Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/01/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Peter, Thanks. I will post a colour picture of Somnath, but it is also made of sandstone, so it will look pretty similar to the Sun Temple in colour. Remember Somnath is a very recent building - though it is culturally very important, having been built on the ruins of a temple destroyed 250 years before, it is architecturally less so. The reason for sacking Somnath the first two or three times was probably pecuniary - it is bang on the traditional sea trading route from Arabia to India, and legend has it that it had wealth beyond the dream of avarice. You Baniyan link brings me to the most interesting thing that has happened in Gujarat recently - its politics. The Chief Minister of Gujarat is a man named Narendra Modi, who is without doubt the most polarising figure in Indian politics today, belonging to the BJP, a centre-right pro Hindu party, and the man in charge when some horrifying riots took place in 2002 targeting the Muslims (after which even the USA refused him a visa). He is also without any shadow of doubt the best administrator in India and personally uncorruptable. The state of Gujarat is the best developed and has been the fastest growing state here for quite a few years. He has won election after election in Gujarat, because of the long list of Muslim atrocities over the last 15 centuries or so, the Hindus vote en bloc for him. The interesting thing is in the local elections held across the state a couple of months ago, he swept the state, including dozens of Muslim majority seats. Just proves my long held that development and jobs are the best way to erase centuries old religious tensions - if you have to work from 9-5, you have no time to shout slogans in the streets, and people will vote for such politicians, even if such a person is perceived to be a murderer by that community at large! I would also think that all this crap about beliefs in politicians that we endlessly argue about is irrelevant as long as they are administratively able, and deliver what they promise to the people who have elected them. Cheers Jayanand On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 2:56 AM, Peter Klein <pklein at threshinc.com> wrote: > Jayanand: Wow, what gorgeous sites! I don't have time to comment as much > as I should, and I wanted to make sure I thanked you for the wonderful > glimpses you give us into your country and its history. The history > surrounding these temples reminded me of the recent destruction of the > Bamiyan Bhuddas by the Taliban--same "stuff," different day. > > http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/archaeology/2001-03-22-afghan-buddhas.htm > > What's also interesting is how once I saw the third (color) picture, I > wanted to see the color of the first, despite its wonderful textures and > patterns, which work so well in B&W. It may be different for you, since > you > see these kinds of colors all the time, and most of the rest of us don't. > > And your GF-1 seems to love the light of India--I though these shots were > taken with your Nikon until I looked at the EXIF. :-) > > --Peter > > Jayanand wrote: > >> Three from the state of Gujarat in Western India. >> >> The first is photo of the great temple of Somnath, the moon god, besides >> the >> Arabian Sea in western India. The temple is historically and religiously >> very significant - it was sacked and destroyed six times between 725AD and >> 1701AD by Muslim invaders and rulers, and rebuilt six times. The present >> temple was built after independence in 1947 and is called the Seventh >> Temple. The security is considerable - because of its history, it is a >> prime >> target for Islamic terrorists, who would love to blow it up again: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/_1060359-Edit.jpg.html >> >> To emphasise the mix that is India, 70 km away from Somnath is Junagadh, >> which was, prior to independence an Islamic state. It has a very >> interesting but rather poorly maintained fort - here is a tourist couple >> relaxing there: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/_1060489-Edit.jpg.html >> >> The last photo is of a Sun Temple in Modhera, Gujarat built in 1026. It >> was >> sacked by Allaudin Khilji in 1296 - he was also responsible for the third >> destruction of Somnath. Luckily for us, he did not destroy the temple >> completely. Since Hindus will not worship a defaced idol, he just broke a >> limb from every depiction of a God in the friezes and sculptures adorning >> the temple, thus making it unfit for worship. The temple has the most >> beautiful sculptures possible, though like all Sun Temples, a few of them >> depict graphic sex which had a deep religious significance, lesbians and >> group sex included! It is not a large complex, but it is like a small >> jewel. >> It is built so that the first rays of sunlight on the May and September >> equinoxes illuminate the (missing) deity in the inner sanctum: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/_1060726-Edit.jpg.html >> >> C&C, as always, welcome >> >> Cheers >> Jayanand >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >