On Independence Day, we bring you four different possibilities from four different corners of India. Places where, for travellers and photographers, their abstract ideas can take tangible forms and become real entities.
1. Varanasi
Everything about this old city spells spirituality and mesmerising chaos. The ‘spiritual capital’ of India, Varanasi, is also called Banaras and Kashi, and is located on the banks of the holy river Ganga. Considered the holiest of the seven sacred (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism, it is one of the cities that are believed to grant moksha (salvation/liberation). Also, based on not only mythological stories but also all the archaeological evidence, it is among the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities.
Every nook and corner of this ancient town brims with ancient stories and those of today. Make the most of your zest for travel and photography at Varanasi as your creative mind is bound to be kindled, and your ideas are bound to become free as they transform into art.
2. Ladakh
At India’s northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir, nature’s formidable brawn meets its unparalleled beauty. Ladakh, the Land of High Passes in India, is also a canvas of some mind-blowing contrasts that add more hues to your travel and photography experiences.
Where the Earth displays some of its savage beauty in the form of mountains and valleys, where nature is unconquered, discover new ways of feeling liberated from all that makes you feel like stuck in a rut otherwise. Discover Ladakh to uncover yourself – to let your understanding and to imitate the grandeur of Himalayas in the form of pictures, thus liberating you desire of doing so in the dizzying heights of the Himalayas.
3. Hampi
Leave your idea of time at the mercy of liberation as you amble down the historical avenues of Hampi. In this part of southern India, as you can stare at the glory of past, your present aches for the lost grandeur and wants to make stories of the ruins of a great empire that was famed between 14th and 16th centuries – Vijayanagara – as memories for your tomorrows.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hampi stands on the banks of the river Tungabhadra, bringing together history, mythology spirituality, art and architecture. Be there and take it all in and capture the quiet magnificence of the temples, stepped tanks, statues, hilla, mantapas and mahals… where every ruin leaves you with something to reminisce about.
4. Pushkar
Another ancient city of India where a soul-enriching exploration and photographic journey is bound to happen during the world-famous annual fair… We’re talking about a ‘fair’ affair with the city of Pushkar in Rajasthan, which will give you an opportunity to witness and capture the grandiose of the Pushkar Camel Fair, which is locally known as Pushkar ka mela.
One of the world’s largest camel and livestock fairs, Pushkar allows you to make some stunning portraits, silhouettes and landscape images… and offers you a platform for any idea of abstract images in your mind to break away from the confines and translate itself into art.
On Independence Day, with these stories that can make you break free from the monotony of life and explore different places in India, we leave you choose and explore one of the oldest and the most diverse countries of the world.
