The Offering Photo

Photographer’s Note

The historical Chamba town in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, has a number of temples, palaces and period buildings. The striking objects of interest in this small town, are the old temples which exhibit architectural beauty of design and execution.

Laxmi Narayan Temple, which is the main temple of Chamba town, was built by Sahil Varman in the 10th century AD. There are several other temples within the temple complex. Lakshmi Narayan temple, the largest & oldest temple in the group, is directly opposite the entrance to the complex (can be seen partially visible, on the extreme right).

There is a group of six stone Shikhara temples arranged in a row from north to south in the complex. All these temples feature exquisite sculpture & are representative of the shikhara style, with tall shikaras (spires), finely carved, & dating from the 10th century. Three of the temples are dedicated to God Vishnu and three to Lord Shiva. The Lakshmi Narayan group of temples in the town of Chamba are of great archaeological importance. Four of the six temples are visible in this frame, while a part of the wooden frame of the fifth is to the extreme left.

In this picture, the lady after having offered her prayers, is seen pouring a kalash (small sacred pot) of holy water in front of the temple’s God.

ribeiroantonio, pastadog, manojtnair, holmertz, Gerrit, feather, danos, carper, avene, Jonas_Schmitt, vincz, lilimih33, siolaw, emjleclercq, Graal, ChrisJ, John_F_Kennedy, ramesh_lalwani, Dpbours, josepmarin, robob, kiwi_explorer, jafadabret, riclopes, pierrefonds, aloyho, axiotea, hispic, avishek_khan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

aadilj (17950) 2008-05-27 5:00

Whatever you may say Anghsu but you are such a pro and an extremely sporting one at that. The way you take these shots is something very few can. You maintain the essence of architecture and fine details in such sharp focus that it makes your images a treat to watch.
My number is 98187 22513...and I'll call you as soon as I reurn to delhi in a day or two.

pastadog (12821) 2008-05-27 5:02

I wasnt aware of this, Angshu, neither the site nor the ritual, so I find your post very informative and also a very effective visual presentation. Regards, Daniel

KLB (18281) 2008-05-27 5:03

Hello Angshu

The colours and texture of the stone temples are so fine that it's like being there ! Impressive quality.
The way you've framed to present these marvelous constructions is well seen, and the perfect sharpness reveals much details and the meticulous engraved work.
The lady praying adds a particular mood.
A great view of these religious monuments, thanks for sharing.

Regards,
Karine

ribeiroantonio (21975) 2008-05-27 5:04

The blue entrances are absolutely stunning in he middle of all the brown of the temples. I also like a lot the woman were almost the same colour as the temples. Your compo is great and the inclusion of the woman gives a really sense of the scale. Well done.
Antonio

manojtnair (427) 2008-05-27 6:24

hi angshu,
fine details of the architecture. the colour constrast of the blue wooden frame in front of stone work is eye catching. the lady offering prayer has added life to the shot. i liked the diagonal pov. tfs.
manoj

holmertz (9985) 2008-05-27 7:01

Hello Angshuman,
A nicely composed picture with fine colours and an amazing richness of details. Almost every day I find something about India on TE that I didn't know. Yet I have visited India many times and travelled through large parts of the country. It's overwhelming that there's always something new to discover.
Thanks for sharing,
Gert

Gerrit (36287) 2008-05-27 7:48

Hi Angshu,
fantastic architecture. Excellent composition and great scene. Marvellous pictuer.
Regards,. gerrit

feather (50154) 2008-05-27 7:49

There seems to be no end to the wonders in your country. You present to us another location for some beautiful religious architecture. You have captured the detail in the walls very well. The inclusion of the lady performing the ritual is a great feature of the scene. Well done
Kath

danos (33300) 2008-05-27 8:23

Hello Angshuman,
what a beauty of this historical Chamba town! Really splendid the constructions but the more attractive is the blue color of the kiosks in front of the temples.Excellent the perspective and the POV that make us see the four of the six temples.Informative and useful your note of historical Chamba.

