Remains of a Kingdom, a photo from Madhya Pradesh, Central

Photographer's Note

Blood, war and sacrifice are the keywords to describe the Rajput Bundela dynasty that ruled over Orchha for over two centuries beginning from 1531 A.D. From petty chieftains, the Bundelas developed Central India into a stronghold of Rajput power as also as a symbol of love and valour. Orchha has witnessed lots of ups and downs of time & upto the 18th Century it was a powerful Rajput kingdom. The word 'Bundela' ,which literally means “the offerer of the drops (of blood)”, originates from a story of sacrifice offered by a prince. The notable king of Bundela dynasty, Bir Singh Ju Deo was a favored commander of Jehangir, the Mughal Emperor, and Jehangir’s regime (1605-1627) proved to be the golden age of Orchha.

A number of beautiful cenotaphs or "Chhatris" are built on the bank of this serene river and whether in the crimson light of dawn or in the dusky twilight, it is a spectacular sight to see their reflections on the serene waters of River Betwa. Most of the ‘chhatris’ are 3 storied and built in Panchayatan style with peaks built in Nagar style of temple architecture. The sole exception is the crumbling chhatri of Bundela chief Bir Singh Deo, who ruled from 1605 to 1627 AD, which epitomizes Mughal style of architecture with a distinct domed roof, and quite a prolific growth of grass & weeds on it. The massive stone building would have been the finest of the cenotaphs but its domes were never completed. And what an irony it is to see the cenotaph of mightiest ruler of Orchha in this pitiful state of neglect & dereliction! The low light of the setting sun seemed to paint this cenotaph in melancholic hues. Goats & a handful of locals gives company to the lonely Cenotaph. One the left you can get a tiny glimpse of the River Betwa.

I framed the chhatri through the open doorway of another small chhatri...and when it comes to framing, I've tried to learn & draw inspiration from Kath (feather), many of her whose pictures being great examples of the nuances of this aspect of composition. This is my dedication to you, Kath...Hopefully you won’t mind :-)

carper, ribeiroantonio, dip, jafadabret, nivaldo, MLINES, riclopes, Gerrit, everlasting, edytungkal, Scharan, josepmarin, pauloog, avene, Graal, papagolf21, pierrefonds, bukitgolfb301, emjleclercq, Atousa, feather heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

carper (96) 2009-03-02 23:13

it's a beauty Angshu,
good looking through, fantastic light, good composition, a fantastic place with a n ice atmosphere, very good photo job here. have a nice day
regard jaap

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2009-03-02 23:23

Wow, fantastic shot. It looks like a painting. The light is so beautiful and the colours magnificent. The irregular framing is very nice too. Of course, the note is excellent and full of useful information. Well done.
Antonio

mesutilgim (0) 2009-03-02 23:24

Hello Angshuman,
Another great capture from your beloved homecountry. Very good pov through the gate (or window ?) which creates this wonderfull framing and nice warm colors.
Very good and usefull notes. A perfect TE job done.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

dip (21408) 2009-03-02 23:24

Hello Angshu,
beautiful image with excellent lighting management and beautiful framing,
very well done,
Greetings,
Dimitris.

jasmis (58653) 2009-03-02 23:34

Great presentation closed in natural frame.
Regards.

jafadabret (56501) 2009-03-02 23:39

Hello Angshu.
Le cadre de la porte est bien trouvé pour mettre ce palais en valeur. J'aime la lumière sur cette architecture d'une grande beauté.
Amicalement,
Jacques

Morac (27725) 2009-03-02 23:45

Hello Anghusman,

It's a nice composition for this Momument, this place full of history, yet full of presence and majesty.
Best regards
Marc

nivaldo (15417) 2009-03-02 23:58

Hello Angshuman
Well, that´s impressive and beautiful!
A good capture, well done, well framed !
Congratulations,
Nivaldo

MLINES (12516) 2009-03-03 1:28

Hi Angshuman, I thought it looked like Ankor Wat in the small view. Very well arranged and presented with excellent notes. TFS. Murray.

Bluejeans (64251) 2009-03-03 2:00

Ola Angshuman
Beleza de foto com este arco em primeiro plano deu uma bela moldura, gostei muito da luz suave sobre o templo os tons amarelados fazem um lindo contraste com o céu azul , parabéns!!!
um abraço Gonçalo

riclopes (35577) 2009-03-03 3:22

Olá Angshu, that's quite a group of 'elders' chating together you got there. It's not everyday we see 'hair' growing on top of monuments which makes a very atractive detail to photograph. The places where they clean up the vegetation totally looses the character. The wildness surrounding this set only makes it more charming. Superb framing inspired by Kath. In spite of the gorgeous architecture, this wouldn't be so appealing if there wasn't this perfect 'window'.
friendly regards,
ricardo

Gerrit (62042) 2009-03-03 4:33

Hi Angshu,
Beautiful seetgrough and wonderful building in stunning light.
Excellent composition and great note.
Regards, gerrit

everlasting (19978) 2009-03-03 5:21

There we are back to our favourite place:)Orchha in the dawnlight.
Superbly framed through the doorway and keeping the symmetry,

edytungkal (4551) 2009-03-03 5:50

A very well documentary shot and of course the architecture is beautiful, i like how you framed this view through the ope doorway and indeed it make it more impressive. Thanks Angshu friend....

daniel

Bartleby (13552) 2009-03-03 8:02

Hi Angshu,
It was a good idea to frame this Chhatri temple. The light here of course is beautiful and enhances the details of this eye-catching architecture. 'Love it.

