Luminous Beings Are We

I posted a lot of photos of beautiful Indian architecture and temples at the end of last year, but I wanted to show you a pretty spectacular place that I visited this year, right here in the US. This place, the BAPS temple in Robinson, New Jersey, is an architectural marvel, drawing on precise instructions written thousands of years ago. The main temple structure is made entirely of marble, replete with intricate sculptures and structures on every inch of stone. It’s actually housed inside a building to protect it from the wildly varied weather in central NJ (this past week it was 73 degrees one day and 33 degrees the very next day). It’s also free to visit and they even have video and audio guides available for tourists! | ig: wayfar.ing

Jodhpur’s fort overlooks the city and rises into the skies | Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India | ig: wayfar.ing

Dream garden. I would never spend my time anywhere else. | ig: wayfar.ing | Rajasthan, India

This could be how I live but instead it’s 12 degrees out and dark at 4pm. Gotta move somewhere where it never gets cold! | ig: wayfar.ing | Rajasthan, India

I don’t have anything thematically similar for today’s bonus #DecemberRewind but here are some buildings that are pretty enough to be cakes in Madrid? 🤷🏽‍♀️ | ig: wayfar.ing

Baoris, or step wells in Amer (near Jaipur, Pink City) and in Jodhpur, Blue City. These wells have been used for swimming and bathing for centuries. The first one, in Amer, was primarily used by the women of the royal family and included a changing area, massage area, perfume area, and a look out. | ig: wayfar.ing

Some of my favorite archways at Amber Fort, Jaipur. | ig: wayfar.ing

The architects and artisans who built Jaipur’s City Palace had a spectacular eye for detail. | ig: wayfar.ing

Rajput architecture is absolutely stunning, but what’s particularly interesting is its similarity to Mughal (Muslim) architecture in northern India. The Rajputs were warriors and defended their predominantly Hindu kingdom from Mughal expansion, but its clear that there must have been a lot of artistic, aesthetic, cultural, and artistic collaboration between the two groups.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, one of my favorite buildings in London that I've never been inside | ig wayfar.ing

Il Duomo, Milan

Not the Taj Mahal | this is Bibi ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, Maharashtra India. It was built/commissioned between 1650 and 1660 by Shah Jahan's son Aurangazeb for his fourth wife, Rabia-ud-Daurani/Dilroz Bani Begum. It is clearly based on the design of the Taj, but lacks it's grand splendor. The main mausoleum is much less wide, and is built with cheaper materials than the Taj's marble - it has been less able to stand the test of time as compared to the Taj. Nevertheless, it is still beautiful - and lacks enormous tourist crowds!

Went exploring. Found a castle. | 125th and Riverside, Manhattan (nyc)