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Temples of Kashi - The Tilbhandeshwar Temple

The city of Kashi is filled with temples, big and small, old and new. There are temples at every corner, and you never know where you will stumble upon a small shrine. There are idols beneath what remains of trees (there are hardly any trees any more within the core area of the city), there are saffron covered forms resembling deities which seem attached to walls, an especially incongruous sight when the idol itself appears to be old, while the wall is evidently new…. And there are surprisingly large temples rising from what appear to be a bunch of houses. The city is sometimes colloquially said to be as old as time, and some of the shrines and temples are said to date back to times unknown, at least the deity itself, if not the structure. Not much remains of the ancient structures anyway. The city has seen more than its fair share of good and bad times. It has seen the heights of grandeur, and the lows brought about by destruction. The city that exists today has grown so haphaza...
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Wildlife in the Desert

Black Bucks ran across the road, peacocks danced as we watched, birds flew into the air, and insects and reptiles scuttled into their safe havens at our approach. Our recent trip to Jaisalmer was full of such 'wild' encounters! 




It all began with this tiny insect I saw on the ground. Its camouflage was what attracted me the most.... I think its some variety of cricket. 



Then, as we stopped to look at a string of camels, we spotted a surprisingly large number of lizards disappearing into their holes. At first, this is all we could see...




Then, I was lucky to get a closer shot of the lizard... it looks like a Desert Monitor, but can someone help with the name please?
P.S. Thanks to Sumer Singh Rathore and Adesh Shivkar, for identifying this as the Indian Spiny Tailed Lizard or Saara Hardwickii, called 'Saand' in the local language. They are common in the arid regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan and are prey food for several species of raptors. Also, they are prey to humans, who extract oil from them for medicinal and other purposes. 




While looking for the lizards, this is what we saw... A complete contrast to the first camouflage, right? This bug couldnt stand out more if it tried!!! It is the Red Velvet Mite, or Rain Bug, and interestingly, is called Beer Bahuti, in India, and is used for a variety of local medicines!! Want to know more, head to the Wikipedia page, which has some gory details...



Later, we surprised a herd of Nilgais at a watering hole. 





But the most memorable were the number of peacocks we saw at the Khaba Fort!!



I haven't even begun to talk of the birds we saw, simply because to stop for them would have meant missing some other interesting aspects of the desert. They will have to wait for another trip!! 

I was in Jaisalmer on an invite from Suryagarh, Jaisalmer, for a Travel Bloggers and Writers meet, and this trip showed me a completely different side of Jaisalmer... one which made me want to go back, at leisure! The wildlife is just one aspect of it, and there is lots more coming up soon! 


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Location: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, India

Comments

  1. AvneetAugust 12, 2014 at 10:52 AM

    Beautiful captures,the peacock looks as if it is posing for you.LOL.Great work :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarAugust 12, 2014 at 3:45 PM

      Thank you, Avneet!! There were so many peacocks that it was easy to click them! all we had to do was wait for the right pose!!

      Delete
  2. Siddhartha JoshiAugust 12, 2014 at 12:49 PM

    When did you click all these Anu!!! Awesome ones :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarAugust 12, 2014 at 3:47 PM

      Thank you, Sid! I clicked the insect at the temple while you were busy with clicking Ankita and the others on the ground.. the bug before we realised we had left you behind, and the lizard when we brought you back!!! you saw the nilgai as well didnt you, at the watering place?

      Delete
  3. Adesh ShivkarAugust 12, 2014 at 8:39 PM

    The lizard is a Spiny-tailed Lizard (Saara hardwickii, syn. Uromastyx hardwickii) ..... they are common in the arid regions Rajasthan and Gujarat and a prey food for several species of raptors (Eagles, Falcons etc)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saara_hardwickii

    -Adesh Shivkar

    ReplyDelete
  4. R Niranjan DasAugust 13, 2014 at 10:19 PM

    Lovely shots.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rajesh TavakariAugust 22, 2014 at 8:26 PM

    Anu, glad to know that you are having a good time traveling with family. Do you have any plans to visit Karnataka? Do let me know. Also, did you opt for package tour or you traveled on your own. What I mean is, did you plan your own itinerary? Do share tips and suggestions for first-time travelers to Jaisalmer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarAugust 31, 2014 at 9:53 AM

      Thank you Rajesh! I visited Jaisalmer as part of a bloggers group. We did not plan our itinerary.

      Delete
  6. Paresh KaleAugust 31, 2014 at 11:49 AM

    Rajasthan is colorful and "wild"ful as well !

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownSeptember 24, 2018 at 10:58 AM

    Loved the pictures! Specially the red valvet mite.

    ReplyDelete

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