[VLOCT]

Please don't cut short the diary. Like I said, it probably was a mistake as I cannot fathom why anyone would go out of his way to give a 1-star rating to such an amazing place, whether he likes architecture or not. However, cutting short would mean depriving people who love art and architecture and generally anything beautiful. By your own words, such photologs are more meaningful for them anyway. And if it brings a few folks along who may not have had a serious interests, that much better.

People like me who live a world away don't have access to these and may never have it. We value such diaries from people like you who takes such serious interest in providing deeper understanding of a place. It would be a shame if this one ends too quickly. The place definitely deserves full exposure.

[SS-Traveller]

MX, just forget the ratings and get on with the t'log! Do you mind if some people don't enjoy your writing and pics of architecture but most others do? For me, your pics of Modhera and Patan brought back many old memories (from 1995-96) when we had occasion to visit these places as well as enjoy a dance festival being held there.

Please carry on.

[Nitrous Power]

Originally Posted by MX6

Anyway folks. Thanks a bunch for people who've left motivational comments and some nice ratings as well.

MX6, it's an excellent log with great pics, don't cut it short. For some of us, it's bringing old memories back.

[pjbiju]

MX6, I had not even heard of these places until you put up this travelogue. Thanks for sharing and hope to visit these places some day. Please put up as many pictures as you can, so that we are inspired to make the journey. Will definitely bug you once I plan something.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

Please don't cut short the diary.

I'm humbled. Will continue the photologue as planned earlier.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

MX, just forget the ratings and get on with the t'log! Do you mind if some people don't enjoy your writing and pics of architecture but most others do? For me, your pics of Modhera and Patan brought back many old memories (from 1995-96) when we had occasion to visit these places as well as enjoy a dance festival being held there.

Please carry on.

True. Over the team-bhp meet, we tried evolving some theories over it.
And am glad that it rekindled some old memories in you! Yes, the dance festival is something in our plan next time around.

Originally Posted by Nitrous Power

MX6, it's an excellent log with great pics, don't cut it short. For some of us, it's bringing old memories back.

Sure pal. The stories will continue with some cool pics.

Originally Posted by pjbiju

MX6, I had not even heard of these places until you put up this travelogue. Thanks for sharing and hope to visit these places some day. Please put up as many pictures as you can, so that we are inspired to make the journey. Will definitely bug you once I plan something.

PJB. Will put up as much pictures as possible. But at the same time don't want to flood this forum as well. Always free to help you out for trips there.
This is a must see.

Thanks folks. The photos will continue soon.

[ramkya1]

Like others said, **** the ratings and post what you liked and enjoyed, those who appreciate it are plenty, what would a rating get you!!

Even after seeing the sun temple multiple times and seeing your pictures, I never get tired of it, it's so beautiful. Fully justifies a trip for anyone who comes to Ahmedabad.

Last week I had to explain to a friend who was passing to stop by and visit it, he has not even heard of this place and Rani Ka Vav, convinced him to change plans. Know from experience from people who have visited the "WOW" effect after seeing rich heritage so near Ahmedabad.

Glad you brought all of it out again for us to enjoy. Please continue...

--Ramky
======

[MX6]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Like others said, **** the ratings and post what you liked and enjoyed, those who appreciate it are plenty, what would a rating get you!!

Glad you brought all of it out again for us to enjoy. Please continue...

--Ramky
======

Thanks for your kind words Ramkya sir. Basically, as expressed before it is not the rating that rankles or rankled me. It is the blind way in which some member is venting out his frustration here that made me feel sad.

When I did check for other logs, even the meet threads started by me, some person had hit the 1 star rating. So I realised that there's some set of people here who are being very childish. Incidentally, there was a lovely discussion on such lines in the Mumbai meet we had last sunday. Viper came with a telling statement that these are basically handiwork of people who have neither acheived anything and are jealous of other's acheivements. Some even went ahead and put some names across as potential mischeif mongers.


In this case, my greatest acheivement is to be at such places and put them across in a forum where people who see it are motivated to visit such places. Ratings can go to hell actually.

Here's the next set of pictures. I've tried to put my analysis of what the sculpture could have depicted. I could be wrong too. Many of them are almost in the verge of being destroyed beyond recognition.

This one seems to be the royal entourage. The king on his Elephant touring the cities may be?


A close up of a single pillar with some intricate carvings. The bottom part seems to depict scenes of revelry in the town with people dancing and playing musical instruments. There's also a degree of associated eroticism one can gauge here.


Seems to be a friendly bout of Malyuddha or wrestling with cheerers for both the competitors. Could be scenes from a possible swayamwara where princes battled each other to show strength.


