Birds and Bees

Blackbuck at Mydanhalli

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 15:10:00 +0000

Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year!
It appears that Im running quite behind on my blog posts. So much so, that Im now exactly one year behind! Last year around this time, K and I did a little impromptu road trip with an unsuspecting friend - we'll call him B.
We drove to Hyderabad from Bangalore, spent a whole day wandering about museums, gardens, taking in the sights, gorging ourselves on yummy biryani and drinking endless cups of heavenly Irani chai. We stayed at the excellently located Golkonda Hotel ( which I would highly recommend ).

We got back home and decided that some camping would be the perfect thing to do in such excellent weather. So, we made some phone calls, packed and decided to head to Mydanhalli. This was now our third trip and Keshav ( and even me to some extent ) had become familiar with the route.

Kestrel
Who should stay at Mydanhalli?

Do you have a passionate urge to photograph blackbuck and winter migrants? Do you consider sleeping bags the ultimate luxury? Do you have a car with a cavernous boot ? Do you think that 4am is the perfect time to get up? Does your car have high ground clearance? Do you believe the best way to spend a holiday is on your belly, crawling up stealthily on an dis-interested bird?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you probably want to skip this.

Additionally, do note that electricity is not available at all times ( carry candles - and dont forget the matches ). No food or water is available either, these too need to be carried along with your sleeping bags etc. Your garbage also needs to be carted back home with you. ( Now you know why the big boot is essential ).

Montague's Harrier But the rewards for those who endure are great. We opted against walks ( the grass seeds really can get into your socks, shoes and can get very annoying , choosing to use the car instead. The low ground clearance and the difficult terrain ensured that we broke one of our suspension parts. But one cannot make omelettes without breaking a few eggs.

The ladies

Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark
Top Survival tips:

1. Permission is needed from the Forest department to stay. Carry your own sleeping bags.
2. Carry food - nature photography is hungry work - ( 2 breakfasts, one lunch and dinner ) - I recommend sandwiches for breakfast ( carry the sliced veggies, lettuce separately in a box to avoid soggy sandwiches ) Butter the bread before hand. Sauce and mustard sachets are handy here. Sliced cheese is an excellent addition.
3. Caffeine addicts should be aware that tea is not available. Carry cold coffee / iced tea cans ( we did this). Or hot water in a Thermos and tea bags and sugar sachets.
Bay backed Shrike
4. For lunch and dinner we recommend packed biryani - chill it in the fridge before packing it in the icebox. If you dont have an icebox - now is a good time to buy one. Never use actual ice in the box, buy the little blue IceBricks instead to avoid a watery mess.
5. Carry sturdy styrofoam plates or the leaf plates. Carry paper cups, plastic spoons, forks. Paper towels.
6. Hand sanitiser and facial wipes are essential.

7. Carry large seal-able garbage bags and dont leave any litter behind.
8. Be sure to pack powerful rechargeable torches.
9. Take along mosquito coils and a pack or 2 of cards. Theres not much to do after sun-set. 10. Fruit is an excellent dessert, as is chocolate. Carry a knife for the fruit.

Small Green Bee eater
If you have one of those folding chair-table things that fold down to a tidy suitcase, this is a great place for it.

Keshav's photos can be seen at his site. He made friends with the Montagues Harrier and was able to crawl up close to get some nice shots.

Theres not much else to be said, my previous posts :
in 2008
in 2009
provide all the information on getting there etc.

K and I just got back from a 5 day l-o-n-g road-trip ( around 3400kms ) to the Little Rann of Kutch and back. More on that soon. Leaving you with my favourite shot of the series:

Hampi - Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Yes, its been an age; I know. We just got back from a week long touristy holiday in Hong Kong. Photos and trip report will follow ( at least I hope so, with the back log of pending processing already looming over me.)

Getting back to Hampi, the end of Day 2 coincided with India winning the world cup cricket match. We watched it from our hotel room (Ok, so it was K who watched. I slept through India's batting I'm afraid.) Either way, the next morning, also our final Day in Hampi, we didn't wake at dawn.

Before we get into the days activities, we need a little history with a dash of mythology. The Tunga river separates the ruins of Hampi from those on Anegondi.

First some history, Anegondi was the old capital of the Vijaynagar Empire, with its naturally rocky geography lending it self well to fortification, before expansion required a shift to the new capital on the other side of the river bank at Hampi. The name is said to have come because the the king's army elephants were stationed there (Ane means Elephant in Kannada, Gondi means deep pit ).

On the Coracle on the Tunga river, midway. The Anjaneya Hill in the center
Anegondi was the capital city when Mohammad Tughlaq, the then Sultan of Delhi, defeated the king Jambukeshwara Raya and installed his representative in the kings place. It is said the brothers Hari Hara and Bukka Raya founders of the Vijayanagar empire managed to successfully recapture Anegondi without armed conquest by sneaking into the Anegondi fort (of which only ruins now remain) and taking the sultan's representative prisoner while he was drunk. [ Imp lesson here folks - don't drink and rule ]

Now some mythology, Anegondi is also said to be the mythical kingdom of Kishkinda from Ramayana. Its important to know this because a majority of the historical ruins are all drawn from the epic. The monkey god Hanuman was said to have been born here. He met Ram and Lakshman for the first time here. The great mano-a-mano battle (or is it monkey to monkey ?) between Vali and Sugriva is also said to have occurred here. This is also where Ram met Shabri and ate the famous fruit, also where Jatayu the vulture was killed. So brush up on your epic before you get here.

To see the ruins on the other side of the river Tungabhadra and that meant a crossing. There are 3 crossing points - at the Virupaksha Temple, the Kondendarama Temple and the one at the Vittala Temple. We chose the latter. This is also the place where you can see the collapsed cable stayed bridge which was the governments brain child, intending to link Hampi to Anegondi.

Ofcourse the good King Kampabupa, brother of the king Harihara II had also had the same idea, way back in the day and had met with greater success. The ruins of that bridge of which only the supporting pillars now remain look better than the more recent govt funded ruin which frankly is an eye sore.

In the absence of bridges, the crossing is by coracle or by small motorized wooden boats. Sadly we couldn't get the coracle and you should take it if you can, what better way to relive the glory of Vijayanagar than by using the same transport as they did. The motorized boats, somehow defy the laws of physics and also transport 2 wheelers in an already cramped boat and get them across.

The great BushChat (male) surveys his kingdom

We left the car and proceeded on foot. The heat though persuaded us to reconsider our decision, and alighting on the other side after a short 5 min boat ride, we decided to hire an auto for the day. The driver insisted on taking us to all the tourist places and drop us back as well.

1.The Ranganatha Temple

This is a in-use temple and you need to remove your foot wear. The temple has one or 2 stone pillars but the rest is all more recently built going by the white washed walls and the gaudy color scheme. Its nothing you wouldn't find in any other temple.

What we did find was a very photogenic, money-minded sadhu. We took a few photos and left after he hounded us for more money.

2. Gagan Mahal

This is a crumbling yellow colored building which was built in the 16th century and has apparently been recently restored. Its only claim to beauty are its arched windows which gave the royal ladies a chance to view the proceedings outside. It was closed when we went and we were ok with that.

3. Pampa Sarovar

This is a small Shiva-Parvati (she is also called Pampa) Temple which also has a lotus pond. Sadly when we saw it it was not well maintained, there were no blooms, the water looked dirty and the place was inundated with tourists. There were tribal women who were selling knick-knacks and the like.

From my experience, all 3 are skip-able. What you should probably do instead is
Hachappa Mantapa
Chandramouliswara Temple
Prehistoric Rock Paintings

Either way at this point we were hot, bored and annoyed; we lost faith in our driver and told him to take us to Anjeneya Hill. A good place to look at it from the other side of the bank is from the Vittala Temple complex, it is easily identifiable by the gleaming white steps that snake all the way up a boulder studded hill.
It offers great panoramic views of the whole of Hampi and in hind sight, I think it should be done on ones first day and probably either first thing in the morning or just before sun set.

Its quite a climb and because we did it at noon the April sun was already high up in the sky and beaming cruelly upon us. There is no shade to cower into. The steps are slightly uneven and steep and at the 3/4th mark I gave up, the whole of vijaynagar was spinning slowly around me. A Caucasian couple coming down warned us that people up top were hopping like bunnies on the hot stones. Important lesson 2 : always wear thick dark coloured socks when visiting Hindu temples.

At the top is Anjenyadri a small temple dedicated to the Vanar God Hanuman (Anjaneya - means Son of Anjana ) who lends his name to this hill. He was the son of Anjana and Vayu ( also called Maruti - son of Marut another name of Vayu). It is believed that this is his birth place.

Sorry I couldn't make it to the top, I will next time. Dehydration is a major problem here, there are no toilets to be seen anywhere, so you really don't want to drink too much water, but do keep yourself hydrated in the summer. Carry your water and some snacks with you, I didn't find any one selling any at the bottom.

We high tailed it back to the air-conditioned confines of our hotel for the afternoon and made our second mistake soon after by planning to see the Tunga Dam in the evening. This was a complete waste of time, because no modern structure however large or grand at Hampi can compare with the sheer beauty and elegance of what the old kingdom has left us.

If you need exercise though, its a great place to visit, because there is no traffic allowed on the perfect tar road to the Dam. After parking in the crowded parking lot, you need to walk all the way to the actual reservoir. On the way are a couple of gardens which are just so-so.

Realizing our mistake, we headed to see the Hazara Rama Temple which we had missed, just to wander about just before Sunset. Another site which made a deep impression on me were the Toll-Gates ( this may look familiar to you because it is used in a biscuit commercial where a van drops biscuit packs for 2 kids when crossing a speed breaker).

When we reached the temple, the light was fading and we knew we couldn't take any photos. But even then, Hampi didn't disappoint and rewarded me with the friendly little spotted owlet photo which frankly made my day.
The ruins it must be said are even better at Sunset when most of the tourist buses have left. It is quiet and a cool evening breeze fans you as it must have done the erstwhile occupants of this awesome city.

With some nice ambient lighting, the buildings would look awesome, but sadly there isn't any and they close the monuments at 6:30pm so we had to say good bye to Hampi and head back.

Spotted Owlet at Hazara Rama Temple

The true enthusiast would like to read up more and frankly though there is a lot of material, it is rather scattered and sources are questionable.

As K and I sat there in the sunset with the owl, I did wonder about the citizens of Vijayanagar, what were they like? What did they wear and what did they do for fun? And as my tummy rumbled, I wondered, what did they eat? Fortunately, if you also had these questions I have saved you time and found you the answers and the source does seem authoritative, the first in the form of a paper by Jyotsna Burde and the rest by Jyotsna K Kamat. Enjoy!

Food in Vijayanagar Times
Social Life
Pastimes and Sport
Clothing

Keshav's Photos can be seen here.
Sources and Further Reading:
Other places to see in Anegondi - http://www.thekishkindatrust.org/?page_id=729
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Sacred_Places_connected_with_the_Ramayana
http://www.brownbeat.net/india/hampi/120-hampi-a-the-ramayana?start=1
http://hampi.in/anegondi
Hampi and the Ramayana - In pictures
History through Vijaynagara Coins
Story of Vijayanagar Empire

Hampi - Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 11:00:00 +0000

To be honest, Day 1 at Hampi left me a little underwhelmed. The Zenana Enclosure and the Elephant Stables are maintained rather like parks with open grassy lawns and trees, so in the evenings they are full of perambulating couples and hordes of chattering school children.

The dusty parking lots are packed full of giant Volvo buses, each of which regurgitate dozens of people carrying various plastic items which they plan to leave behind at the sites. If you carry a DSLR, people will ask you to take their pictures. We even had one school girl who wanted to pose with our car as a prop. She even borrowed my sun glasses and straw hat.

The next day though, Hampi compensated us and how! We left our hotel before dawn, much to the astonishment of the staff, to make it to the famous Vittala Temple at sunrise. Indeed, this is how Hampi is intended to be seen. Having parked our car in the dusty parking lot, carrying our backpacks with a few snacks and liquids, we started the long walk to the temple. The sun was just rising and the dawn colored the rocks along the way a gentle orange. The air was just slightly crisp, and a pleasant breeze accompanied us all the way.

We took the long route, walking along the river bank, and this is the route you should take. It is like stepping back in time, looking around you, the place looks preserved exactly like it would have been in its hey day. Except for the occasional moped, you can walk along pretending that you are a citizen of Vijayanagar. There are plenty of monkeys, keep an eye on your belongings.

There are coracles which will take you across the river to the other side, just like in the old days. From the pillared hall above the coracle boarding area, you can see the ancient collapsed bridge which connected the 2 banks. Further ahead, as the pathway slopes upward, you can see the Virupaksha Temple in the distance, easily noticeable as its ivory colored form standout among the rocks and boulders.

All along, there are little temples, buildings and pavillions, all mostly unmarked, free to be explored. They are good places to stop and take a drink of water and have a nibble. But please carry your garbage with you. Plenty of lizards and small birds like wagtails, bush chats and robins will keep you company as you walk along. Keep your self hydrated and fed at all times, I got a tad dizzy on our way back to the car and gave K quite a scare. :)

When we finally reached the temple, we were delighted to find that we were the only people there. Our delight was short lived when we found that it had a steel gate which had been locked. Soon we spotted a guard who looked like he might have keys. A quick chat in kannada and it should be open we thought. But the poor man was from Bihar and looked askance at me; some fluent Hindi from K later, we were inside. Just us, the rising sun and the temple.

There was an old lady who collected flowers from the old Frangipani tree and did a pooja of a small temple which had a idol installed inside. Possibly some one like her back in the day, would have done the exact same ritual.

Sadly within ten minutes, my reverie was broken by a guide who had appeared like a genie and would not take no for an answer. He spoke only kannada and gave me ( K happily pleaded ignorance and left me to my fate ) a full tour. In a way, it was a good thing to take a guide there, being a large temple complex, theres lots to see.

The buildings though are in a poor state of preservation, the carvings are not very sharp and many are broken. The Musical pillars were wonderful to hear. He also helped interpret some of the carvings, identifying people, gods and explaining context. Finally a couple of Caucasians entered the temple and the guide took off like a rabbit after greener pastures.

On our way back we saw the Kings balance, almost by chance, standing by itself near some neem trees, surrounded like everything else in Hampi by lots of boulders. You'll notice at the left pillar's base there is a small carving of a Man, a Woman and a child.

In the evening, we saw the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple. You'll notice that lakshmi is no where to be seen in the photo above. Thats because she left, and took some of his hands with her. You'll also notice that the lord looks like he is untangling wool going by the band between his knees. The original statue installed by Krishnadevaraya had Lakshmi sitting on his lap with her arm affectionately behind him. The statue was broken during the attack on the capital during the invasion by the Bahamani sultans in 1565 A.D.

Near the Temple, is the Badavi Linga which is enclosed in a tiny chamber and protected by the powers that be, by a grilled entrance to make it hard to photograph. Its base is covered by murky water and it is built over a canal. Which explains why its base is always flooded. Its size is massive and the One rupee coin near the pink flowers gives an idea of scale.

Another place that should not be missed is the Stepped Tank, which is a must see for the photo opportunity it provides. It is located near the Mahanavami Dibba which is like an open ground with a large stage and lots of steps.

