Georges Barbier- Paintings (1882 - 1932)

BIOGRAPHY

French art deco illustrator. 'Georges Barbier'.

Primarily a book illustrator, he also designed fabrics, wallpapers and posters and commercial wrappings, boxes and postcards. He designed costumes and settings for several theatrical productions and for Rudolph Valentino's movie Monsieur Beaucaire. A regular contributor toLa Gazette du Bon Ton, the Journal des Dames et des Modes, Fémina, Vogue, Comoedia Illustré and other journals, his illustrations were frequently reproduced in the pochoir process. His finest book illustrations were those interpreted in woodcuts by F. L. Schmied.

Kailash Temple, Elapura

It is estimated that about 400,000 tons of rocks was scooped out over hundreds of years to construct this monolithic structure.
The Kailash Temple is notable for its vertical excavation—carvers started at the top of the original rock, and excavated downward, exhuming the temple out of the existing rock.
All the carvings are done in more than one level. A two-storeyed gateway opens to reveal a U-shaped courtyard. The courtyard is edged by a columned arcade three stories high. The arcades are punctuated by huge sculpted panels, and alcoves containing enormous sculptures of a variety of deities. Originally flying bridges of stone connected these galleries to central temple structures, but these have fallen.
Within the courtyard are two structures. As is traditional in Shiva temples, an image of the sacred bull Nandi fronts the central temple housing the lingam. In Cave 16, the Nandi Mandap and main Shiva temple are each about 7 meters high, andbuilt on two stories. The lower stories of the Nandi Mandap are both solid structures, decorated with elaborate illustrative carvings. The base of the temple has been carved to suggest that elephants are holding the structure aloft.
A living rock bridge connects the Nandi Mandap to the porch of the temple. The temple itself is tall pyramidic structure reminiscent of a South Indian temple. The shrine – complete with pillars, windows, inner and outer rooms, gathering halls, and an enormous lingam at its heart – carved from stone, is carved with niches, plasters, windows as well as images of deities.

 

 

 

Unusual and Curious Places All Over the World

The real crystal palace

The real crystal palace: Inside one of the most beautiful caves in the world  With crystal lined walls glittering deep beneath the earth's surface, these mesmerising scenes are taken from inside what could well be the world's most beautiful cave. The Mlynki is a rare crystal cave which lies in the Ternopil region of Ukraine and is known for the multi-coloured gypsum crystals which adorn its walls and twinkle in the light. These are the awesome images taken by intrepid photographer Oleg Grigorev who ventured into the remote cave to capture its beauty on camera. Twinkle: Two cavers look as if they are surrounded by fairy lights as beams from their torch bounce off the crystal particles of the Mlynki caves in the Ukraine

Animals In News

Shar Pei dog Cleopatra breast-feeds one of the two adopted tiger cubs in the Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi. The two cubs, named Clyopa and Plyusha, were born late last month in Sochi zoo and adopted by their new mum.

Hypnotizing Origami Mandalas Formed Using Single Paper

जब तोप गरजती है, तो 50 गांव खोलते हैं रोजा

भोपाल/रायसेन। देश में यह अपनी तरह की अनूठी परंपरा है। रायसेन जिला मुख्यालय पर रमजान के पवित्र महीने में तोप की गर्जना के साथ सभी मुसलमान सहरी और रोजा इफ्तार करते हैं।

नवाबों के शासनकाल में रायसेन में रमजान महीने में तोप की गर्जना के साथ सहरी और रोजा इफ्तार की परंपरा शुरू हुई थी, जो आज भी कायम है। कलेक्टर द्वारा हर साल रमजान के महीने में तोपे चलाने और उसके लिए बारूद खरीदने कि लिखित अनुमति मुस्लिम त्यौहार कमेटी को निर्धारित समय के लिए प्रदान की जाती है।

रायसेन जिला मुख्यालय में ऐतिहासिक किले की पहाड़ी पर एक फिक्स्ड जगह है, जहां रमजान महीना शुरू होने के एक दिन पहले प्रशासन की अभिरक्षा में रखी तोप को मुस्लिम त्यौहार कमेटी के सदस्य लेकर जाते हैं। इसे चलाने के लिए प्रशिक्षित तोपची को ही नियुक्त किया जाता है।

रायसेन संभवत: देश का एकमात्र ऐसा शहर है, जहां रमजान महीने में रोजा इफ्तार और सहरी का संकेत, तोप चलाकर दिया जाता है। इसमें सबसे दिलचस्प बात यह है कि तोप कि गर्जना सुनकर आसपास के लगभग 50 गांव के लोग रोजा खोलते हैं।