Regards,Danos

carper (65696) 2008-05-27 8:59

a very nice photo here Angshuman
good perspective, fine quality, and the contrast is also good in this weel seen photojob, I like it, have a nice day.
gr. jaap

avene (11140) 2008-05-27 12:17

this is very, VERY impressive work, Angshu, I admire the level of detail you have captured and how razor sharp everything is. the blue portals are another great feature of this shot, the colour creates a great contrast with the stone temples. including a person works really well to show the size of the buildings, but I keep returning to the details. fantastic!

regards,
Kristine

Jonas_Schmitt (3074) 2008-05-27 12:32

Hello Angshu!
One more great daily life picture. You took the picture in the exactly right moment and captured a wonderful scene. Also good colors and great contrast from blue to the background. Well done!
Jonas

jonathan_hart (22627) 2008-05-27 14:04

very sharp photo, a lot of details, nice place and good light
regards
jo

lilimih33 (9874) 2008-05-27 16:38

Hello Angshuman!
Beautiful place and perfect detail and clarity!
Great colours and good light!
Best regards!
Lili

siolaw (25832) 2008-05-27 21:51

Hi Angshu,
Really nice this mountain style Mandir. The blue color in it hits the eye too! Well sharp with excellent textures of the stone walls and slab roofs.
Thanks for showing ;)
Greetings from Paris!
Laurent

emjleclercq (14514) 2008-05-27 23:23

I like this one very much, for two reasons: the unusual shape of these temples, and the excellent bright blue color wich give the image a very lively atmosphere.

All the best,

Emmanuel

Graal (58732) 2008-05-28 0:07

Hi Angshuman,
another interesting place and architecture. Unusual details. Good note and excellent quality of photo. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

vincz (19045) 2008-05-28 0:33

Hi Angshu, this is such a nice picture with excellent light, perfect inclusion of the lady pouring a pot of holy water, such unexpectedly strong blue color. I've seen a picture of this place th first time a long ago in a very nice book on himilayan pilgrimage. It always stayed in my mind since then and today you bring it back in such a great way.

:)

ChrisJ (70443) 2008-05-28 2:38

Namaste Angshuman

Looks similar to Nepal. A superb daily life scene from north India with good colour & sharpness. The person adds scale. Well done!

rodgerg (25027) 2008-05-28 2:54

Hello Angshu,

Beautiful composition which shows very well the succession of constructions. Beautiful contrast between the color blue and the color of the stone.
Regards of Belgium,
Roger
** to morrow

John_F_Kennedy (31994) 2008-05-28 3:18

Wonderful shot with this stunning blue. Great architecture view. Beautiful perspective. Well composed
Best wishes,
Achim

ramesh_lalwani (3209) 2008-05-28 5:05

Hi Angshuman
Another great monument shot.I like your choice of inclusion of blue structures which give lovely contrast of temple.very sharp image bring out finer details.TFS
Ramesh

Dpbours (220) 2008-05-28 5:22

Hello Angshu,

Talking about intensely blue!! Jeez, that's really blue when the light hits it! What a detail you captured here. Nice.

Greetings,
Dennis

josepmarin (34107) 2008-05-28 7:14

Hi Angshuman,
This image has a great quality and brightness, which allows us to see all the details of this rich architecture and ofits magnificent engraved fronts.
The structures in wood of blue color have a good graphical effect.
It is a beautiful work, in addition, the woman adds a good reference and a touch of life very interesting.
Friendly regards,
Josep

robob (3640) 2008-05-28 12:48

Hello Angshu,
Ces temples très anciens sont dans un excellent état de conservation,
Les murs sont très richement décorés,
La couleur bleue vient donner une touche particulière à l’ensemble,
Très bon angle de prise de vue,
Bien à toi,
Robert

kiwi_explorer (12195) 2008-05-28 13:32

Hi Angshuman,
Superb image and color clarity here. Very interesting ancient architecture documented by your well written notes. Clever inclusion of the woman to give scale of dimension to the scene, Well captured and composed. Excellent work! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

crckt (7100) 2008-05-28 20:29

Hi Angshumanda,
Himachal Pradesh is a place right on top of my list of places to visit, especially after seeing shots such as this. Wonderful architecture! I like the addition of blue here, brilliant in terms of composition.
Regards,
Shaeri
camera kinle?

