Comments on: om sweet om

om sweet om

nickyskye — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:32:04 -0800

Contemporary architecture in India, a little look: Odd and unusual buildings l Mumbai 1, 2, 3 l Kerala backwaters l Kolkata l Architectural renderings from the Indian Skyscraper blog.

Scroll down for the lotus shaped Bahai Temple in Delhi. An index of links.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:43:17 -0800

As an architectural contrast afterthought, some of the temples of India.

By: kolophon

kolophon — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:11:46 -0800

The perspective of those highrise photographs makes for an interesting effect when scrolling down the threads. But I don't like this false-colour tonemapping style all that much.

By: the cydonian

the cydonian — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:06:34 -0800

From the Indian Skyscraper blog: this is gorgeous and is _exactly_ how I imagine (doomsday) Bombay to be, down to the Monsoon-laden clouds. I'd like to think of it as India's answer to this HDR net-classic showing NYC's skyline. :-) Of course, as iconicity goes, Salgado's picture at VT is an old favourite. Lots of known temples in that Mystic India thread, but with not-so-normal angles; works great as material for some trivia-based quiz in an Indian school, for example. :-) Too many comments to make out there, but I'll restrict myself to these two:- a) This is such a cute picture, kids presumably changing their yagnopaveetam's on Sravana Purnima. Yagnopaveetam is, of course, a Brahmin thing; when you get your sacred-thread, you become an _adult_ and get all its associated trappings, one of them being the ability to spend time away from home and with your guru. b) I don't know where this is from (one of the erstwhile princely states in Rajasthan/ MP, I presume), but this is a fantastic example of Raj-era syncretism in architecture. All those frilly facades and windows are ridiculously baroque, very continental in origin, but with moustachioed, turbaned guards as motifs, very Indian in execution. It even has flying angels in dhotis! Finally, just to balance the Force, a thread on mosques in India. I'm a big, big fan of both sombre structures and fancy gumbad's (domes); grew up next to some impressive structures, so. :-)

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:49:11 -0800

database error

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:59:09 -0800

I'm getting 'database error' on every one of these links.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:18:40 -0800

Thanks for the wonderful comment, as usual, the cydonian. Does anybody have an idea why there is a database error? All the links were working when I put up the post but now I get database error too. Perhaps the site will work in a few hours?

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:28:50 -0800

PS, the cydonian, that pic you included of NYC is exactly where I live, in one of the little buildings in front, slightly to the left of the image. But if one goes up on the roof of my building that's basically the view. Lovely to see the Spanish Mosque in Hyderabad near where you grew up. See, like you, I like the somber, impressive, old fashioned buildings in India and am blown away by the new buildings, not in a good way especially. At least one of the links is still working, the Architectural renderings from the Indian Skyscraper blog.

By: Locative

Locative — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:35:10 -0800

I hope the links work again soon. This sounds really cool!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:04:33 -0800

YAYYYY!!! :) The links are working again. *phew.

By: ageispolis

ageispolis — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:11:12 -0800

Those backwaters, man, how I wish I was back there. And Chowringee! Kolkata (and much of urban India) trumped my wildest dreams.

By: adamvasco

adamvasco — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:50:52 -0800

I was in Delhi this past february for the first time in 14 years. The change in the outskirts is incredible. India just didn't have modern high rise or skyscrapers 14 years ago. The Bahai Lotus temple with its surrounding are one one of the most beautiful and peaceful areas in this chaotic, crazy city. Don't go on a Monday as I did this time, as you will be disappointed!

By: pedstel

pedstel — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:22:10 -0800

nostalgia alert. pictures of temples in india make me happy.