It’s time for Cee’s odd ball challenge – with full license (well more than usual [if that is possible]) to play as we like, with whatever we like, no questions asked. So here are a bunch of odd photos that I hope will enjoy browsing.
Caught this one showing off her (his?) lip job 😀
A tea drinking crow! Photo courtesy my lil sistah
A fan from yester years.
An ultra modern cutlery holder
I was trying to capture the window when this girl came by – I thought it looked cool. Do you think so too?
This has to be my favorite COB shot 😀 All those people posing to catch the tip of the Vijay Stambh which if you remember I had showcased in an earlier post. The contortionist photographers were also quite a sight to behold. No wonder all those langurs were out in hordes. 😀
Thanks for stopping by – any personal favorites? Do tell.
Doesn’t she add four moons to the palace? 😀
On a closer look she looks even more impressive itching to tell loads of stories – can you not see the alphabets? I can see L, I, O, U, X, Y, V and P. What can you see? I do love the leaf pattern of the neem tree, and especially the reflection in the palace window.
This is the famous Haldighati pass that we all read about in school. Ghati all along I thought meant a valley but actually (in the local language) it means a pass or a narrow neck. This was the only way for the Mughals to pass over to the other side where the Rajput army was ready and waiting to cut down the single file entry of one person at a time. It was only when they used explosives to blow up the mountain were they able to pass through successfully and go on to win the battle and then lose to Maharana Pratap at the 
That’s the way to the Memorial of the brave and upright warrior Maharana Pratap still much loved and held in high esteem.
Can you see the way? But actually I wanted to show you this because as a child I imagined the battlefield of Haldighati to be something like this rather than that in the first photo 😀
Time to move on to a real fort – the 
But at some places, I liked the placement of the stairs.
Stairway at Meerabai’s palace. Yes she too lived here married to Bhojraj, the son of Rana Sangha the powerful king of Mewar. But her devotion to Lord Krishna led to her being banished to the servant section.
Fascinating isn’t it? I wonder how they climbed these stairs or was there some other structure beside it?
The 
I couldn’t have a Cee’s which way challenge without a witch tree could I? 😀
And finally at Rani Padmini’s Summer Palace. This is one of my prized photos of how despite deeply ingrained traditions Indians effortlessly adopt modern technology regardless and oblivious to any conflict or what the moment. Did you get my point? Raise your hands before I elaborate. Sure? Got it? No?
A smoggy or is it foggy winter morning at 9.30 am! Thank God the worst seems to be over but it’s already time to brace up for the heat and dust 😉
Coming out from being cooped up in the office the whole day long, I snapped a quick pic of the sky where the feathery clouds had been busy painting it white.
On another day, when a demonstration turned a 10-min drive into a 30-min one I made the most of my time clicking pictures sure that Cee would certainly give me an opportunity to display them sooner or later 😀 Yet, I couldn’t get what I really wanted – off the birds flying home in beautiful formations. But don’t you think the sky looks lovely? Okay! Enough of skies for now – lets move on to something else before you accuse me of repetitive stuff.
An exquisitely hand carved temple. Can you imagine the vision, the planning and the workmanship that went into building such a marvelous piece of art so many centuries ago? I could simply look at the perfectly designed symmetry for hours and hours. Couldn’t you?
Can you see the yellowing leaves on the yellow-brown path? Actually I wanted to draw your attention to the yonder tree 😀
It was a very interesting and exciting tree (like most trees!) See those roots dropping down – just something Tarzan would love to shimmy down right?
Wait! There’s more. The roots got tired of just standing around so one particularly antsy one decided to indulge in some yoga on the way down 😀
A yellow butterfly from our garden at home captured by my sister.
Why? Well like I said Why Not? This photo was shared by my friend Svkuki while on her trip the States and has been crying for some screen space for quite a while now. Besides surely you can see the Y created by the shadow and the cacti in the background?
I was terribly excited to see this bird especially when it allowed me to come close enough to click a pic with my phone. Hmm you don’t buy it do you?
I loved the texture of the nude walls.
The purple pansy in the middle that is looks like an X doesnt it? Well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it 😉
Lots of X’s there, although the handwriting may not be up to the mark! 😀
A musician with his ektara (I think!) a one-stringed instrument making a perfect X
An ox taking a morning walk through the busy streets of Mt Abu. Don’t miss the tongue sticking out – probably drooling at the thought of breakfast 😀
Here’s a test – how many X’s can you count? 😀
Isn’t that a massive X?
As they say, be careful of what you ask for you may get it 😀
The orange trumpet creeper or Brazilian flame vine Pyrostegia venusta (gosh look at all those precious alphabets – U Y and Z!) that has been firmly fixed to the rod to make a pretty little umbrella. Darn it I should have kept this for the next challenge or two… 😉
This is not actually from another era but recently built in honor of Maharana Pratap (9 May 1540 – January 1597) a popular Rajput King of Mewar or modern day Rajasthan in Udaipur.
Another angle of the temple with intricate carvings.
Most, if not all of the human figurines have been painstakingly damaged and trashed by the invaders of those times. They took what they could and destroyed what they couldn’t. But still their beauty shines through.
Another temple, another wall, another tragedy and another triumph.
I end this series with a picture of the Bagore ki Haveli at Udaipur flicked from my son’s collection (psst plijj dont tell him!). Last year he had visited Udaipur which inspired us to visit it this year. But unfortunately despite active efforts due to various reasons we couldnt visit this particular fort. Much to our absent son’s delight 😀
Another view of the tree tops. Notice anything different? Or just a random common place repeat picture? Let’s move further down.
There you have it! The palm tree is growing within the larger peepal (?) tree!!! How amazing is that?
Open, closed and designer windows. City Palace from the outside
An elongated window to look out but not be seen – a common motif in most windows, although shapes and designs may differ.
A square window.
Another view of the world. Beautiful workmanship no doubt but may give a sense of being imprisoned don’t you think?
Ahh a breath of fresh air and uninterrupted view of the world of windows from a window 😀
There were open windows overlooking the city of Udaipur, or
Enjoy the serene calm waters of Lake Pichola.
A view of the fine meshed windows and the colorful shrubbery was an added bonus.
And talking of bonuses, a final Sun window over the stairway at the hotel.
Quite the perfect rainbow encompassing the entire sky and neatly framing the trees, isnt it? But where’s the V you ask? VIBGYOR my friend VIBGYOR. What! That’s not even a word? Fine well then I am sure some very vivacious people stay in these houses, besides isn’t this picture a veritable feast for the eyes? 😉
A vibrant cloudless blue sky at Lucerne.
A deserted cafe with vacant chairs at the corner of a busy marketplace in Delhi – a rarity I assure you. Perhaps we were too early.
A vibrant, vivacious Sahasradhara (thousand streams) amidst verdant surroundings.
A deserted stairway at a hotel. Hopefully, the vermilion colored fire extinguisher will never be required to be actually used.
Can you not vividly see the bright chattering vivacious little girl who must have thrown off her new shoes to run up the temple stairs?
Stories and more 