Teli Ka Mandir , Telang Mandir , Gwalior

Teli Ka Mandir or Telang Mandir was built in 8th Century during the period of King Mihir Bhoj  .The structure of the temple presents a perfect fusion of the Northern and Southern architectural styles of India. The ‘Shikhar’ (spire) of the temple is  Dravidian in its style, whereas the ornamentation is done in the Nagara style (specific to North India). Teli Ka mandir  doesn’t have any ‘Mandap’ or pillared hall. The temple comprises a Garbha Griha  a porch and a doorway.

Teli Ka Mandir , Telang Mandir Gwalior Fort


Teli Ka Mandir is 100 feet  the tallest and most stunning temple in the  Gwalior Fort. The temple is actually dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the form of his mount, Garuda. A  honeycomb design with a series of receding pointed arches within an arch. The entrance door has a Toran or archway with  images of river goddesses Yamuna and Ganga, romantic couples, foliation decoration and a Garuda . Diamond and lotus designs are seen on the horizontal band at the top of the arch

Entrance to the Garbha Griha , Teli Ka Mandir


Within the rectangular structure is a shrine with no pillared pavilions   with a Barrel Vaulted or  Valabhi roof 25 meters (82 ft) in height. Figures of amorous couples, coiled serpents, on the doorway one can see the ladies from a royal family sailing in a decorated  boat , one  of the maid having an umbrella for shade , above it are coiled snakes   .  At the  The central position on the doorway is dominated by the figure of flying Garuda.

Torana or Arched door way at Teli Ka mandir


There are legends about the name of this temple . One says  it was made from donation of a Oil merchant who locally called Teli, given its name Teli’s Temple. The other story says as it was built form princes from Telengana (region in South India) it is called Teli Ka Mandir. One more  story says, “Teli Ka Mandir” term came as this Rajput Temple according to some legends, Rashtrakuta Govinda III conquered the Fort in 794 AD . He then handled the rites of religious ceremonies and rituals to Telang Brahmins , it seems to be true because of its fusion of Indo Aryan and Dravidian architecture from the Telangana region .
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Sahastra Bahu Mandir , Saas Bahu Mandir , Gwalior

Sahastra Bahu or Saas Bahu Temple is within the Gwalior Fort complex ,   built in 1092 AD by the King Mahipal ,  it is a twin temple a  larger one dedicated to  Lord Vishnu Lord with Thousand arms ( Sahastra Bahu )  it is the most impressive structure  32 x 22 meters ,  built  for  the King  Mahipal’s wife who  was a devotee  of Lord Vishnu ,  a smaller one dedicated to Lord Sun built for her daughter – in – Law  who  was  a  devotee  of  Lord Shiva .  Collectively called  the Mother – in – Law      ( Saas )  and  Daughter – in – Law  ( Bahu ) Temple . Both intricately carved and designed with floral and mythical motifs.

Saas Bahu or Sahastra Bahu Temple Gwalior Fort


Raised on a platform, the walls of the temple have scriptures, figures and intricate stone works and is an example of the architectural skills of sculptors belonging to the 11th century.

Sahastra Bahu or Saas Bahu Temple Gwalior Fort


Using the red sand stone with several stories of beams and pillars but no arches.It has got three entrances , entire temple is covered with idols ,  Lord Bhrama ,  Lord Vishnu and Saraswati ( Godess of Learning)  placed above its entry door.

Pillars supporting and no arches


Built in Nagara style, both the temples are richly decorated with carvings of deities, human and animal figures, and geometric patterns .  It is difficult to find a piece of plane surface in this section that has not been carved,  interlocking the horizontal and the vertical elements and to set up the images at the most appropriate places.

Thirty Meter high carved ceiling Sahastra Bahu Temple


The roof is decked with a wonderful lotus carving which is one of its main attractions. In a way, one can imagine the outstanding architectural brilliancy of ancient times in India . The ceiling containing the pattern of the successive formations of the square, the octagon and the circle is repeated, in its variant forms, in the porches and the central hall.

