There is this term in photography known as the 'Golden Hour', which alludes to the time around sunrise and sunset, when the sunlight is not too bright, and a mystic golden light is casted over everything. Many photographers are encouraged to take opportunity of this lighting, and my visit to Srirangapatna a few weeks back gave me just that. Here's a preview,
Beautiful, no?
The purpose of the visit was to video document the fort of Srirangapatna for the subject of Architectural Appreciation. This required us to drive all over town, taking photos and videos of all historic sites, and in between we grabbed our chance to have our own excursion.
We left one hot, bright afternoon, all six of us, comfortably packed in Durrani's car. We drove from a highway filled with dhabas, towards scenic views of lush green fields on both sides of the road. We entered the town, and first headed towards the banks of the river Kaveri.
Rain has betrayed Mysore for longer than a year, so the river wasn't as swell as it used to be, and dry rocks covered most part of it. Still, the bank was alive, with prayers chanted in one corner, banter between women as they noisily washed their clothes, the laughter and giggles of a large family, as they conversed with great interest, and in the distant, one man covered in soap foam, washing himself unhurriedly.
As the water level was low, you could also spot birds fishing more clearly.
One swoop down, and a fish in the beak.
Or like this one, swimming in the water to find one.
After finishing a walk along the river banks, we drove to the Dungeon, which had unfortunately closed. We then crossed the railway station and climbed upwards onto the remains of the once great fort, and watched the sky turn from blue, to orange, to pink and then eventually black.
Early next morning, six of us, on three scooters, again made our way through a (still) sleepy Mysore towards Srirangapatna. This time the air was cold, and a light fog persisted over the roads.
We parked near the Elephant Gate and climbed on top and patiently waited for the sun to rise.
The market nearby was already buzzing, and vehicles drove in and out of the ancient gate.
After some satisfactory clicks, we visited the Jumma Masjid, where the Madrasa was already open and classes were in session. From the gate itself, you could see boys, seated in two rows, with their heads bent, reading aloud verses from the Quran. Between them two elderly bearded men sat, supervising the ongoing lesson.
The mosque was previously a Hindu Temple, which is evident from Hindu motifs on the stone columns, the ambulatory around the shrine, and the lower stone walls of the structure. After Tipu Sultan shifted his capital to Srirangapatna, the upper levels of the mosque were built, along with the minarets.
It is pleasing to hear that a structure that posses qualities of two separate cultures, is still (peaceful) intact, maintained and useful.
From there, we climbed to the point where once Tipu Sultan's army's flag would be fluttering over the town. Yellow, when he was ruling, and once the Britishers took over, it was black.
Then, we visited the Shri Ranganathaswamy temple, my favourite. My family and I have visited this temple on a regular basis, mostly at night, first washing my feet at the river Kaveri, then a visit through the crowded lines of the temple, and then having some bajji's and a cup of chai, on the walk back to the crowd. It has become of a ritual of a sort now.
This time, I visited in the afternoon, when all the steel stanchions had been opened, and the usual long, maze like route to reach the altar was replaced by a straight walk towards it. The temple was hardly crowded, and very quiet except with the occasional rings of bells, and chants of prayer heard in between. It was dark and cool,and felt like standing in a bubble, away from the heat and crowd outside. The only source of natural light was through the opening above the courtyard with the dhwaja stambha soaring through it.
It was a beautiful sight. The light came down in various streaks, and you could see dust particles dancing around them. The lathe turned pillars and the dhwaja stambha, were glowing, and everything around them faded away from the bright centre. Some people sat at the step of the courtyard, and the whole scene looked like a painting.
The last visit of the day was the Lord Bailey Dungeon, which we had missed the previous day. The dungeon is quite small, and was composed of a series of groin vaults. Prisoners used to be chained to the wall, and made to stand in neck deep waters of most hours of the day. Here are the two Nidas, demonstrating it for you,
By eleven in the morning, our whole tour of the major sited in the town were done. And I am glad that because of this assignment I finally got to go around the town, when the routine visits have only included the river bank and the temple.
Of course, there is work ahead of us now; putting together of all the photos and videos, but still, I am content with this sudden excursion of ours!
The purpose of the visit was to video document the fort of Srirangapatna for the subject of Architectural Appreciation. This required us to drive all over town, taking photos and videos of all historic sites, and in between we grabbed our chance to have our own excursion.
We left one hot, bright afternoon, all six of us, comfortably packed in Durrani's car. We drove from a highway filled with dhabas, towards scenic views of lush green fields on both sides of the road. We entered the town, and first headed towards the banks of the river Kaveri.
Rain has betrayed Mysore for longer than a year, so the river wasn't as swell as it used to be, and dry rocks covered most part of it. Still, the bank was alive, with prayers chanted in one corner, banter between women as they noisily washed their clothes, the laughter and giggles of a large family, as they conversed with great interest, and in the distant, one man covered in soap foam, washing himself unhurriedly.
One swoop down, and a fish in the beak.
Or like this one, swimming in the water to find one.
After finishing a walk along the river banks, we drove to the Dungeon, which had unfortunately closed. We then crossed the railway station and climbed upwards onto the remains of the once great fort, and watched the sky turn from blue, to orange, to pink and then eventually black.
Early next morning, six of us, on three scooters, again made our way through a (still) sleepy Mysore towards Srirangapatna. This time the air was cold, and a light fog persisted over the roads.
We parked near the Elephant Gate and climbed on top and patiently waited for the sun to rise.
The mosque was previously a Hindu Temple, which is evident from Hindu motifs on the stone columns, the ambulatory around the shrine, and the lower stone walls of the structure. After Tipu Sultan shifted his capital to Srirangapatna, the upper levels of the mosque were built, along with the minarets.
It is pleasing to hear that a structure that posses qualities of two separate cultures, is still (peaceful) intact, maintained and useful.
 |
| Vegetable Shopping outside the mosque |
 |
| Nida pointing towards her namesake |
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| Anisha posing; if only that hand was a bit more down |
This time, I visited in the afternoon, when all the steel stanchions had been opened, and the usual long, maze like route to reach the altar was replaced by a straight walk towards it. The temple was hardly crowded, and very quiet except with the occasional rings of bells, and chants of prayer heard in between. It was dark and cool,and felt like standing in a bubble, away from the heat and crowd outside. The only source of natural light was through the opening above the courtyard with the dhwaja stambha soaring through it.
It was a beautiful sight. The light came down in various streaks, and you could see dust particles dancing around them. The lathe turned pillars and the dhwaja stambha, were glowing, and everything around them faded away from the bright centre. Some people sat at the step of the courtyard, and the whole scene looked like a painting.
The last visit of the day was the Lord Bailey Dungeon, which we had missed the previous day. The dungeon is quite small, and was composed of a series of groin vaults. Prisoners used to be chained to the wall, and made to stand in neck deep waters of most hours of the day. Here are the two Nidas, demonstrating it for you,
By eleven in the morning, our whole tour of the major sited in the town were done. And I am glad that because of this assignment I finally got to go around the town, when the routine visits have only included the river bank and the temple.
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