At 3662 metres - The Golden Afterglow, a photo from Himachal Pradesh, North

Photographer's Note

Am struggling with time lately & hence the reduced number of posts. Hopefully things will look better by end of this month

At an altitude of 3662 m (11'800ft), Nako is the highest village in the valley of Hangrang surrounded by barren and dusty landscape & high Himalayas. It is located in Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. It lies in the sensitive restricted zone along the border with Tibet, which requires an Inner Line Permit to travel through. That, coupled with its remote location and limited tourist infrastructure, makes it a little-visited but rewarding destination. The area is known for its lake, Nako Lake which forms part of the border of the village.

Nako Monastery is located in the village as well as several other Buddhist temples.

The monastic complex in Nako is situated at the western edge of the town and comprises four temples apart from other buildings. From outside, the monastery exude a very simple appearance, but this is in contrast to what you will see inside.

Two temples are of utmost importance here, the Main temple and the Upper temple. Both these temples are considered the oldest amongst all the structures and still preserve their original clay sculptures, murals and ceiling panels. The largest temple or the main temple is also called the Translator's Temple. It also happens to be the oldest monument in the village.

After the snow storm, there was light....the monastery was lit up by a golden glow of the setting sun!

Gigidusud, mayjayne, holmertz, pierrefonds, bayno, macondo, papagolf21, jhm, Graal, danos, josepmarin, pajaran, mkamionka, maria-v1981, abmdsudi, Noel_Byrne, Kielia, Didi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Gigidusud (8054) 2012-09-10 1:57

Hello Angshuman,
Beautiful architecture at impressive altitude with a splendid light.Well done!
Thanks for sharing.
Ghislaine

mayjayne (2792) 2012-09-10 2:29

Dear Angshuman,

An interesting note on this village found at the high altitude of Himachal Pradesh. Refreshing sunlight after the storm.

TFS,
May

baclama (15579) 2012-09-10 3:03

hi,
very great light....with wonderful ski and so wonderful colors...
TFS
vero

holmertz (26932) 2012-09-10 3:23

Hello Angshuman,
You have struggled very successfully to handle what seems to have been a rather difficult light. The result is excellent and shows us both buildings very clearly with all their fine architectural details. The prayer flags take an obvious centre position.
Kind rgards,
Gert

pierrefonds (48347) 2012-09-10 4:24

Hi Angshuman,

The wideness of the square is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the architectur eof the Nako Monastery. The early evening light is enhancing the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Sergiom (39223) 2012-09-10 5:02

Bonjour Angshuman,

J'aime beaucoup cette composition. Le contre jour est parfaitement maitrisé et les détails sur les habitations sont d'une grande netteté.

Amicalement

Serge

bayno (16195) 2012-09-10 5:26

Hello Angshuman,
beautiful place, amazing shot, i like so much the light and the tones, perfect framing and dept...i will like to visit this place...
regards,
Valter

marcan44 (6223) 2012-09-10 5:36

Ciao Angshuman,
lo scatto è come al solito molto bello, ma quello che è incredibile come questi monasteri si inseriscano nell'ambiente circostante cosi bene!
Si direbbe che l'artefice della costruzione di questi templi fosse un mago se non Dio stesso.
Immagine superba caro amico, grazie!
T F S !
A nice day
Mario

macondo (17949) 2012-09-10 6:24

Hello Angshu.
A wonderful picture of these two temples at a great altitude. I find the light, the long shadows, and the superbly detailed sky to be the impressive aspects of the photo. Excellent exposure, pleasing presentation and, as always, a very good note.
Regards,
Andrew

yaya13baut (3344) 2012-09-10 10:37

Hi Angshuman,
a great light on the monastry, between darkness (the clouds) and gold (the tone of the building on the right).
a peaceful moment and place, nobody on he square, we can hear the winf into the blue flag.
Yannis

Bluejeans (64231) 2012-09-10 10:50

Ola Angshuman ,
Fantástica esta praça com estes edifícios com esta arquitetura com os detalhes em dourado , gostei muito desta bandeira central azul , boa luz de final de dia , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Highmountains (1834) 2012-09-10 14:01

Its such a balanced composition. The two monastic buildings are sharp and the colours saturated. The long shadow of the building on the left balances the dark grey clouds above. The blue flag at the centre - fluttering in the wind adds not just colour but a strong centre of focus of the viewer without distracting us from the general beauty of the place.
Thanks for sharing.

papagolf21 (76561) 2012-09-10 23:23

Bonjour, cher Angshu,
Une image qui donne le tournis devant ce spectacle grandiose.
Difficile d'imaginer qu'il existe de telles constructions à cette altitude.
Réussite totale comme à l'accoutumée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

emka (58140) 2012-09-10 23:45

Hi Angshuman, How it is that we have less and less time. Even i, when i am retired I ahve never time.. Very interesting buildings high up in the mountains. there are some Buddhist symbols as in Tibatan temples. So many prayer flags are sending prayers. Wonderful golden light.

