India _ Tanjavur Brihadeeswarar Temple

What an architecture?

Some facts about the temple from Wiki...

Thanjavur Periya Kovil stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The vimanam (or temple tower) is 216 ft (66 m) high^[6] and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kumbam (Kalasha or Chikharam, the apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is carved out of a single rock and it weighs around 80 tons.^[7] There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high.^[8] The entire temple structure is made out of granite, the nearest sources of which are close to Tiruchirappalli, about 60 km to the west of Thanjavur. The temple is the most visited tourist attraction in Thanjavur and the state alike.^[9]

India - The Majestic Taj

Is love a beauty or is beauty loved???

When we stepped into Agra, my first thought was "YUCK", seriously if not for the majestic TAJ the city is very poorly maintained. The journey from Delhi to Agra through the Yamuna Expressway was the most beautiful journey which kept me wondering is this India...

But when I same the Taj for the first time on the way to the hotel, i felt so bad... the seventh wonder of the world, Symbol of love, the Mughal epic was standing in between the trench and pollution in all forms(air,water and soil) surrounding it.

Peace came to me when I stepped into the Great Gate, from there the place was maintained well and then came the Wow factor one by one....

Everything in the Taj is built Symmetrical, except for the king's tomb... it is said that the king placed another Taj with Black marble symmetrically opposite to the white one... What a feast it would have been if Aurangzeb would have had the same vision...