Philippe

Scharan (14144) 2009-03-03 9:57

Olá Angshuman

Amei esta luz levemente dourada iluminando o conjunto de interessante arquitetura e muito rico em detalhes. Um trabalho lindo, de muito bom gosto na composição.
Parabéns!
GA
Vera

josepmarin (59385) 2009-03-03 13:04

Hi Angshuman,
a good idea in this framing, in which you have used the window to create a frame for the view of the cenotaph beautifully illuminated by the sun, with a few agreeable and warm tones.
The result is very good, I like.
A great work, my friend.
Best regards,
Josep

berek (50518) 2009-03-03 13:37

Hi angshuman,
its very good framing. you caught fantastic view with this. congratulations. greetings.
Burak

Waylim (25436) 2009-03-03 13:39

Angshu,
What a wonderful POV looking through the arch, I find it's not as easy to do as I thought, it's always end up kind of blur and can be distracting, but you did wonderful here. It frames you image so beautifuly. great details of the ruin or historical architecture. I detect just a little bit of noise. The warm golden light really illuminated the whole scenery. Another really good one. Thanks
Way

sagar (2410) 2009-03-03 14:02

Hi Angshumanda,
Great POV to show the chhatri...looks amazing in the dying light. I just LOVED the frame.
Regards,
Sagarneel.

pauloog (11751) 2009-03-03 14:25

Hello Angshu,
A view that is not only beautiful but also carries a heavy historical weight...
Wonderful light and colours.
Regards,
Paul

avene (12675) 2009-03-03 18:26

hi Angshuman,
the framing works very well, the silhouette of the dorway does help focus the attention on the chhatri. the warm golden light is beautiful, but most if all I like the painting-like effect. result of some pp? hard to define precisely, but the details seem very clear and somewhat blurred at the same time, and somewhat 2D. don't get me wrong, I LIKE what I see, just trying to describe it :) in any case, the result is very pleasing.

best,
Kristine

Graal (103040) 2009-03-03 23:44

Hi Angshuman,
very good photojob. Amazing frame (fine inspiration from Kath and finaly effect), great old architecture. An interesting informations in note. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

papagolf21 (152607) 2009-03-04 1:56

Bonjour, mon bon ami Angshu,
Je ne sais pas quel est votre secret pour nous présenter d'aussi belles photographies et particulièrement des gemmes patrimoniales.
Ici, encore, c'est un pur régal.
Mille mercis de nous offrir de si belles images.
Amitiés.
Philippe

laxpix (686) 2009-03-04 3:49

Nice frame and beautiful warm colors. Its like to look from a window in another world.

RedDevil (1217) 2009-03-04 3:56

Hi Angshuman,
your land is beautiful, I would go to India, i love your culture. These photo is excellent but your land is beatiful.
Salvatore (Italy)

pierrefonds (115384) 2009-03-04 4:33

Good morning Angshuman,

The point of view is allowing us to see the details and colors of the architecture of the chhatri. The use of the frame of the dorway to frame the chhatri is an asset to the composition. The picture is clear and sharp. The intensity of the light is enhancing the colors of the scene. Have a nice day.

Pierre

emjleclercq (15778) 2009-03-04 13:26

Good framing again, but the best remains the tower. Good color, light and fine details, plus the vegetation around to add a touch of green (and also an exotic one).

All the best,

Emmanuel

pablominto (53746) 2009-03-04 22:55

Hello Angshu,

Creative use of the natural framing!
The building really stands out, also due to the way you present the subject...
Good details in the old architecture, and the fine light adds a 3D feeling in the structure!

Greetings,
Pablo -

jimkilgallon (0) 2009-03-06 3:30

Hello Angshu
Superb lighting as is the quality frame. It stands proudly in your picture does this kingdom and it sure looks like a painting. Detail, well everything about this is outstanding. Thanks for the informative note, a pleasure to read.
Regards from NZ
Jim

Atousa (7131) 2009-03-08 7:57

Salam Angshu,

Very good framing to present this old architecture ..I like the way the sun has brightened the building n also the use of the goats n greenery in the FG.. nice inclusion of the person too..tfs
Best regards, A

Bruno40 (6662) 2009-03-11 7:33

nice natural framing, well seen and captured.
tfs
Jorge

leo61 (0) 2009-03-11 12:57

Hi Angshu!
I like how this wonderful building is framed by this arch.
Wonderful light at this interesting building and I like how it is framed by the nice green tones of the rich surrounding vegetation.
And your notes are allways very informative.
Regards,leo

feather (51130) 2009-03-17 7:49

AHHH! I see why you directed me here. ;D I was in Scotland when you posted this so I missed it. Thank you so much for the dedication. Yes you know I love this kind of framing, although it's probably some time since I posted anything similar. You made the right choice to take this late in the day as the chhatri is bathed in wonderful light from the setting sun. Your focal point was carefully chosen so the archway is not too out of focus. Well done
Kath

akg (166) 2009-05-29 20:15