Srinagar

Photographer's Note

As India steps into its 60th year of Independence, I continue with my mini series on the Secular structure of India.

Muslims in India
Contrary to general belief, Islam came to India long before Muslim invasions of India. Islamic influence first came to be felt in the early 7th century with the arrival of Arab traders. Arab Muslim traders attracted the people to Islam by their friendly behavior, honesty in trade, discipline in dealings and peaceful religious and pious life A number of Indians living in the western coast were moved by the principles of Islam and converted. Infact the first Indian mosque was built in Kerala as far back as 629 A.D during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad. The Muslim invasions of India started in the 8th century with the invasion of Sindh by Syrian Arabs and were followed by rulers like Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad of Ghor. This eventually led to the formation of the Delhi Sultanate in 1210. It lasted for 316 years and was finally overthrown by another Islamic ruler, Babar from persent day Uzbekistan who established the famous Mughal Empire and hastened the spread of Islam in India.
Sufi saints or the moderate Islamic preachers played an important role in the spread of Islam in India. Many aspects of Sufi belief systems and practices had their parallels in Indian philosophical literature, in particular non-violence and monoism. Sufis' unorthodox approach towards Islam attracted many Hindus. The Sufi movement played a crucial role in bridging the distance between Islam and the indigenous traditions. Even today Sufi tombs are visited by Hindus and Muslims alike.
Muslims in India had an important role to play in India's freedom struggle and their contribution in the religious, artistic, philosophical, political, social and cultural aspects is second to none. Even after the partition of India in 1947 and the formation of Islamic state of Pakistan, majority of Muslims decided to stay back in India and are today an integral part of the country. One cannot deny instances of Hindu-Muslim conflicts in the country but these are more exceptions than the rule. Today Muslims form the largest minority group in India with a population of 190 million (17.3% of Indian population). India has the second-largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia.

Pictured here is the Hazratbal Mosque in Srinagar - the most important Muslim shrine of Kashmir. Situated on the west bank of the Dal Lake, it commands a grand view of the lake and the mountains beyond. The importance of the shrine lies in the fact that it houses the Moi-e-Muqaddas (The Sacred Hair) of the Prophet Mohammed. The history of the Shrine goes back to the early seventeenth century when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's Subedar, Sadiq Khan, laid out a garden here and constructed a palatial building, Ishrat Mahal or pleasure house in 1623. However, the Emperor, during his visit in 1634, ordered the building to be converted into a prayer house. During the time of Emperor Aurangzeb, when the Moi-e-Muqqadas arrived in Kashmir in 1699, it was first kept in the shrine of Naqshband Sahib in the heart of the city. Since the place was found to be insufficient in view of the unprecedented rush of people who thronged the place to see the relic, it was decided that it would be shifted to Hazratbal. The construction of the marble structure that stands today was started by the Muslim Auqaf Trust in 1968 and completed in 1979. The mosque is a blend of Mughal and Kashmiri architectural styles, with a three-tiered roof topping walls and porticos of brick masonry on a base of dressed stone. The Hazratbal mosque, standing like a glowing dream with its pristine grace reflected in the waters, is an abiding symbol of the potential for warmth and amity among different people.
I have provided two WS, one of the original image and the other giving a closer view of the dome and the minaret.

bantonbuju, billfitzgerald, sambit, ohe, cengiz, lucasdasilva, gabrielpat, CeccoPhoto, luisafonso, Budapestman, ndb1958, Dragonheart, TeresaT, ribeiroantonio, thaprem, sayan, captainsgirl, renerob, devimeuxbe, prezntime, tcht, hello_ishan, Lynette, berek, TheMystic, Henryk_Bilor, Uhu, Deepforest, singuanti, feather, cunejo200, veve, a_i_ren, aklanac, vbl oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

sanlen (7) 2006-08-17 7:22

Nice sharp picture..!!

bantonbuju (51815) 2006-08-17 7:23

hi sabyasachi,
spectacular, and very important brick in the "secular" series,
the sepia choice for this image successfully increases impact of the birds as on of the key elements in thsi image;
best wishes, j.

billfitzgerald (71) 2006-08-17 7:33

Hello Sabyasachi,
A fine picture of a fine building of great significance. I like your composition and your choice of sepia as it greatly enhances the mood of the picture as do the flying birds. A very interesting note too.
Best wishes
Bill

ohe (2334) 2006-08-17 7:33

Dear Sabyasachi,
Very nice composition!
You've made a very nice work editing your picture.
Result is really impressive!
Thanks for sharing,
- Olivier -

cengiz (3593) 2006-08-17 7:33

good choice of sephia colors nice framing and comp.welldone
cengiz

daddo (28748) 2006-08-17 7:34

Hi Sabyasachi. Most effective treatment to an old and important architectural structure. If it wasn't for the chap with the camera, this cought be a timeless photo from the early days of travel.The pigeons add a homely touch. Regards. Klaudio

sambit (97) 2006-08-17 7:36

Hi Sabyasachi,
Nice representation to our secular Indian culture. And the Photographer's Note is quite useful if anybody wants to know us (Indians).