The Smaller temple is  one-storey replica of the bigger one. Apart from the erotic couples that are particularly  here and not in the other temple , it carries the usual features the floral motif, the geometrical designs, the animal bands running on the surface of the plinth.  It doesn’t have the intricate fully or partially relieved  deities and the smaller pillars.
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Gwalior , Madhya Pradesh

Gwalior is situated 320 km from Delhi,  in Madhya Pradesh state , one can reach by road , there are regular daily trains from Delhi it is about four hour journey by fast trains ,  also there is a domestic airport which is connected with Mumbai and Delhi flights.

Gwalior a historical city of central India founded by a Kachwaha Rajput  Suraj Sen of Silhonia Village  in 8th centenary , the legend is the Suraj Sen who was suffering from Leprosy lost his way on a hunting expedition in this area , suffering from thirst and hunger  he was then helped by a Sage Gwalipa who not only led him to  a water pond but also got him cured of Leprosy . To pay him a respect and in gratitude a city was founded by his name , initially wall was made to protect the area where sage Gwalipa lived , then Suraj Sen built a palace within the walled area upon the hill , slowly people started living around it .

Water Pond where King Suraj Sen Leprosy was cured


 

Temple dedicated to Sage Gwalipa


After its establishment many different rulers came , ruled around and over it and became a prominent place for religion and cultural development . 6 BC it was under the control from Patliputra under Naad Kingdom , in first centenary Naag  Dynesty Kushans came and ruled till 3rd AD , it was with Guptas till 467 AD  and then Pratihar Dynesty ruled and made it capital of Kannauj till 740 AD . Kachwahas were the rulers when Mohmmad Gauri invaded and plundered the area around it  but could not succeed to capture the fort in  1195-96 AD ,  It was Shams Ud- Din Iltumish in 1231 AD after one year siege , succeeded and this fort came under the Muslim rulers .

Man Mandir Palace , Fort Gwalior


Tomar Raja Veer Singh became the ruler in 1375 AD and during the Raja Man Singh the present Palace Man Mandir was constructed . It came in the hands of Scindia in 1730 AD and became a Princely state during the British period .

Shalbhanjika


Places to be worth visiting are  Gwalior Fort , Fort Museum , Sahatrabahu temple, Teli Ka ( Telang)  Mandir , Gurudwara Data Bandi Chor , Gujri Mahal and Museum, one must ask the curator to show the Shalbhanjika  10th Centenary a beautiful carved lady in a stone feminine features with smiling face , it is kept in a strong room because of its archaeological importance .
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Magnetic Hill , Leh , Ladakh

Magnetic Hill is in Ladakh 30 km from Leh , on Leh-Srinagar Highway. It is something to experience and one of the wonders of Himalayas ,

Megnetic Hill , Leh – Srinagar Highway


It is situated on Leh-Srinagar highway about 50 km from Leh the hill is having the megenatic properties , any car parked engine off in neutral gear at a specific point marked as white box , moves towards uphill defying the law of Gravity .
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Tiger Hill, Tololing, Drass Valley,Kargil, Ladakh

Tiger Hill is over looking the  Drass Valley on Srinagar-Leh Highway 1D , it is also known as Point 5353 is the highest peak in this area (16500 feet) . It is the most dominating feature in Drass Valley , is on a confluence of number of spurs and over looks the long stretch of Srinagar-Leh highway.  In the local dialect “Baltic” Dras means “Hell”. It is at a height of 3230 meter or 10990 ft. The surrounding mountain ridges however range from 16000 feet to 21000 feet. It has become famous as the second coldest inhabited place in the world . Winter temperature is sometimes comes down to less than minus 60 degrees.  It is often called ‘The Gateway to Ladakh’ . It also became famous during mid 1999 due to invasion and capturing of surrounding tops by the Mujaheddin with the help of Pakistani army which led to a war from Indian army to recapture the territories back from the intruders.
 