Shadows are important when taking these photos so better to do it when the sun is in a position to be casting them. Below is a photo of the very nice Sadhu we met on the walkway in the morning. A man who had truly renounced worldly goods, he did not ask to be paid in turn for allowing us to take his photo. He looked mildly amused when we showed him the pictures and we paid him anyway. A far cry from the not-so-genuine holy man we were to meet on Day-3. Stay tuned!

Reading Material
Must see Monuments in Hampi

Hampi - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:57:00 +0000

Door Way at the Lotus Mahal

At barely 350 Km from Bangalore, Hampi is a world heritage site that is just waiting to be explored. However, the majestic ruins of the erstwhile capital of the Vijayanagar empire are for those who appreciate the vision and the skill of the city planners and architects. It is a site to be lingered upon and savored slowly like a fine wine. It would not do to be herded through it like cattle.

Elephant looking on at the stables

A year ago, on the 1st of April we were there. It had taken me 2 months of planning an itinerary - a task that K wisely left to me. Within 2 weeks, after going over a hundred odd blogs, trip reports, wikipedia, archaeological survey of India sites, I had given up. To do Hampi the way it deserves to be done, one would need 3-4 weeks. We had 3 days.

The famous emblem

Who should go to Hampi ?

You should really like historical sites or photography or both. Period. There is little else to do there. Much of it is best done in your own car. Or hired bikes or on foot. Be prepared to walk for long distances without shade. It helps to know your history, do your research before you get there.

The Lotus Mahal

When to go?

We went in April - why you ask? It can get incredibly hot, and is considered off season. So you have fewer tourists (good for photography) and the hotels give you discounts that you will not believe. These are the advantages. The only disadvantage is the heat. The best time to go ofcourse is in Winter.

Another angle of the stables

Where to stay?

The "proper" hotels are in Hospet. Which is 30min drive on bad roads from Hampi. All the Hotels are pretty much next to each other, there are a lot of nice looking places, so options are many. The most famous and oldest is the Hotel Malligi. Dont go by the name, its apparently the place of choice for firangs but not very swank or clean and it looks slightly seedy to me. The pan walla there is very good though.

Hoopoe among the ruins

The Watch Tower - Zenana Enclosure

We stayed at the brand new Royal Orchid Central Keerti at Hospet. Which is situated 1 km from the railway station at Hospet. I give it full marks. Good food, great service, super comfy beds, swank rooms and the techno-philes will love their touch screen controlled lights :) Nice pool too. And you'll need all these creature comforts because you can only do Hampi 6am to 10am and 3pm to 6:30pm. Its too hot at other times.

How to Reach?

We drove from Bangalore to Anantpur (NH7/NH44) which is a road you can fly on. From Anantpur head toward Bellary taking the state highway which is not too bad and join NH67 to Hospet. Do not think of trying NH13. It is in horrible condition. We left before dawn and reached before lunch. We could find no suitable places for breakfast, so just had emergency rations which we had packed from home.
The other way of getting to Hospet is by train or by KSTDC bus.

The Lotus Mahal's Doorways
Day 1

After a lovely lunch and some much needed snoozing and relaxation, we set out after a refreshing cup of tea. We headed out to the Lotus Mahal in the Zenana enclosure and the Elephant Stables. Buy a 50Rs guide book which people will anyway shove at you where ever you go. It has the map showing the important places so that you can plan your trip along a route and avoid driving to and fro.

Found this on a wall - Ram and Sita - I think

Hampi is deeply steeped in history and mythology. Its supposed to be Kishkinda from the Ramayan, which explains the Ram,Sita carving with the monkeys.

I'm not going to explain the history of these places here, I wouldn't be able to do it much justice. Where ever possible we avoided the guides like the plague so that we can explore on our own and try and figure things out for ourselves.

Tips

Birders should watch out for Spotted owlets, Parakeets and Hoopoes in large numbers during dusk.
Carry hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Wear very comfortable shoes and light cotton clothing
Wear soaks. Some temples require you to leave your shoes outside. You dont want to hop around on the hot stones.
Keep plenty of refreshments in the car.
Keep sun shade open in the car when parked or the steering may melt. :)
Carry plenty of change to buy tickets, pay parking charges.
Hampi is a dry town and also has no meat available ( we never tried any eating places here, but the guide books say so )
Hospet - where you will be staying has no such restrictions.

Behind the Lotus Mahal

Research and Further Reading

For the Tourist and a brief history - http://hampi.in/
Research - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi
Research - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire
Archelogical Survey of India - http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_hampi.asp
World Heritage Site - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241/

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Philodendron

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:41:00 +0000

I recently upgraded my Motorola Droid to Samsung Galaxy Note. My delightful new toy comes with a lovely 8 MP camera. And no, I'm not just saying this to gloat. This blog will feature photos from the Galaxy Note's Camera. Though I may not be able to zoom, I found that I can control exposure settings. I welcome comments on the image quality. Please look carefully and let me know what you think.

On to the plant in question; this is a family heirloom of sorts. My Mom acquired it in 2001 from my Grandma's garden in Mumbai, as a cutting. I got my own cutting from Mom 3 yrs ago, so its not technically too old.

I didnt know much about it, and though its fairly popular in offices and as a house plant, never once had I seen it bloom. Until one Saturday afternoon while picking off dried leaves I was floored by a flower hidden among the large leaves. It was no small affair, this was a Goliath the size of my hand. The inevitable research follows.

The Plant
Philodendrons are a genus of several hundred plant species. They are a flowering plant. They are climbers native to tropical America. Philodendrons belong to the Araceae family. But they are not totally unknown to us, we all know many of its relatives. The Colocasia, the Caladium and the Anthuriums all belong to the Araceae family too. Not surprising then that they all have large leaves and similar shaped flowers.

Caladium by Shobha Kamath

Some species of colocasia plants are native to India and are used as a savory food like Pathrado (In the photo its made with Spinach instead of Taro leaves. The Anthurium is common as a house plant.

Patrado - by Shobha Kamath

So among hundreds of Philodendrons which is mine? I think its the Philodendron 'Golden Emerald' based on this blog by PlantsAreTheStrangestPeople. It looks just like mine. I did think I had the 'Moonlight' but its flower has a pink outer covering unlike mine which is pale green-yellow.

My plant in the pictures is sporting 2 large buds - see if you can spot them. The two new leaves also in the picture are rolled up neatly. They have a thin outer covering.

The thin outer coverings are called cataphylls. They cover the new leaves and as the leaf unfurls, the outer covering hangs down like a peel. It eventually dries up, turning brown and crispy and curls up at the base of the leaf. It can be seen clearly in this photo.

The flower
The flower ( technically its a inflorescence ) is composed of 2 parts - the Spathe (which is the outer hood like covering) and the Spadix ( the long finger like projection ). The Spathe in my case is a pale green-yellow stiff hood. The insides are brick colored towards the end. The Spadix is a plain white tube.

The flowers open slowly, and over a day, the spadix gradually leans itself outside of the hood. It closes up again looking very similar to the original bud, just a little puffier.
Since the first flower, my plant has been quite busy in this department, producing them at a rate of 2-3 a month. So, does it become a fruit? Sadly it doesn't seem to be the case. Philodendrons are pollinated by beetle species.

The plants attract the beetles by giving off pheremones which attract male beetles and offer the males the spathe as a sort of secure motel where they may mate with beetle females. The enclosure provides safety from predators which benefits the beetles.

After the flower blooms, typically in my observation for not more than 2 days, it closes up again. Tightly. So I guess the beetles if any would be not welcome as house guests after 48 hrs. It then proceeds to dry up turn brown and falls off.

We can safely assume that no beetles from South America are heading out to help my plant propagate, so how do we make more philodendrons?

Growing and Propagation

Stem cuttings grow readily and can even be kept in water for several days ( I do this while I wait for empty pots ). Wikipedia says the cutting must have at least 2 joints. I have just used large cuttings usually from accidentally broken off parts of the Parent plant.

It is ideal to grow it indoors at home or at an office. It doesnt require natural light. The leaves will turn pale if exposed to too much sunlight. It does well in shaded corners of balconies, which is where I keep mine. The thumb rule is bright light but not direct sunlight.

In my observation, the leaves are also getting progressively larger as the plant grows up. The leaves will droop if it needs more water. It seems to like the soil to be quite moist. I add used tea leaves to the planters.
It requires little care beyond that its leaves tend to get dusty every now and then and it needs to be wiped down with a damp cloth ( a time consuming job for large plants ).

Uses

The philodendron's uses are mostly decorative. Wiki tells us that some species are poisonous. So its best to avoid adding those leaves to any salads. :-)

Btw, I have acquired a White Butterfly pea. Here is a recent photo.

I also have 2 other species of philodendron, the names of which I have yet to discover. I have also finally found out the names of 2 of my wierd plants.
1. Euphorbia tirucalli
2. Cissus quadrangularis ( my plant's leaves are shaped differently )

If you had a doubt ( I know I did) on whether the common MoneyPlant is a Philodendron - It is apparently not, going by this explanation.

A post on these and more will follow as and when I learn more.

Butterfly Pea

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:06:00 +0000

Don't worry, I wasn't kidnapped by aliens, my long absence from blogosphere was due to all the travelling we were doing during Nov and Dec last year. This was part of our "life is too short to accumulate leaves, use them now " initiative.

The butterfly pea in full bloom

This is a lazy gardener post, so we'll get right to it. All the travels meant my plants had to pretty much fend for themselves. This isn't too hard on them because I believe in the "tough love" approach to caring for my plants. See bottom of post for how tough love works.

The Butterfly Pea - Clitoria ternatea

I've always wanted this vine for as long as I can remember, and I finally got the seeds from a colleague a couple of months ago. This creeper is native to India ( and parts of Tropical South asia), called Aparajita in Hindi, Konkani - Sankh Pushp because of its Conch shell like shape. It is available in 2 common colours - indigo blue and plain white. I have the blue colour species which I grew from seed. It is ridiculously easy to grow and requires very little care. It tolerates drought well.

It is a legume. Sound familiar? Remember biology classes? These are plants that fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil. So planting this will actually improve the quality of your soil ( Yay! ).

Flower in profile, with a young seed pod

Growing from seed

The seeds, if you get them from someone will be in the form of dried pods. Peel open to reveal about 5-6 little black seeds . If planting in a pot, place 2-3 seeds per pot (for a medium pot). Use a tool to make a tiny depression for each seed. Just chuck the seeds in the holes and water over to moisten the soil. Wait.

Waiting can be quite long, I found one plant germinating weeks after planting, I had forgotten all about it.
I re-use bamboo skewers from barbecues as vine supports for this creeper. They don't really need a support if grown on ground, they form into a bush on their own.

The Flowers

The bud is actually hard to spot, and you'll be surprised by a massive flower one fine morning. 1 - 2 flowers can be expected every few days on a new plant. The flowers are edible and wikipedia says that they can be dipped in batter and fried. I haven't tried this myself.

The flowers last a whole day and then fade and crumple. Eventually a seed pod - like a flat french bean will start to form. Leave it alone until it dries to a light beige brown before harvesting.

Should I grow this Plant ?

Lets recap, the plant is easy to grow, it produces pretty blue flowers, doesn't need lot of water, parts of it are edible and it improves soil quality. If that wasnt enough, it is used in ayurvedic medicine to cure a variety of ills ( see wikipedia link for details ). What more reasons would you need?

Best Wishes from me and K on Makara Sankranti ( which falls on 14th January every year). Incase you were wondering why it comes on the same day every year, when most Indian festivals don't, its because it is a Solar event. The other festivals follow the lunar calendar.

This is a harvest festival, so I thought of having a little harvest of my own, Im leaving you with a photo of my crop of Basil.

Tough Love - How it works

1. Do not over water. There are dozens of news articles on how people are over watering their lawns and gardens and adding to the water shortage problem. Plants need less water than we think they do.

2. Keep plant species that are native to the climate and temperature. They will react better to the conditions and need less care.

3. For balcony gardeners, make sure the plants are arranged to make max use of Light and Shade areas of the balcony. For indian climate, avoid the harsh direct sun where possible, the less water is lost to evaporation, the less water is needed.

Ofcourse, this will come naturally to you if you are lazy like me, and forget to water your plants anyway. :)

Signs of Over Watering

Lower leaves will go yellow

Plant looks unhappy and wilted

Roots will be rotting in the soil

No new growth seen

Young leaves will turn brown

Leaves may seem limp and droopy

Munia Mania

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 10:02:00 +0000

It all began when i noticed my Lemon Grass in the kitchen garden looked like it had been pruned by a 5 yr old. At first I thought it was the cook doing some gardening and gave it no further thought. That was until on a sunday morning while making tea, I heard soft twitters from the balcony and peeked out the window. I had caught the lemon-grass thief in action!

I moved over to the other bedroom window and from there I could get a good view of them ( yes, there were of them ). One sat on the grill as a lookout, while the other picked at a leaf ( they are tough leaves and difficult to cut ). All the while the one doing the picking would give out a soft 'chee' sound periodically. When it was done, it made a 'ti tee ti tee' like sound and the two of them took off with a long green streamer of lemon grass behind them.

This wasn't the first time I had seen a Scaly Breasted Munia (also called Spotted Munia). It was the first time I had heard it though. This has been a daily occurrence since June, there are 2 of them outside the window tweeting away as I type this out. They visit in the morning and in the afternoon.They are nesting in our apartment campus in a Ficus.

Last week there were four of them sitting on the grill near the plant. They are now used to my presence and I was able to open the window slowly and push out my lens between the grills and take these photos.

Spotted Munia Info (Lonchura punctulata)

Spotted Munia are a species of Finch They are native to India. They look quite distinctive so are hard to confuse with other birds. They are sparrow sized. Male and Female look exactly alike. Research says that the male sings more than the female and has a slightly darker head.

Nesting season is June - August ( monsoon ). It seems that the Munias are dedicated builders, they seem to be showing no signs of stopping. I don't know how much longer my lemongrass can take the constant pruning. They must be having the most fragrant nest in the neighborhood.

Spotted Munias are easily spotted in flight by the long green streamers they fly around with as they ferry them back to the nest. Ive seen them nest in Ficus quite a bit. We even had one nesting in a potted Ficus in the Office open air cafeteria. My first sighting of them was at Madivala lake.

Food: Munia eat grass seeds and small insects. They dont seem to like rice grains or mixed dals, because I put a few out and they weren't interested.

Are there other Munias ?

Yes there are indeed :

1. Red Munia - Avadavat ( seen only once and record photo by K in Manchinbele )
2. White Rumped Munia - seen in Ranganthittu
3. Silver Bills - seen in Maidanhalli and Manchinbele
4. Black Headed Munia - Seen in Ranganthittu
5. Green Avadavat - (north and central india) very rare and Threatened species.