Regards,
Sambit

stephtbest (94) 2006-08-17 7:44

Trčs belle photo. Je trouve cependant qu'il y a un peu de bruit en haut!
Bravo tout de meme pour la capture !

Stephane

pat0500 (21561) 2006-08-17 8:01

Hi Sabyasachi,
Good shot and very good idee for black and white...I like the effect!
Good point of view.Beautifull..!
Well done,
Patrick

dhurjati (2709) 2006-08-17 8:02

Hi Sabya,
I always go through your gallery and you impress me with each of your snaps.Simply outstanding is all what I can say....

TFS,
Dhurjati

lucasdasilva (557) 2006-08-17 8:15

You have this special ability to make this sephia effects work veri well. Your seris is very knowledgable, I did not many things about your beautiful contry. SO many good places and so many religions all staying together. Happy Independent Day to all Indians.
Lucas

gabrielpat (7163) 2006-08-17 8:33

hi Sabyaschi,
an extrordinary coment,subject perfectly knonwed.
A shot is sepia which gives this feeling of "secular india".
Colombs arent they symbol of peace?

CeccoPhoto (2717) 2006-08-17 8:41

Hi sabyasachi,
Great choice of this Photo also if i prefer the other photo in WS with original colours.

Excellent composition.

Francesco.

kvananthnaag (487) 2006-08-17 9:00

Very well composed!! excellent sepia color filled photograph. it gives a wonderful retro effect. beautiful picture.

gigi (2668) 2006-08-17 9:09

hi Sabyasachi
wonderfull picture
I like the traitement
well done
gigi

faubry (35447) 2006-08-17 9:25

hi Sabya
a, very good serie with important impact on the birds, i like this sepia color, like an old picture
francine
take care

s10001in (0) 2006-08-17 10:17

Sabya,
Without bothering your long, honest & beautiful note I would like to come your Photo straight away.
Forget Muslim or Hindu in India.
But I am very happy seeing your shot on TE page.
Thumbnail itself is so LIVE & beautiful I just decided not to go to your note & to confuse myself more about shot.
Nice selection of SEPIA & curve of mosque with Pigon(BIRDS) flying around giving me lot pleasure of typical Indian scene.
Photographer on the scene is huge bonus & this composition making your Photo as documentry shot.

When I was kid I used to see movies of "AMOL Palekar" & "Sai Parnjpe"( Both are Bollywood Art film director) & I can get pleasure of their movies in this shot.
There are people shouting for your PP, but I love this photo & lot respect for this artistic shot & your great eye that can create this scene with SO CALLED OVER PP.

Beautiful work.
Keep it up with same sprit.
-Shailendra

luisafonso (862) 2006-08-17 10:37

What a fantastic composition Sabyasachi! I love the way you placed all the elements in the shot. From the small wooden stick on the bottom right to the larger black birds on the middle top. The light is amazing, just look at the right side of the mosque. The birds, the photographer, that dark road across the lower third. All this is amazing. Your sepia choice is perfect. A grand photo my friend!

Budapestman (82620) 2006-08-17 10:40

Dear Sabyasachi!
Great architecture photo! Fascinating and very interesting mood! Good choice the sepia tone, its better! Excellent composition and amazing atmosphere! Very interesting and informative note, again! Super shot! Thank you, nice days
George

ndb1958 (9289) 2006-08-17 10:55

Hi Sabyasachi,
an interesting project doing this series. I can't decide which of your 3 picture I like most. I guess the sepia one because it is more artistic for my eyes. On the other hand I really like the original.
A different perspective from India. I've never been and my fantasy about India are about Hindu Temples, Benares, Ganges ...
Thank you for sharing.
Nino

carper (96) 2006-08-17 13:44

very nice one Sabyasachi,
I realy like the idea, the well taking composition and the good details, the shepia works very good in the shot, well seen, good job.
gr. jaap

zokakelt (1157) 2006-08-17 14:53

New in yours excellent series. I like this one too.
Excellent job.
Zoran

eza1701 (3345) 2006-08-17 16:19

Another great shot Sabyasachi, I had a look at the original in the WS and I think your choice to go sepia was right. Without a doubt, the birds make the image stand out in my personal opinion.

