At Malik-e-Maidan (Monarch of the Plains) we saw a huge canon with Islamic inscriptions. It was brought as a war trophy to Bijapur. Observe the canon carefully; you will see the head of the canon shaped like a tiger, whose razor sharp jaws are closing on an elephant. “The tiger represents the Islam while the elephant represents the Hindus,” our guide told us. ‘Was it necessary, this religious interpretation of something artistic?’ I wondered. Anyways we moved on.
The monuments and the major tourist attraction posts are all well maintained, but the city as such isn’t so well maintained. Chaotic and congested traffic, it looks like those typical sleeping towns which suddenly woke up to the hustle and bustle of busy in-flowing traffic of the tourists. Walk little bit in to the interiors you will find the typical Indian village life. People still stand in long queues for their weekly/monthly quota of fuel (kerosene).
We saw colorful pots, all in a row. They were left behind by their owners to indicate their position in the long wait for water. Water is available to them just on timely basis. If you notice carefully, there is no tap, only an open outlet. This is Bijapur, a historic city, wealthy with palaces, mausoleums and monuments, yet not rich.
55 comments:
Fascinating post and marvelous captures as always, Indrani! It's truly like making personal visit, and I do enjoy it so much!
Have a great week!
Sylvia
Great shots and an interesting post. That must be hard to stand in line for a quota of kerosene.
wow very primitive how does life improve in these places Is it government ? lack of Jobs?
I love the decorative archway, there is so much colour in India. Thanks for sharing:)
Now that was interesting! Quite different from my world in the Netherlands, which is not so colourful with all those businesslike buildings. Thanks for your post.
In my country, no one has to stand in line for water! I cannot imagine having to do that. Nor for fuel. Great shots!
learned what a mihrab is...always like learning something new.
enjoyed your post.
we so need to appreciate having water whenever.
have a wonderful weekend.
As much as I love looking at Indian architecture, on this post, the display of pots on the side of the road attracted me the most.
Thanks for sharing.
What a contrast between your photos. Beautiful architecture and details. I did not realize that kerosene is under quota.
It is very humbling to see such historical places in modern day context.
Beautiful pictures and how difficult that water is only sometimes available. Must be hard
Indrani: That is too bad that in such a neat place people have to wait in line for essentials.
quite informative post and the first pic is a good capture. Such is the irony of life, a place with rich history and culture but poor in basic necessity. We have the same irony in some of our places here.
My World is up here
Interesting to see the daily life in your country. The colourful and different pots really make the subject stands out. So sad that they have to queue for water and kerosene.
A city and a country of contrasts. I am glad you show both sides, the beauty and the realisation of the squalour behind the palaces.
I just love your blog. It provides me with a window into a world I will never see. Thank you for such informative and interesting posts.
An Arkies Musings
It's so easy to forget how lucky we are to have our own running water inside. Wonderful post.
The painting in the Masjid is beautiful. One should see this cannon in person. It is really huge.
those are really colorful. if given a chance, i would definitely explore your beautiful country.
Great post, Indrani
You always have wonderful photos
and wonderful information
to make them even more
beautiful and interesting :)
Those pots are very colorful ;)
Unfortunately it was and is everywhere, the monuments and churches are rich and full of golden ornaments while the population had or has nothing to eat
You have a very beautiful country and I am determined to visit it one day. Like the Philippines, it is heartbreaking see such poverty at the other end of the spectrum. Great post, as always.
The water pots looked so much better than kerosine pots. India has many faces.
So much beauty and poverty... You've captured the contrast very well.
Hardships are everywhere.
Thanks for sharing.
Great shots.
The mirhab is fabulous! Hard, that queue to the kerosene quota...
Interesting coverage of Bijapur..
that was a very insightful post! loved it!
All that (past) opulence next to grinding poverty. Beautiful photos.
The hardships of the people on a daily basis is humbling. Great post!
Long time back, I remember I used to stand in the que for kerosene and sugar.... Phew!!! seeing the same after a real long time! Nice pictures and great bit of information! :-)
Beautiful collections Indrani...ecsplly the Cans stacked up.
I love the amazing doorway.
You did a great job contrasting the palaces and poverties.
so sad to look at that queue for kerosene. But i love the rest of pictures. The first photo looks familiar since the mosque is omnipresent here in Indonesia.
Nice post Indrani. The cannon is awesome.Its a pity though about the shortages and the long queues. These wretched politicians never try to solve any of the problems - they are busy filling their pockets all the time.
rgds Ram
Water is such a serious issue now and only going to get worse if enough attention is not paid to the issue. Having lived in Chennai, I know the value of water, and how it is to get it only intermittently!
From the majestic pictures of the places of worship to the long lines in the queue for kerosene and water, these are very impressive photos.
There is real hardship in such places that we tend to forget about.
Thank you for reminding me.
Beautiful architecture.. oh but the contrast is heartbreaking.
those pots are beautiful to look at.
what a true appreciation of water people must have living without a tap.
great post Indrani
best wishes
Ribbon
The rich past has now been reduced to plastic pots and queues for fuel!! Thats the contrast of our country, I guess..lovely post!
The Jama Masjid is stunning.
The other pictures made me sad - obviously the it is not the government's priority to make basic amenities easily available to the citizens.
The Jama Masjid is stunning.
The other pictures made me sad - obviously the it is not the government's priority to make basic amenities easily available to the citizens.
I guess in the struggles of their daily life they are oblivious to the richness of the heritage that surrounds them. After all it is the present that matters, not the glorious past!
Lovely pictures, lovely commentary as always.
Indrani, these are wonderful and so interesting pictures of Bijapur. I like very much the mosque. It's really sad that in the Third Millenium, with the great progress of mankind in all the fields, people have to stand in line for water.
Great post...I have something on my blog for you...check it out...!
Congrats!
It is hard to digest that people are still finding difficult to get the basic necessity, water.
Hi. This is my first visit to your home in the blogosphere and I truly enjoyed my visit. I was in India last year for three weeks so these pictures brought my memories to the forefront of my mind. Beautiful culture, incredible colors...and a reminder to take nothing for granted. I will be back to visit again!
Wow! look at those kerosene containers and water pots. Although there's a contrast about them against the palaces and mausoleums, they are lined up neatly, they still make pretty pictures.
Interesting! Love the first shot!
splendid work and u know the water problem in our country.
It is not easy to accept that wealth and poverty live together.
Thanks for the photos and your thoughts.
:-)
nice photographs with excellent lines. Great work!
Bijapur has such a wonderful history. Not quite publicised I feel. Those colourful pots are so refreshing.
Beautiful shots !! First 2 photographs are very lovely..Thanks Indrani..Unseen Rajasthan
Hi Indrani!
There is something new at Blogtrotter for you to see: back to the «urban jungle», which Reykjavik is far from being... ;)). Enjoy and have a fabulous week!
Post a Comment