Archive of Stone and Light

Along the valleys of the languorous river Malaprabha in Bagalkot district of Karnataka are located three settlements that represent the cultural magnificence of the Chalukya dynasty. Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal fall within a few hours of driving distance from each other and are speckled with several exquisite rock-cut shrines and structural temples belonging to the sixth to eighth centuries. Belonging to both the Hindu and Jain aesthetic traditions, the group of monuments in Pattadakal have been granted the status of World Heritage Site from UNESCO.

While visitors regularly trek through dusty and stony terrain to marvel at these exquisite carvings and sculptures, there is something else that merits our attention, something that a patient camera eye seeks. For one is struck by the landscape itself, natural contours that inspired such fine craftsmanship: the shape of the looming rocks, their turning to gold in the light of a slanting sun, and the vast open spaces that seem to breathe through crevices.

The beauty of this space is as much in what the senses can accommodate as it is in what the imagination can span.

Greeshma is a Bangalore-based visual artist who specialises in fine art photography, narrative photography and candid portraiture. More of her work can be seen at www.greeshma.com.