Come winter, the beautiful azure lakes of Ladakh freeze over and turn white. This January, Tso Moriri Lake in Changthang Plateau had formed a thick layer of ice on the surface, and had buckled to its own pressure at places. The night-time temperatures probably hovered around 25 below zero, which made it a warmer than usual winter!
Snap Stories is a monthly column I write for a travel magazine. ‘With the elephant god’ was published in April 2014.
I frequently visit the historical town of Hampi on work. It is a large area filled with monuments—temples, mantapa and palaces. Most of the temples are in some degree of ruin today and have no deities to worship. But Virupaksha Temple, now the heart of the town, has remained intact and is the only place that sees a daily puja.
This story is about Lakshmi, the resident elephant at the Virupaksha Temple. From my very first visit, I was charmed by this gentle giant and have spent considerable time watching and photographing her interaction with people. In most occasions, she is seen standing patiently at her stable at a corner of Virupaksha temple, blessing the curious visitors who come to see her. Most visitors are scared at first and take time to approach her. Girls giggle and push their friends ahead before following them. Boys appear daring, feeling accomplished after being blessed. Older men and women approach cautiously, reserved in their emotions but clearly unsure if it is safe to get closer. But Lakshmi treats everyone in the same way, blessing them with her trunk without betraying any of her own thoughts or emotions.
If I have to think of brilliant view of a long line of Snow Peaks in the Himalayas, Dochula Pass in Bhutan quickly comes to mind.
Also see: my upcoming photography tour to Bhutan
Sunrise from Dochula Pass, Bhutan
At ten thousand feet, DochuLa is not really high by Himalayan standards. But it is a good enough altitude to get clean air and a clear view of high mountains that are as far away as a hundred kilometers. On the horizon towards north-east from DochuLa is a long line of white summits on exhibit. The peaks include the who’s who of Bhutan’s mountain landscapes, Gangkar Puensum topping the altitude graph among them all. At 7,570 meters, Gangkar Puensum is also the world’s highest unclimbed peak today, primarily because sanctity of the peak makes it off-limits to mountaineers.
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