(Total) Solar eclipse over Hangzhou China

There was collective cheering and whooping going on and i let out a few of my own. It was bigger than i imagined, strangely calm and beautiful.. a cool silver orb glowing in the sky, unlike anything that i had experienced before. We had a perfect view of the totality and could see the Sun's Corona from behind the moon in all its glory. Eclipse chasing in Hangzhou..

who doesn't love a rainbow?

Marshes around Tsokar lake

What sets the Tsokar lake apart from the other two, Pangong and Tsomoriri, lakes is that landscape here is composed of many different elements which are all beautiful in their own right but combine together to provide a visual extravaganza which cannot be matched anywhere else in Ladakh. We have the wetlands with numerous streams flowing through them, lust grasslands, dry salt flats and strange tiny multi-colored hillocks most probably created by the salt deposits. And also the lake itself, vast, deceptively close but actually quite far away (atleast a couple of kilometers away from the village).Read more here.

Mask dancers at the Thiksey Gustor festival.

Sandblasted mountain sculptures on the route to Pang.

"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."Read more : The Manali - Leh highway : A visual journey through the landscape

Kanwar yatra pilgrims at Rishikesh.

The road climbing to Lachulung La

After the Nakeela pass (4965m/16290ft), the road dips for about 300m towards the Whiskey Nullah campsite before climbing up once again towards the Lachulung La pass (5065m/16616ft). The climb up the Lachulung La is nothing spectacular but it opens up to a whole new world on the other side.

Reflections of a mountain range.

This one takes my breath away every time i look at it ? I'd usually dismiss these kinda photos as a lucky shot, being at the right place at the right time, but i had to work a bit to get this one. I was definitely at the right place.. but the time wasn't right as a light breeze was disturbing the puddle's surface. I hung around by these puddles for over an hour and finally when the breeze died down for a moment... CLICK !!

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.

At the Threshold of the Temple of Heaven

View from the north gate of Tiantan, the Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China. January 2006.View on Flickr

Tsomoriri Lake

Snow capped mountains surrounding the Tsomoriri lake.

Blue mountain sheep (Bharal) grazing by the Gata loops roadside.

..and then the mountains shone like gold.

One of the peaks in the Kanchendzonga range lit up by the morning sunlight and shining like gold.

The sunlit south face of Kanchendzonga and the GoeCha La pass as seen from the Zemathang View point.

Kanchendzonga Bathed in warm morning sunlight..

The sunlit mountains of Kanchendzonga peeking through the cloud cover. Photo taken from the Lamune campsite on the Yuksom-Gochela trek. © Kettik Images. All Rights Reserved. 10-Nov-2007 4:45pm

People gathered at the Har-ki-Pauri ghats.

People gathered on the Har-ki-Pauri ghats to witness the Ganga aarti ceremony. Once the ceremony is over, some of them take a ritual bath in the waters of the Ganges. Many people pay their respects to the river by placing floating diyas (wick lamps) on the waters of the ganges. The floating diya is basically a plantain leaf folded in the shape of a boat, containing a few flowers and a tiny wick lamp which would be lighted and set off on the waters.

Tourists enjoying a leisurely stroll on the sunlit Mutianyu great wall.

Puja in preparation for the solar eclipse.

Jan-15-2010 : Day of the Annular Solar Eclipse. Near Thanjavur, India. A local merchant family gathered by the beach to perform a ritual puja before the eclipse. They were expected to get in and stay in waist deep waters for the entire duration of the eclipse, but most of them gave up and got out midway. They were more interested in taking a closer look at the eclipse using my solar glasses than in doing the puja.

Kiang

A herd of Kiang (Tibetan wild ass) grazing near the Tsokar lake

milford waterfall

5:45am view of the Pir Panjal range from my tent just before sunrise.

5:45am view of the Pir Panjal range from my tent just before sunrise.

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.

Many reflections at the Pangong lake

Getting a shot like this was not easy.. there was a slight breeze blowing all the time and the water was not still enough for a clear shot. I hung around for over an hour, hoping for the breeze to die down... Lucky me !!

Swan lake at the emperor's palace.

Black swans swimming at the Old Summer palace in Beijing China. I love the perfect symmetrical reflection of the swan in the lake's waters.

Watching the sun rise over the Kanchendzonga mountain range from the Sandakphu camp

Watching the sun rise over the Kanchendzonga mountain range from the Sandhakpu camp

o fergberger

Marshes surrounding the Tsokar Lake

What sets the Tsokar lake apart from the other two, Pangong and Tsomoriri, lakes is that landscape here is composed of many different elements which are all beautiful in their own right but combine together to provide a visual extravaganza which cannot be matched anywhere else in Ladakh. We have the wetlands with numerous streams flowing through them, lust grasslands, dry salt flats and strange tiny multi-colored hillocks most probably created by the salt deposits. And also the lake itself, vast, deceptively close but actually quite far away (atleast a couple of kilometers away from the village).Read more here.

I witnessed this beautiful sunrise sitting at the southern most point of India, Kanyakumari. Can you make the boat in this picture?

Sandblasted mountain sculptures on the route to Pang.

"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."Read more : The Manali - Leh highway : A visual journey through the landscape

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.

Window to a beautiful world

A typical ladakhi house at the Sumdo village overlooking the route to the Tsokar lake via the Pologongla pass.

Pangong Lake reflections near Lukung

Zero Point

Swan lake at the emperor's palace.

Black swans swimming at the Old Summer palace in Beijing China. I love the perfect symmetrical reflection of the swan in the lake's waters.

Sculpture at Halebidu

Army convoy waiting at a TCP checkpost below Chang La for paperwork to clear.

"Traveling in an army convoy is a slow business. Every 15 to 20 km the convoy would stop at a check point (TCP) and wait 30 minutes or more to get all their paper work started again. Then its off to the next check point, another long wait and so on. It seemed like the famed Indian bureaucracy did not spare its army either."From Story : Rescued again... How the Indian army helped me cross a snowed out Chang La pass for the 2nd time.

Curious Kids

From the Netala village on the outskirts of the Uttarkashi town. We meet these kids almost daily on our evening walks outside the Sivananda Kutir ashram.

Hangzhou residents gazing at the Leifeng pagoda on a nice blue evening.

Kanwar yatra pilgrims at Rishikesh.

the lovely queenstown

Army convoy waiting at a TCP checkpost for paperwork to clear.

"Traveling in an army convoy is a slow business. Every 15 to 20 km the convoy would stop at a check point (TCP) and wait 30 minutes or more to get all their paper work started again. Then its off to the next check point, another long wait and so on. It seemed like the famed Indian bureaucracy did not spare its army either."From Story : Rescued again... How the Indian army helped me cross a snowed out Chang La pass for the 2nd time.

Apple harvest from the orchards of Kullu valley.

A lone duck flying across the setting sun at Majuli, Assam.

Majuli, in Assam, is the largest river island in the world. Surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra, the island has a total area of around 400 square km.  But this number is changing everyday due to soil erosion. The river erodes the soil from one side of the island and deposits it on the other side. So as land is lost you can be rest assured that it is created somewhere else.

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.

waiting out the night..

A Chinese family sleeping outside on the streets of the forbidden city as the wait out the night in hope of being first in line to witness the daily flag hoisting ceremony at Tiananmen square, Beijing.

Two young monks at the Sengor Monastery, Bhutan

Perfect setting..