Up to India (Delhi, Taj Mahal, Rajasthan, and Vicinity) - October 6th-24th 2007

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October 19th 2007: Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh


Page 1 of 3.
Click on images below to enlarge:
On The Road
A movie showing the craggy slopes along the first part of our drive from Udaipur to Jodhpur. I mainly took it because I was interested in the low-slung rock wall, easily visible in this movie, that roughly paralleled the road for much of the beginning part of the drive.
A kid grinds grain with the help of oxen.
A movie of the previous picture. (No, I don't know what the point of the water is.)
Another movie: cows block the road.
A movie showing the craggy slopes along the first part of our drive from Udaipur to Jodhpur. I mainly took it because I was interested in the low-slung rock wall, easily visible in this movie, that roughly paralleled the road for much of the beginning part of the drive.
A kid grinds grain with the help of oxen.
A movie of the previous picture. (No, I don't know what the point of the water is.)
Another movie: cows block the road.
A movie of us weaving our way between more cows.
A movie of us weaving our way between more cows.
Kumbhalgarh Fort
Kumbhalgarh's focal point: the main mountain-top stronghold and its concentric levels of defensive walls. You need to view the full-sized image to truly appreciate it.
A panorama of this whole side of Kumbhalgarh. At the left is the stronghold from the previous picture. As you look from left-to-right, you can trace one of the fort's walls as it extends from the stronghold and as it recedes across the whole panorama. Yes, this is one enormous fortress!
A shrine. We're now within the fortress (or at least its first level of walls).
Another shrine.
Kumbhalgarh's focal point: the main mountain-top stronghold and its concentric levels of defensive walls.
You need to view the full-sized image to truly appreciate it.
A panorama of this whole side of Kumbhalgarh. At the left is the stronghold from the previous picture. As you look from left-to-right, you can trace one of the fort's walls as it extends from the stronghold and as it recedes across the whole panorama. Yes, this is one enormous fortress!
A shrine.
We're now within the fortress (or at least its first level of walls).
Another shrine.
The landscape inside the fort. Because the fort is huge, there's lots of open space.
Some of the many shrines within the fort.
The fort has a small shanty-town near the entrance. I think this is the only place anyone lives within the fort.
The many walls we'd climb past to get to the mountaintop.
The landscape inside the fort. Because the fort is huge, there's lots of open space.
Some of the many shrines within the fort.
The fort has a small shanty-town near the entrance. I think this is the only place anyone lives within the fort.
The many walls we'd climb past to get to the mountaintop.
Lovely crenelations along one main wall. In the photograph, you can trace the wall as it winds its way to and past the next hilltop.
A similar view, but nicely framed.
A wider view of this main wall.
From near the top of the fort, a view across it. In the full-sized image, you can trace the delicate line of fort's outer wall as it snakes along the hilltops.
Lovely crenelations along one main wall.
In the photograph, you can trace the wall as it winds its way to and past the next hilltop.
A similar view, but nicely framed.
A wider view of this main wall.
From near the top of the fort, a view across it. In the full-sized image, you can trace the delicate line of fort's outer wall as it snakes along the hilltops.
The walls in the opposite direction from the ones photographed in the previous picture. These meander even more.
The first part of an extremely wide panorama of Kumbhalgarh Fort and its environs. There are many things to do with this picture: follow the walls; count the shrines; notice the existence of mountains in the distance as tall as this one.
The continuation of the previous panorama, this part showing mostly the landscape outside the fort. (My photo software couldn't deal with an image as large as the result of stitching all the component photos together at once. That's why there are two panoramas.) Together with the previous image, it makes a roughly 330 degree panorama.
A movie that first records the plains and hills outside Kumbhalgarh, then focuses closer on the rough terrain just outside the walls, then finally draws in to show the two smaller walls outside the wall that I'm standing on. The sharp-eyed will notice a few (un-lit) spotlights used to light up the walls--those, I believe, are the only modern things seen in any of the pictures I took of Kumbhalgarh.
The walls in the opposite direction from the ones photographed in the previous picture. These meander even more.
The first part of an extremely wide panorama of Kumbhalgarh Fort and its environs. There are many things to do with this picture: follow the walls; count the shrines; notice the existence of mountains in the distance as tall as this one.
The continuation of the previous panorama, this part showing mostly the landscape outside the fort. (My photo software couldn't deal with an image as large as the result of stitching all the component photos together at once. That's why there are two panoramas.) Together with the previous image, it makes a roughly 330 degree panorama.
A movie that first records the plains and hills outside Kumbhalgarh, then focuses closer on the rough terrain just outside the walls, then finally draws in to show the two smaller walls outside the wall that I'm standing on.
The sharp-eyed will notice a few (un-lit) spotlights used to light up the walls--those, I believe, are the only modern things seen in any of the pictures I took of Kumbhalgarh.
A bland courtyard in the palace-stronghold at the top of the mountain.
A bland courtyard in the palace-stronghold at the top of the mountain.
Lunch at Roadside Buffet
The roadside cabana where we had lunch.
A short movie of part of the restaurant and most of the view we could see from our seats. The foliage was greener than that we saw at most places in India.
My plate filled with the items from the buffet.
Dessert. (No, I don't remember what this is.)
The roadside cabana where we had lunch.
A short movie of part of the restaurant and most of the view we could see from our seats. The foliage was greener than that we saw at most places in India.
My plate filled with the items from the buffet.
Dessert. (No, I don't remember what this is.)
Ranakpur Temples
The front of Ranakpur's main temple. Look at all the towers and the multi-leveled awnings.
The entrance to Ranakpur's main temple. The detailed carving around the opening--from floor to ceiling--provided an accurate taste of the detail we'd see throughout the temple. I can easily imagine this doorway framing a portal to another world.
The ceiling of one of the temple's foyers. If you look very closely, you can see that each radial has a different carved image. They're hard to make out--this is one of the few times I really wish my camera had a higher resolution.
A better, more detailed picture of part of the same ceiling.
The front of Ranakpur's main temple. Look at all the towers and the multi-leveled awnings.
The entrance to Ranakpur's main temple. The detailed carving around the opening--from floor to ceiling--provided an accurate taste of the detail we'd see throughout the temple.
I can easily imagine this doorway framing a portal to another world.
The ceiling of one of the temple's foyers. If you look very closely, you can see that each radial has a different carved image. They're hard to make out--this is one of the few times I really wish my camera had a higher resolution.
A better, more detailed picture of part of the same ceiling.
Some of the levels below the temple's main dome.
Of all the pictures and movies I took at the temple, this one best represents the experience of being there. It's a slow pan down from the exquisitely carved ceiling, past the similarly exquisitely carved third story landing, another ceiling, another landing, and another ceiling, all tracing the length of superbly carved pillars, finally down to a statue of an elephant on the ground level.
A different domed ceiling, with its fancy chandelier and many statues of naked women, each in a unique pose. View the full-sized image to really appreciate the setting.
Some of the temple's many pillars, all unique.
Some of the levels below the temple's main dome.
Of all the pictures and movies I took at the temple, this one best represents the experience of being there. It's a slow pan down from the exquisitely carved ceiling, past the similarly exquisitely carved third story landing, another ceiling, another landing, and another ceiling, all tracing the length of superbly carved pillars, finally down to a statue of an elephant on the ground level.
A different domed ceiling, with its fancy chandelier and many statues of naked women, each in a unique pose. View the full-sized image to really appreciate the setting.
Some of the temple's many pillars, all unique.