The Bansilalpet Stepwell (Naganah Kunta) is a six-level baoli or stepwell in close proximity to the centuries old Hussain Sagar Lake. Much of its history has disappeared with the passage of time but its architectural features stylistically date it to over 300 years old. The Pharaoh & Co. mentions the well as Naganah Kunta in their 1954 map of Secunderabad as part of a garden of tamarind and palmyra trees during the British period. Later, in the 1930’s, a Britisher - T.H. Keyes - developed the area and the project was funded by local businessman Seth Bansilal, after whom the stepwell came to be known.

This is the first chapter in finding the Stepwells of the Deccan series in collaboration with the Rainwater Project.

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Why are fireworks so mesmerising? The sudden, bright, moving sparks they emit are compelling to watch and seem mysterious because we’re so unused to light of that type travelling directly into our eyes. In general, the colours we see are created by light bouncing off the reflective surfaces of objects around us. As we encounter this reflected light all the time, we’ve become very good at unscrambling the colours in our brain and, as a result, anything different can seem other worldly. This could be why other sources of moving light, like shooting stars and fireflies, are also thought of as magical.

People are fascinated by pyrotechnics. In an age when highly-polished and sophisticated computer generated images are the norm, a live firework display feels like ‘border country’. It’s a rare mix of controlled, careful choreography with that exciting sense that anything might happen. For, while almost all large displays are fired electrically, once that electrical pulse is turned into fire, the device is unstoppable. It’s a hypnotic cocktail of science and spectacle, raw power and beauty, colour and noise.

#WildArt.Works, #Canon, #Photography, #Nightscapes, #Landscapes, #Fireworks, #LongExposurePhotography, #FireworkPhotography, #LightTrails, #Celebrations, #EventPhotography, #Cityscapes, #Skyline, #Singapore, #NDP, #CNYFireworks, #MarinaBay,

Rabindranath Tagore said it is ‘a teardrop on the cheek of eternity’. Rudyard Kipling praised the beauty of the Taj stating it is ‘the embodiment of all things pure’ & Shah Jahan said it made ‘the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes’. No wonder the Taj Mahal is one of the most fascinating architectural marvels in the world. One of three World Heritage Sites in India, it is set in serene Mughal Gardens and stands on a raised marble platform with its back towards the Yamuna River. The four sides of the Taj Mahal exhibit perfect symmetry and feature impressive vaulted arches embellished with Pietra Dura scrollwork, and verses from the Qu’ran in calligraphy using inlaid jasper. The Taj Mahal looks as immaculate today as when it was first built, leaving all who gaze upon it mesmerised.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #architecture, #history, #TajMahal, #Taj, #architecturephotography, #HistoricIndia, #Akbar, #ShahJahan, #MumtazMahal, #MughalArchitecture, #FatehpurSikri, #WonderoftheWorld

Also known as the 500 Lohan Temple, Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of Bintan’s best hidden treasures. Located in Kijang (South Bintan), the premise is just a short drive away from the main bustling scene of Tanjung Pinang. Step into the temple grounds and be transported into surreal settings of towering structures and the highlight—more than 500 life-sized (Lohan/arhat) stone statues with intricate physique and facial expressions, each one unique and different from the next.

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Fatehpur Sikri stands like a proud maiden showing off her beauty even as an air of melancholy surrounds it.  The rich sand stone walls echo the tales of poignancy and erstwhile glory. And yet there is something special about the 500 year old town that stands like a faded jewel sparkling in the afternoon sun. The legends of Akbar and his famed courtiers, the "nine jewels," or navaratnas, originated in Fatehpur Sikri. and echo from these walls. This was where Tansen sang the Raag Deepak and Raag Malhar and Birbal polished his wits.

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On the shores of the Bay of Bengal, bathed in the rays of the rising sun, is the monumental temple of Konark, a representation of the sun god Surya's chariot, led by a team of seven horses with 24 intricately designed wheels adorned in symbolic designs, one of the finest examples of Brahmin architecture and belief.

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The beautiful Ibrahim Rouza is among the most elegant and finely proportioned Islamic monuments in India. Its 24m-high minarets are said to have inspired those of the Taj Mahal, and its tale is similarly poignant: built by emperor Ibrahim Adil Shah II (r 1580–1627) as a future mausoleum for his queen, Taj Sultana. Ironically, he died before her and was thus the first person to be laid to rest here. Also interred are the emperor's queen, children and mother.

A four and a half hour drive from Bhuj, deep in the arid desolation of Kutch, lies an island in the salt pans. Here the ruins of a 5000 year old mega city from the times of the Indus Valley Civilization, known locally as Kotada timba, were discovered. Located on the Khadir bet island in the Great Rann of Kutch - Dholavira - is one of the five largest Harappan sites, the grandest city of its time and the most prominent site in India.