Enchanting Ellora

Unlike Ajanta, the caves of Ellora are not exclusively Buddhist. They also have Hindu (top four pictures) and Jain (last picture) temples, adding to the diversity.

Transcendent Thiruvannamalai

Situated under the Arunachala mountain is the Thiruvannamalai temple in Tamil Nadu dedicated to Shiva as Arunachaleswara. The huge temple with four compound walls and multiple temple gates (gopurams) is said to date back to the 8th Century. In the scrub jungles of the Arunachala mountain live many sanyasis, or Hindu holy men and women

Awe inspiring in simplicity

Aurangazeb's grave in Khuldabad, near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, is awe inspiring in its simplicity. For the man who ruled the whole of India, the grave is spartan. Aurangazeb chose to spend his last years in poverty, inspired by the Sufi tradition. He died in 1707, and the history of India went through radical change in the next 50 years, culminating in the British colonialisation of the country in 1757.

Ajanta

The Buddhist caves, carvings and paintings at Ajanta in Maharashtra are both rugged and sophisticated.

Morning has broken

A savanna landscape with sparse trees standing on grasslands has its own beauty when silhouetted against the rising sun.

Anything but a castle

Though called Manmool Castle, this structure inside ICRISAT campus has served many roles, except that of a castle. Constructed in the 16th Century, this building was used as a taxation center, hunting lodge, shelter for the poor and later as a shelter for animals. The building was recently renovated and has become a museum of sorts displaying early ICRISAT history.