Lepakshi

Photographer's Note

The periphery of the Natyamandapa had no dearth of sunlight. The columns here, as in the entire mandapa, are elaborate compositions. In the column on the right of the picture, a Yali with bulging eyes and elaborate scrollwork on its side, rears over a large kneeling figure holding a dagger and a shield. Riding the yali is a diminutive mounted warrior who raises his sword. Elsewhere, piers have cut out colonnettes and are raised on bases carved as squatting yalis.

“According to Indian legend the Yali (also known as the Yalaka, meaning a horned, hybrid-lion) are an astounding composite, which combine the carnivorous appetites and speed of a lion with the musculature, ivory tusks, and trunk of an elephant. Often depicted in Indian temple sculpture, these voracious beasts are said to be vyala (an adjective which means wicked or vicious), and are commonly used to symbolize man's struggle over the elemental forces of nature.
Although many academics dismiss this animal as yet another fantastic creation, which fits into the fertile pantheon of Hindu mythology, there are some investigators who believe that - like so many "real" animals which have become almost solely symbolic in the human psyche - these creatures many well have stalked the jungles of ancient India, regarded by the local populations as a vicious, jungle predator every bit as fierce as the indigenous Bengal tigers.”

ariya, plimrn, arnabchat, Luan, pranab, siolaw, Cuba-Junky, riclopes, atus, marjan, pierrefonds, ChrisJ, Henryk_Bilor, ramesh_lalwani, sam224, anavazao, TeresaT, ramthakur, pablominto, gary91, josepmarin, cjmm, oochappan, anew, Dragonheart, randompics, pboehringer has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ariya (0) 2006-05-04 23:50 [Comment]

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plimrn (21344) 2006-05-05 0:06

Hi Angshu,
you've captured excellent detail and color in your well-framed compo, I like the way you've gotten the fill Yali and used it as a frame for the temple with its repeating pillars and monk standing in a restful pose. One of your best temple shots to date in my opinion.
Regards, Pat

pranab (5354) 2006-05-05 3:01

angshu,
another great capture! in this one your inclusion og the gentleman in the bg is an added bonus, it shoes the depth. good framing with the sculptured piller in the fg.

Luan (12971) 2006-05-05 3:23

Hello Angshuman,
I like the way you have included this sculpted column on the right, I like also the texture of the temple architecture.
A nice picture.
Luan

pastadog (13111) 2006-05-05 3:26

Another superb shot of this wonderful Natyamandapa, which I now realize is just one of the halls at Lepakshi (I was reading again your early posts on Lepakshi). I like your in-depth approach to this series, Angshu, certainly I'm looking forward to seeing more. Regards, Daniel

Cuba-Junky (2817) 2006-05-05 4:25

What a beautiful composition with all these colortones, structures and enormous depth in it.
Great shot!
An

sergio1 (12152) 2006-05-05 4:37

HI my friend
Excellent shot and great pov. I like the details and sharpness.
Realys tis is a nice work
Congratualtions
Sergio

riclopes (35577) 2006-05-05 5:09

Hi Angshuman,
You are still capturing my attention...
Another great shot of this series with excellent framing and dephness. Well manage lighting and magnificent details (not only in foreground...), in a very clear and sharp image. The person in the back is a good add and I love the atmosphere. Congratulations, once more!
Thanks a lot,
Ricardo

atus (15878) 2006-05-05 5:20

Hello Angshu,
very nice shot with very good details and great sense of depth.Very well composed with the man in the background. Thank you and compliments.
Attila

marjan (7) 2006-05-05 5:54

Hi, very nice shot with good motive and excelent coloures. TFS
MArjan

pierrefonds (115596) 2006-05-05 8:49

Hi Angshuman,

A good POV of the mythical creature, the details of the sculpture are great. The photo has a good composition and nice colors. Your note is very informative.

Pierre

ChrisJ (172436) 2006-05-05 9:35

Namaste Angshuman

The person adds scale & context. Good sharpness, color, & pov, of these interesting old statues. Well done!