Warm regrads

MAlgo

Nicou (97679) 2012-09-11 0:29

Hello

quel ciel de rêve avec ces décorations qui flottent au vent quelle vue sur ces édiffices et tremple dans la montange grandiose compo.
Bravo et amitié

Nicou

jhm (122444) 2012-09-11 3:18

Hello Angshu,

3662 m hight the first hight for too little oxygen, certainly for people out of the west that live on sea level.
A splendid architecture image with the monastery as subject.
Perfect depth and perspective picture.
Composition and presentation are excellent taken.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

Graal (88886) 2012-09-11 3:38

Hi Angshuman,
unusually place at high altitude. Nice composition and presentation of monastery. Amazing gold facade. Nice details of architecture. Photo I like.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

danos (73974) 2012-09-11 4:08

Hello Angshu,
nice scene with the afternoon golden glow to fall on the Nako Monastery at 3662 metres making the shot so inteeting and unique.I like the good presentation with the moody sky to enhance the yellow painting of the facades of the buildings.

Regards,Danos

josepmarin (55027) 2012-09-11 4:27

Namaste, my friend Angshuman,
I have been 10 days in vacations, and now I recover my activity here.
In this fantastic composition we can enjoy the architectural beauty of the monastery under a splendid light after the storm, with the clouds still in the sky.
The huge flag in the middle of the square and the small prayer flags that are outlined on the sky, they provide a high chromatic quality to the photo. Excellent work.
Best wishes,
Josep

Fis2 (73100) 2012-09-11 5:57

Witaj Angshu!
A very curious place.
Excellent frame and colors.
Very impressive picture.
Have a nice evening
Krzysztof

pajaran (36224) 2012-09-11 12:15

Pozdrav.
Vrlo interesantan i dobar tekst o manastiru, i hramu.
Lep pogled i trenutak.
Dobra ostrina, kontrast i perspektiva, lepe boje.
Dobra kompozicija, lepa arhitektura.
Sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greetings.
Very interesting and good article on the monastery and temple.
Nice view and the moment.
Good sharpness, contrast and perspective, beautiful colors.
Good composition, beautiful architecture.
All the best.
Paja.

mkamionka (24529) 2012-09-11 12:42

Hi Angshu,
beautiful composition. I like the extraordinary architecture surrounding the square. The mountains behind tell us about the location of this place. The real highlight is the light and the atmosphere it creates. Very impressive final effect, excellent exposition, a real master work,
M

maria-v1981 (10403) 2012-09-11 13:04

Hello Angshuman,
It is wonderful to have such a great subject. But it is even greater to have a photographer like you, who can capture that image in such a magnificent way.
Warm regards,
Maria

abmdsudi (26233) 2012-09-13 3:04

Namaste Angshu
I almost recognise your style of photography and this is another of your fine work. A brilliant high quality shot well composed producing a very colourful image with stunning effect, and what i like most abt this picture is the splash of subtle light at golden hour filtering thru'. It's superbly composed with the right elements put together, in particular I love the detal in shadowed areas they so well exposed and adequate fg interests as lead -in. The slight misty backdrop renders the feel of high altitude, and what a fabulous shade we have here, those partially threatening grey sky adds to the sensation. This offers a picturesque view from this pov; truly an enchanted place. Congrats, TFS
Salam

Waylim (22355) 2012-09-13 10:55

Greetings Angshuman,

I can feel the wind fluttering the prayer flags, and I can the sound of them flapping. Love the golden glow of the light the clouds seems in motion gently moving across the sky. I can feel the thin air the peaceful atmosphere of the monastery.

Way

Noel_Byrne (7352) 2012-09-16 8:32

Hi Angshu,
Thanks for this one, a particularly beautiful image. The flag fluttering and the smallers flags emanating from it offer a wonderful sense of depth and place, and it is positioned great in the shot to include the fascinating temples. The background is dramatic, and as you say, with very unique and wonderful lighting. Excellent shot.
Best wishes
Noel

Kielia (20445) 2012-09-18 7:56

Hi Angshuman,
an excellent composed image with a fantastic mood and very interesting colors. The perspective is really fascinating. I also appreciate your note very much. Congratulation!
Warm regards
Harriet

BennyV (12767) 2012-10-09 4:03

Hello dear Angshu

Great to see you back. I've been away for quite a while as well, so I'm doing some catching up on your previous posts. This is one I really like, particularly how the flaglines divide up the sky, particularly the one sweeping to the building on the right. That, and the strong shadows. Great work. Thanks again for sharing your work here.

Benny

Didi (48926) 2012-10-13 1:38

Salam Angshu
Lights direction give a 3 D effect in this nice place.
I suggest you to write the GPS coordinates of the place to locate your position on the map. It's possible to do it with Google Earth
Best regards

adidas5nb (1101) 2013-04-09 22:02

i dont know why...but i just love this pic.great light and light management.wonderful shadows.beautiful atmosphere.but what makes the pic for me is the blue bright prayer flag and the 4 curves of prayer flags radiating from it in different directions.great composition.
regards
dwaipayan