October 19, 2009 • 5:35 pm 0
Cows lounge in the shade of one of Jaisalmer’s beautiful havelis (private mansion), with their intricately carved sandstone walls and balconies. Rajasthan, India.
Filed under: architecture, india , architecture, carving, haveli, india, jaisalmer, ornate, rajasthan, sandstone
• 5:09 pm 0
The Red Fort of Agra is an immense fortress-palace and was the seat of government of the Mughal Empire for much of its existence. It sits not far from the Taj Mahal, near the banks of the Yamuna river.
Famously, it also served as the prison of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, imprisoned there by his own son Aurangzeb, the last of the Great Mughals. The old Shah Jahan would stare out of the palace window towards the Taj Mahal, which he had ordered built in memory of his wife Murg Mumtaz.
Filed under: architecture, history, india , agra, architecture, fort, india, mughal, palace, red, sandstone
• 4:42 pm 0
The Tomb of Humayun is an early example of the Mughal style that would culminate in masterpieces such as the Taj Mahal.
Herein lies the second of the Great Mughals.
Filed under: architecture, history, india , architecture, delhi, humayun, india, mausoleum, mughal, tomb
June 18, 2009 • 12:25 pm 1
November 25, 2008 • 9:59 am 1
• 9:55 am 0
Jaisalmer is a desert city located in the Thar Desert of western Rajasthan. Its proximity to the India-Pakistan border means there is a large military presence nearby, but the city itself is famed for its beautiful golden-brown sandstone. Every building in the city seems to be made from it.
Filed under: architecture, india , architecture, brown, city, desert, india, jaisalmer, rajasthan, sandstone, skyline
November 22, 2008 • 12:47 pm 2
Jodhpur is famed not only for the trousers but also its blue houses, sometimes also called Brahmin houses because they are traditionally inhabited only by members of that caste. The general view is that the blue wash was originally applied to help protect the houses against termites and other insects. Rajasthan, India.
Filed under: architecture, india , architecture, blue, houses, india, jodhpur, rajasthan
• 12:43 pm 2
• 12:39 pm 0
• 12:34 pm 0
The Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, India, is the supreme shrine in Sikhism. Kept within the temple is the Sikh Holy Scripture.
In 1984, the temple complex was the site of a bloody battle between Indian soldiers and Sikh militants hiding inside. The desecration of the shrine and the deaths of many civilians caused great anger amongst the Sikh community, leading to the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Hundreds of Sikhs lost their lives in revenge killings in the days that followed Gandhi’s death.
Filed under: architecture, history, india, religion, sikhism , amritsar, golden temple, history, holy, india, prayer, punjab, religion, sacred, sikhism, worship