Henryk_Bilor (20803) 2006-05-05 10:44

Hello Angshuman
Again very interesting image of the temple. Great visible details with good description by you.
Regards

ramesh_lalwani (3213) 2006-05-05 12:17

Hi Angshuman
Another beautiful shot of sculptures.I wish you had moved slightly towards left to eleminate the brickwork.TFS
Ramesh

sam224 (6215) 2006-05-05 13:05

I am really in love with this kind of architecture. The Indian carvings are something very attractive for my eye and you captured them so well here. Good perspective and simmetry with the pillars leading us to the end of the corridor.
Well done!

anavazao (5592) 2006-05-05 13:54

Hi,
beautiful perspective with great colours, composition, details, light!
Thanks Ana:)

TeresaT (10806) 2006-05-05 14:26

Hi Angshuman,
another great imaghe from your series of Lepakshi.
Like the on the others you captured very well the details of the columns, and managed also very well the light.
Nice sense of depth and good composition with the inclusion of the man in the background.
Regards
Have a nice weekend.
Teresa

ramthakur (1559) 2006-05-05 15:35

Hi Angshu!
Very good reproduction of a part of Lepakshi complex with an erudite note on the image of the mythical creature so well captured in your photograph.
Regards.
Ram

rabdelnoor (3423) 2006-05-05 17:44

Hi Angshu,
Your Lepapshi series is getting bigger and better. Again you bring an excellent picture, showing these interesting carved pillars. As usual, the light is fantastic.
Take care
Ricardo

pablominto (53746) 2006-05-06 1:27

Angshuman,
Superb perspective, my friend! Your POV here is very well chosen, and it for sure works!
I also notice how well you use the lighting here...
Great composition, well balanced and with good details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

gary91 (15348) 2006-05-06 1:47

Hello Angshu,
A beautiful series of pictures from this incredible temple I am just discovering. These columns are really incredible.
The work on it is so original.
You composition is great, with a nice colored diagonal and the exposition is very good, although is must be difficult conditions.
Thank you for making me discover this site and sharing your wonderful images.
Best regards. Christian

feather (51130) 2006-05-06 3:51

I am still amazed at the quality of the carvings. You have again achieved excellent depth in the image. As well as the beautiful foreground carving I also like the perspective view down the "cloister" to the man at the end.
Kath

josepmarin (59385) 2006-05-06 6:49

Hi Angshuman,
A very good frame. The engravings in the stone, the columns to the left and the centered gallery, with the person in background, and the changes between the illuminated zones and the zones in shade, they make a perfect composition.
Good work.
Regards,
Josep

cjmm (4479) 2006-05-06 10:07

Hi Angshu,

I feel reiterative but love the way in which you capture detail in these images.

DOF, sharpness and compostition are brilliant.

Best regards,
Carlos

capthaddock (28790) 2006-05-06 13:41

Hi Anshu- nicely done, some parts are too bright, but difficu;lt and variable light, the details on the carved columns are excelllenbt

oochappan (4880) 2006-05-10 8:15

One of the best out of your serie for implying the light out-and inside scaled to the man in the background but focus on these reliefs that made me think of the standing lion of the third dynasty of the Palavas seen in the Meenakshi, their state reached far that time and certainly must have influenced lots of temples in the surroundings of their imperium.
Good note to learn more aspects of it.
greetings
Henk

sabyasachi1212 (19779) 2006-05-11 7:46

Hi Angshuman,
I was going through your Lepakshi series. It is simply mesmerising. This one is my favourite of the lot. Light and colour just seems to be perfect.
Regards
Sabyasachi

anew (582) 2006-05-27 10:15

I love this picture more than some of your other pictures with columns. More because the lighting here is just right. And the details on the columns show up really well. And the composition is also well done.
Great job Angshu,
Anu

Dragonheart (8434) 2006-06-28 3:46

Hello Angshu,
Excellent shot, good details, like thelight falling on the pillars, good POV, good compositon with the man in bg.
Well done,
Best regards,
Vivek

vinicio (23423) 2006-11-07 1:53

Very nice POV for this image with great depth, nice atmosphere and as usual amazing details of monuments, good work and good image, compliments.
Ciao
Vinicio

pboehringer (770) 2007-01-06 13:00

Absolutely perfect DOF to explore all the reliefs in different levels, including the more or less desinterested looking guy in the middle of the picture. You really managed that quite well although the light conditions were not very easy.
Greetings, Peter
:) tomorrow