Varanasi

 

Varanasi is supposed to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It is located on the banks of river Ganga and is a major pilgrim site for Hindus. The evening prayers on the banks of river Ganga (Ganga Arti) is a big tourist attraction. People of all faiths hire boats to witness it from a vantage point. The hundreds of years old temples are also a major attraction. It is believed that whosoever is cremated on the banks of this river in Varanasi goes straight to heaven. 

Whether you believe it or not but if you happen to be in this part of the world a visit to this holy city is a must.

Tawang monastery.

     As I had mentioned in my last post, Tawang is a beautiful town nestled in the mountains. It holds a lot of importance for Buddhists as the sixth Dalai Lama was born here. What I gather from the information available on the net, he was totally different from any other religious head. He used to drink, smoke, womanise and compose devotional songs. He travelled all the way to Lhasa but never occupied the royal palace. He spent his life as a commoner. He was finally murdered by the Chinese who tried to reinstate a Dalai Lama of their choice. The story is full of intrigue and I need to find more from someone knowledgeable.

     This monastery that I have painted above was constructed a short distance from his place of birth. This just shows a section of the monastery. The corniferous trees and forests of the hillside make this a sight to behold.  Hope I have been able to capture the essence of the atmosphere.

Somewhere near Tawang

     Tawang is a quaint town in the north eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, at an elevation of about 10000 feet. The monsoons are really fierce in this region. Ask any helicopter pilot and he will endorse my view. Flying becomes really tricky in this season. But this is also the season when this region looks mesmerisingly beautiful. This is an attempt to paint a small village in the area with thunder clouds overhead ready to pour. Hope I have done justice.

Undavalli Caves @ Vijaywada

     These are beautiful monolithic caves located about 10 km from Vijaywada city in Andhra Pradesh. These were carved out of solid sand stone in the 4th to 5th century AD. It is an impressive four storey structure. Changes seem to have been made in the original structure over the centuries. Originally it appears to have been a Jain temple. Then it was used by Buddhist monks as a rest house. Later on when Buddhism disappeared from these parts it was converted to a Hindu temple. It houses a huge five metre reclining statue of lord Vishnu made of solid granite. The shrine is surrounded by greenery on all sides and numerous specimens of rock cut architecture can be found all around.

     It was a sunday well spent for me. Could not complete the painting at the location and had to finish it from pictures clicked there. Hope you all like it.

Fly Helicopters Paint Helicopters

     A friend of mine owns a. private airfield near the city of Jaipur. He calls it 'Go Fly Zone' It is nestled in a picturesque location with hills on one side. Sunrise and sunsets are a sight to behold. 

     He had requested me to do a painting for him. This is what I managed. He loved it. Hope you all like it.

Dariya Ganesh

     This is the Dariya Ganesh temple (Dariya meaning 'The Sea") on Dumas beach at Surat, a coastal city in western India. Surat is also known as the Diamond city as it is famous for diamond cutting and polishing industry. During low tide the temple is as seen in this painting but during the high tide the approach to the temple gets submerged. Lot of rocks have been piled all around probably to protect it from the rough seas. Well what I did come to know that this place is listed in the top Haunted places in the country! Thank God I did not know about this when I was sitting and painting there. But I think I need to go back there and look at it from a different perspective.

     Have a great weekend friends.

Just Do It.

     As usual the excuse for missing from the blogosphere is the same. But painting does relieve stress. Decided to squeeze in something. This one was done in vengeance. No reference, blank mind. Just a decision to paint anything. A quick fire village scene. Done in a record time. But it gave me a lot of relief and a lot of satisfaction. Hope you all like it. Have a great week ahead.

Ward's Lake @ Shillong

     Shillong is the capital of the north Indian state of Meghalaya, which means the abode of clouds. The European settlers found this place so similar to Scotland that they called it the Scotland of the East. In the middle of the town is an artificial lake called Ward's lake which is very popular with the locals and tourists alike. Had loved the place when I was posted there long back. Have painted the boat house of the lake. Hope you all like it.
     Have a great weekend.

Afghan Church @ Mumbai

          When I first heard the name 'Afghan Church', I had wondered what the Afghans had to do with a church! On reading the history of the place it revealed that this church was built in 1847 in memory of the British soldiers who lost their lives in the first Anglo - Afghan war. The retreat of the British forces from Kabul in 1842 is considered the worst disaster suffered by them in India. The church was built entirely with locally available material and is known for  its wide gothic arches and stained glass windows. The tall structure was supposed to be a landmark for the ships in the Bombay Harbour but is now dwarfed by sky scrapers all around.

          This work was done plein air. The October heat was killing. However I did manage to finish it. This blog should not remain idle lest my friends forget me! Am sorry was missing from the scene for a long time. Work compulsions. 

           Hope you all like this. Have a great weekend.

Happy Basant Panchami.

   
     William Wordsworth’s “ten thousand golden daffodils” will be the first thing that will strike your mind during Vasant Panchami. This is because of the visual treat of nature that surrounds the entire country during the occasion of Vasant Panchami.  The color yellow has an immense importance on this occasion as mustard crop fields get filled with yellow colored flowers. ‘Basant Panchami’ also known as ‘Vasant Panchami’ is celebrated with great fervor and joy every year. It falls on the fifth day of Magh (Hindu calendar), ‘Basant’ means spring and ‘Panchami’ means the fifth day in Hindi language. This festival marks the beginning of the spring season but most importantly, Vasant Panchami also marks the birthday of Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of music, art, knowledge, culture and wisdom. 

     Love painting such subjects as they give me a lot of freedom to play around. Hope you all like it and hope the Goddess Saraswati blesses you all with a great year ahead and happy painting.

Kathakali-2

     Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance drama which has its origin in the Indian state of Kerala in the 17th century. Traditionally there are 101 stories which are enacted in this form. Earlier the performances were designed to last the whole night however they have been modified with the changing times. Now they last for 3-4 hours. This dance form is noted for its colourful make-up, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well defined body movement. Percussion is the main accompaniment. The stage actually becomes a riot of colors. It becomes too tempting to resist painting. Hope this work conveys the story...!