My Salute to Brave Indian Soldiers , Plate at Drass Valley War Memorial


It was mid June of 2010  early morning  when we left Kargil , our driver wanted to cross the Zoji-La pass as early as possible to escape from melting snow and heavy traffic on Leh-Srinagar Highway 1D. We entered the Drass  Valley around 0530 hr. it was very cold and when I checked at the War Memorial which was closed at that time the temperature was -5 degree Centigrade , while waiting to open the gate my heart became so heavy I could not control my self and tears started rolling out of my eyes , imagining the Kargil War and my country brave soldiers who fought not only the enemy but the cold adverse weather , they preferred bullets to be carried with them instead of food. The soldier with his INSAS Rifle on duty at Memorial Gate was having a cylinder with a burner on top with a flame to keep himself warm told me that in this cold the fingers become num .

My first glimpses of Tiger Hill from Leh-Srinagar Highway


While travelling from Leh , we stayed a night at Kargil , early morning when we entered the Drass valley ,  moon was still shining over our left side of the mountains , our Ladakhi driver who was very quite since we started from Kargil broke the silence ” woh dekho Tiger Hill “ and my reaction was ” Wah” I was stunned with the beauty of it .

Beauty of Tiger Hill from Leh-Srinagar highway


Most of the Cab drivers want to cross the Zoji-La early morning because after the sun rise the warmth of sun rays causes the melting of Glaciers , and  water flows on the roads and it is difficult to drive in this patch, the War Memorial opens at 0800 hr. in the morning the war museum is worth visiting and paying respect to the Kargil War Heros.
 

Drass War Memorial , Snow cap Tololing Ridge in backdrop

If one is entering the Drass valley from Kargil , it is about 2 hr. drive,  make sure you leave from Kargil in time when you reach Drass the War Memorial is open . Take care of your woolens as Drass valley is the second highest coldest inhabited place on earth

Drass War Memorial at foot hill of Tololing Ridge, Kargil, Ladakh


“Sir, I’m on Tololing Top.” a simple message from Col. M.B. Ravindranath of  2nd Rajputana Riffles minutes after recapturing the Top ,  “Tololing being bang on the road, it choked our throats,” says a field commander. “That pressure is now off.” The victory earned by Ravindranath and his men a rare, direct “well-done” from then army chief Gen. V.P. Malik .
I could feel that chill in my body while standing at the War memorial which is just below the Tololing top.  It took just six days for Indian troops to give final touches to the  successes by evicting well-entrenched intruders on four nearby outposts with names echoed all over the World — Point 4590Rocky Knob, Hump and Point 5140. It could lead to the recapture of a similarly strategic height of Tiger Hill.

Tiger Hill Battle Plate at War Hero’s Memorial Drass, Ladakh


Tiger Hill has sharp conical features, which stands among the mountain tops a few kilometres north of Drass. During the Kargil war, the picture of Indian troops after having captured the Tiger Hill became the symbol of the Indian victory in the war. Indian Armed  forces involved  to recapture the Tiger Hill were from the 18 Grenadiers ,  2 Naga and the 8 Sikh Regiment  it was one of the costliest operations for the Indian forces in the entire conflict, with casualties of nearly forty personnel killed and nearly a hundred wounded in the entire operation.  In the 36 hour operation, the first meal our soldiers had were the dates left behind by the retreating Pakistanis.

Batra Top battle Plate, Drass Valley, Kargil, Ladakh


Captain Batra, the soldiers of 13 JAK Rifles charged the enemy position and captured Point 5140 set in motion a string of successes, such as Point 5100, Point 4700, Junction Peak and Three Pimples with fellow Captain Anuj Nayyer who was awarded Maha Vir Chakra  , Capt. Batra led his men to victory with the recapture of Point 4750 and Point 4875. He was killed when he tried to rescue an injured officer during an enemy counter attack  against Point 4875.   Captain Vikram Batra was awarded the Param Vir Chakra .
 

