The Fort-Temple, a photo from Madhya Pradesh, Central

Photographer's Note

A 1 km paved path links the centre of Orchha with the Lakshminarayan Temple. Believe me, even after seeing so many temples & palaces in India (& as you would all be aware by now, we do not have a dearth of varied styles in India), nothing prepared me with what I saw.

The structure of the Lakshminarayan Temple is huge and dominates the surroundings. Located on a small hillock, one has to take a mildly steep path to reach it. The architecture of the building is impressive with an amalgamation of a fort and temple features that is very unique and fascinating. Built with lime mortar and bricks, the temple resembles a fort, with slots for cannons to fire at the enemy.

This beautiful temple was built circa a.d. 1622 by Vir Singh Deo, but soon fell into disrepair because of inadequate maintenance. Extensively renovated by Prithvi Singh in 1793, the temple has a rectangular plan with four multi-faced projecting bastions at its four corners. The temple was built in honour of Laxmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth. In the temple’s inner sanctum, Vir Singh built a peeth, or seat, for offering sacrifices to Laxmi. In this temple, sacrifices are made in a manner similar to those of the Tantrik cult. Tantra can best be described as yoga of action, not abstract contemplation.

I wanted to have the girl sitting on the roof of her small house in the frame. In fact I had thought of posting this wider view , but a good photographer friend advised that the house in the FG was disturbing the composition. So that picture goes as a Workshop post.

indoka28, danos, avishek_khan, carper, asajernigan, feather, adores, kiwi_explorer, emjleclercq, riclopes, pierrefonds, Budapestman, siolaw heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

aadilj (18102) 2008-07-22 4:12

Ek din Haridwar doosrey din Orcha! I like the journey you take us on with every image you post. But truly you are the best when it comes to capturing such architeture in such a wholesome and complete manner.

danos (110407) 2008-07-22 4:19

Hello Angshuman,
excellent presentation of the Lakshminarayan Temple.As i see is in a good condition and the warm light make the colors to looks so nice.The contrast between the walls of the temple and the sky is simply superb.The sharpness and the clarity are unique.Well done.

Regards,Danos

Morac (27725) 2008-07-22 4:34

Hello Angshuman
It is with a precise and detailed note that you show us this old temple.
It is an good example of the beauty of architecture in India.
Regards
Marc

Gerrit (62042) 2008-07-22 4:55

Hi Angshu,
majestic building on a great spot. Beautiful light.
Regards, gerrit

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2008-07-22 5:20

Beautiful details of architecture from the great place. Good light and colours.Wondering about the cars before the temple.
Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

indoka28 (5261) 2008-07-22 5:44

Hello Angshu,

This is a great composition..from the lower angle..great sky and very well taken shot..!!I also liked the girl in red sitting in the Fg with the dish antenna at her lower side..!!!

Regards
Indro

carper (96) 2008-07-22 6:35

another fantastic building Angshuman,
very good pov, nice details, indeed cars don't belong there, but it's something of the world. good photojob here, have a nice day.
gr. jaap

asajernigan (21427) 2008-07-22 8:00

Angshuman,
This is a nice shot of the temple with a fine blue sky providing a great backdrop. The lighting and colors are fine with nice sharpness and detail. The path leading up to the temple creates a nice diagonal giving the shot a sense of direction.
TFS,
Asa

feather (51130) 2008-07-22 12:19

I think you made the right choice not to include the whole house of the girl as it is not a pretty building and takes too much away from the impressive temple. (It looks more like a palace) However the inclusion of the top of the house and the girl works well in the composition. The light is pleasant and gentle. Well done
Kath

adores (46979) 2008-07-22 17:58

Hi Angshuman!
These temples are fantastic! It's always better without cars but I know very well how it works, we can spend hours waiting for them to leave and in this case they don't disturb that much. This composition works well and I like the girl there.

ajayrawat (676) 2008-07-22 21:37

Good composition, and thanks for sharing this picture as the place and the temple deserve a better publisity.

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2008-07-22 22:27

Hi Angshuman,
You can see the ancient age of this temple judging from the rustic condition of the walls ... amazing how it has withstood the ravages of time ... they have great trades people during those days :) Well captured and composed with very interesting write up about the place. Image quality is of high quality as usual. Excellent work! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

emjleclercq (15778) 2008-07-22 23:13

Avery well preserved temple. The point of view is well chosen to show three of the four towers.
I have on criticism tohugh, which is the satelite dish in the bottom of the image.

All the best,

Emmanuel

riclopes (35577) 2008-07-23 3:58

Ups, that would be me...I wasn't expecting this...Yes, I prefer it this way, Angshu. But I like to see the original one in WS to compare it and also to have more context. The architecture is very impressive and it has a stronger presence after the crop. I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more sky, though. The cars...nothing that can be done and I prefer not cloning them. The pink woman is a good start of the diagonal that lead us to the temple. I like the person in white framed on the corner...
Best regards,
ricardo

pierrefonds (114628) 2008-07-23 4:40

Hi Angshuman,

The point of view is allowing us to see two side of the Lakshminarayan Temple which is an asset to the composition. The details and colors of the architecture of the temple are clear and precise. The presence of people has an effect of scale. The light has a good effect on the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-07-23 5:17

Ola Angshuman,
Muito bonitos estes templos que mos tens apresentado nas tuas fotos , tem uma arquitectura com belos detalhes , gostei de ver a rapariga sentada na casa , a foto do Ws está muito interessante também , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Stepan (27210) 2008-07-23 12:51

After hesitation, the cars and the dish produce scale and discret contrasts. Classicism and modernity, in a good soft light. Don't know really why, but I like the compo. Well balanced maybe ?
Stéphane

Graal (103040) 2008-07-23 23:38

Hi Angshuman,
amazing temple with the defensive walls, an interesting place and informations. Good document. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

Budapestman (82620) 2008-07-24 1:43

Dear Angshu,
Great architectural shot once more with spectacular composition. The details are amazing, the sharpness and lights are excellent. Beautiful work, Have a nice day
George

siolaw (38294) 2008-07-24 22:14

Hi Angshu,
A very special temple indeed! I dont think i ever saw this style before... You have nice light here and natural colors. The POV is good and the version without house is , I also think better. Sharp and clean picture.
Greetings
Laurent