The 'Jain Perspective' Photo

Photographer’s Note

Just 123 km from Jhansi and 23 km from the district headquarters of Lalitpur, lies Deogarh, the Fort of the Gods, situated on the right bank of the Betwa river at the western end of the Lalitpur range of hills.

A path has been cleared through the undergrowth, and broken statues and artefacts lie scattered about. Within the fort is a remarkable group of 31 Jain Temples. During the 6th to 17th centuries, Deogarh was a Jain center and still houses these Jain temples.
Nothing that we had been told had quite prepared us for what we now saw. Sculptures lay everywhere: in the grass and bushes on both sides of the path leading to the gate in the wall of the fort; in the 31 Jain temples inside the fort, the enshrined Tirthankaras glowing as if they had just been finished by their master artists; an impressive Manastambha votive pillar.

The material used at Deogarh is sandstone, often of a warm brick red colour. Built between 850 to 1150 AD (i.e almost 1000 years ago), the temples abound in panels depicting scenes from Jain Mythology, Tirthankara images, votive pillars, votive tablets, Jain images visible from all sides and pillars carved with a thousand Jain figures. The sheer number of images is impressive and quite literally, thousands of sculptures imbedded in the walls surrounding the complex like exhibits in an incredibly rich outdoor gallery. Temple bells rang, the handful of devotees chanted, there was the gently mingled fragrance of incense and flowers in the air. And we walked around, awed by the unbelievable profusion of sculptures. Corridors & walls on every side of the main temples have this amazing perspective with the statues & sculptures on the wall, & pillars which you can see here as well.

The manager of the Jain Trust said: "We have cemented them into the walls to present them from being stolen. And every week we find more sculptures in the ground." We seethed as we had visions of savage marauders destroying sacred idols, throwing them around with vicious glee. But the manager saved us the trouble as he explained: "In ancient times, you see, this was a centre for sculptors. And what they couldn't sell, they just left lying around...."

We looked at the incredible wealth of sculptures and a new realisation began to dawn. The discards of one age often become the treasures of another!

There are quite a few "Deogarh" s in India, but this Deogarh is one less known, even lesser frequented & not represented here at all, till now.

silvia_zenova, ChrisJ, pauloog, besnard, feather, ramesh_lalwani, jhm, John_F_Kennedy, patdeph, avene, bakes888, papagolf21, pierrefonds, danos, josepmarin, plimrn, emjleclercq, everlasting, Didi, riclopes, Bluejeans trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Jeppo (12010) 2009-01-12 23:15

ciao Angshu,

excellent diagonal cropping to have a excellent depth of this decorated porch
interesting note as well

ciao
silvio

Morac (20717) 2009-01-12 23:52

Hello Angshu
I love this diagonal and the effect it gives depth to the picture.
It is a beautiful composition.
Best regards
Marc

aadilj (17950) 2009-01-13 0:09

an absolute delight angshu with nice burning hues and lovely handling of lights

silvia_zenova (1318) 2009-01-13 0:18

Hello Angshuman,
what a excellent perspective indeed! The diagonal lines give very good depth, like the colour tonality also. Very good.
Regards, Silvia

smarcell (14503) 2009-01-13 0:23

Very beautiful warm light. I like the human presence and the way you composed the picture.
Regards Stefano

ChrisJ (70373) 2009-01-13 0:34

Hi Angshuman

Good repetition of the statues, with excellent dynamism, added by the diagonal pathway, which also separates the warm cold colours. Good contrast, sharpness & lighting. Tfs!

jasmis (50799) 2009-01-13 0:47

Smart perspective with silhouette. Nice colours.
Regards.

pauloog (6731) 2009-01-13 1:41

Hello Angshu,
A view that is so interesting from a cultural point of view, but also beautiful to look at with great depth, beautiful ocre colours contrasting with the blue-grey of the alley.
Well done.
Regards,
Paul

besnard (30950) 2009-01-13 2:17

Bonjour Angshu
Une belle image colorée, profonde avec des motifs d'architecture très intéressant. La présence de la promeneuse est la bienvenue.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

carper (65350) 2009-01-13 2:54

very nice photo here,
a fine perspective shot, good pov, marvelous atmosphere, I like the good photo job here, have a nice day.
regard jaap

feather (49960) 2009-01-13 3:15

What an unusual place you bring us today and a new entry for TE. The perspective view along the corridor works very well and the person included was also a good idea (your wife?). I also like the WS but you made the right choice with this one.
Thanks again for the lovely surprise! ;D
Kath

jhm (83073) 2009-01-13 4:29

Hello Angshu,

You chose for a quatre format, this give here a nice composition.
You did very well add the lady in corridor, this specially for the scale to the statues on te wall.
The lightness is excellent, lovely picture, quality as sharpness are very well.
Lovely brown colours gives a nice composition.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

rodgerg (24631) 2009-01-13 4:32

Hello Angshuman,

Very nice place and very nice view. An image rich in colours and details very well collecetd. A great prospect and the lady give an interesting element of life. Good and interesting photowork.
Best regards,
Roger