TeresaT (10806) 2006-08-17 18:34

Hi Sabyasachi,
Beautiful composition of this monument with all this pigeons flying around.
Nice details of the building.
And the sepia tones are great.
Regards
Teresa

agbonavita (0) 2006-08-17 21:31

I'm in love with your mini serie.

This photo appear that came from a past time. Love the choice of this ywellow tones.

Pretty composition with the birds around.

Well done Sabyasachi.

Andre

avigur_11 (22553) 2006-08-17 23:10

Altough the original version is very god, I prefer this interesting version. The monochrome coloring gives a very special atmosphere taht goes very well with this scene.

Angshu (56760) 2006-08-17 23:47

Hi Sabyasachi
Excellent shot of the famous Hazratbal mosque with the flying pegions. There was one more photographer in the place at that time. Your PP especially the sepia works well here, enhancing the visual impact
Regards
Angshu

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2006-08-18 2:13

What an extraordinary photo with great composition and perfect light. The details are excellent and the choice of the sepia gave the shot that old feeling. Your note is very informative and very good. Congratulations.
Antonio

sayan (2617) 2006-08-18 2:40

Hello Sabyasachi,
First of all its really nice to see you on the intro page. :)
As I have already said, the series you have started on secular india is really wonderful. Particularly this is lovely-I love the sepia tone here. Personally I donot like the so called over post processes, but the way you do the pp's is really wonderful and there is always something to learn from your photos as well as the pp's.
Thanks for sharing this old looked photograph, and I will say that though it might remind Shailendra about the Amol Palekar or Sai Paranjape movies but it reminds me of some very old movie clips taken during the quit india movement of 1942!
Best regards
Sayan

fabio_ts (13696) 2006-08-18 3:35

Hi Sebyasachi,
a fantastic picture here, I like a lot the sephia tone.. add a timeless appeal to the image.. well composed too.. compliments!!

have a nice day,
Fabio.

jinju (14265) 2006-08-18 4:39

Hi Sabya,

another one of your superbly treated images, taking us back in time several decades ago. The sepia plays a big role but I think think yo also do something else. Its very contrasty, so that might be part of it. Have you seen Sohrab's image of the birds on the beach. The way you used the birds here has a very similar feel.

thaprem (2566) 2006-08-18 5:02

Sabyasachi,
I like this wonderful painting of life...
Nice example of Monochrome excellence...
Lively & very enjoyable.
Thanks,
Prem.

captainsgirl (3450) 2006-08-18 5:15

Hello and thanks for some a great photo and such an intersting note! Great work~...
Donna :o)

renerob (601) 2006-08-18 7:17

Hi Sabyasachi
Nice Shot,it looks good in sepia, but I would Like to see the same shot in colour, without all the birds in it, because it looks to be a nice building.
Regards Irene

devimeuxbe (58557) 2006-08-18 7:20

Hi Sabyasachi
One more wsonderfull composition. The light, the birds in the sky. There a lot of romantism in this composition.
Well done
Bertrand

tcht (7565) 2006-08-18 7:36

Hi Sabyasachi,
A stunning sepia work! That light on the Mosque is impressive - making it quite 'holy' at the same time. It's not 'sharp' but that makes extra atmosphere for this place. Beautiful work.
Regards,
Cheuk Hin

Lynette (1615) 2006-08-18 8:24

Dear Sabs,
Great architectural photo! Very interesting mood! Nice choice on the sepia tones! Great composition and amazing atmosphere! Very very interesting & informative note, Good Image. tfs.
regards
Lynette

hello_ishan (1571) 2006-08-18 8:27

Hi Sabyasachi,
Nice picture & fantastic presentation of 'S E C U L A R . I N D I A'
I like your idea of inclusion of sepia tone, this make this picture very-very realistic. Well done & thanks for sharing.

Srinivasan

cbrman (21685) 2006-08-18 8:56

Hello,

Superbe prise de vue sepia ! Les oiseaux améne une certaine dynamique ŕ cette image. J'aime bien le coté un peu retro de la texture.