Yet another scene of two people engaged in a contest or fight. This time with a weapon. With one person upside down, seems to be a very interesting posture.


And here some one seems to be taming the wild horse with possibly the princess and her servant overseeing the proceedings from the Anthapura.


Or may be it could even be that this queen is back in her palace awaiting for the news of her king who's gone to war. And the lady narrates how the king slayed an opponent and tamed his horse. One can think of various such instances.

Here's possibly a king on his elephant trampling upon someone or a hero taming an elephant.


And here's a bigger hero who shows his strength! He has lifted the baby elephant!


And an archer with his bow taking an aim. Surrounded by people probably women.


A horse rider fighting? Giving a message to someone over the window?


Finally here's something that's clear. This is Narasimha, tearing apart Hiranya as Prahlada sits by his side praying so that the lords pacifies from his extreme state of anger.


While the earlier post, I'd surprisingly quoted about the structural similarity between that mini tower in the Stepped tank along with the Lingaraja temple in Odisha, it did strike me later that Odisha was also home to the more bigger and more famous Sun temple at Konarak. And Sun temples are primarily the work of people from Suryavansham (the one's who went as far as vietnam/ laos and built structures like the Angkorwat).
They worshop Surya as Suryanarayana.

Up next: Moving out of the Sabhamantapa in to the Gudamantapa.

[f1fan]

Awesome... Post our discussion on Sunday, this was on my list of things to see, now it is confirmed on my list of things to visit when I go that side.
Keep uploading snaps... They are really good

[BolBolero]

Sir,

Once again complementing you on the wonderful snaps, both by Mrs. MX6 and yourself!

As far as the rating is concerned, like all the others have so far said, just don't bother Sir!

As far this travelogue is concerned, besides the snaps, I am amazed at the meticulous description of each single photograph!

Sir please do continue and do not cut this travelogue short, come what may!

[MX6]

Typo Error regretted. The earlier set, I'd written about a king slaying/ taming a horse. It should actually read King slaying/ taming a Lion. May be it was war. May be he went big game hunting. May be it was part of Swayamwar where in kings were asked to slay lions!

Originally Posted by f1fan

Awesome... Post our discussion on Sunday, this was on my list of things to see, now it is confirmed on my list of things to visit when I go that side.
Keep uploading snaps... They are really good

Modhera and Patan are must visit. Good to know that they are confirmed (in bold that too). Such a wonderful place and the entry ticket is like 5 rs or so for an adult and free for children. We pay 500 bucks for multiplexes. . Ok not going to preach.

Here's the set of snaps from the Guda Mantapa.

The MX6 family outside the Guda Mandap. Note the completely dark inner sanctum that houses the diety Suryadev. The architectural marvel is that on the day of equinoxes, the fist rays of the sun falls on the diety.


Sabha Mandap in front of Guda Mandap. For Sun rays to fall on the diety, they need to actually traverse the whole of Sabha Mandap. So the building height has been measured in such a way and the dimensions of the Sabhamandap planned in such a way that the rays of the sun pass right through unhindered right at Sun rise.


The first room just outside the innersanctum opens out to a pillared hall. What you see below is the ceiling of the same. And what hangs there are Bats. Lots of them. In complete darkness. Had to take this with long exposures. Left my tripod in the car itself! Damn. My advice to photographers! Don't forget your tripods in the excitement.


That's a view from the inner sanctum, with the Sabha Mandap outside. Another person is now admiring the beauty of the Guda Mandap's intricate pillar carvings and presented a nice silhouette for me. The lighting you see shows you how dark it is inside.


This is the best handheld shot I could get of the blooming lotus (with a 1000 petals) on the ceiling, inverted, in the main sanctum along with the pillars that supports it.


Some of the pillars (again the symmetry). What could the below pillar show? Could it be court dancers? Could they be the Apsaras? And the person with twin kids just above? Could it be Rama (with the bow) and his twin sons Lav and Kush? Incidentally, the Solankis, like the Ranas of Mewar are Suryavanshi Rajputs and are supposed to be descendants of Lav, the son of Rama.
Or could it be Surya dev with the Ashwin twins (the physicians of the gods)?


Two brothers with Bow and Arrows. I can't think of anyone other than Rama And Lakshmana.


Been trying to decipher this one for long. It depicts an Archer taking aim at a subject way up. There seems to be someone below crouched. Could be any old story.


Is this Narayana or Suryanarayana? Surya is worshipped as Narayana or vishnu and viceversa. And Surya has many names.

adityah savita suryah khagah pusha gabhastiman
suvarnasadrisho bhanur-hiranyareta divakarah

That's some of his names and some of his qualities from the hymn Aditya Hridaya Stotra.