Highrise Birding

Living in an apartment building in the middle of the city doesnt mean you are bereft of birds. The Munias are not our only visitors. Other birds that we see on a daily basis from our 9th floor abode:

Large Pied Wagtails
Purple Sun Bird
Bush chat - male and female
Blue Rock pigeons ( these I dont encourage )
Tiny Bats ( we had one as a house guest for a day )
Red rumped swallows

Other birds we've seen from the terrace or on walks around the campus:

Shikra (regular sighting)
Spotted Owlet (regular sighting)
Jungle Myna (not the regular myna, these have a tuft on the beak)
Tree Pie
Kites
1 Peacock - ( I kid you not! )

We saw the peacock a month or so ago, walking on the terrace of the neighboring apartment building. We still cant believe it ourselves. (Checked with people, its not a pet). I also saw a few years ago an egyptian vulture on top of the ITPL building. There is a forested area not too far way, so I'm guessing the peacock, tree pie and the monkeys come from there.

Can I get these birds to visit me?

Certainly, You can grow lemon grass for starters. ( just kidding ).

A bird bath is a good bird magnet. But it will encourage pigeons ( which make quite a mess ) so unless you have a large balcony or terrace, I wouldn't recommend it. Place an earthen ware pot filled with water in a shaded area. Place a stone in the middle ( as an island ) for smaller birds.

The best way is to attract small nectar drinking birds like sunbirds. Plant native species of Hibiscus ( Red, Pink, White) or the Blue Clustervine, Yellow Trumpet or butterfly pea vine and with some luck, you will soon have a few sunbirds drop by.

Halebidu v1.0

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:26:00 +0000

Its been a while since my last post and it isn't because of not trying; there's a bunch of partially written drafts covering Bodhgaya, Goa - A RoadTrip, Hampi in various parts, Hogennakal and a few more that have now skipped my memory. The long holidays saw us return from a road trip to Goa, the plan of a similar trip to Pondicherry has been postponed to a different time.

What better way to start than with the remover of obstacles?
This Ganesh Chaturti we thought of doing Halebidu and Belur. What we did not factor in our plan was the monsoon, the sheer size and innumerable carvings of the Halebidu Temple and the sheer size and innumerable pot holes that were generously sprinkled enroute. We'll get to the nittigritties of travel in Karnataka later. First, some background. ( As always I will refrain from providing details easily available from wiki )

The spots on the sculpture are rain drops

Observe the bells swaying

Quick History Lesson

Halebidu started life as Dwarasamudra, the Gate to the Sea, named so because of the lake in the city that looked like the sea. The lake is still there and is part of the temple complex. In the early 11th century this city was the capital of the Hoysala Empire. Halebidu means old or ruined city; the name and the ruin came thanks to Alauddin Khilji of the Mughal Sultanate. The city was laid to ruin twice, once in 1311 and then again in 1327.

By 1336, the Sultanate in Delhi had conquered the Pandyas of Madurai, the Kakatiyas of Warangal and the tiny kingdom of Kampili. The Hoysalas were the only remaining Hindu empire who resisted the invading armies. Veera Ballala III, the last king of the Hoysala Empire stood strong against the destroying forces and managed to hold them off until he was killed at the battle of Madurai in 1343.

But before we lose hope, be aware, all was not lost. Veera Ballala had 2 commanders, Harihara (Hakka) and Bukkaraya (Bukka) - do the names sound familiar? Thats because the remaining regions of the erstwhile Hoysala empire merged and formed itself into a kingdom under these able commanders. This new Hindu kingdom resisted the Mughal invasions and would later find fame and fortune as the great Vijayanagara Empire. This empire would give Karnataka the wonders of Hampi, which I hope to cover in satisfactory detail in a following blog.

This set of images depicts the Holy Trinity ( usually represented by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (Mahesh) ).
Here, I have placed them as they appeared on the temple wall, which featured Shiva in the middle, since this was after all his temple. Identifying is easy, Brahma has 4 heads ( 3 are visible 4th is behind ), Shiva is identified by the Drum, for Vishnu ( shanka, chakra, mace, padma ).

The Temple

The temple at Halebidu is actually a pair of shrines joined together. The deity is Shiva. The 2 shrines are for Hoysaleshwara ( Shiva given a name after the king ) and Shataleshwara. ( Shiva named after the Queen Shantala ). The King was Vishnuwardhana. Work on the temple began in 1121 AD ( ASI tells us that it was in 1120, funded by 2 merchants Ketamalla and Kesarasetti ).

The merchants must have had very deep pockets indeed because like the Energizer bunny, the sculptors kept on going and going. 190 years later, they were still not done. If you're guessing that either money or patience might have run out, you're wrong, the first invasion had occurred.

( Note: wiki says 87 yrs of work, the guide said 190. If you do the math, 190 matches exactly. Also some parts of the temple do look incomplete, so I would go with the guide on this one )

These two images show Shiva vanquishing baddies and doing the Tandav. Many of the sculptures are quite gory, showing severed heads, dripping blood, which is being lapped up by skeletons, dogs etc. Both these are the quite sober in comparison. Observe the right image, Shiva depicted with 14 arms, the left has only 12. I like how on the right image, the snake has made its way through the eye socket of the skeleton and exited through the ear hole. On the left image, the tail of Nandi the Bull ( the transport of Shiva) is depicted raised in anger as it does its bit, stamping on the villian in question.

What to See, How to see

The outer surface is covered with freizes that contain detailed storylines from Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. Be aware, to read the story in the right order you need to go clockwise. That's because circum-ambulation ( pradakshina ) is done clockwise in Hinduism. The best parts begin from the Royal entrance. The main "public" entrance has the shoe rack so you will start from there in all probability.

If you want to see Hindu mythology in glorious 3D, this is the place for you. The images fairly leap off the walls. Be warned this movie has gore, violence and explicit content which may not appropriate for younger viewers. ( I would give it a PG rating ). Where is all this you ask? The standard Hoysala building guidelines have 6 levels of decorative lines ( you can see it in the Somnathpura temple ) Here, there are 8. One of the additions is a running line of erotica from the Kamasutra.

This depiction narrates the story of the Parijata Plant ( flowering shrub ). This is an action sequence from the scene of the crime ( our gods were pretty human in their faults ). Vishnu and Satyabhama ( his consort ) are fleeing from the gardens of Indra with a cutting of the plant, their getaway vehicle is Garuda ( the eagle, Vishnu's mount ). Hot on their heels is the mighty Airavat ( 4 tusked white elephant of the God of Gods ) Indra is driving the elephant hard, Sachidevi his wife is barely able to hold on due to the speed. The raised tail of the elephant depicts agitation.

After our tour of the temple with the guide, we began taking the photos; I started with the 70-300 to get the hard to reach ones and closeups. The heavens opened up with a drizzle that lasted 30 min and then finally became a downpour that had us imprisoned inside the temple for a good 30 min. So the photos I have are just the initial images, I hadn't even got to the good parts yet. So I didn't get to take any images with the 18-55, so no landscapes and big picture images.

Dwarapalas

The gatekeepers. The handsome chap on the right seems a tad over adorned for someone who is just a security guard. Important to note is also that the weapons and dressing style seem to be very similar to the god being guarded. Observe the Drum he is carrying.

This seemed interesting to me, so I did a little research which yielded more info than I had hoped. See "All about dwarapalas" at the bottom for the link.

Apparently the grandeur of the gatekeepers is a reflection on the grandeur of the temple and the god.

Dvarapalas of Shiva have names & are:
(i)Nandi and Mahakala (to the East)
(ii) Herambha and Bhringi (to the South)
(iii)Durmukha and Pandura (to the West)
(iv) Sita and Asita (to the North).

The first named in each pair stands to the right of the doorway; and the other is stationed to the left.

From the Dashaavatar, from left to right, ( Vishnu Avatar version 3.0, 4.0 and 8.0 respectively )
Number 3 - Varaha - the boar, rescuing Bhoomi Devi - Mother Earth - from the demon Hiranyaksha
Number 4 - Narasimha - as Prahlad looks on, he extracts the intestines of his dad Hiranyakashipu

The demon names sound similar, coincidence? No, they are brothers. Hiranyakashipu was the elder brother of Hiranyaksha. Mystery solved.

Number 8 - Krishna - 2 armed ( mortal ) Krishna holds up the Govardhan Mountain to protect his village from the torrential downpour. The people are shown sheltering beneath.Infact if you look carefully ( follow flickr link and see large size image ) you can see the detail that has been carved, showing the inhabitants of the mountain, 2 tigers in a cave, 1 monkey, 2 hunters, 1 lizard, 2 birds, a cat catching a mouse.

The details

Wiki mentions that the temple is in dilapidated state, nothing could be further from the truth. The temple is in use and "in worship". And that for you and me means no footwear.
Entry is free, temple is open from Sunrise to Sunset on all days. There is a bored looking priest inside the temple, who will allow you to photograph him. There are guides, and here I must concede they are good. They know their stuff and they give a bill and have a standard charge. Guides speak in Hindi, English and Kannada. There are female guides as well, something I haven't seen anywhere else!

We had Raghu as a guide, and I tested him with lot of questions, being skeptical at first, he passed muster for me, his english was very good as well. Apparently there is a 6 month training provided by ASI to the guides that gives them all the info. Be warned though, later as I wandered taking photos, I found another guide giving a slightly modified version of what had just been explained to me. If you decide to hire the guide, and I suggest you do, ask questions. Do not let them parrot away, take them to the sculptures that they skip and point out areas of doubt. You may be surprised with what you learn. The guide will take 30 min usually, 45min - 1 hr if you ask questions.

The Mayura Hotel from KSTDC is directly opposite the temple. I recommend you eat there, it is clean and also has toilets. We had the Veg. thali meals there. Very simple food, but very yummy indeed.

The first image is a depiction of GajasuraMardhana ( the killing of Gajasura - the elephant demon). Here, Shiva has entered the body of the elephant and is killing the demon from within. Observe the 2 rear legs and tail of the demon at the top. The hollow being the inside of the elephant.
The next is a happy domestic scene, of Shiva and Parvati sitting on his lap, both looking pretty calm. The Mongoose beneath Parvati is her mount in her Calm State. In her Angry phase, she rides a lion.

Other Temples to be visited

Bellavadi - 5 km from Halebidu - we drove there in the rain to check it out for future reference - its smaller and in a tiny street, closely placed with people's houses. Parking will be a problem for the larger cars. But it looked most promising, so I would definitely recommend it. The road is tedious and potholes are many.

Belur - Halebidu and Belur can be done in a single day if you really want to, but I don't recommend it. These are leisurely pursuits, keep in mind that these temples took close to a hundred years to build, the least we can do is give it a few hours time to appreciate the work.

What we will probably do the next time: Stay in Hassan, and make take day trips.

Here we have Saraswati, identified by the beads in her right hand, and the book in the left. They signify spiritual and worldly knowledge, both of which she is the master of. Her mount, the peacock is at her feet. Musicians play as she dances.

The next is an action sequence, showing us in 3D, Gajendra Moksha. ( The liberation of Gajendra - king of elephants ) Here, we see that Makara ( the crocodile - a gandharva ( divine being ) cursed to be a crocodile ) has caught hold of the elephant's leg and is refusing to let go. Gajendra seeks divine intervention to rescue him, and it appears in the form of Vishnu on Garuda. Gajendra offers Vishnu a lotus, raised in his trunk as he prays for help.

Dont Miss These

Due to rain and shortage of time I couldnt get even half of what I wanted to capture. These are a few things you dont want to miss.

Ravana lifting Kailash mountain as he tries to move it to Lanka
Vamana Avatar's encounter with Bali, and his subsequent transformation from Dwarf to Giant.
Mahishasura Mardhini
Vishnu and Lakshmi sitting in the pose of Shiva-Parvati

Churning of the Ocean of Milk.

From the Mahabharat:
Arjuna and Karna Yudha
Chakraview and Abhimanyyu
Arjuna at Draupadi Swayamwar - targeting the eye of the fish

Moral Stories depicted, I was just wowed by how cool this is:
1. Consume Alcohol in moderation. Sage with Alcohol in a pot, bird drinking from it, Snake under the pot. Lesson - drink alcohol in small quantities and you will fly high. In large quantities it is as poisonous as a cobra.
2. External Beauty. Man with a Donkey headed woman. Love the inner qualities of your spouse not the external features.

Route Map

It took us close to 5 hours to get there. With a stop for breakfast and some for nature calls. We left at 6am and were there by 11:30am

View Larger Map
Further Reading:

Wiki - Gothic Art
Wiki - Hoysaleswara_temple Wiki - Halebidu
Wiki - Hoysala_Empire
Wiki - Veera_Ballala_III
Hoysala Empire from Kamat Potpouri
All about Dwarapalas
Gangaikondacholapuram by R. Nagaswamy Indian Temples and Iconography

Bhoganandishwara Temple

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 05:58:00 +0000

The Stepped Tank

When I first saw this online, I knew we had to go here. I was beside myself when I found it to be just a stones throw away, at the foot of Nandi Hills. I chanced upon this while looking for ancient architecture to photograph within driving distance from Bangalore. I learnt of it from this blog - A Protest of Romance.

Finding it was easy, since we are regular visitors to Nandi Hills, we also found a surprise along the way. This temple is very much in use and accordingly you need to leave your footware outside on a shoe rack. The grounds are extensive and the tall trees offer excellent shade and the lawns are very comfy should you need it for some quite contemplation. Happily there are no beggars or hawkers. Parking and entry is free.

History and Info

There is a board by the ASI that provides details at the entrance. The temple was commissioned by Queen Manikabbe (the board calls her Ratnavalli) of the Bana King - Bana Vidhyadhara sometime before AD806 ( the board says 810 AD). And who am I to question the all knowing board you ask? Well, I get my reference from here.

This is a good size temple complex, having 3 shrines, the North to Bhoganandishwara, South to Arunachaleshwara and a small one for Umamaheshwara. I googled extensively to find the story of origin of the names of these forms, but didnt come up with any concrete answers. I'm going to hazard a guess that Arunachaleshwara refers to the Loard of the Arunachal Mountain ( in Thiruvanamalai, TN ). Attached to the small shrine of Umamaheshwara is the famous Kalyanamantapa of black stone with massive pillars and incredibly intricate carvings.

The board tells us helpfully that each temple consists of a garbhagriha, sukanasi and a navaranga. Hmmm. But what does that mean exactly?

Important terms you should know

Garbhagriha - Inner sanctum - The garbhagriha of each temple is a sanctified space in the temple. It is where the deity is placed and is the religious center of the temple.

Sukanasi - the space between the garbhagrha and the navaranga, is a small thick walled chamber without windows, its open doorways leading to the garbhagriha and the navaranga. The sukanasi, identified with the antarala, is the same size as the garbhagriha.

Navaranga - The navaranga, generally referred to as the mandapa in Hindu temples, is a hall (ranga) divided into nine (nava) sections. The central section of the navaranga is generally bigger than the others and slightly raised, the latter feature being a particularly notable characteristic of the Hoysala temples. This is the place for singing and dancing in honor of gods.

The Big Fat Divine Wedding

Weddings are always a big deal. But when gods get married, they are truely spectacular. The mortals have wedding albums and videos, but if you are an important god, you get to have stuff like this made for you! I was stunned by the friezes that depict the marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati, it was unlike anything I've seen before.

Here, the tridev are depicted on their respective mounts ( I admit I was a bit foxed by Garuda's appearance, I wish they had depicted him as the eagle instead of the human form ). Shiva on Nandi, Vishnu with Garuda and Brahma on the Swan.

I'm guessing that they are being seated on arrival and are being welcomed by their host. I'm not sure who the man with the flowing hair is. Perhaps a priest?