Tiger Hill, with Rhino Horn feature and a pimple called Batra Top


I saw very few local people in the morning , houses with door closed it was very cold , even  stray dogs or animals not visible anywhere in the valley. People I saw on the highway here either they were soldiers or truck drivers from Kashmir and Punjab.

Honor to a soldier in religious texts who lays his life in Battle field


 

Tololing Ridge and War Hero’s Memorial at Drass Valley


 

Plate , Battle of Tololing , Drass Valley, War Memorial, Kargil , Ladakh


Leading the brave men right from the front were the officers. It was the Captains and Majors considered to be the cutting edge of the Indian army who once again proved their worth . Sacrifice has the words ‘For our tomorrow, they gave their today’  this been true in the case of our gallant soldiers. And yet, the nation generally tends to forget the ordinary soldier in times of peace.

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What price we paid to in terms of  men, who laid their life just for IZZAT , Fellow comrade ,Call of Duty  keeping aside their own personal safety , it will always be in my mind that because of these above the extra ordinary men, I was able to travel to this place without any fear and took the pictures of this most beautiful place of our motherland .

On the base of Tiger Hill, Drass Valley, Ladakh


 
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Karsha Gompa, Monastery, Zanskar, Ladakh

Karsha Gompa is the biggest monastery in Zanskar situated in scenic surroundings few kilometers from main Zanskar town, Padum , is an imposing complex of neatly white washed building blocks comprising several chapels, besides residential cells for its nearly 150 lamas, who belong to the Geluks-pa sect. Built picturesquely along the steeply rising mountainside above Karsha village,  It was established by Lama Phagspa Sherab in the 11th century above the Stod river.
 

Karsha Gompa, Monastery, Zanskar, Ladakh


Karsha is the largest and most important monastery in Zanskar. It is didicated to Padmasambhava, and there are ancient rock-carvings at the site. The oldest remaining structure, an Avalokiteshvara temple, Chuk-shik-jal, contains wall paintings which belongs to the era of Rinchen Zangpo , The bone relics of Dorje Rinchenare is a part of this collection at Karsha Gompa.
 The Karsha area include an old nunnery called Dorje Dzong,  occupying a hilltop to the west of the main monastery. The ruins around this nunnery are believed to be the original monastic foundation of Karsha ,  the monasteries of Khagsar, Purang and Phagspa , two Temples – the ‘Thugsjechhenpoi Lhakhang’ and the ‘Lhakhang Karpo’ the present monastery was founded during the 14th century. An old stupa surviving among the ruins is still adorned with the original murals, which reflect Indian artistic influence. Nearby is the ancient temple of ‘Chukshik-jal’, which houses an exquisite figure of Avalokitesvara as the main image.

View from Karsha Gompa , Chortens in Zanskar Valley, Ladakh


Mons of the Khesa race became Buddhist in Kushan period under the King Kaniska are the dominant population in the Zanskar their features do not match with that of the local tribes or with the Mongolians, Mons are credited with building Kursha Monastery in the main Zanskar valley along with other 30 monasteries, chortens and temples .  Kursha monastery houses the mummified body of an incarnate lama called the Rinchen Zangpo and sealed in a wooden box with silver lining.
The most important festival, known as the Karsha Gustor, is held with masked cham dances on the 26th to the 29th day of the 11th Tibetan month, which is usually in January.
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Sani Gompa, Monastery , Zanskar,Ladakh

Sani Gompa Monastery of Ladakh also known as Turtot Gyat situated on the road to Kargil, at a distance of approximately 6 km to the west of Padum. belongs to the Drukpa Kagyupa School,  it is believed that the monastery was associated with Kanishka, Kushan ruler of 2nd century AD because of  the Kanika Stupa in the back yard and construction like a fort,  the gompa is not built on a hill or mountain but on flat land. It is in the form of a castle and the Kanishka chorten is in the backyard of the enclosing stone walls with chortens mounted at intervals. Next to the Kanishka chorten are ten standing stones with engravings of deities in a pre-Tibetan style.  The entire Sani Monastery of Ladakh has been constructed in parts, each dating back to a different century. The chorten inside the oldest part of Sani Monastery is believed to be erected in the 2nd century AD. On the other hand, the Dukhang (assembly hall) of the monastery is said to be constructed in the early 17th century.

