Langurs take refuge under a tree's shade at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. These guys just sit across the track and keep staring as the vehicles drive slowly up to them. You wait for them to move you can end up spending the whole day there. Or if you drive up to them they wait until the vehicles are just feet away before scrambling away and reassembling immediately after the vehicles pass. 

Two `Sambhar' stags face off at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. 

Early in the morning a priest makes his way up the steps to the Venkatachalapathy Temple, at Karungulam near Tirunelveli. Situated on a hill top, a unique feature of this temple is that there is no statue of the deity inside the temple. There are just two pieces of wood representing the god. Information on the Internet says they are sandalwood, but I remember the priest saying it is a variety of wood available in the nearby forest areas. They are renewed once in a few years after elaborate rituals. The hillock is believed to represent `garuda,' the vehicle of Perumal. 

The entrance to the Venkatachalapathy Temple, Karungulam, near Tiruvelveli. 

A `Nilgai,' Blue Bull, at Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary, Rajasthan. Those birds sitting on it are Tree Pies, they can be quite inquisitive. As people sit in the open topped vehicles waiting for wild life these birds come quite close and sit watching the people. 

This pic was taken at the Vaikunta Perumal Temple (Not Pandavaperumal Temple as I had mentioned earlier - sorry about the mistake), Kanchipuram, a temple town about 75 km west of Chennai on the route to Bangalore. A pity that this temple is outside the tourist circuit.

This picture too was taken at the Vaikuntaperumal Temple (NOT Pandavaperumal Temple as I had mentioned earlier), Kanchipuram. This is the other side of the pillars in the corridor above. I liked the way the sunlight picks out the lions on the pillars.

A Black Winged Kite at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. As with most other birds this one looked so small perched on the tree top and when it spread its wings it just changed into this little giant. It was about midday in Rajasthan in summer and he really let me and my friends fry slowly as we sat in a open topped jeep waiting for him to take off. 

The entrance to the Singavaram temple, the deity is Narasimhar. This is a lovely little temple on a hillock. It is near Gingee (on the way to the Arunachaleswara Temple, Tiruvannamalai) near Tindivanam, on National Highway 45 (GST Road) to the South of Chennai. These pics were taken a few years back. 

The steps leading up to the temple. 

The 'dwajasthambam,' flagstaff, in front of the temple.  

The Singavaram temple gopuram. 

A spotted deer, Chital, at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. 

You can trust kids to steal the show at any event... just by being themselves. Here are a few pics of some of them taken over the last two/three years at various events.
This theme just occurred to me a few weeks back when I clicked some frames of kid monks from Sri Lanka. In the pic below are a group of young devotees at the Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore, Chennai. I liked that kid in front posing as if he is not posing.

Young Buddhist Monks from Sri Lanka.  

Young Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka. They were in Chennai recently to participate in the Wesak festival organised by the Mahabodhi Society. 

These kids are from a Vedic school in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. They were invited to particpate in the Triplicane Parthasarathy temple festival that year (2001 or 02). 

This pic was taken in 2002 or may be 2001. These youngsters had been invited from a Veda Patashala in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, to participate in the festival.  

These youngsters are carrying a miniature of the palanquin used to carry Lord Parthasarathy in Triplicane. Groups of kids like this have fun following behind the main procession. 

These youngsters had made a miniature of the Parthasarathy temple's chariot at Triplicane and were drawing it behind the main procession. 

Photographers come in all shapes and sizes. I was taking some pics of a festival when this pair, clinging on to wall about 20 ft off the ground, caught my eye. 

The Meenakshi Amman Temple tower at Madurai. This and the other pictures that follow including those of the Tirumalai Nayak Mahal palace were taken a few years back. 

A view of the Meenakshi temple gopuram (tower) at Madurai. 

The Meenakshi Amman Temple gopuram (tower), Madurai, with the temple tank, the Pottramarai Kulam (golder lotus tank) and the corridor surrounding the tank..  

The entrance to the Tirumalai Nayak Palace at Madurai. A mention of the palace to anyone familiar with the name will at once bring to mind the huge pillars within. I have also tried to include some of the details of the sculptures in this place in the pics that follow.