Category Archives: Landmarks

Somnath Temple Spire

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The Somnath temple was reconstructed several times in the past after repeated destruction by multiple Muslim invaders and rulers over India.

The present temple is a Māru-Gurjara architecture (also called Chaulukya or Solanki style) temple. It has a “Kailash Mahameru Prasad” form. The architect of the new Somnath temple was Prabhashankarbhai Oghadbhai Sompura, who worked on recovering and integrating the old recoverable parts with the new design in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The new Somnath temple is intricately carved, two level temple with pillared mandapa and 212 relief panels.

The temple’s śikhara, or main spire, is 15 metres (49 ft) in height above the sanctum, and it has an 8.2-metre-tall flag pole at the top.

Somnath Temple Dome

Shree Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple

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The intricately carved honey-colored (further accentuated at sunset) Somnath temple on the western edge of Gujarat is believed to be the place where the first of the twelve holy jyotirlingas emerged in India – a spot where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. The temples lies at the meeting of Kapila, Hiran and Sarasvati rivers and the waves of the Arabian Sea ebb and flow touching the shore on which it is constructed. The ancient temple’s timeline can be traced from 649 BC but is believed to be older than that. The present form was reconstructed in 1951. 

The setting sun transforms the temple sign, in Hindi script, painted with Indian flag colors by casting a golden glow.

Somnath Temple Gujarat
Golden Glow on Somnath Sign

Somnath Temple, Gujarat

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The Somnath temple is a Hindu temple located in Gujarat, India. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is believed to be first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. We visited the temple at sunset and the golden glow of the sun’s rays is evidenced in all images.

Photography is not allowed on the temple site so we had to access a walkway along the ocean to capture the images.

Somnath Temple at Sunset

Alcatraz from Pacific Heights

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Alcatraz Island is a small island in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco, California. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison. Here are views of Alcatraz from Pacific Heights.

Alcatraz from Pacific Heights
Alcatraz

Pacific Park on the Pier

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Located on the world famous Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Park is the family place to play! It’s the West Coast’s only amusement park located on a pier. There are a total of twelve rides in Pacific Park, including the world’s first and only solar powered Ferris wheel that provides a view of the Pacific Ocean and a roller coaster that circles the majority of the park. Pacific Park is also home to 14 midway games and over-the-ocean food and retail outlets. It has appeared in over 500 movies and television shows.

Pacific Park

Santa Monica Pier

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Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, it symbolizes the heart of Santa Monica and is one of the most photographed locations in the world. Constructed in 1909, the storied Santa Monica Pier was the first concrete pier on the West Coast. It quickly gained a reputation among locals as the best fishing spot in Santa Monica. Santa Monica Pier fishing remains a popular activity to this day. It contains an amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views.

Santa Monica Pier Panorama
Colorful on a Hazy Day

Lighting up the Statue of Unity

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After sunset at the Statue of Unity, the laser show illuminates the 182- meter high structure and shows the journey of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and his role to create India as a nation from various subcontinents. The show uses the statue as a canvas with a beautiful mixture of laser lights, sound, graphics, and storytelling. There are a total of 51 high-resolution projectors used in the show.

Lighting up the Statue of Unity

Building the Statue of Unity

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Sardar Patel is credited with uniting all 562 princely states in pre-independent India to build the Republic of India — hence the name of the statue.
Built by over 250 engineers and 3,400 laborers using 70,000 tons of cement, 18,500 tons of reinforcement steel bars, 6,000 tons of structural steel and 1,700 metric tons of bronze.
The height of the statue was fixed as ‘182’ metres to match the total democratic assembly constituencies in the state of Gujarat.
A comparison of the Statue of Unity with other notable monuments in the world:

Statue of Unity Comparison

Statue of Unity – Gujarat, India

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Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s statue or known as the Statue of Unity is situated in the Indian state of Gujarat. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950) was the first Home Minister of India. The statue is the world’s tallest, standing at a height of 182 meters (597 feet).

Statue of Unity

Windsor Castle

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A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years, Windsor Castle, the largest occupied castle in the world, remains a working palace today. The Queen uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as an official Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties.

Garden of Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle Tower

Icons of London

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The Tower Bridge and the ever-present red double-decker bus are definitely icons of London.

Sometimes confused with London Bridge, situated some 0.5 mi upstream, Tower Bridge has become an iconic symbol of London. It is a combined bascule and suspension bridge, built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London.

The majority of buses in London are still red and therefore the red double-decker bus remains a widely recognized symbol of the city.

Tower Bridge London

Tower Bridge

Palace of Westminster

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One of the most recognized buildings in the world, the Palace of Westminster in London owes its stunning Gothic architecture to the 19th-century architect Sir Charles Barry. The design and layout of the building were carefully designed to serve the needs and workings of Parliament.

Palace of Westminster