Architectural shots at UNESCO World Heritage Sites

[Manfred M]

Here are a few shots of some ancient buildings that I took in Northern Karnataka.

1. Temples at Pattadakal





2. Interior shot of cave temples at Badami - all of these columns are decorative and not structural. If they were removed, the temple would not collapse. I wonder if the builders knew this.





3. Hemakuta Hill temples at Hampi - this was a pain to process as power lines ran from left to right right through the image. Lots of practice with the clone tool here.

[Mike Buckley]

Wonderful images that make me want to go there!

[John 2]

Me too. I particularly like the second image in it's own right.

[Manfred M]

I was very pleasantly surprised by these sites, especially Hampi itself. The main reason we wanted to get to Hampi was that this was listed as the #1 site to see in India by Lonely Planet and the people that arranged for guide and driver suggested that we spend a day at the other sites in the area as well.

These sites seem to be virtually unknown outside of India and certainly Hampi itself is every bit as impressive (and perhaps more so) that the two other better known "rediscovered" UNESCO World Heritage Sites, namely Machu Picchu in Peru and the Kyhmer temples in Cambodia near Siem Reap (Ankgor Wat, being the best known). At 26 square km, the site is much larger than Machu Pichu, but not nearly as large as the sites in Cambodia. This site was "rediscovered" by the British military in 1800; a Scotsman named Colonel Colin Mackenzie. Any relations to Donald, I wonder?

The site is definitely under-promoted (which makes photography a lot easier), but getting there is not easy as it is in the middle of nowhere. One has to get to Bangalore and either drive or take the 9-hour train ride to get there (overnight sleeper train is probably best). As this is a normal, rather than tourist train, getting berths on it is not easy and we had to change our dates by a week to get on the train.

[RList]

As I live in a city that is declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site can appreciate what you said. Good capture of light, stone and age. It is wonderful to have opportunity to explore such places worldwide

[Wavelength]

Truly poetry carved on stones..... what a beauty.... i am eager to visit......

PS: You typed in the caption, "Northern Kerala"

[Manfred M]

Truly poetry carved on stones..... what a beauty.... i am eager to visit......

PS: You typed in the caption, "Northern Kerala"

Oops again. Karanataka it is

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[pnodrog]

2. Interior shot of cave temples at Badami - all of these columns are decorative and not structural. If they were removed, the temple would not collapse. I wonder if the builders knew this.

Builders never trust engineers - I think the columns are excellent decoratively and even if redundant would certainly add to my sense of safety while roaming around there.

[Dave A]

Really enjoyed these images Manfred, especially exploring them in lightroom.

Dave