Apart from that he has other names like Vishnu, Visvavaan, Ravi, Prabhakara etc.
And beneath him are the Dwarapalakas Jaya and Vijaya. They were cursed once to serve three life times in the material world as Asuras for their "insolent" behaviour in not allowing Sanat Kumaras (Sanat, Sananda, Sanaka, and Sanatana), who were mistaken to be "kids" by Jaya and Vijaya inside Vaikunta to get Darshan of Vishnu.
And Vishu had to take 3 of his avataras to vanquish those demons who are avataras of Jaya and Vijaya, of which Rama was from the Solar dynasty.
Whew, putting aside the history, here's a pic that made me go in to so much of detail. Surya/ Narayana/ Vishnu/ Ravi/ Aditya or which ever name you can associate with his guards Jaya and Vijaya.


Finally after taking some pics in near darkness, I set my camera on the ground. Fixed my 10-20 mm lens and set this on very long shutter. This view is etched in my memory for long. What a brilliant artistry on the ceiling. At the very end (periphery) of the blooming lotus, you see twelve statues peering down. They are representing the twelve zodiacs that Surya traverses through in the year. Sadly I didn't have good lighting or a better zoom to take close ups of those twelve as they all looked different. Again this was supported on 8 intricately carved pillars.


The absolute silence inside the sanctum, in near darkness is the closest I could ever get to eternal peace. And with great reluctance I walked out to have one last circumambulation of such a splendour!

Up next: Outer carvings of the Guda Mandap and the Surya we all know!

[arindamray]

Originally Posted by MX6

The architectural marvel is that on the day of equinoxes, the fist rays of the sun falls on the diety.

Sabha Mandap in front of Guda Mandap. For Sun rays to fall on the diety, they need to actually traverse the whole of Sabha Mandap. So the building height has been measured in such a way and the dimensions of the Sabhamandap planned in such a way that the rays of the sun pass right through unhindered right at Sun rise.

Konark temple also had the similar structure (though sabhamandap is in ruins) and the phenomenon mentioned above said to be true there as well.

You can also see example of Kalinga architecture in Pattadkal - one of the temple in the complex followed that.

Obviously apart from Lingaraj and Konark (though I am not sure if Konark followed the distinguished Kalinga style, have to crosscheck photographs), Puri Jagannath teample is another temple with the Kalinga style.

[mazda4life]

Dear MX6, Please continue to post the detailed travelogue as it is a treat to our senses ... it is mindblowing just to see these sculptures and to step back and imagine the amount of creativity and the talent that our people had to interpret the maha kavyas and turn it into these sculptures.

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by arindamray

Konark temple also had the similar structure (though sabhamandap is in ruins) and the phenomenon mentioned above said to be true there as well.

You can also see example of Kalinga architecture in Pattadkal - one of the temple in the complex followed that.

Obviously apart from Lingaraj and Konark (though I am not sure if Konark followed the distinguished Kalinga style, have to crosscheck photographs), Puri Jagannath teample is another temple with the Kalinga style.

If you notice the corners on photographs you'd see the temple sits on a lotus, Konark is different. The scale of Konark is on a much larger scale.

Good Captures all. @ Mani: Waiting for more exciting pictures.

--Ramky

[roamingrao]

MX6, A visual treat !

appreciate your attention to finer details - especially the carved pillars and lotus shaped roof.

Suryadev mandir, Modhera. I guess the stone used is sandstone - the colour, the grainy texture, the 'glow' and the ability to carve with such intricacy points to this type of stone. But, is or was sandstone available in this part of Gujarat ? or was brought from neighbouring Rajasthan ?

i ask this because such intricate carving in stone with this colour is also found in 'havelis' of jaisalmer.

or is it some other stone available locally ?


Please continue with the treat !

[Fauji]

Mani,

Excellent!!!

This brought the memories of our trip 2008 to Modhera and Little rann.

The carvings are intricate and unfortunately are getting eroded slowly as they are built of sand stone and the being closer to sea has salt content in the air.

Looking forward to pictures of the beautiful "Rani ki Vav" the step well closer to Modehra.

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Suryadev mandir, Modhera. I guess the stone used is sandstone - the colour, the grainy texture, the 'glow' and the ability to carve with such intricacy points to this type of stone. But, is or was sandstone available in this part of Gujarat ? or was brought from neighbouring Rajasthan ?

Yes Ashok. It is made of sand stone. You can see erosion in the pictures.