Kanyadan (giving away the bride) performed by the parents of Parvati. I'm not sure what the animal is doing there. Looks too small to be nandi. Im not quite sure what animal it is. If you know, please leave a comment, I would dearly like to know. Notice the sacred fire in the back, just behind Parvati.

Priest seated on a platform, performing the marriage

Do also check this blog - A Turquoise Cloud for some photos of the sanctum that I couldn't photograph due to a maha yagna in progress. The details and mythology behind the wedding is also very well described and useful to appreciate the art for someone unfamiliar with hindu mythology. Just one correction from myside to the story. Kamadeva - god of love did not die, like all gods he is immortal, he lost his form and became formless, burnt by Shiva's third eye and later took form as Pradyumn son of Krishna and Rukmini. For details - see wikipedia

I was surprised to learn that weddings of mere mortals can also be conducted here (using the Vasantha Kalyanamantapa). If you want to get married here, helpful details at the end of this post.

While its a reletively unknown place, its certainly not empty; there were a few devotees, but there were no tourists other than us. The lone guide ( yes, there is always an annoying guide ) pounced on us like we were manna from heaven. He spoke only kannada to the delight of Keshav who happily left it to me to deal with him. After enduring him for 30 min, I paid him to get rid of him. If anything, these guys are a pain and should be prohibited from annoying people who have come to explore on their own. The guide told me that the black stone kalyanamantap cannot be photographed but I see photos of it all over the internet.

The god is in the details

That phrase could not be more apt for this glorious structure (and I mean that both literally and figuratively). The intricacy of the carvings here speak of great attention of detail. I wont say much more, I took a lot of pictures, here are a few. I assure you though, none do justice to this monument. For a building that is 1200yrs old, it is in terrific shape. (for the sake of comparison, the famous Angkor Wat of Cambodia is just 800yrs old)

Lakshmi & Ganesh

Shiva as Nataraj

3 Figures

Almost every conceivable surface is covered with tiny faces, each one having different expressions, every edge is covered with small armies of animals and little figures. There is very little damage to any structure, I guess its because this temple is very much in use and hence well maintained. A refreshing change in this temple I found was the varieties of style. While the familiar hoysala tiger makes his presence felt every now and then, I thought the temple as a whole did not have a rigid adherence to the style. A little research on coming home revealed why, the temple was progressively built over the years by the various rulers, the Banas, the Cholas, the Hoysalas, the Gangarasas, the Pallavas and the rulers of Vijayanagara. A rare case of multiple cooks who over time made a wonderfully inspired broth.

To compare styles, an example of Pallava architecture is Mahabalipuram built during the reign of Narasimha Varman I (Mamalla) (630-668 AD). The rider on the half tiger-horse pillars are exactly similar to the vijayanagara style and are seen all over Hampi ( the hampi blog is a work in progress ). Here though, the temple doesn't rest on the backs of elephants as it does in Somnathpura, it is supported instead on the backs and shoulders of short, plump and rather stressed looking humanoid creatures. ( I have a lot of photos and they will be added to flickr )

Celestial Dancer

Who is this? And who is on his shoulder?

Along with the peacefully seated gods and goddesses and the dancing deities, there is also ample depiction of the wrathful side of the gods. Below is seen, Vishnu in Narsimha avatar, making short work of Hiranyakashyap ( daddy of Prahlad ). The other with the 6 arms, is I guess, Shiva in one of his more fearsome forms spearing some baddie. I dont know who it is at the moment, and welcome any suggestions on who it may be.

Vishnu as Narasimha

Id Help Pls

The shrine to Uma-maheshwara is the most beautiful and the only one we didnt get a good look at. There was some restoration work in progress so part of the narrow walk way around the inner sactum was blocked by pipes. The front was occupied by devotees performing some yagna, and no photographs could be taken. It was pretty dark as well. The walls surrounding the sanctum have friezes similar to the wedding depictions in style, though I thought they were more pronounced, almost popping out of the walls.

Brahma

The flowing haired guy - who is he?

There was also a God with two heads depicted on the other side of the wall here ( Im guessing its Agni - each head representing his two sides, destructive and beneficial ). However, at another part of the temple, i saw that he is depicted with only 1 head but the presence of the Ram next to him ( this mount ) confirms that its him ). Its discovering these little things for yourself which really helps you appreciate the trouble the artists have taken to ensure the meanings are conveyed to their audience. This is not a place to hurry. Slow down, and take your time to soak it up.

Getting there

Those familiar with Nandi Hills know that we turn left to climb up towards the hill. To reach this place, go right instead. Follow the scenic road till you reach the temple ( dont worry, there are boards ). Park in front of the whitewashed outer compound. Tripods are not allowed inside the temple. You can leave it in the temple office if you happen to have brought it in with you.

Tips:

Wear dark colored socks. Carry cash to pay off the guide. Reach early, preferably before the devotees, guides and purohits and who ever else comes there.

Admiring ancient art is hungry work, and when the tummy rumbles, you need to head up the Nandi Hills and eat at the restaurant there. Or you can try the resorts at the bottom of the hills ( We haven't tried them, so if you have please let me know )

If you liked this place, you may also like Lepakshi ( a place we havent been to yet, but its definitely on our agenda ), If you've been there, please leave a link to your blog, I need to do research :)

Address and Info to get married here
Sri BhogaNandiShwera Swami Devalaya
Nandigrama, Nandi Village, Chikkabalapura
Contact Mr. Vijay Ph. No. – 09341170852

Source for the glossary of terms : A Study of Spatial Composition of the Hoysala Temples - PDF

Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 04:29:00 +0000

Long long ago, in a land not too far away, a couple vacationed, took photos and on coming home, completely forgot to blog about it. This is their story.
While freeing up the hard disk just now, I chanced upon the largely unprocessed photos of the trip and realized that I had postponed the blog writing long enough to forget!

Sometime last year, during the monsoon, K and I elected to spend a few days in 'romantic Chennai' to celebrate our anniversary. Think Chennai isn't romantic? You cannot be more wrong, read on for proof. The monsoon is an excellent time to do Chennai, so we booked ourselves a cottage at Taj Fisherman's Cove, Covelong; and being off season, we got excellent rates.

Last time we drove to Chennai we had done so in the evening, this time we left in the morning and were in our cottage by lunch time. During the monsoon, the route is particularly scenic and lush. If you're sharing the driving duties, elect to drive the first half, because the second half involves crossing Chennai traffic just before lunch.

Covelong

K taking a walk along the beach

The Fisherman's Cove property is wondrously beautiful, its gardens are lovely and the cottages are by the sea with a private beach. The gardens are well shaded with tall trees and there are plenty of birds. We however, had resolved to be "tourists" - no waking up at dawn and crouching in the shrubs looking for birds. We were here to unwind, sleep, eat ( the food is delightful ), take walks on the beach and most importantly take photos of each other preferably in front of famous monuments.

This little shed like structure is also on the beach, quite a contrast. I only wish the sky had not been grey

As Murphy would have it, in the evening, while we had tea on the porch, a woodpecker dropped by at the tree in front of our cottage (Lesser Flameback). He was soon followed by what at first seemed to be a spotted owlet, but on closer inspection revealed itself as a Shikra ( quite small, possibly juvenile ). Dinner at the sea-side restaurant is a definite must do. It is open air, right on the beach with thatched umbrellas and candle lit; manicured shrubbery prevents sand from landing in your food. As we sat at our table, we had a shy garden lizard watching us at a distance of 2 feet from his home in the bush.

Friendly Drongo

The next morning, we woke in time to see the sunrise ( force of habit ), we met the fauna of Covelong as we took a stroll on the beach. I spotted a lonely drongo on the sand watching the sunrise. I couldn't help myself, he was almost begging to be photographed. The little guy would fly up occasionally and catch a fly and then return to his place on the beach, he let me get pretty close.

Really Fast food :) and easily spooked

His catch after 5-6 throws was 3 very tiny fish

Pondicherry

We decided to visit pondicherry after a late breakfast and thought of trying out some of the famous french food we had heard about. Driving distance from Covelong to Pondicherry is around 170Km. There are 2 routes, ECR or NH45. We took 'the scenic ECR'. I'm not calling it scenic, the boards say so. It is pleasant enough, but suffice it to say that no breath taking scenery will distract you from the road. Time taken 2.5 hrs. There was no planning of the route or consulting of the GPS, we just followed the road and tried to keep towards the sea.

We reached Promenade Beach and parked. It was oppressively hot as we exited the car, I was drawn by the tall carved pillars around a large Gandhi Statue. Gandhiji himself was besieged with tourists who seemed to have climbed up the podium and were hugging his legs and getting their photos taken. So I contended myself with the pillars, thankfully no one was trying to climb up them. It was just too hot to continue, so all I got were these. There was a guy selling sea shells by the sea shore :) made a nice frame in my opinion.

We couldn't find any restaurants ( other than Le Cafe ) and google places also did not seem to throw up anything of interest, we drove on, not realizing that we were leaving the french side and going into the chaotic non-french areas. The traffic was maddening, we got fed up and got back on the highway.

Lessons Learnt 1 : In Pondi, know where to go and eat. If you know the name of the place, its easy to find it on the map.
Lessons Learnt 2 : Always carry emergency rations.

Fortunately, with me around, there is always something to eat in the car! We made a meal of some fruit, Amul Lassi, biscuits and some salted cashews.

Mahabalipuram

The next morning, we had an early breakfast and headed to Mahabalipuram (60Km from Covelong - 1hr). This was our second visit, so we were prepared. We decided to see the Five Rathas which we had missed last time. We found the parking place easily, near the souvenir shops, and were assisted by a guard into the vacant lot. You need to buy a ticket, so look for the booth, no one will ask you for it until you're too far ahead and its a long walk back from the monument in the heat.

The 5 Rathas are packed in pretty tight, and the area is quite sandy with several large boulders dotting the area. It is surrounded by a well maintained garden with tall trees that provide much needed relief from the hot southern sun. The official guide book costs 99Rs and is pretty handy and a must for the serious art appreciating tourist. In the morning, the famous elephant statue is backlit, it may be better to take shots of it in evening.

LionPillors of DharmarayaRatha

(L to R)Ardhanarishwara & Harihara

The layout makes it particularly hard to photograph and I was glad to see that the photos in the guide book weren't spectacular either. Also, like in all ASI sites, tripods are not permitted. The confined space also means a lot of tourists in a confined area, taking photos not including people is hard, so I switched to the 300mm. The areas out of human reach are surprising well maintained, so the roof carvings are still sharp and very fine, while the rest sadly, bear the brunt of the adoring tourists who cant keep their hands to themselves.

The 5 Rathas include one for Draupadi, Nakul and Sahadev share a twin ratha, making the total number five. Draupadi's ratha is the smallest and most elegant, it has a Lion standing in front of it, the mount of Durga. The Lion is there, because a statue of the goddess is present inside Draupadi's Ratha.

Draupadi Ratha

Arjuna Ratha

Draupadi and Arjuna Ratha are next to each other, notice how closely placed they are.

As in all places, the guides, hawkers and beggars will pounce on you at every opportunity and it is exceedingly annoying. Especially since one is already dealing with the oppressive heat and the rather tight space. If you are white, god help you. For some reason small children want to sell you ugly and cheap glass beads, i dont know why. It would make sense if they sold small stone work or guide books.

Souvenirs

Our first trip yielded no results in the form of souvenirs, so this time we were determined. Fortunately, the Taj had a small selection of artists who displayed their wares inside the hotel. These were beautiful stone pieces, I purchased a small anatomically perfect rhino which i instantly loved.
The souvenir shops at the Five Rathas sell silly cheap crudely made handicrafts and several plastic flowers in colors not known to nature. As you walk by, the shopkeepers harass you to enter their shops.

Only one large shop had a shopkeeper who sat silently reading the paper while we looked around. He had lovely stuff, and he knew it. We finally decided on one wooden carving of the DashaAvatar, it proved just a tad big to fit in the car ( it was 5.5 feet). He asked us to wait ( he spoke very little english ). 15 min later he returned with his wife and an unfinished smaller replica (just under 5 ft). He said we had to wait. We waited over an hour while they finished it. We paid him 9K ( no bargaining ), and both seller and buyer were delighted. It is one of our most priced possessions now.

He gave us his card: Sri Sakthi Handicrafts (No. 47 Five Rathas, Shopping Complex ) - A Manoharan - 9840361249. He has wooden carvings and metal statuettes ( I loved the hand bells and the areca nut cutters in wonderful shapes )

The side roof of the Bhima Ratha, notice the tiny faces carved on it - For larger size, see flickr

Roof of Dharmayara Ratha

Im not going into any details of the Five Rathas, the guide books do a good job of that, also since we were not there on a serious photo-taking mission, I will not be able to do justice. Another trip will probably see us do it again and we will go with the intention of being more thorough.

Tips:
In general like most places of archaeological interest, this place is best done at leisure, and with some research done ahead of time. This helps you to know what to photograph and what to look for. Also the whole Mahabalipuram complex is pretty large, walking from one region to the other is close to impossible, we suggest you have a mode of transport. Cars are allowed, and there is a separate if inadequate parking at each site.

While purchasing tickets, note carefully the text on it which tells you which sites it gives you admission for. Some tickets grant entry to multiple sites, don't lose them. The ticket booth is usually hidden away somewhere, and it wont be apparent that you need a ticket until its too late.

It is my belief that souvenirs should be representative of the place visited. It should be the best art one can afford. It may be small, but it should be of excellent quality and hand made. Crudely made cheap works that will be forgotten or thrown away once home, only encourage mediocrity.

Yesterday, we visited Hogenakkal Falls, photos and blog soon. What did you do this weekend?

RoadTrip - JogFalls

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:53:00 +0000

On Friday night, we decided as an experiment, to wake up at dawn, randomly pick a destination and spend the weekend there. At sunrise the next day, we were heading towards Jog Falls. An excellent way to welcome in the monsoon.

Getting there

Having decided on taking only NH roads along the way, our route was as below. Roads were ok, in some parts recently laid. But there was no divider and it was 2 lane all the way, Avg speeds of 80Kmph. Our Course as usual was charted by MapMyIndia and Google Maps ( on both, the Motorola Milestone and the HTC Desire HD ). Invaluable tools! Aside - I'm looking to buy holders for the phone in the car. If you can suggest a brand, pls drop me a comment.

Stopped for a "natural" bathroom break, saw a few snakes too :)

Our Route to Jog

View Larger Map

Where to eat

The monsoon fuels my appetite, and on long drives with gorgeous scenery and intermittent drizzles, I like to have something to munch with my sugary sweet highway tea. But, food on the highways in Karnataka presents a bit of a problem. The number of eating joints are few and far between and often pretty run down.

Breakfast - Coffee day and the Kamats

We usually prefer Kamat( though food quality has deteriorated ). It opens at 7am. ( I know this because we once startled them by showing up bright and early at 6am ).

Lunch -
1. Shimoga - The smart option
2. Sagar - for the over confident who failed to stop at Shimoga.

As you might have guessed, we belonged to the second category. Our gargantuan breakfast meant that we whizzed past Shimoga without the slightest of hunger pangs.

