A typical scene during the Ganga Aarti ritual which takes place every evening at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar. I love this picture. Watch the girl in the background taking in the blessings.
517
The mountains of Chang Chemo range leading to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau.
The mountains of the Chang Chemo range on the far side of the Pangong Lake. 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. Getting to know the Mountain ranges of Ladakh
460
The road right after the Lachulung pass.
After Lachulung La the landscape once again changes dramatically. The road snakes its way down through a narrow canyon with the Lachulung Lungpa stream running right beside the road. Eventually the canyon opens up to reveal an even more dramatic landscape. Extraordinary shapes, chiseled by the elements, jut out of the sandy mountain sides. These shapes appear mostly in clusters, some looking like anthills while some other clusters look as if they are pieces from a chess set.
467
View from the hill leading up to the Morey plains.
Out of Pang the road climbs up a hill and then the landscape opens up into the Morey plains. Situated at about 4500m, it is a dramatic flat stretch of land about 45km long and 20km wide, fringed by low hills. On a clear day with a splattering of a few puffy clouds it can look quite beautiful up there. Occasionally one can spot a Tibetan wild asses, Kiang, grazing the plains here and maybe even a red tailed fox or two.
448
Cycling on the road from Sarchu to Gata loops.
The road follows along the Tsarap river.
399
Ancient frescos telling the story of Raja Raja at the Tanjore Big Temple.
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.
