Dwarpal At Ellora (Wordless Wednesday)

Located on either side of the famous Gajalakshmi , these Dwarpal welcome us at the Cave 16 Kailash Temple. The sway of the trunk is significant. Those seen when exiting this temple have their heads turned inwards which suggests farewell.

Knowledge Strength Wealth (Wordless Wednesday)

The carvings at the Cave 16 Kailash Temple at the Ellora Cave complex near Aurangabad convey several thoughts to the visitors. It is imperative to see these along with a knowledgeable guide to fully understand and appreciate this magnificent work. Ellora Caves is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The entrance has three statues which signify that 3 things are necessary to create a structure of this magnitude .. namely knowledge, strength and money.. this is respectively depicted by the statues of Ganesha, Mahishasurmardini and the Gajalakshmi. 
(As told to us by our guide).

No image can do justice to the site and I strongly recommend everyone to visit this magnificent site. 

Monumental (ThursdayTreeLove)

"Monuments and archaeological pieces serve as testimonies of man's greatness and establish a dialogue between civilizations showing the extent to which human beings are linked"

Vicente Fox

This magnificent Ficus is growing at the entrance of the Ellora Cave complex. The winter morning sun streamed in through the leaves and aerial roots creating a pattern on the ground. My humble phone camera was unable to capture the full glory but I think this image gives a general idea!

A monumental tree at a UNESCO World Heritage site. What a wonderful coincidence! 

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Head over to see some amazing trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

Cool (Wordless Wednesday)

Water (Wordless Wednesday)

 These are images of the Purification Fountain we saw at the Asakusa Temple in Tokyo. The water is not meant for drinking. Visitors must use the ladles to take water that flows out into cupped hands and rise them both. Some water must be used to rinse the mouth but the water must not be swallowed. It has to be spit outside the fountain.

Another Temple Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

Continuing on the  theme from the last ThursdayTreeLove post, here are a couple of Plumeria trees that are closer home. I photographed these in way back in May 2013 but they were still around and doing well when I last visited. The trees are in the premises of the Chaturshrungi Temple at Pune. For some reason they grow at an angle and seem to be coming out of the wall.

The gnarled trunks seem to be telling a story.. To me they convey the will to survive and succeed despite adversity..

What do these trees tell you?

Its the last week of 2018 folks. Here's wishing all of you a very happy, healthy 2019, full of wonderful writing and reading!
:-)

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove Blog hop. Head over to see some incredible trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

Water (Wordless Wednesday)

Water source inside the Ukhimath temple near Chopta