When it comes to eating in Shimoga, you are spoiled for choice. Among others, notable are The Royal Orchid which has recently opened in the city centre and offers a star option. There is also the reliable and reasonably priced Mathura Lodge for the vegetarians. Both places are also good options for stay.

But as we foolishly drove on and were approaching Sagar, there were audible rumbles and it wasn't the engine. A quick search of Google Places Directory yielded no known restaurants nearby. Then we spotted Chaya. Going by the crowd of vehicles, it seemed to be the only place to eat. We parked and followed the crowd. The restaurant and lodge is well placed and has a lake view.

Sadly, I cannot say much for the restaurant or indeed for the manners of its patrons. It was essentially a Mess (and I mean that in all possible ways). Everyone seemed to order the set meals, so we did too. Hygiene was a bit dodgy - I tried hard to ignore the slight crust of a previous meal on the edge of my plate. They employ children to clear the dishes, which I disapprove of. Food was basic and actually quite nice - taste wise, but the unclean surroundings, terrible noise of clanking plates and shouting people made it an awful experience @ 125Rs for 3 meals. Do NOT have the paan at the paan shop below. We had to spit it out in under 1 min.

You can also try Sri Pavitra Lodge - which we saw 20 minutes ahead, it looked cleaner, bigger and better; and that's the last eating option at Sagar. If you do eat there, please share your experience with me.

The Falls

Enroute, you will pass a stunning bridge over a gorge which is a must stop place for the photo ops. We passed it 4 times, and each time, it was pouring rain. A Rs.20 admission fee is collected at the gate to Jog. The parking lots are well organized. The instant photo dudes pounced on us as soon as we stepped out of the car, but beat a hasty retreat once the tripod and equipment came out the boot. At Jog, the mist was wonderful, the incessant rain refreshing but slightly annoying.

The highlight for me was the presence of 3 Scarlet Minivets ( 2 males, 1 female ). No photos sadly, they were just too far away for my 300mm. The males put up a splendid show, the tiny scarlet birds stood out starkly against the misty green and white backdrop of the falls, it left a deep impression on me. I almost wanted to move into the the little lonely house on the hill!

Where to stay

Once at Jog, you will notice the huge boards of Mayura (KSTDC hotels). We thought we'd risk a stay against our better judgement. After all, the hotel had a stunning view of the falls, being bang opposite to it.

After some driving around in circles, thanks to the absence of a board in English, we found the main entrance to the hotel. It looked like something out of India's Most Haunted. The lobby was devoid of all furniture, the windows were all broken and a stray dog was manning the reception. Shortly, a man arrived and asked if we had a reservation, and on hearing that we hadn't, he said they had no vacancies.

Google to the rescue! Matthuga Homestay is the ONLY place to stay at Jog (8km from the Falls). I found their website online and even recalled seeing a board while we were driving to Jog from Sagar. It has only 5 bedrooms, so call ahead and reserve your room. Its a popular place among those in the IT industry, going by the companies listed in their guest list. Being the very first homestay of my experience, I was keen to try it out.

Matthuga Homestay

The approach road will test your vehicle's suspension and the under chassis rubber coating and the rust proofing will finally be worth it. It is clean ( i cant stress this enough actually ) and homely. The staff of 2 speak both Kannada and Hindi. The bathrooms are clean, ventilated and have 24hr hot water ( we have verified at various times). It also has toilet paper. Also provided was a small cupboard with clothes hangers. Beds were comfortable, pillows were not lumpy, sheets were clean and fresh smelling. 2 plug points + 1 in the bath.

Soap and Bath towels were not provided - this was the only negative point. And the windows didn't have a mesh to keep out the insects, so we had to keep them closed.

The Food: sorry to disappoint you, it was hot, hygienic and probably very healthy too. But it was not tasty by any standards, no one was having seconds. It seemed to be made in a bit of a hurry, perhaps they were overwhelmed by the number of guests. Food is kannadiga style vegetarian (chappatis at dinner are pre-made and kept in a hotcase). The breakfast the next morning was delayed and really not up to mark. The tea was good, curds were too. I liked the peanut chutney served with the pale and limp excuse for a dosa. Upma devotee - keshav, was visibly upset at how his favorite breakfast was made.

The homestay has backup generators for electricity. There is no room service for food. Evening tea is delivered to the room. It is self service, served and communally eaten in the dinning room. Other than the food, I was happy with everything else. Having to leave your shoes outside is an annoyance.

Our Return Route:

On the way back, we did something silly, we thought of going via Chitradurga to reduce travel time, since NH4 from chitradurga is excellent, and we really like that road.
From Bhadravati we took NH13 to Chitradurga. NEVER EVER should you do this with the intention of reducing travel time. The route was very scenic indeed, and we had ample time to enjoy it, considering our top speed of 20kmph.

View Larger Map

We had lunch at a road side dhaba - Jai Hind Dhaba on NH4, 10 km from Chitradurga towards Tumkur, food was pretty good and filling. There were a lot of sparrows that kept me entertained while we waited for the food. Tea was awesome.

The Impromptu Plan Survival Guide

For an OCD control freak like self, these impromptu trips can be very unsettling. To avoid panic attacks, I remember to pack the following essentials.
We cannot all be Bear Grylls. Some of us need material comforts.

1. Large Fluffy BathTowel - if you've read The Hitchhiker's Guide, you'll know that your towel is an important survival aid out there in the galaxy. Its mighty handy on earth too.
2. Tube of Face wash - soap is messy to carry, face wash can be used as a body-wash.
3. Plastic Bags - to wrap damp towels, clothes, cameras, lenses.
4. Moisturizer and Deodorant
5. Hair care products - Do not scoff at this. I find the modern male is picky on the matter of hair care and will often have as many if not more products than the modern female. Carry only essentials.
6. Breath freshener ( I carry saunf in chewing gum containers - chewing gum is difficult to dispose of )
7. Medication ( for indigestion, avomin, crocin, something for headaches )
8. Traveling toothbrush and small tube of paste
9. Charging cables for mobile phones.
10. Tissue paper
11. Torch and safety pins - never know when you need it ( i also carry a small folding scissor )

If you wear contacts - small case + travel pack of solution, extra pair of lens. Spectacles with Case.

You can also carry some hand sanitizer - I haven't been able to find the right size bottle.

Carry some biscuits and water, they will sustain you while you search for suitable restaurants.

Philosophy

A few weeks ago, while indulging in some deep thinking, K and I concluded that we make very poor use of our time. The thinking went some what as follows: assuming an active working span of say 60yrs (retirement age), it means that we all start off with 60x52=3120 weekends in our accounts. Now minus the weekends that we have already lost due to age. In our case, we are down to 1664. Assume that only every alternate weekend is available for use in the pursuit of "Things you've always wanted to do/ Places you've always wanted to see". ( This is where having multiple hobbies can present a bit of a problem )

That brings us down to 832 (the other weekend is spent in necessary evils like laundry, grocery shopping, work, processing photos of the previous weekend :-) and other commitments ). Suddenly, the humble weekend seems more precious. If your number seems large to you, you may want to get some hobbies.

The gist of the matter ofcourse is to make every day/weekend count, use it well - take up those classes you've always wanted to take, meet the people you've been always meaning to meet, see the nearby places that you've always wanted to see.
Don't waste this weekend lazying about in front of the Tv, there are places to see and people to meet, get going!

Dragonflies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 06:33:00 +0000

Common Clubtail (Ictinogomphus rapax)

This is a critter post. Though, I must say that was not the intent with which we went to Hoskote. A few weeks ago, K went with a friend for a drive to Hoskote where he found this pond with a lot of lilies in bloom.

Last week, he decided to take the long suffering spouse along instead; promising visions of natural beauty. To give him full credit, the day was splendid, road was very good. The spot was picturesque - a charming little lily pond (pink and white) with large neem trees which provided ample shade. It also had lots of dragonflies and damselflies. I have always liked them since they sit still and are fairly easy to spot owing to the colors they sport.

The lovely lake habitat @ Hoskote by Keshav

There were a few suspicious villagers at first but they soon tired of us when they saw we could spend hours fixed to a spot, trying to get a dragonfly in focus. The wonderful constant breeze ensured that we stayed cool even at noon; it also meant that dragonflies perched precariously on a blade of grass swayed about endlessly making me slightly dizzy.

The photographs taken here are shot handheld with my favorite Sigma 70-300mm, while crouched uncomfortably at the very edge of the little pond. Enough of background, onward towards odonates! (what is that you ask? )

Dragonflies are insects which belong to the order Odonata and infraorder Anisoptera

Archive Picture, taken at Bagmane TechPark

The Common Clubtail (Ictinogomphus rapax)

It is one of 27 Indian Peninsular Clubtail dragonflies ( easy to identify due to the bulge at the end of its tail. ) The bright yellow markings and its large size makes it easy to spot. ClubTails inhabit diverse aquatic habitats and many of them breed in streams and rivers. This one, I found perched on a reed like plant at the edge of this pond.
The male and female of the Common Clubtail are nearly identical in markings, the female having a bigger wingspan and a stouter body than the male. I couldn't find another for comparison, so I can't id the sex of this one. If you can, please let me know.

Ruddy Marsh Skimmer - Male

Ruddy Marsh Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia)

Its hard to miss this blood red guy ( only the male is red ) darting about. Its fairly common and I've seen them in many places near lakes, paddy fields and rivulets. The female is oddly enough - yellow in color with a black line running down the tail.

Ditch Jewel Female

Ditch Jewel (Brachythemis contaminata)

I spent a lot of time identifying this one - so if you think I'm wrong, please let me know. I was torn between ruddy marsh skimmer female and ditch jewel female.
This little dragonfly wasn't particularly attractive on the setting above, but just compare it with this archive image below as a companion to some nice yellow flowers!

Archive picture, taken at Bagmane Tech Park

The male, which I couldn't spot anywhere nearby; is supposedly orange with orange shaded wings. The female as seen here has transparent wings, with the yellow wingspot.

Blue Marsh Hawk - Male

Blue Marsh Hawk (Orthetrum glaucaum)

Fortunately, identifying male dragonflies is a lot easier than the female. I find that most of the females seem to look rather similar - light yellow/ brown in shade.
This particular dragonfly is also very common, I see it in my office on ORR. Although, it looks prettier and more exotic when seen among ponds and reeds. :-)
The female Blue Marsh is yellow ( who came up with these names? ) oddly enough and has black legs (our ditch jewel has brownish yellow legs so you cant confuse them )

Ground Skimmer - Female at JP Nagar (archives)

Ground Skimmer(Diplocodes trivialis)

The ground skimmer male has a blue head and tail to help tell it apart from other skimmers. The female however is yellowish (again!) - green in colour. How am I sure this is a ground skimmer female? I'm not. So if you think differently, put a comment now or for ever hold your peace!
The female closely resembles sub-adult males (sigh, why is this so hard?), yet the book tells me that the anal appendages are yellow in the female and the tip of the tail looks yellow to me, hence proved.

Archive Picture of Pied Paddy Skimmer Male, Katapadi Village near Udupi

Pied Paddy Skimmer (Neurothemis tullia)

Easy to identify, "pied" refers to black and white in naming conventions. The black and white colored wings make this an easy one. Even the female is easier than most, with the black wing tips.

Granite Ghost (Bradinopyga geminata)

This is a really old archive pic, one of my very first pics infact, taken in KunjarGiri, near Katapadi. This is a hard to spot dragonfly given the colouring and is very common in urban areas as well.

Also fleetingly seen but no pictures was the very pretty Common Picture Wing (Rhyothemis variegata) - a brilliantly yellow and black winged creature. I hope to get it when we visit next.

Damselflies

These are of the sub-order Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are tiny and really hard to spot among grass and vegetation. They are even harder to photograph.

I saw and photographed 2 kinds of damselflies at the pond at Hoskote. But, given the wind, my unsteady hands and the not so great photos it produced, I will not be sharing them here. But they were good enough for identification.

So I can tell with much certainty that I saw :

1. Coromandel Marsh Dart (Ceriagrion coromandelianum)

This is a very bright little thing with a yellow tail and bright grass green thorax and green eyes.

2. Senegal Golden Dartlet (Ischnura senegalensis)

The first and only good photo of a damsel fly I have happens to be of the senegal golden dartlet ( taken at home, early morning under controlled conditions ). It seems to be fairly common since I seem to be finding them everywhere. Easily spotted by the bright blue spot at the end of the tail. Here seen sitting on a grass head.

Senegal Golden Dartlet

A little data for those who are interested:

Taxonomy

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata

Categorization of Dragonflies

1. Clubtails
2. Mountain Hawks
3. Darners
4. Torrent Hawks
5. Skimmers

Rain Lily

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 May 2011 04:44:00 +0000

Rain Lily Rosea

The wonderful weather we have been having with frequent rains caused a rather surprising riot of color in my balcony one morning. Almost out of nowhere and with no warning there were a multitude of rainlily buds! Unfortunately, they decided to flower in fantastic profusion and all together on a weekday. This meant ofcourse that we would be late to work. :(

I first saw the rainlily in houses in Indiranagar where they were used as hedging or in pots on the boundary wall. They are also common in office campuses. Any plant that grows in corporate campuses is easy to grow. So if you are looking for additions to your garden, first look in your office.

I got mine (Pink and Yellow) from Madeena Nursery on Sarjapur road - a wonderful sprawling nursery with lot of variety and very helpful staff. Its been about a year and this was the first time they have bloomed in unison. The white blooms very often, the pink rarely but regularly, the yellow being the last.

Colourful spring morning - I envy my neighbour's view

The flowers will turn to face the sun. In my case that means they turn towards my neighbour's balcony. :(

How it got the name

The botanical name - Zephyranthes is a genus of species in the Amaryllis family (subfamily Amaryllidoideae). Family: Amaryllidaceae (amarlyllis family)

Zephyrus, or just Zephyr (Greek: Zéphuros, "the west wind"), in Latin Favonius, is the Greek god of the west wind. The gentlest of the winds, Zephyrus is known as the fructifying wind, the messenger of spring.

The blooming of the flowers are said to herald the onset of spring. In our case in India, however, they herald the monsoon season and the end of hot summers. Hence the common name - rain lily. They bloom during the rains.

Meet the family

The Rain Lily Rose - closeup

Zephyranthes rosea - Rain Lily Rose

Rose Rain Lily are small flowers that are pink in color with a green base. The flowers are much smaller that of Rain Lily Pink (which is a light pink) and the white and yellow. The throat is distinctly green. Leaf blades are dull green. They are wider and shorter than the pointy spring onion like leaves of the yellow and the white.

Flowers are erect to slightly bent, bright pink in color, funnel-shaped, Flower tube is green, increasing in diameter. Flowering season is March-July.

Pink Confusion

The Z.carinata is called the Pink Rain Lily and is light pink (strawberry milkshake colour) they have larger flowers and have 6 petals. The Rose rain lily has a darker pink (kissan strawberry jam color) Z. rosea blooms are smaller and have greater than 6 petals, sometimes 8.

Zephyranthes citrina - The Yellow Rain Lily

Zephyranthes citrina - Yellow Rain Lily

The bright one-inch lemon yellow flowers of this rain lily face upwards and flare open. (Unlike the rosea which never opens out fully).
The leaves are slender and light green and stand erect most of the time, when dry and in need of watering they will droop. The propagation is supposedly by bulbs. (though I have propagated them by seed )

A personal observation: the yellow lily was in bloom for only 2 days, after which it closed completely and started seed production. The pink lasted longer by a day. The white out lasts them all and is in bloom for days on end.

Seed production starts immediately after the flowers are dry, 3 pointed bulbs emerge where the flower was, starting small and eventually getting quite large, as big as a pepper seed. Then it dries and opens. Each pod has 3 stacks of black flat teardrop shaped seeds. Collect and plant, make more lilies:)

Zephyranthes candida - The white rain lily

Zephyranthes candida - Rain Lily white

It is native of the warmer parts of America, also called Fairy Lily. The solitary flowers consisting of 6 pointed petals have sturdier stalks than the yellow.
These are common and very popular, they can be acquired from most nurseries, their leaves are darker green and fatter than the other 2 varieties.

Hippeastrum hybrid - Amaryllis Lily

These are Mom's lilies

This is my mom's plant and her image of it. I borrowed it from her flickr stream. Hers are blooming too, so if you're looking to acquire these plants, the time is now.

Hippeastrum is a genus of about 70-75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. They are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. These plants are popularly but erroneously known as Amaryllis, which is an African genus, in the same family.

They are pretty large compared to the small rainlily and bloom in a set of 4 flowers.

Colors include red, rose, pink, white, orange, yellow and pale green with variations on these including different colored stripes and edges on the petals.

When to Buy

When buying these plants, its best to time your purchase to the blooming period because most nurseries just keep all the varieties close together and cannot assure you of the color of the bloom. The Rosea can be made out easily, but you'll have trouble differentiating between yellow and white.

More of the yellow - Cant get enough of them

Growing:

Plant it, give it some water and then forget about it. When the leaves begin to droop a little, water it a bit. While Zephyranthes can stand dry periods, if you want the graceful green leaves to remain, you may need to add some water occasionally. If you let them dry for a week and water them later, the flowering cycle can be triggered.

I found this works best with the white variety, which is very common. The pink and yellow are pretty rare in bangalore and I only found them in this particular nursery.

Zephyranthes do best with a little shade, they can be planted around the base of trees or shrubs in a garden and will serve to hide fallen dried leaves and keep the ground moist by discouraging evaporation.

The flowers of some species are said to have a sweet, pleasant fragrance. I sniffed diligently around all of mine (the things I do for this blog!) - no smell :(

They do well in containers outdoors and in balconies and windows, but not as houseplants. Don't keep them indoors. They can withstand full sun, but you'll have better results if they have a small amount of shade. The pots need not be big or deep. I have 2 varieties in a single long window sill pot, and they co-habit very

Sources:
Shobha Kamath
Wikipedia
Flowers of India
Rain Lily | Garden Guides

Chameleon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 May 2011 10:09:00 +0000

A routine trip to Nandi Hills in April bore unexpected results in the form our first ever Chameleon sighting!

In the shade, on a small bush by the roadside

Due to the overcast weather which looked like rain, we decided to leave late and took a detour to the Hoysala Bhoganandishwara Temple ( a post on this soon, I promise) before going up to Nandi Hills for lunch in their Mayura Restaurant.

Enroute to the temple, we were at a decent speed on empty roads when Keshav suddenly yelled "Stop Stop"! I thought it was a snake he had spotted, I had barely stopped that he was out like a rocket and running back down the road, camera in hand.

A few minutes later, I had parked, recovered my senses, got my camera from the boot, and walked back round the bend to find him prostrate in the presence of the cutest little critter ever! Our first Chameleon!

Not to be confused with a common Garden Lizard, or a Rock Agama, a chameleon is a totally different reptile all together.

Curious Garden Lizard - archive image

Chamaeleo Zeylanicus is commonly known as the Indian Chameleon. There is only one species of chameleon in India. They are common in Africa and Madagascar, spread over Europe and parts of Asia. They have been introduced to North America.

Chameleon Common Facts:

1. They move slowly, almost in slow motion, and in a very hesitant, unsteady way.
2. They have a long tongue having a sticky end, which serves to catch prey that they would otherwise never be able to reach with their lack of speed.
3. They can move their eyes independently of each other. Having one looking ahead while the other looks behind. This gives a full 360 degree of view.
4. They hear vibrations in the air, which help them find food and stay safe from their enemies. They are almost deaf - they have no external ear.
5. They have 5 digits on each foot. But they are grouped as 3 and 2. Two opposing digits gives a better grip. The digit grouping is reversed in the rear feet.
6. They are cold blooded and need the sun to regulate body temperature.
7. They have small teeth. They eat mainly insects and larger species eat small birds and reptiles.
8. They lay eggs in a hole in the ground. Some species (ovoviviparous species) give birth to live young.
9. They are non-venomous. But if you are bitten by one, there is chance of infection.
10. They have a prehensile tail, they are the only lizards which have such a tail.

While in the sun in the open, it looked like this

Colorful Ideas

They change color according to their background for camouflage - Wrong! (Personally I was surprised too )

They change color according to emotions - Excitement and fright produce pale shades with brown patches and yellow spots. Anger causes darkening.

They also use color change to regulate their body temperature. Dark colors absorb heat better, so the side of the chameleon facing the sun becomes darker, while the other side remains its usual color.

It is also believed that they can communicate with other chameleons using color. During the mating season (in India around October) they turn their skin bright green while during fights they turn Dark brown. The Indian Chameleon is normally grey-green, but in total darkness this fades to a cream color with irregular yellow spots.

They can however change color for camouflage as well, but only in a limited way.
They aren't the only ones, several other species of lizard have that ability too.

Chameleons and other indian reptiles do not shoot blood out of their eyes - this property is that of the Horned Lizard (North American) which shoots blood into the eyes of foxes and coyotes ( which the predators find foul tasting ).

Size comparison, with an Ant

Getting Close

While we wanted to avoid doing an Austin Stevens on our little friend, we did have to get a little close due to the choice of lens ( I had a 50mm f1.8) we each had on our cameras. Our little guy was so small and cute, the urge to touch was very great, but we valiantly resisted.

How to photograph a chameleon - passersby were very amused

I'm happy to report that our little critter was mostly unconcerned by our presence based on the research Ive been doing. When upset, chameleons change color rapidly and if one gets too close, it makes a "Haaaaa" hissing noise similar to a snake.
We did not get either of the reactions, so I think we did well.

So what should you do when you encounter a chameleon? You'd want to keep it safe out of harms way, help it cross the road and see it safely into a nearby bush. Handle it gently and treat it kindly.

Keshav's shot with new Macro lens

Its a Boy!

Distinguishing male from female is not easy. The indian male (chameleon) has a spur on the rear feet to identify it as one. Based on this info, I have concluded that our little guy is a Guy! Experts feel free to point out any mistakes.

Sources and Links:
iFornature
Wikipedia
Auroville
Kalyan City
Where In City

Lady Bird Beetle

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 May 2011 08:37:00 +0000

Long time since a post from me, isn't it? I'm back though and staring with ever increasing fear as the tidal wave of unprocessed images rises up on me. People, I'm dealing with a backlog stretching as far back as Dec 2010.

Image from last week - sigma macro 150mm lens - tripod

But first, to more recent images; this one is a first for this blog - a Critter post. Presenting the world's favorite beetle - The LadyBird. We had a few visitors last week which I found among the sofa cushions in the morning. The resulting impromptu photo-shoot made Keshav and I late for work.

A little research to Id my new friends ( they are living in one of my plants now ) led to a wealth of such astonishing information, that I just had to write a post and share it with all who are willing to listen.

Some weird trivia that you never knew about LadyBirds:

Warning: If you are not 18 and above, read no further :)

1. They are perhaps the only species on earth whose male individuals are capable of ejaculating on average 2–3 times per copulation.
2. They can copulate for 9 hours straight, experiencing several orgasms, each lasting up to 30 minutes!
3. ladybirds also sadly suffer from an STD epidemic caused by a parasite

So, now that I've got your attention, we can move on to more mundane info.

The Name - is it ladybird or ladybug?

As it turns out, its actually the Lady Beetle or Ladybird beetle. Because ladybirds are not "true bugs" or Hemiptera. ( To learn more about Hemiptera click here )

They are Coccinellidae. The name originates from Britain ( for the Seven Spot Lady Bird ) called Our Lady's Bird, because of depictions of Mary the mother of Christ wearing a Red Cloak. The Seven spots representing her "seven joys and sorrows".

Archive photo from 2008 - ladybird in dormant state - head retracted

Aphid Hunter

Most Ladybirds are beneficial insects ( i.e beneficial to humans, gardeners and farmers ), they are natural predators of the dreaded aphids. My new friends have been made allies in my long running war with my balcony's aphid population.

My ladybirds seem to be : Coccinella transversalis Fabricius
or the Transverse Ladybird.

They are active July - November in South India. I suspect their early arrival coincides with the daily rains we have been having lately. For some details you can visit aphidweb.

Diet

A normal ladybird diet consists of "pest" insects and their eggs, mildew and pollen.
They have also been known (rarely) to resort to cannibalism.
Like humans, ladybirds are active during the day and go to sleep at night.

Self Defense

1. The bright colour ( red, orange and yellow ) is a sure giveaway; indicating to most predators that ladybirds are not good to eat.
2. They can play dead - I've seen this just once a few days ago when I encountered a ladybird which I collected as our maid was sweeping. It seemed dead at the time, I moved it to a pot in the balcony and checking back an hour later, it was up and about!
3. Smell and taste - they secrete a foul tasting/smelling fluid - Im happy to say Ive not encountered it yet.
4. They have mandibles - i.e they can bite.

Ive found them quite willing to be friends, moving them from the sofa to a pot outside required a dried periwinkle leaf as transport and very little persuasion.

Archive photo from 2008 in our old garden

Basic Anatomy

We aren't going into details here, but the most important word here is elytra. That's the hard colored and spotted shell of the ladybird. It conceals the wings beneath which are fully see-through.

The Pronotum - this is the cover that protects the head of the ladybird, it is capable of retracting its head under this cover like a turtle.
Like all insects they have six legs, but their legs have organs which can smell!

Image from last week - sigma macro 150mm lens - tripod

Lifecycle

They are quick little critters when it comes to growing up. From egg laying, it takes them just 5 days to hatch into larvae. In the larval stage they are as ugly as ugly can get, but be patient. Larva eat aphids too, so they may be ugly but they still do the job. 2-3 weeks and many aphid dinners later, they are ready to pupate into their cute adult forms.

Being a good Host

Ok, so they are cute, friendly and useful; not to mention photogenic. How can you get more of them?

They are attracted to Marigolds ( this is easy to get hold of in India, and grows like a weed ), Cosmos, Mustard and Dill. Plant them and wait for the rainy season.

FYI: I have a small collection of baby marigolds currently flowering. I'm planning to plant cosmos soon, once I get hold of an empty pot.

In-case you were wondering, LadyBirds can live for 2-3 years.

Aside:

Yes! we have acquired new lenses! Keshav's macro lens is taking some getting used to. Handheld is impossible and its pretty heavy too. A little 50mm for me will be showcased in the next critter post shortly!

Sources and further reading:

Aphid Web
SexLife of LadyBirds
The Independent News
Everything Ladybug
Wikipedia

Urban Garden Summer Woes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:22:00 +0000

This is a lazy gardener post. Some of you may have wondered what the lazy gardener has been upto. The short answer is nothing. Being lazy and time deprived, there is precious little that the great lazy one has done.

White Rain lilies

Although, to my credit, my pink rain lily did flower, ( one flower in 2 years ). Such was the laziness that I don't even have a photo of it as proof. The white rain lilies do flower with greater regularity, no word on the yellow lilies, they seem to quite mum on the subject of flowering.

My rose, Im sorry to say, did not survive the attack of the white fuzzy insects (Mealy bugs). Currently, my sky blue clustervine is also under attack. Ive tried everything except for pesticide, which is my next strategy. No flowers from the vine since the start of the attack :( If any one has solutions, please let me know.
The horrid white things have killed off over the years, my baby sun rose (ice plant),much of my table rose, white alder and stokes aster.

NativeBreed, My Roses - RIP :(

I have acquired some periwinkles - white and pink, which i grew from seed. (Read: I chucked the seeds mom gave into an empty pot and one day was pleasantly surprised to find my self the owner of periwinkles.) They are growing with gusto, as are the chrysanthemum. Seconds generation marigold are now staring to bud.

These pink chrysanthemum are strange, as they bloom they turn white

As for the kitchen garden; mint, basil, oregano, lemon grass are doing well. A chilli plant came up on its own and provided 4 deadly hot chillies. My experiments with coriander have proven to be un-encouraging at best. I am thinking of growing dill.

But, enough idle chatter. Let me get to the point. This post is about a recent experiment I have been trying out on dealing with the hot indian summer.

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Am I to endure this till the end of May?
Thou wilt-eth inspite of all i try
when I see thine drooping leaves, I cry.

My approach to gardening is similar to mother natures. Tough love. I don't over water, sometimes I scarcely water at all. :D

But seriously, tough love only works if you have tough plants. Survival of the fittest and all that. I prefer to stick with the hardier native breeds (or shall I say weeds), none of the namby-pamby hybrid ones that require fussing over.

Fox Tails are tough, hardly need any attention

Tough love works better in a ground garden, I have found, rather than in potted balcony gardens. It also helps if you can control the sunlight by placing your plants in such a way as to avoid the harsh afternoon sun.

Off late, I would return home from work in the evenings and find my basil wilting. ( I dont water daily ) Watering excessively is pointless, it wastes water, most of it drains to the bottom of the pot and evaporates away.

White chrysanthemum, needed support, Ive tied it up with some red ribbon

Those who have heard of the plant nannies will be familiar with the concept below. Take a plastic bottle, make a small hole at the bottom with a thumb tac ( i also have tried with 2 holes ) fill with water. Screw the cap back on. To control water drip rate, unscrew tap a teeny-tiny bit at a time. Place in Pot.
Ive tried this with soft drink bottles. Works like a charm. No more wilting.

Don't believe in plastic? Use a glass bottle. Fill with water, plug the mouth with a rag. Invert and bury neck in the pot. ( This is more messy and I haven't tried this )

Introducing (L to R), Basil, More Basil, Mint, Cuban Oregano

Its cheap, an effective use of plastic and conserves water. (did i mention it costs nothing?) The spouse has been very supportive about the deployment of this watering system and has volunteered to consume soft drinks ( which i am not a huge fan of ) till each plant has its own nanny.

Ive also diverted the AC water outlet into one of the pots ( idea provided by the installation people ), though this can present a problem, since there's no way to control the water. So only do this to water hungry plants.

On an unrelated note, did you know Basil can grow from cuttings? I didnt. I bought a bunch from namdharis. Our cook stuck the stems into an pot. Lo and behold, there was basil! There was much rejoicing.

Somnathpura

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 07:07:00 +0000

Sick of the traffic in Bangalore? Go back in time this weekend, to a time before the Metro, traffic, flyovers and road widening. Head to the Temple of Somanthpur. Not to be confused with the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, this is the Keshava Temple in Somanthpura, 40kms from Mysore, Karnataka.

