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The Virupaksha temple in Hampi, Ballari district, Karnataka.

The ruins at Hampi offer one a glimpse into the past

Hampi’s uniqueness lies in the fact that despite the many centuries over which it was built and the many dynasties that ruled it, the architecture is

SUDHA MAHALINGAM,Photographs by SUDHA MAHALINGAM

A glimpse into the past

Hampi’s uniqueness lies in the fact that despite the many centuries over which it was built and the many dynasties that ruled it, the architecture is

SUDHA MAHALINGAM,Photographs by SUDHA MAHALINGAM

The Hoysaleswara temple, Halebidu.

Classic examples of Hoysala excellence in sculpture

The filigreed carvings of the magnificent monuments of Belur and Halebidu in Karnataka bring alive mythology, and the mores of the Hoysala period.

SUDHA MAHALINGAM,Photographs by SUDHA MAHALINGAM

This impressive sculpture of Nandi, carved out of a single rock, faces the main shrine of the Lepakshi temple complex.

The grandeur of the Vijayanagar era temple at Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh

Built in the 16th century, the golden age of the Vijayanagar empire, the Lepakshi temple in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh boasts impressive scu

SUDHA MAHALINGAM,Photographs by Sudha Mahalingam

A Tickell’s blue flycatcher.

Where birds come to bathe in the Dandeli forest

The Dandeli forest in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka is a birder’s delight that offers rewarding sightings of a myriad of avian species. Text &

An emerald dove perched on a birdbath in the Dandeli forest.

Watching the birds come to bathe in the Dandeli forest

The Dandeli forest in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka is a birder’s delight that offers rewarding sightings of a myriad of avian species.

Sudha Mahalingam,Photographs by Sudha Mahalingam

The Ranakpur temple. Its impressive front view of has a series of narrow domes flanking the main dome.

Ranakpur temple: Magic in marble

The Ranakpur temple, a three-storied structure built in 1436, stands out from other temples in Rajasthan not for its grandeur but for its 1,444 lumine

Sudha Mahalingam,Photographs by Sudha Mahalingam

Climbing the Tsingy stone forest, somewhere in the wildernesses of Madagascar.

Island that time forgot

Mineral-rich Madagascar boasts a primordial limestone forest and a range of exotic fauna, among them 120 species of lemurs, and flora, but it is still

Sudha Mahalingam,Photographs by Sudha Mahalingam

A tiny bamboo lemur at the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar.

Madagascar: Lemur land

Lemurs are found nowhere else but in Madagascar and the nearby Comoro Islands, but with their habitats shrinking as land is diverted for human needs,

Sudha Mahalingam,Photographs by Sudha Mahalingam

A section of the Avenue of Baobabs, or Baobab Alley, in Madagascar.

Tree of life

The baobab is revered in Africa and Madagascar as a sacred and mystical tree. Baobabs can live for more than a thousand years and are perhaps among th

Sudha Mahalingam,Photographs by Sudha Mahalingam

Colourful ceramic tiles embellish the dun coloured architecture, breathing life into the structures.

A jewel in the desert

Khiva in Uzbekistan is a living museum of stunning architecture built on an ancient oasis town watered by innovative irrigation systems rising above s

Sudha Mahalingam

The Chosar caves in Upper Mustang in Nepal, near the Tibetan border.

In the land of the Loba

On the treacherous high-altitude trail to Lo Manthang, the walled city that is the capital of Upper Mustang province in Nepal and whose denizens are t

SUDHA Mahalingam,Photographs by SUDHA Mahalingam

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