Sani Gompa , Monastery


the famous Indian Yogi Naropa. It is believed that the Yogi meditated under the Kanishka Stupa, situated in the backyard of the monastery. The same spot, where the Yogi sat in meditation, now houses a small room with a veiled bronze statue of the Yogi. It is on displayed on the eve of the Naro-Nasjal Festival every year in late July  or  in the first week of August, between the 15th and the 20th of the sixth Tibetan month. It takes place during the blooming of the  Guru Neropa Flower, the Lamas from Bardan Monastery perform masked dances as ritual offering. a magnificent plantation of huge old poplars adjoining the gompa is unusual as this region is mostly treeless

Stupa at Sani Gompa back yard


The Dukhang (assembly hall) of the monastery is said to be constructed in the early 17th century. The central praying hall is situated in the main building of the monastery and stands ornamented with a rich collection of the statues of popular Buddhist divinities and Kargud-pa high lamas ,the walls of the praying hall are decorated with frescoes and Thangkas. The Assembly Hall or Dukhang has 16 columns and houses images of Chamba, Chenren and Padmasambhava as well as others. Behind the altar is the Gongkhang, a small room containing an ancient figure of Cho Rinpoche
This place is also among the  eight most important cremation grounds of Tibetan Buddhists is outside the monastery complex and the cemetery is ringed with ancient rock-carvings which show Indian influences there is also a  two metre high boulder with a painting of Maitrya on it  the pilgrims pour the sacrificial oil over it .
Drukpa  Kargyu school  is the only one of this order in Zanskar which has nuns, A group of Kargyu nuns established a small retreat centre at Starkhugnza in the 1990s ,  It is a site above Sani which was founded by Ngawang Tsering (1657-1732), a famous Zanskar meditator.
One can see the white opening to a cave in a cliff across the river from the monastery where Padmasambhava is also said to have meditated for several years and it is still used as a meditation cell
Every year in the winters a Great Prayer Festival is held in which the  firewood provided by villagers of the surrounding villages in which prayers from the Tibetan holy books are chanted.
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Alchi Monastery , Ladakh

Alchi monastery is situated on a low land unlike the other monasteries which are constructed on  high lands or hilocks it is situated on a down stream 70 kms from Leh about 6 km from the main Leh Srinagar Highway on the banks of Indus river in the Alchi village at a height of 3100 meters from sea , it is one of the oldest well preserved dates back to about 1000 years, main attraction is thousands of minature paintings of lord Budha on a wall three large clay images of Budha in bright colours, past 500 years no religious activity has taken place here it is looked after by a monk from the Likir monastery.  The monasteries of this period did not belong to any of the established Tibetan schools, they were initially brought under the control of the Kadampa  Sect . When the condition of the monasteries deteriorated, they were mostly taken over by the Gelukpa Sect .

Wooden carvings at main entrance , Alchi monastry


Alchi is part of three villages the other two villages are Mangdu and Sumnda Chun . It was built between 958 AD – 1055AD by the great translator Guru Rinchen Zangpo, assembly hall and the main temple is three storied are built in Kashmiri style, Manjushri is the third temple , there is a huge statue of lord Budha , walls of temple have the oldest preserved paintings of that time and reflects the Hindu and Budhist artistic and spritual details, there were 108 monasteries built in the trans Himalyan region to spread  Vajrayana Budhism from Tibet also known as Lamaism , Kashmiri artists were engaged to create sculptures and paintings .
Manjushri Temple, also called ‘Jampe Lhakhang‘, is built around the four central images of Manjushri (seated back to back) seen on a common platform each of the four images is single-headed with four arms that are adorned with a sword, a book on top of a lotus, a bow and an arrow. Each wall in the shrine is dedicated to a Buddha image. Manjushri is depicted on the main wall, seated on a lion throne; the side walls have images of Amitabha  on the right and Aksharabhya on the left. The images are set around the central image of Manjushri in a niche in the wall. Manjushri is adorned with jewellery (pearls and other moulded forms) and a crown made of a flower band. In the base of the throne on which the Manjushri image is deified, is a depiction of ‘Seven Jewels’ and ‘Eight Suspicious Symbols’ (flanked by lions) enclosed in a square frame that is distinctive. The top of the throne frame has Makara mountings.