Looking as it might have done 700 years ago, expect for the watch on his wrist

It is the place to go to avoid crowds and still appreciate the wonderful architecture of the Hoysala Dynasty. Being little known and not very publicised, it has fewer visitors than the more popular temples at Belur and Halebidu. It also has much worse roads, sadly, but lets focus on the positives.

The Somnathpur Temple is said to be the finest example of Hoysala Architecture and was built in 1268 under the Hoysala king Narasimha III, it was built (funded) by Somanatha - a Commander in the army. The Town of Somnathpur also gets its name from him. It is built using chloritic chist (Soapstone).
The architect/sculptor was Ruvari Malithamma who has kindly left his signatures for easy id.

The Front of the East facing temple, inside the compound. I have cloned out a few wires

So what makes it the finest example?
It is among the last of the Hoyasala Temples, and it is also the best preserved ( although some parts and sculptures are damaged - some in war, some by tourist morons ). It is also symmetrical in its design, it has 3 shrines, each of which are equally important, having intricate carvings.
The King Vishnuvardhana was a Vaishnavite (Vishnu worshipper), his wife ShantalaDevi was a devout Jain. He built temples to all the prevalent gods to keep harmony - Jain, Vishnu and Shiva. Narasimha III was his descendant.

The rear of the temple

The layout

There is a high outer compound that surrounds the temple and a Lamp Pillar on the grounds outside, it could also be a Garuda Stumbha (Column) since it is the mount of Vishnu and this is a Vishnu temple. Once inside there is a lengthy inscription carved in kannada on an enormous tablet that describes the origins of the temple.

There is a covered walk way all around the temple, which is closed and currently held up by steel supports and apparently under restoration. There are huge lathe carved pillars that hold up the structures inside the temple itself.

The inside is a bit dark and hard to photograph, it is illuminated by some tubelights and no effort has been made to conceal the ugly wiring. There are 3 deities inside all are forms of Vishnu. There are no Shivaite statutes here.

What to notice

In Monochrome, from the top of the temple, where the vandals couldn't reach it

First off, the Hoysala Standard is the tiger. The name Hoysala is believed to have come from the story of a jain youth named Sala, who fought a tiger ( Hoy - means strike in Ancient Kannada ) to protect his guru. The standard can be seen all over the temple, and in some places has been vandalised, supposedly by soldiers of opposing armies during war.

Lakshmi Dancing

Goddess Lakshmi dancing to the drums

Observe the tiny lady at the bottom beating the drums to which she is dancing. She is holding a fruit in her hand signifying abundance( I thought it was a corn cob, but according to the archaeology site its actually a citron fruit )
The citron is native to india, and its cultivation has declined since the introduction of lemons.
Do follow the link for the history.

Seated Vishnu and Lakshmi

Whats interesting here, is the weight of lakshmi's foot on the lotus is shown causing it to bend over, and an elephant is added to support its weight.

Vishnu and Ganesh

Unusually, the sculptures are all signed (the square plaques). They are Mallithamma, Masanithamma, Chameya, Rameya, Chaudeya, Nanjeya, Pallavachari and Cholavachari.

Wall Friezes

The bottom of the frieze has elephants ( supporting the temple on their backs), signifying stability, next come the riders on the horses, floral patterns along with the hoysala tiger emblem, depictions of stories, a line of mythological beasts - a combination of various animals and finally swans.

The Ramayana is depicted on the friezes on the south side wall, stories of Hindu God Krishna on the rear and the Mahabharata on the north side.

Meditating Vishnu

Not usually depicted this way, shows Vishnu seated in a Buddha-like meditation posture.

Indra on the white elephant

Indra with wife SachiDevi on Airawath

Im borrowing this from Keshav's images since my own of this was over exposed.
The elephant is shown with tusks partially filed, as was the practice to prevent them from injuring themselves, riders and keepers. Indra has in his hand the Vajra (thunderbolt weapon).

Wait, Theres More

In addition to these, also do not miss the Krishna with Flute, the statue of Brahma, Saraswati with an unidentified instrument, the Dasha Avatars of Vishnu.
I missed these Im sorry to say, since we got there late and had to rush.

I liked this group, there is no damage to any of them, haven't figured out who they are yet

Getting there

Closeups and more hoysala emblems

It is 180kms from Bangalore. Guide books say "Somanthpur From Bangalore, going along the Bangalore Mysore highway, take the scenic country road from Mandya via Bannur." It is scenic alright, but did you miss "country road" ?

Much of the road looks like excavation in progress by the Archaeological Survey of India. Pot holes are the size of watering holes - you have been warned. In patches the road is excellent, don't give in to the temptation to speed, the bad patches spring up quite suddenly. Seems like no one of importance since King Narsimhan III has visited it since its inception.

For a detailed map pls check Keshav's directions on his blog, you can also see some more of his photos.

I liked the play of light and shadow here, this group is not identified yet

Tips

Shoes are not allowed in the temple, do wear socks, the stone can get very hot.
Carry a hat, mineral water and snacks are available at the small shops outside the temple.
Parking is scarce be prepared to squeeze into tight spots.
There are no toilets, be prepared to hold it as well :-)
There is a small tea stall, which serves excellent tea in thimble like plastic cups, we must have knocked back a dozen of them.
There are no restaurants nearby. No souvenir shops either.
You need to buy a ticket to get in. Carry loose cash.
We paid the guide 200 bucks to keep out of our hair.
Eat at Kamats on the way, there are 2 now, incase you miss the first.

If you look carefully no two people are alike

Do a little research before you get there, you'll appreciate it more. I did my research afterwards and am sorely repenting. Seeing all of it requires a lot of time, don't rush. The guides will pester you, so finish that off first. Its more fun to figure out which sculptures they are on your own.

Sources:
Wikipedia
Art and Archeology

Season's Greetings!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:33:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, we revisited Nandi Hills. It is the perfect place for the lazy birder. If waking up at unearthly hours is not for you, this is where you want to go.

Morning comes late to Nandi Hills, and on lazy weekends one can reach there comfortably at 10am and the dense cover and higher altitude will fool you and the birds that it is but 7am.
On this particular occasion, we didn't really go for any serious birding, more for a lazy stroll. The crisp cool air and gentle mist is wonderfully refreshing.

With the festive season approaching, offices and malls are all decked up with lights, wooden reindeer, Snow men and snow flakes of the styrofoam variety and plastic wreaths and trees.
Mother Nature, it must be said is not one to be left behind. The park was festooned with these glorious red fluffy flowers. ( To see the pink variety - head to Hebbal Lake )

These are Albizia julibrissin (red variety), also called the Persian Silk Tree.

Something new, that I had not seen on previous visits, most likely because I was concentrating on birding, was this flower. Growing in tall dense bushes, they hung down like tiny delicate Chinese lanterns.

Thanks to Arvind for helping to Id this for me as - Abutilon pictum. It is a native of South America and common as an ornamental plant in gardens.

Near the Nehru statue, along the walking path, I came upon a perfect spider web hanging on a low tree branch. Nearly invisible, unless viewed from a particular angle; it swayed gently in the breeze.

After waiting for 10 odd minutes and praying for the breeze to cease, I decided to just try a few shots. This isn't a good shot, but I assure you it looked so much better when I was there. Taken hand held, while Keshav attempted the impossible with the tripod. The two of us trying to photograph this nearly invisible thing must have looked strange, for we attracted a few curious onlookers who nudged each other wondering what the object of our interest was.

The variety of flowering plants is wonderful at nandi hills, and if you stop to ask the gardeners, you will find they are very knowledgeable too. No plants or gardening equipment is for sale though.

This little plant I really liked, more sober than most, growing under the shade of towering giants, it was a humble little plant. I liked it at once. Hypoestes phyllostachya, (polka dot plant). The muted colours and the greyish background reminded me of a Japanese painting.

With Christmas round the corner, one mustn't forget the all important tree. Christmas lights as nature intended - 100% eco friendly :) If you look closely, you can see the tiny decorator as well. There were dozens of these, and all the trees were covered. With the sun shining directly on them, the effect was dazzling.

The only birds of the day were a yellow wagtail, a small green barbet and a host of white-eyes. A chocolate pansy also stopped to be photographed.

The monkey population of nandi hills have grown in number and in courage. They now boldly approach people and snatch bags of food. Please do exercise caution. I also thought the butterfly population has come down, or perhaps it was just that I only saw one.

On our way back to the Car, this little beauty caught my attention, a small wild flower ( i wont call it a weed), growing among the grass, untended and ignored, it was elegant in its simplicity.

This will be the last post for the year, Im off on holiday. Should be back with some interesting photos in the new year. I shall leave you with my attempt at rhymes.

Greetings People, it is time to cheer,
We are heading off for the new year.
With bags packed full like Santa Claus,
praying we don't violate the baggage clause!

It is the season to be jolly,
Of Styrofoam snow and plastic holly.
A time of beautiful misty morning sights,
and people stranded by fog delayed flights!

The prices are high, the markets low,
But if you looked around, you'd never know.
It is the time to keep the spirits high,
to look at winter wonders and let out a sigh.

While at work, a sudden idea shone,
I quickly typed this on my phone,
A desire to wish my near and dear -
a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

If cold winter mornings leave you feeling like this, not to worry, you are not alone. :)

Cheers!
Rohini

Highway Wanderings

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 07:04:00 +0000

The good weather is upon us people, bringing with it long aimless drives and impromptu photography expeditions. We have been taking full advantage of it. Driving out of Bangalore, leaving behind "Namma" dust and "Namma" potholes is a real joy.

We have 8 little Ferrari models from Shell (you get one when you do a full tank)
that bear testimony to the amount of fuel that has been consumed recently.

This panorama is by keshav, click to see a bigger image on his site

At almost every turn the scenery is breathtaking, Karnataka is a beautiful state. The period after the monsoon is my favorite. Here's a small sampling of some of what we have seen so far. There are times when I want to stop every few meters to capture it all.

Some of the snaps were taken with my Motorola Milestone because I couldn't be bothered to get the camera out of the boot. Ive also borrowed some from Keshav.

Taken with Motorola Milestone

Having a pocketable camera phone that takes fairly decent photos is a nice experience. I have also tried taking photos through the windshield, and while the vehicle is at higher speeds - quite interesting effects can be achieved. And I get to upload them instantly too! Waiting for 3G.

Taken using the Milestone

Ofcourse, quality of camera and skill makes a huge difference. Compare with Keshav's version of the same field below, achieved after 20 minutes spent squatting in various yogic poses in the mud that had the farmer beginning to look concerned.

This one is by keshav, click to see a bigger image on his site

Sometimes though with luck and prayer, even the careless and the impatient can chance on a nice frame. I like the one below as well.

So get out there, with camera and a map (my phone has MotoNav GPS turn by turn directions, so we skip this). Charge your phone, carry some change for the toll gates, take a bottle of water along ( you wont really need it ).
For bathroom breaks stop at the A2B outlets near petrol bunks. Coffee days are also great for this, but the food is awful, so just buy water, use the loo and head to a Kamat upchar. :)

Diwali Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:12:00 +0000

Everyone is preparing for Diwali, even the spiders. :) The owner of this art work is a large signature spider who had put this up on a nearby tree. She must have been at it all night and the gentle drizzle in the morning made it very festive. Her photo is present at the bottom of this post.

This blog post is to wish you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali from K and myself.

For those wondering where Ive been the last few months, given the silence on both Flickr and Blogger, Im alive and kicking. Drowning in a stream of endless work; both professional and personal.

Since our short trip to Chennai and Mahab. in Aug ( photos are on Flickr, trickling out slowly but surely. ) I haven't found much time to process or post, and as a result there has not been much to blog about.

The photos featured in this post are from last year's diwali, and were taken with my old Canon S3. After using a DSLR, there is no way Im going back to that, I can tell you. Makes a world of difference not only to the quality of the shot but also the experience of shooting the subject, whatever it be.

K has been working very hard on revamping his new website, my only contribution being the design of his logo and a few photos. Do check out some of our recent snaps from Somnathpura,KA at the site. More photos as time permits.

The artist herself. Im guessing that this is a female, since the males are very puny and this was a large spider. Signature spiders are called so because they have a large X like signature in the center of their webs, the X is added to warn larger animals and birds so that they don't accidentally walk/fly through the web. They keep their legs in pairs so that they appear to have only 4 legs. Their venom is harmless to humans. The live on wasps and other insects.

Source and read more: http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/the-signature-spider/

Birds of Ranganthittu

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 15:19:00 +0000

Over the years, I have often visited Ranganthittu and with growing familiarity I've become quite fond of it. Its a must visit spot if you're into birds and even though its rather small ( around 60 odd sq km ) it does boast of a nice variety of bird life, if you know where to look.

The park consists of little islands on the banks of the river Cauvery, and is near Srirangapatna town.

Some history that I became aware of only recently - the islands were artificially created when a dam across the Cauvery was built in the 1700s. It was ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali who persuaded the Wodeyar royal family of Mysore to convert the area to a bird sanctuary in the 1940s.

If you time your visit to the sanctuary in the nesting season, you will be treated to quite a sight ( if you can tolerate the pungent odor of bird droppings )

The birds are seen from boats ( human powered with oars ) or by walking along the banks or from a watch tower. The park also has gardens, lawns and artificial ponds which host other little birds.

Black headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)

Being large birds, these are usually the first to be seen from the boat ride.
These birds breed in South Asia and Southeast Asia from Pakistan to India, Sri Lanka east up to Japan. They build a nest of twigs and lay 2 to 4 eggs.
They feed on fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on insects.

Spot Billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis)

They breed in southern Asia from southern Pakistan across India east to Indonesia. They can be identified at close range by the spots on the upper mandible. It is a colonial breeder, often breeding in the company of other waterbirds. The birds nest in gregarious colonies and the nest is a thick platform of twigs placed on a low tree. Breeding season from October to May.

Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)

This is a very large wading bird. Its range extends from wetlands and plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia to Southeast Asia. Being very colorful birds, identifying them couldn't be simpler. Their distinctive pink feathers near the tail give them their name.

Regrettably I always have very poor luck with these birds, I never seem to be able to capture them photogenically. I'm not happy with my photos of it, so I'm including one of Keshav's as well.

They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They nest colonially in trees, often along with other waterbirds.
In northern India, the breeding season begins in mid-August while in southern India the nest initiation begins around October and continues till February - April.

Juvenile Asian Open Bill

Asian Open Billed Stork (Anastomus oscitans)

It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia.

Graceful in flight, this a broad-winged soaring bird, which is not particularly attractive or photogenic at close quarters. It can be seen flying overhead with its neck outstretched. Not as large as the painted stork, it can be easily identified by its unusually shaped beak, which only meets at the tip, leaving a gap between the upper and lower mandibles. They breed near inland wetlands and build stick nest in trees, typically laying 2-6 eggs.

Breeding adults are all white except for the black wing flight feathers, red legs and dull yellow-grey bill.

Eurasian Spoon Bill (Common Spoonbill - Platalea leucorodia)

Breeds in southern Eurasia (Spain to Japan) and in North Africa. Most birds migrate to the tropics in winter, with European breeders mainly going to Africa, but a few remaining in mild winter areas of western Europe north to the United Kingdom.

The breeding bird is all white except for its dark legs, black bill with a yellow tip, and a yellow breast patch like a pelican. It has a crest in the breeding season. Non-breeders lack the crest and breast patch, and immature birds have a pale bill and black tips to the primary flight feathers. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched.