John_F_Kennedy (31827) 2009-01-13 4:41

What a nice wall full of reliefs and figures. An impressive perspective. I like the presentation and your description, that makes this photo really interesting.
Best wishes,
Achim

patdeph (18180) 2009-01-13 8:42

namaste Angshuman
you have very well framed to give an impressive perspective!The colours are superb and I like the fact that you have waited to have a woman passing there!This Jaïn temple is very different of those I have seen in Mount-Abu or Ranakpur and even Jaisalmer!But they seems wonderful too!
Regards
Pascale

sayat (2944) 2009-01-13 10:46

A very beautiful frame full with nice colors and lines. I think a lower point of view would be better, just an idea.

marietom (32058) 2009-01-13 12:35

hello Angshu,

Wonderful composition ! J'aime beaucoup ces sculptures sur les murs, et la personne est parfaitement placée.
Bonne soirée
Marie

CLODO (4473) 2009-01-13 12:52

Hello Angshu
great perspective with lot of carving persons. I regret the white bag of the lady which is too attractive for the eye
regards
CLODO

MarianneS (14352) 2009-01-13 13:54

Hello Angshu,
Very nice composition, with an excellent perspective of course.
The presence of this lady is the necessary element to enhance this impressive sight.
Great colours.
Cheers,
Marianne

avene (11076) 2009-01-13 19:21

hello Angshuman,
great shot, the strong perspective that feels endless works well to convey the idea of timeless quality and beauty, I like that a lot. the warm colours are great, and even though the sculptures must have been in shadow, you have preserved all the details. including person in the frame was a very good idea, both to illustrate the scale and to show the interaction of past and present. excellent work, my compliments.

regards,
Kristine

p.s. I think you're missin a zero in the third paragraph of your note.

bakes888 (18295) 2009-01-13 22:01

Hi Angshu. A rich treasure trove and now hopefully preserved for all. Excellent capture, warm colour palette and well composed. The inclusion of the woman adds scale and human interest. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

papagolf21 (56533) 2009-01-14 0:43

Bonjour, mon ami Angshu,
Encore une gemme parmi votre album. Vous possédez un véritable trésor sur TE, et vous nous faites profiter merveilleusement de vues extraordinaires.
Un grand merci pour tout !
Amitiés.
Philippe

pierrefonds (26505) 2009-01-14 4:12

Hi Angshuman,

The diagonal line made by the corridor is an asset to the composition. The presence of the person has an effect of scale. The point of view is allowing us to see the details and colors of the sculptures on the wall. The picture is clear and sharp. The good luminosity brings out the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

danos (32956) 2009-01-14 7:14

Hello Angshuman,
imposing this cover alley with all these sculptures with the Gods and the deities.I like the perspective and the POV as the woman that walking through this alley.The reddish colour of the roof and the remarkable note make the scene great.Well done.

Regards,Danos

josepmarin (33955) 2009-01-14 13:09

Hi, my friend Angshuman,
the perspective is spectacular, it has a lot of depth and the fugue of lines in diagonal adds a big dynamism to the capture.
And of course, the sculptures in this wall are impressive, because of its beauty and its age, in addition to the graphism that they add to your composition.
An excellent work.
Friendly regards,
Josep

plimrn (19688) 2009-01-14 13:18

Hi Angshu,
Very smart to include the traditionally-clothed woman to show that the sculptures are full-sized. It also points out the contrast between Jain beliefs and current cultural norms for modesty.

You have become a wonderful story teller. I seethe with you as I imagine the marauders, then I smile as you reveal the punchline - it's a sculpture factory!!

Wonderful that your wife can join you on your adventures
HLJ, Pat

emjleclercq (14414) 2009-01-14 14:06

Another nice one, with good sharpness in the sculptures, but so much better because of the mix of colors between the red and yellow of the wall contrasting with the blue-grey of the pavemement. The color mix for me seems richer than the sculptures.

All the best,

Emmanuel

everlasting (10938) 2009-01-17 11:08

Not only the depth here Angshu but the deep colours are so appealing. I also appeciate the human element here.

zumoduvas (1974) 2009-01-17 13:31

Hello Angshuman.

Excellent image, nice composition and colors.
Very good details.

Regards.
Jose Luis.

Didi (36318) 2009-01-18 0:29

Salam Angshu
Difficult for me for making a critic choice because most of your compositions are very good.
The subject is very interesting here with a nice lateral side perspective.
I appreciate also the warm colours.
Best regards

riclopes (33107) 2009-01-22 2:40

Wow, what an incredible place, Angshu. Always being surprised by the beauty of your country in your gallery. The sight of 'sculptures everywhere' filling the walls is amazing. Very interesting story (although sad) about the necessity of cementing them into the walls. Wonderful details and beautiful red tones from the sandstone. I like the brighter stripe coming from that entrance at right and of course, the inclusion of the human element (nice to meet your wife ;-)
friendly regards,
ricardo
p.s.- have a safe trip to Mumbai.

filidor (573) 2009-01-28 1:00

This one is superb. The perspective lead my eye through. Great place. Unfortunately I had not visited it... Maybe next time? I think it is really worth do that.

Bluejeans (32793) 2009-05-04 11:16

Ola Angshuman ,
Que magnifico corredor os detalhes são fantásticos estas esculturas bem antigas , gostei dos tons de vermelho , boa profundidade de foto , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo