The Jahaz Mahal

There is THE Jahaz Mahal in Mandu, in the State of Madhya Pradesh, a place I have never been able to visit yet. That one is famous as the setting where the famous love affair of Baz Bahadur and Rani Rupmati was played out, and it is said that the best time to visit Mandu is during the rains but that's another story. 

There is another Jahaz Mahal in Delhi, in Mehrauli village behind the Qutb Minar, and as its name suggests, it was meant to be seen like a ship on water, being a palace surrounded by a lake.

The structure is now, right in the middle of human habitat. The outlying buildings have all but vanished. Major portions of the lake which was called Hauz i Shamsi or the Shamsi Talao, have been reclaimed ..

The U courtyard, originally rectangular

 Notice the variations in the pavilions on top. Built before the Mughals, the pavilions were lined with blue tiles. The building was definitely some kind of a resort or resting place for the later Mughals and could have been a Serai or inn for Central Asian visitors before that, in the 15th century

Jahaz Mahal

Boys playing cricket in the grounds that were definitely part of the Shamsi Talao, and the ruins of outlying buildings. The annual fair, Phool walon ki Sair is held in these grounds in the month of October every year when a procession offers flowers at the Yogmaya temple and then presents chaddar at the dargah of the saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. The festival also hosts cultural programmes so the efforts in conservation could perhaps, have been on a much higher scale

 

The water level really seemed down at the pavilion on the other side of  the  Shamsi Talao. These three gentlemen actually pleaded with me for something to be done about the general state of affairs, for the Jahaz Mahal has weathered the elements for seven centuries, they said ..

I was anxious to visit the dargah for light was fading fast, and it was already half past four when we came upon the Jahaz Mahal on foot, and invitations for tea and pakora had to be politely declined. When we found the dargah, it was quite dark but it was interesting to see another building, Zafar Mahal alongside, stated to have been the residence of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last of the Mughals. Another time then, another day!

Little birds

Found this beautiful bird foraging in the grounds behind our office one Sunday afternoon. Could it be a wren or prinia?

Greenish on the back and a bit of a rust on the head. I think it could be a tailor bird. Not very sure, though

The Indian Robin has been a frequent visitor and is definitely blessed with an inquiring personality 

The ashy wren - warbler. Flick, flick goes the tail. Fickle minded sure, but it has got one of the sweetest songs when it really wants to be heard :))

There are other birds too that I have noticed but could not catch on camera yet. It is really astonishing, this wide variety of small birds right in the middle of Faridabad and one can only hope that they continue to thrive and remind us of the infinite, beautiful and bountiful Nature we are all part of

Unmistakably

 

From another time, the curve of your smile the faintest hint of fragrance rustle of your silk and your unabashed gaze the sound of your voice like the hidden brook gurgling out of the rocks and I cannot quite manage to wake up to that Kohinoor dream and now like tinkling glass or a needle that jabs at my soul and even more surprising is the fact that you paint me blue wondering if you remember the tiny blades of grass peeping out of the window sill after the rains knew when the storm broke on the sand by the rolling phosphorescent seas at night or is it just me  

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Now it is empty where I stand
and look down the avenues.
Almost as far as the farthest ocean
I can see the heavy
forbidding sky.

(Rilke) 

My precious moment

In that moment
that fleeting moment

In that fluid space
between night and dawn

The sky and the earth

my precious moment
and yours


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Purple Sunbird in late October eclipse plumage

You can see the purple sunbird in the header picture, which was taken in April. Another picture in the post Spring, summer and the parched earth.

At that time, I was confounded by the absolute friskiness of this beautiful bird, and its colouring made it very difficult to detect. The moment I tried to raise my camera, it would fly away.

And now, it seems that the bird has changed its plumage, and I have also found spots from where it is comparatively easier to photograph this marvellous creature. So here goes -

Delicate beauty on wings

Strips of blue teal remain, in a bed of yellow! Down the throat, and something makes me think that the bird is actually quite proud of its variegated coat. This is actually the eclipse plumage of the male

Purple Sunbird, Faridabad October 2014

Notice the slightly curved bill, for dipping into honey!