The Eurasian Spoonbill can be differentiated from the African Spoonbill by its crest. The African species also has a red face and legs which are absent here.

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)

This is among my personal favorites, since its not often seen and is painfully shy. It breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia.

It breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands building a bulky stick nest. It feeds in shallow water, spearing fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, reptiles and small birds. When spotted, it will often be waiting motionless for prey, or slowly stalking its victim. It tends to keep within reed beds more than the Grey Heron and is therefore less often seen, despite its large size.

It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their necks. The long neck of Purple Heron looks particularly snake-like, with more of an S-shape in flight. Its call is not melodious, a loud croaking "krek".

In the next parts of this series, I hope to cover :
Cattle Egret, Eurasian Thicknee, Kingfishers, River Tern, Blyth's Reed Warbler and the Streak-throated swallow

Thank You!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:16:00 +0000

Article and Photo

If you follow my blog, you'll notice that all my posts are about me, presenting my (often flawed) opinion. This post is not about me. This post is to extend my gratitude to friends, family, colleagues and subscribers who have supported and encouraged me in my crazy (often obsessive) hobbies.

Index with my pied kingfisher

A couple of days ago I saw some of my photos in print for the first time, I thought I'd share these and my joy with you all.

A Bengali wildlife magazine (BON - means Forest in Bengali) kindly printed my Gir lion photos with a accompanying article based on my blog post. It appeared in the 3rd Edition.

Article

Contd

Many thanks to Mr. Goutam Biswas, Mr Hironmoy Maiti and Mr. Sibbrata Basu for making this happen. The print quality is fabulous, and print articles on forests, conservation, birds, insects, endangered species and fauna with generous space for photos ( I cannot appreciate the writing since I cannot read Bengali, but those who have read it speak highly of the written content)

If you can read Bengali and are passionate about wildlife, this magazine is definitely for you. If you want to know how to subscribe to this magazine, please drop me a mail / comment and I will put you in touch with them. They dont have a website yet.

BON Cover Page, 3rd Edition

If you're wondering how my photos came to be printed in a Bengali magazine, the credit goes to Amalesh Dasgupta Uncle, who is our family friend, who befriended me one day as I was taking some photos on our terrace. Many many thanks uncle!

Many thanks also to my friend and colleague Ayan Kar who took the time to go through the Bengali article and read it for me :)

Gir Part II : More than Lions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:09:00 +0000

Keshav's gorgeous photo of Gir's gem.

In all national parks that have big cats, they tend to attain super star status. They dominate the conversation between guides, trackers, tourists and hotel staff. Be it tigers, lions or leopards.

When your jeep drops you off at your hotel, the hotel staff greets you with a drink, cold towels and the question " How many lions did you see? ". It is easy to get carried away by all the cat mania and count the day as lost if a feline was not glimpsed.

Gir is a birders paradise, and particularly so in summers. The brush is tinder dry and so drab, the more brightly coloured birds stick out like sore thumbs. Ive seen a lot of peacocks, but never have they looked more beautiful than in Gir. Take my word for it, my photos probably do not do them justice, but they are simply breathtaking.

During the evening, large numbers of them like to sit high up on electric pylons - the light is too poor to take pictures, but the unmistakable silhouettes look beautiful against the evening sky.

As the jeep drives through the forest, the sound of multitudes of chirping birds rents the air. This can be experienced in most forests, but what really pleased me was that you can actually see little birds going about their activities even as you drive past, they are so easy to spot among the bare branches! Minivets, tickels blue fly catchers, bee eaters, magpie robins are present by the thousands. They are no longer nameless chirps in a sea of leaves.

Of course, being able to see and being able to photograph are two completely different things. We saw a lot of dancing peacocks thanks to a heavy down pour on our first day at Gir. Unfortunately, peacocks dance for peahens; not for tourists. So most of the time, we get a back stage view of the performance. Thanks to K for lending me his peacock photo that Ive featured at the top of this blog.

The birds were great, but the real bonus was yet to come.
As we tore through the forest in the quest for lions, our hawk eyed guide abruptly pointed out a movement in a tree. We backed up and stared in the direction he pointed and saw nothing.

A closer look revealed a large monitor lizard that was pretending to be a gnarled branch.

Fortunately it moved and gave a better pose, allowing us to see it better.
I'm glad that I was able to capture the leathery quality of its skin thanks to the sunlight and the new camera. It was a first for all of us, apparently they are not easily spotted.

Monitor Lizard

When not looking at lions, we saw :

Birds :

Black Ibis
Darter
Purple Heron
Painted stork
Wooly necked stork
Koucal
Red Wattled lapwings at nest
Brahminy starlings
Small green bee eater
Plum Headed parakeets at nest
Eurasian thickknees at nest
Changeable Hawk Eagle at Nest
Honey Buzzard pair

More Birds

White eyes
Great tits
Small grey un-identified woodpecker
Tailor birds
Babblers
Paradise Fly catcher ( Male, female, juvenile male )
Tickels blue fly catchers
Magpie Robin pairs
Sunbirds
Red vented bulbuls
White Breasted KingFisher
Small blue kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Yellow footed green pigeon
Minivets
Rose Ringed parakeet
Spotted Owlets at nest

Non-Birds:

Monitor lizards
Mongoose
Sambar Deer
Spotted Dear
Neelgai herd
Langoors
Crocodiles
Wild boar

I embed my Flickr photos in my blog, I do this because I have a Flickr pro account that gives me unlimited storage, and Flickr has some magic that makes my photos look some how better, no matter what the size.

I recently learnt that Flickr is still not visible in CamelCentral ( it is banned by UAE, Orkut is also banned )

So I thought I'd upload the gir photos of the previous blog to picasa ( not full size ), here is a shot slideshow of those, more will be added as I shake off laziness. :)

This post was delayed by too much work and too little electricity. The electricity part has been dealt with by investing in an inverter, photos can now be processed fearlessly. God bless Sukam and Exide!

Gir Part I : Asiatic Lions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 May 2010 09:53:00 +0000

Gorgeous, isnt she?

Gir had been on our plans for a long time and we finally made a trip this summer. (1st May to 5th May 2010)

Given that Gir is the only home of the Asiatic lion in the world, it is surprisingly poorly marketed probably because Gujarat depends little on tourism to bring in revenue. I was also surprised that there are so few detailed trip reports from Gir visitors. Hopefully, with this post and perhaps a couple more, I will be able to rectify that. :)

Why to Visit

The last lion census concluded just days before we visited, the park has 411 lions. This includes 77 cubs, 46 sub-adult lions (23 males and as many females), 29 unidentified lions, 162 adult females and 97 adult males. Gir also has a healthy leopard population numbering around 300.
If being the only place in the world where you can see Asiatic lions isn't enough for you, we found that Gir is also great for birding.
Yes, gujarati food is fabulous too and if you are vegetarian, you will find plenty at the buffet table.

When to Visit

The best time to visit is Summer. Mind you, it will be hot; but if you can bear it the rewards are great! The forest is as dry as a bone; nearly all the trees are bare, giving very good visibility into the park. Leaf-less trees are also excellent for birding.

I learnt from the locals that the most popular and also unproductive time ( holiday rush ) is Diwali and Christmas - so if you want to avoid the crowds, keep that in mind. Park is closed during the monsoon (Mid June to Mid October).

Plan a trip of atleast 6 safaris (3 days). We had planned 7 safaris but unseasonal rains confined us to 5. I feel at least 8 safaris should be done to get a real feel of things and to see the park at leisure.

Male cub in front, his sister behind

How to Reach Gir

Fly to Ahmedabad or Rajkot ( there are fewer flights to Rajkot ). From Rajkot the drive to Sasan Gir is 1hr 15 min on very good roads. From Ahmedabad it is 5.5 hrs to Sasan, the road is excellent.

Sasan also has a railway station, the train route is through the forest, its a meter gauge and will be slow. The chances of spotting wildlife on the train route are quite good. We first saw one of our male lions while he was crossing the track.

We hired a AC Tavera with driver for the entire duration of the trip. Handy if you want to see other places around Gir.

Mr. Ajay (Cab Service) - 09824066862

Where to Stay

Some amount of planning ahead is needed as the accommodation options in Gir are not as plentiful as you may find in kanha/ranthambore/bandhavgarh. Booking ahead is advised, I would recommend making as many payments as possible online since the ATMs are quite far away (1 hour drive).

We stayed at Gir Birding Lodge - a charming little property inside a mango orchard and shares a boundary with the national park. We really liked it. The birding in this lodge is just fabulous, food is great, service courteous. Just as important - rooms, esp. the bathrooms are particularly good ( We took AC deluxe cottages ) If you are visiting in Summer you will need the AC, trust me.

Mr.Pradeep (Manager of Gir Birding Lodge) : 09723971842

Another option which was recommended is Wonderland Resort - choose this if you have companions who aren't as into the animals or birds as you are.

Posing for photos is so boring :)

Guides

If you are in Gir for some serious birding or are very particular about getting good photos you will need to get in touch with a Guide who understands your requirements. The much famed and highly recommended Lalit Bhai was our guide, and he did not disappoint.

In all my trips so far, we had relied on our resorts arranging the guides/drivers (Kanha/Bandhavgarh/Bharatpur), or on the forest dept to provide them (Ranthambore/BR Hills); so this was different for us.

All about Safaris

Hiring the safari vehicle must be done in advance, either through your resort or by other means.

Each vehicle (the vehicle is an open top Gypsy) seats 6 thin passengers + 1 driver + 1 guide. If you have a tripod and gear, assume no more than 4 passengers. It is best to keep your gypsy to yourself and like-minded companions. Its more expensive obviously, but very worth it.

Once the permits are made ( they have to be made fresh each day ) the forest department allots a guide and a driver to each Jeep. Its a rotation basis allotment and you'll never get the same people again. ( This new system was introduced this year )

The department allows only 30 vehicle permits, so book ahead. You will need to carry one ID proof ( I used drivers license ) to get the permit made the first time.

Safaris are of 3 hours each, morning safari starts around 7am; evening safari 3:30 - 4pm. The timings are not written in stone and tend to vary.

The core park area is closed for tourists, so one only gets a glimpse into around 15% of the park area.

The park has lion trackers who station themselves near a lion sighting and keep a wary eye on the tourists and ensure that the lions are not harassed. The bonhomie between the trackers and guides is delightful to watch and a pleasant change from most of the parks Ive visited.

Adult Female walking towards our jeep, Tracker behind her

There are 8 Routes into the park, the routes tend to overlap in many places. People say 1,3,2, and 6 are the best routes. Personally, I also liked number 7. These are the only routes we got, so I cannot comment on the rest. Routes are also decided by the forest department.

Lalit Bhai took care of all of the above and was our single point of contact, making things so much easier. He also understands that you just aren't after lions and took us to a lot of bird hot spots. It helps to have a guide who knows your bird's favorite perch, nesting site and who is intimately familiar with its habits.
He was recommended to me by Misha Desai and to Keshav by Yogendra Bhai.

Lalit Bhai - 09879118283 ( Lalit bhai speaks Hindi very well and a little english )

How Asiatic lions differ from African lions

1. Asiatic lions are smaller with sparser manes than their African cousins. This means that the Male Asiatic lion's ears will always be visible. The largest Asiatic lion on record measured 2.9 m from nose to tail-tip.

2. Male Asiatic lions weigh between 160-190 kgs, while females weigh between 109-165 kgs. On the other hand, male African lions weigh between 150-227 kgs but the females weigh about the same as their Asiatic cousins.

2. Asiatic lions, have a longitudinal skin fold running along the belly in both sexes, while the skin fold is rarely seen in their African counterparts.

3. Asiatic lions have thicker tuft of hairs on their elbows and tail to distinguish them from African lions. I can vouch for this, the tail tufts were extremely bushy in all the lions I saw, compared to what we are used to seeing on Discovery channel :)

4. The skull difference - Fifty percent of Asiatic lions have two small apertures or holes (bifurcated infra-orbital foramina) that allow nerves and blood vessels to reach the eye, while there is only one infraorbital foramen in African lions.

The Pride of Gujarat

5. Average pride strength in Asiatic lion is usually two or three, while African lion pride starts from 5 to many. Asiatic male lions do not form social group with females and they associate with female lions only when mating or sharing food. In fact, male Asiatic lions group together to defend their territory against rival males.

The last point is particularly significant, having seen so many African lions in huge numbers on TV, the pride size which we saw in Gir was of 3 adult females and 4 cubs. We also saw 2 different pairs of Male lions, both were brothers who jointly defended their territories.

The Experience

Compared to seeing tigers, this is a totally different experience. The animals are huge and very adorable, not to mention friendly. They exhibit excellent temperament and are happy to lounge around for extended periods of time and let you click photos. Compared to the female tigers Ive seen these lionesses were much larger.

The cubs provided endless entertainment, never sitting still and with plenty of funny facial expressions. The displays of affection between them were particularly lovely to watch.

The lions in the park are very used to the presence of humans and tend to be very comfortable in their company. Only one 3 year old Male whom we saw was edgy because he had just fought with his brother and was alone in another male's territory. He was the only one who did not give a seated audience, instead he dashed across the road, behind our jeep and vanished into the thickets.

Tree Hugger - Adult Male refused to move from his beloved tree

It must be mentioned though that it isn't as easy to sight lions as one might think. I guess since we are brought up on a steady diet of Discovery channel documentaries on African lions, we tend to expect the same from Gir. Do not expect them to sit in the open on golden grass with the nearest tree a kilometer away. Photos uncluttered by branches, twigs, leaves are not easy to come by.

The Gir forest is quite dense, unlike the african savanna. In the summer, the lions are well camouflaged and we nearly missed one female who sat right next to the road under a tree, as we drove past. Only my Mom's hawk like eyes spotted her and we reversed to where she sat.

Asiatic lion Facts Source:
Asiatic Lion
Asiactic Lion.org

First shots with Canon 350D

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:05:00 +0000

This blog post is to say goodbye to my companion of many years - my beloved Canon Powershot S3 IS.

My better (bigger actually) half has upgraded his equipment and I decided to finally take the big step and get into the big bad and very expensive world of DSLRs with the Canon 350D

One small step for me, a giant hole in my wallet

Currently I'm using a Sigma 70-300mm lens. I'd like to say that the choice of lens is a result of careful planning and extensive research. But, no.. its actually the only one I could comfortably hold. Since it also has a bit of macro capability it also helps me chase my butterflies and other little-er critters.

This one of a little blue insect particularly surprised me. The focus is on the insect.

When it comes to birds, its quite sufficient in my opinion, since I don't like to use a tripod ( especially if I have to carry the damn thing about ). True, I cannot look deep into the bird's eyeballs, but then if that's what you want to do, you're better off being a bird optician.

Keshav and I spent a weekend making friends with the friendly neighborhood swallows and wagtails, to try out the new equipment, in preparation for the upcoming trip to Gir. ( Yes, finally, we're going )

These shots came out quite well in my opinion, comments welcome as always.. The only issue I'm having currently is with the exposure settings - I think its a matter of getting the hang of it.

Btw, a purple sunbird male made a flying visit to our balcony. I'm now thinking of ways to make him come back again, preferably with friends in tow.