The empty canopy being India Gate – a reminder of the British Raj
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The empty canopy being India Gate – a reminder of the British Raj

8th September 2002 marks the day in history of India when Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 30 feet grand statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose under the empty canopy along with inauguration of “Kartavya Path”. Before this lakhs of visitors to India Gate used to ask the question, why an empty canopy. Let us…

Shaheedi Park – India’s first outdoor museum park, New Delhi (Photographer friendly and open late night)
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Shaheedi Park – India’s first outdoor museum park, New Delhi (Photographer friendly and open late night)

You would be amazed how much amount of scrap is collected by the city authorities in Delhi NCR. But you will not be amused to find out what the authorities do with it. Nothing! Sometimes the scrap keeps lying around for years, wasting precious warehouse space. So when in 2019 when someone came up with…

A 350 year old connection of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Pandit Laxmikant Dixit performing Pran Pratishtha of Ram Mandir Ayodhya
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A 350 year old connection of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Pandit Laxmikant Dixit performing Pran Pratishtha of Ram Mandir Ayodhya

22nd January 2024 will witness the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a ritual performed by Pandit Laxmikant Dixit as a head priest and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the mukhya yajman or the main host. Laxmikant Dixit is the direct descendant of Gaga Bhatt who performed the coronation of Shivaji Maharaj on 6…

Fujifilm X – S20 paired with Tamron 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD – Initial review with sample images
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Fujifilm X – S20 paired with Tamron 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD – Initial review with sample images

There are two rules while doing research for any new camera gear. First rule is never believe what photographers say on social media. They are paid influencers. Second rule is “never lose focus from the first rule”. I recently discovered this while deciding or not deciding to buy the Tamron 18-300mm for APS-C mirrorless cameras….

Sai Nagar & Tulsi Nagar Ayodhya – Pin Code 224123 will become the most visited address in 2024
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Sai Nagar & Tulsi Nagar Ayodhya – Pin Code 224123 will become the most visited address in 2024

Shaheed Marg is a small road moving from east to west joining Kanak Bhawan Road. This road splits the locality in two parts, Tulsi Nagar (towards North) and Sai Nagar (towards South). Together these two localities house the holiest of temples of Ayodhya including the Shree Ramjanmbhumi Temple which will be consecrated on 22 Jan…

Independence Day – night scenes at Prayagraj Junction Railway Station
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Independence Day – night scenes at Prayagraj Junction Railway Station

While photographing the railway station at night, two people walked up to me and asked me whether I am a reporter. Now here is a problem with street photography in UP, especially Prayagraj. Everyone thinks you are a reporter. They also ask you, as if to confirm the same. I, on the other hand get…

The history of Ayodhya
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The history of Ayodhya

Note from the author :- If you search for Ayodhya on Google, the first ten pages will only talk about Ram Mandir. Even the next ten pages will not say anything about the history of Ayodhya. This detailed article will be an attempt to collect the different fragments of history at one place. This article…

Guptar Ghat Garden, Ayodhya Cantt – A world class recreational garden in the spiritual capital of the world
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Guptar Ghat Garden, Ayodhya Cantt – A world class recreational garden in the spiritual capital of the world

Note from the Author – The name of this place as marked on Google Maps is “New Company Garden” where the word ‘company’ represents “East India Company”. There are many parks in the major cities of Uttar Pradesh which are named either company parks or company bagh and that nomenclature continues. In fact in Prayagraj,…

Fujifilm X-S20 Film Simulation Recipe Kodak Portra 400 Sample Pictures – Delhi Street Photography
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Fujifilm X-S20 Film Simulation Recipe Kodak Portra 400 Sample Pictures – Delhi Street Photography

Fans of Kodak Professional Portra 400 Film are trying to replicate the warm and grainy look captured by a film. The Delhi streets offer an opportunity at capturing yellow hues. What is Kodak Portra 400? Released in 1998, Kodak Portra was a professional grade film meant specially for wedding, fashion and portrait photography. Soon photographers…

Kanwar Yatra at Prayagraj – Shiv Shakti at an ancient city
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Kanwar Yatra at Prayagraj – Shiv Shakti at an ancient city

Prayagraj is known as the Sangam city, more specifically Triveni Sangam or the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna & Saraswati. Prayagraj is home to the Magh Mela also known as Kumbh/Maha Kumbh. So any reference to this city is mostly connected to the largest in attendance and scale of preparation. People have used tech like satellite…

King Udayan of Kaushambi – A romantic king and his military conquests
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King Udayan of Kaushambi – A romantic king and his military conquests

When Brahma created the universe, he also created seven human races to rule the Earth. One of his favourite race was the Kuru clan. The great epic Mahabharat is the story of different generations of the Kuru Dynasty. After the death of Krishna, the Pandavas left their massive kingdom in the hands of Parikshit, son…

Dadhikando Mela – A historic protest against the British rule going back more than 100 years ago
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Dadhikando Mela – A historic protest against the British rule going back more than 100 years ago

It was 1890 and a group of revolutionaries decide to come up with a unique way to protest, they organised a religious fair. Any kind of gathering was prohibited under the British rule. But these revolutionaries were confident that a religious mela will not be objected to by the British. They also calculated that once…

Sujavan Dev Temple – A mystery and distant link to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
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Sujavan Dev Temple – A mystery and distant link to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

On the outskirts of Prayagraj straddling the banks of river Yamuna is an intriguing temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is visual delight unlike anywhere seen on earth. It is also relatively away from the tourist circuit. Every year during the peak of monsoon, the hill becomes an island and the temple is accessible only…

Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh, Prayagraj District – mystifying temple within fort walls
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Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh, Prayagraj District – mystifying temple within fort walls

No one really knows but this fort might have been built to secure the ancient temples within the complex. The fort was built in the year 1750 but the temples within the fort complex could be more than 1000 years old before the fort was constructed. A fascinating part of history recently restored by the…

Paarijaat Tree, Sultanpur – Historic, Mythological and Majestic
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Paarijaat Tree, Sultanpur – Historic, Mythological and Majestic

What makes something holy or divine? Some faith worship symbols, others worship the elements. Sometimes there are objects like a holy book and for most of Indians, there are idols and pictures. There is an old saying “Faith can move mountains”. Here in Sultanpur, the Paarijaat Tree is the focus of devotion. While visiting such…

Suraj Kund, Darshan Nagar, Ayodhya – When Suryadev came to witness the coronation of Shri Ram
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Suraj Kund, Darshan Nagar, Ayodhya – When Suryadev came to witness the coronation of Shri Ram

Just around half an hour drive from Ayodhya is the quiet suburb of Darshan Nagar. After reaching there out of no where pops out a pond recently renovated into a spectacular visual delight. This is Suraj Kund where locals believed the Sun God resides when he comes to earth. Last time Surya Dev did that…

Raj Dwar Mandir, Tulsi Nagar, Ayodhya – Silently standing guard to the ancient kingdom of Suryavanshis
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Raj Dwar Mandir, Tulsi Nagar, Ayodhya – Silently standing guard to the ancient kingdom of Suryavanshis

To understand the grandeur of this temple you have to take help of a little bit of imagination. Only then you will appreciate that what was the importance of this massive complex which now takes the form of a temple. But many many years ago when the rulers of the solar dynasty had their palaces…