Hastalekha

The Mighty Gol Gumbaz stands tall doting the skyline of town of Bijapur/Vijayapura. The 2nd largest dome in the world its truely a wonder of the world. Read more about it in this interesting article from CulturalIndia.net below. Sharing some of the beautiful photographs clicked during an excursion to Bijapur in 2015. Its a sight to behold. When looked from a distance you can still sense the enormity of this structure. How huge and gigantic it is. The best attraction is what is called as the 'Whispering Gallery' where a sound as low as a whisper or a clink of a coin can be heard at the opposite site. Its something to simply experience, words aren't enough to express it. It would have served as an ampitheatre of sorts. Better to visit it early in the morning as soon as it opens to visitors. The minarets are another marvel. Either of the 4 minarets take you to the gallery above. Not only do the minarets taper down to the top but even the staircases become narrower as you go...

In my previous post about coins, I said about the 1/12th ANNA coin in which I took interest and tried to find out about the then monetary system. After winning the Battle of Plassey (1757) followed by Buxar (1764) the British East India Company got a political hold over the Province of Bengal and from then till the Revolt of 1857 the Br E.I.C. ruled over a major part of the Indian Sub-Continent. With the Transfer of Power from the Br.E.I.C. to the British Crown, the monetary system underwent a change too. Though I am personally not aware of how commonly in use were the coins of the the E.I.C in everyday transaction, but the Regal Issues were certainly used.  Back in those days (mid 19th to early 20th Century) 1 Rupee had a significantly high value. Fractional system was in use and Indians were quite used to making calculations using the Fractional System. Fractional Method was introduced in the Monetary System by  . Since then it had been widely used. The British continued t...

When I was in the midst of my coin collection hobby, I stumbled upon an old coin from the era of the British Raj. The almost worn out coin had  1/12 ANNA  written on it as its denomination. I was quite aware about the  ANNA  as a denomination/value in the old monetary system. But what had the 1/12 to do as a value ? What was its value in the current monetary system ? Upon researching and asking people around and reading stuff on coinage in India, I got to know quite a lot which I thought should be shared with others. India's Numismatic legacy goes back to the ancient period of the  Janapada-Mahajanapada  Era (12th - 6th Century B.C.) when the first  punchmarked  coins were used. From then onwards it became a prominent medium of exchange and economic value. In the medieval period  Sultan Sher Shah Suri  introduced a monetary reform in which he introduced 3 denominations v.i.z.  DAM  (Copper),  RUPEE/ RUPAIYAH  (Silv...

I dont exactly remember as to when I developed a liking for gardening, but it started with my aunt gifting me rose saplings on my birthday. I was overjoyed to have plants in my possesion which would now bear beautiful flowers and the fact that they would be all mine. Everyday i would enjoy watching every bit of that plant growing and at that age felt quite amused.  But today, about 10 - 12 years after recieving the gifted plants I now boast of a good collection of plants which I have been taking care of since a few years now. Its in these couple of years that I developed a craziness for my green buddies. With space constraints as I stay in a metro like Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay), open space is a rare commodity. So in the balconies of my flat, I have my own green world. 2 years ago I did a course on Bonsai and instantly fell in love with that art. Though it expects the person to be patient with the plant he is working on, its a great way to grow plants in confined spaces, make t...