A+

Dominique

keshu (160) 2006-08-18 9:55

hi Sabyasachi,
I like this picture, the object and specialy the yellow tone.
have a nice weekend*

Dragonheart (8434) 2006-08-18 9:56

Hi Sabyasachi,
Good sepia shot, excellent composition and framing, I like the birds all over.
Well done
TFS
Best regards
Vivek

berek (50518) 2006-08-18 11:39

Hi Sabyasachi,
successfully main color my friend. your framing and light are very very good. I like all birds . thanks for this life picture. Have a great weekend.
Berek
my overall evaluation -> :-))

TheMystic (916) 2006-08-18 14:09

Excellent monochrome piece, again. Not much else to add that others haven't said already.
Cheers
Otto

Henryk_Bilor (20803) 2006-08-18 14:31

Hello Sabyasachi
Good composition and very interesting object.
I like the birds in the foreground of the temple.
Regards

Deepforest (9260) 2006-08-18 17:43

Hi Sabyasachi,
Spectacular, fantastic photo, the next of your Secular structure series... A shot in sepia is well chosen in this case. I like this capture very much. Excellent meticulous note.
Best regards from Poland and have a nice weekend.
Andrzej

singuanti (15250) 2006-08-18 22:54

Hi Sabyasachi. You did a great job with the post-processing to achieve that old antique look. I like both of the workshops but the main posting is definitely the best one. You might be able to up the contrast but everything else is very good. tfs Sabyasachi!

arjun_das (1851) 2006-08-19 4:13

excellent shot and the note full of information. good choice of sepia tone to give it a feeling of old days. the flying pigeons gave a very dynamic aspect to the pic. tfs.

regards,
arjun

feather (51130) 2006-08-19 4:51

Gosh! I've arrived very late to this one. You maybe guessed already that I am a real colour freak, but having compared this with the colour I 100% agree that the sepia works best. It's nothing to do with giving it a "timeless feel",(the photographer in shot precludes that anyway) but somehow the colour version looks cold and this wonderful composition deserves warmth. The birds add an extra touch of interest. I also like the close up in the WS. very interesting and informative series.
Kath

prezntime (3946) 2006-08-19 9:13

Greetings Sabyasachi.
A very good composition here Sabyasachi. The contrast of the birds against the sepia sky imparts a wonderful atmosphere to your photo. Very well done POV and the lighting is great. Is that person in the forground snapping a shot as well?
Thanks for sharing your vision.
Regards,
Chris

:) out today, will be back.

ben4321 (9875) 2006-08-20 4:36

This is really superb Sabyasachi.
Great composition of the mosque, and the swarm of pigeons adds a feeling of life and bustling (bird) activity to the scene.
I even like the sepia black and white conversion this time, it gives the image real mood.
Good work.
Cheers,
Ben

cunejo200 (7281) 2006-08-20 8:46

Hi Sabyasachi,
This photo reminds me of an old Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds. I love the the sepia choice. As always, great composition with good exposure and details. Your mini series on secular India is quite informative. I am learning a lot. What a diverse country. Best wishes.
Danilo

veve (4189) 2006-08-20 12:11

Hi Sabyasachi!
This is lovely place!
Brilliant idea to post it sepia!
The atmosphere of this image is very impressive!
Best wishes,
Veronica

prumod (8300) 2006-08-20 13:28

hi sabya
its a nice caputre from beautiul kashmir... your pp is very nice attractive...
pramod

capthaddock (28790) 2006-08-26 9:06

Hi Sabsayachi - I really like the vintage look, the way it was processed gives it a timeless feel, the pigeons breathe a lot of life into the picture

partha (14023) 2006-08-27 4:10

Nostalgic feeling. Probably due to the colour tonality.
Composition and angle of is excellent as well.
partha

scalerman (26900) 2006-09-02 22:20

This has the sepa tones of an old Indian post-card. It's a lovely shot, and great processing... regards, c

pranab (5354) 2006-09-04 16:12

sabyasachi,
a great shot! specially with the color composition, somehow it adds more drama and life to this shot.it truely depicts the secular indian spirit. tfs.

a_i_ren (1315) 2006-09-05 11:15

Hello, Sabyasachi,
Looks like the scene from Alfred Hitchcock`s "Birds"... Again, beautifuly done!
Bravo!!!

starbug (6924) 2006-09-11 12:23

wonderful.your gallery is a well of beautiful images, so characteristic and boring into mind with their stength.it's just so hard to put into words how sentimental and atmospheric this picture is.lovely, old card- styled photo, with great composition and tonation.
A.

vbl (1421) 2006-09-28 16:58

Hello Sabyasachi,
very nice picture. the colors are fantastic, and the pov also too.
congratulations
regards vanessa

Photo Information

Copyright: Sabyasachi Talukdar (sabyasachi1212) (19779)
Genre: Miejsca
Medium: Czarno-białe
Date Taken: 2004-10-24
Categories: Architektura
Naświetlenie: f/5.6, 1/500 sekund
More Photo Info: view
Wersja zdjęcia: Oryginalna wersja, Workshop
Temat(y): Mosques around the world (II) (Asia), SECULAR INDIA, India [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-08-17 7:16
Ulubione: 2 [Widok]