Alchi Monasrty , Information display


This village is very fertile and it is all green with apricot trees on both side of road. This region had influence of Islam , Hinduism and Budhism because it falls on the route to Turkestan of China but its isolation helped the village and gompa to keep their cultural traditions safe from the outer influnces. The effect of Tibetian culture can be seen here , there are five shrines in the Choskor temple complex.

Green fertile land at Alchi Village


Alchi , ages old Chortens


These chortens are decorated gateways known locally as Kakani Chorten  are considered unique to Alchi with historical link to other monuments. More chortens were added between the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Alchi complex, there are also three other chortens, which have ancient paintings .
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Phuktal Gompa, Monastery, Zanskar, Ladakh

 Phugtal Gompa , Monastery also called Phuktal a Tibetan buddhist monastery of the Gelupa Buddhist sect is situated in Zanskar valley of Ladakh at a height of 3850 meters , established by by Lama Gangsem Sherap Sampo in the early 12th century, the monastery is a unique construction the foundation of the monastery, made up of twigs and muds built into the cliffside , on the mouth of a cave on the cliff face  onto an almost perpendicular drop. When entering the gorge (on foot, no road) one turns round a bend in the valley and are presented with the view over a  gorge of a major tributary of the Lungnak (Lingti-Tsarap) River on its right bank .
 

Phuktal Gompa , Zanskar


Phuktal meaning through caves, It is a 2-storied structure painted in traditional Ladakhi colors of red, black and yellow, the highlights of the monastery include frescoes and ceiling decorations in an old Gompa which belong to same era as that of Alchi Monastery. There are  three large and one small prayer room and a library. One of the main attraction here is a hollow in the rock in the cave over the monastery, the level of water in this hollow never drops down  despite any amount of water being drawn from it , this water is believed to have curative powers.

One can reach here from Kargil to Padum by road and then a two days trek route that leads to Manali diverges off from the Purney Bridge leads  to a 7 km trek to Phuktal monastery.
The monks of the monastery carry out the sacred Cham dance during the Gustor festival which is celebrated during the 18th and 19th day of the Tibetan 12th month.
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Stongdey Gompa, Monastery, Zanskar, Ladakh

Stongdey Gompa , Monastery also called Stongdey Marpaling. One of the most fascinating attractions in Zanskar on a hill-top about 10 km from Padum on Zangla road, established in 1052AD by famous translator Lama Marpa Larsawa desciple of Lama Naropa , four centenary later it was taken over by Gelugpa sect of Buddhism . It belongs to the Tsongkhapa order, which was introduced by Lama Gyaltsanpa Tundup Palzangpo.

Stongdey Gompa, Monastery, Zanskar, Ladakh


One can reach here trekking for three hour from the main road.
 

Stondey Gompa, monastery , Zanskar, Ladakh


The sprawling whitewashed complex has a number of temples, each a repository of the region’s rich monastic legacy . There are seven temples in all. The Tshogs-khang is decorated with exquisite painting including some with deities on a black background outlined in gold , major attraction of the monastery consists of the gorgeous wall paintings adorning its interiors.

Stupas at Stongdey Gompa Zanskar, Ladakh


The Lamas serving at Stongdey are the successive reincarnations of Nari Tulku  over 950 yearsaround 60 monks who live in the monastery have built a school for the Tibetan children of the area to keep the Tibetan culture and language alive .
Every year the  Gustor Festival is held on the 28th and 29th day in the eleventh month of the Tibetan Calender, the monks perform the sacred dance in the monastery.
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