somak_g (463) 2008-05-28 21:19

hi angshu,

i havent been to chamba, but after seeing this .. i will start planning a trip back to himachal soon. this is an excellent architectural shot. what also appeals to me is the cleanliness of the place - not a regular feature in hindu temples.

regards
somak

ps. am leaving for the trek on 30th. will miss your posts.

jafadabret (40325) 2008-05-29 0:59

Hello Angshu

Ces temples sont superbes. C'est une architecture peu vue mais d'une grande beauté. Les toits sont d'un type rarement vu. La femme qui fait ses prières anime le cliché.
Jacques

riclopes (33135) 2008-05-29 1:48

Absolutely wonderful picture, Angshu. The architecture of your country keeps surprising me - the shapes and carving details are amazing and the wooden blue elements make the whole set even more fascinating. Very good perspective with a nice inclusion of the lady - I'm glad with the explanation at the end of your note - I would think she's a tourist composing a photo ;-)
Friendly regards,
ricardo

MarcT (21103) 2008-05-30 5:39

Hi Angshuman,
Your picture is very well served by an excellent note. It's a little on the sharp side for me. Colours are great and the place looks extraordinary.
Cheers
Marc

pierrefonds (26659) 2008-06-01 5:23

Hi Angshuman,

These buildings have an impressive architecture. The presence of the lady has an effect of scale. The point of view is showing with precision the details and colors of the architecture of the temples. The subject is well frame and the light brings out the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Bluejeans (33081) 2008-06-01 11:08

Ola amigo ,
Lugar fantástico este cheio de templos de grande beleza artística , gostei muito das entradas dos templos de cor azul , bons detalhes , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

aloyho (6109) 2008-06-02 2:07

Hi Angshuman,
Another set of very lovely buildings with very intricate and attractive artworks. Your shot have given much credit to those craftsman who would otherwise go unnoticed. I can imagine the many hours of toil that they have to go through so that we can enjoy its beauty and splendor. I like the position you took for this shot and the repetition for good rhythm.The blue overcast works very well to create that unique atmosphere very fitting for this place. Well done!!

All the best.

axiotea (16293) 2008-06-14 2:31

Hello Angshu
A beautiful site in which I like to see the old stones of this marvellous architecture, with the good capture of the lady making offerings to the gods.! The blue shelters are, indeed, very attractive and I also like the luminosity and the blue/clear sky.
Have a nice day
Marilyn

coco (28130) 2008-06-16 23:32

Hi Angshuman.

Good shot with these architectonicals elements. You made a good work with the composition and also they look quite interesting. Also I like you included one person in the photo and then is easier understand the real size of this place.

Regards.

Stepan (27175) 2008-06-18 10:25

I don't know why but I find the blue wooden gate quite unreal !!? So striking, so unusual, so contrasted with the temples stones. Interesting.
Stéphane

sayat (2944) 2008-07-02 8:43

Hi Angshu!
This shot has a superb perspective and an excellent sharpness in details. The composition and the inclusion of the lady are amazing. The blue is beyond words.

testmaniac (12262) 2008-07-03 1:37

Hi my friend, nice and interesting place and very good photo with excellent colors and contrast.

TFS and regards,
Phil

hispic (7399) 2008-08-14 4:51

Hello Angshu
Vibrant blue like fluorescent color is very impressive. Placing the woman offering the invocation is also wonderful. Superb shot!
Regards, Hisashi

balmikib (167) 2008-12-31 4:12

hi angshu!!!

This shot has a brilliant perspective and an excellent sharpness in capturing details. The composition and the inclusion of the woman adds to the frame. The blue is beyond words.i like this photo a lot