Shree Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple

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

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

Partial Solar Eclipse at Sunset in Kayavarohan

We end our series of images from India with a spectacular sighting on October 25, 2022 of a partial solar eclipse at sunset in Kayavarohan, Gujarat, India. The moon passed in front of the sun causing a partial solar eclipse, the last solar eclipse of 2022.

Viewing a Partial Solar Eclipse
Oblivious to a Partial Solar Eclipse

Silhouettes – Church at Sunset

In photography, a silhouette is defined as an outline that appears dark against a light background. More specifically, it is where your subject is seen as a black shape without detail against a brighter background.

Will be posting this week images with silhouettes. Here is a church silhouette against a vivid sunset sky.

Church Silhouette at Sunset

Reflections – in Landscape

The wonderful thing about using reflections when taking photos is that they can completely alter the image from something fairly straightforward to something richer or abstract or otherwise more artistic. Here is a reflection of the landscape at sunset in a small body of water.

Reflections at Sunset