Spectacular, Invincible, a photo from Rajasthan, West

Photographer's Note

Gagron is located 10 Km from Jhalawar and about 100 Km from Kota. Located there is one of the least known, yet one of the most spectacular forts in terms of setting in Rajasthan, if not in the whole of India. This 8th century fort standing witness to many battles fought for its possession is surrounded by the waters of the Rivers Ahu and Kali Sindh on three sides. On the fourth side there used to be a deep moat completed its defenses.

A mute witness to 14 battles, though now in ruins, this fort can be considered as one of the finest example of vana and a jala durg - i.e. a fort both forest-protected and water-protected. It is surrounded by forests and has behind it the Mukundarrah range of hills. Its location itself is striking, looming out of a rock on a little island where two rivers Ahu & Kali Sindh meet. Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi, besieged it unsuccessfully for 11 years. Jauhar, that terrible form of women immolating themselves, was performed in Gagron fort not once but thrice. The act of jauhar was undertaken by women of a particular fort, choosing to die rather than fall into the hands of the enemy. In 1561, the Mughal Emperor, Akbar captured Gagron, and the Mughals held it till 1715 when it was gifted to Bhim Singh by the Sayyids, the two brothers who took control of the Mughal empire after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.

The only visitors in Gagron, apart from us were the buffalos & cows who enjoy a swim in the waters of Kali Sindh River.

In order to get to this view point up a small hill, from where the exposed rocks created a fine perspective, seemingly converging onto the fort, I had to cross a narrow stretch of the river (can be seen on the extreme left near the water pipes), where my feet sank upto my knees in soft and quick mud. I had to desperately shout to call my wife, to hand over my camera, before escaping from the clutches of the treacherous mud. I had to sacrifice my footwear in the process...thankfully, only that! Reminds me of the saying..."Things photographers do to get the best POV...." :-)

This is a stitch of 7 pictures....please do check the Large Version here.

Dedicated to the master of stitching Didi.

isabela_sor, pauloog, besnard, papagolf21, Longroute, bukitgolfb301, Bluejeans, pierrefonds, subhendu_bagchi, jimkil, adores, Wanda1, MiffyO, Waylim, JT50, josepmarin, carper, Didi, emjleclercq, jafadabret, plimrn, Atousa, jmcl has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

isabela_sor (47748) 2010-01-09 0:36

I was waiting the large version , but ...
ANyway, I enjoy watching this superb image, reading this note
The quality is great and the panorama just perfect
Still waiting the LP :)
Hugs

PS....After posting this I saw also the LP :)
Superb

pauloog (11751) 2010-01-09 0:37

Hello Angshuman,
A spectacular site indeed that you captured very convincingly with this panoramic stitch. A fantastic overview of the site, but also pleasant details to discover, like the dots of the buffalos in the water.
Regards,
Paul

besnard (59196) 2010-01-09 0:38

Bonjour Angshuman
Un bon clichй aux couleurs bien saturйes d'un joli paysage. Je dois avouer que j'ai une prйfйrence pour la version large qui nous fait voir beaucoup plus de dйtails.
Merci pour le partage et bon week-end.
Nicole

rikko77 (10861) 2010-01-09 0:49

Hi Angshuman
a perfect 7 pics stitch here, you did a great job and I really like it because all the frame is pin sharp and the light you managed was perfect. Regards
Rikk

papagolf21 (152607) 2010-01-09 1:15

Bonjour, mon ami Angshu,
Dиs que l'on clique sur la version large, quel spectacle s'offre а nos yeux йbahis !
C'est extraordinaire de voir ce fort qui semble invincible au fil des siиcles.
Une excellente rйalisation.
Fйlicitations.
Amitiйs.
Philippe

Longroute (19600) 2010-01-09 1:26

Really a spectacular and unique scenario!
The position of this fort by the river makes it a first class subject. Your panoramic photo is a pleasure to see, taken from a very opportune POV and with a choice of composition which puts the fort in the center creating a fine symmethric image.
A very good, fine and interesting work.
TFS,
Donato

PixelTerror (0) 2010-01-09 2:04

Namaste Angshu
Nice place, I like how the ground seems to be radiating from the fort and light conditions are great. The stitch is very good but something went wrong during PP, especially noticeable on the right part of the large version
Have a nice day JY

LOOOK13 (19046) 2010-01-09 3:02

Salut.
Tres belle image extremement colorй, une lumiиre superbe, un trйs bon point de vue...
Du bon travail.
Bravo.

feather (51130) 2010-01-09 3:28

It sounds as if you put yourself in danger Angshu and could have been pulled right under the mud!
The central composition here is perfect for this subject as there are many lines which seem to radiate out from the fort like the spokes on a wheel. The stitch work is well done as with such a wide expanse of plain blue sky there could have been problems.
Kath

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2010-01-09 3:31

Hello my Prof. Angshuman

This is an another great shot!
Marvelous impressive cropping shot, perfect composition, nice and thick color arrangement are so admirable as usual. This is very much photogenic, so beautiful and wonderful.
Thanks for sharing and best regards,
Have a good weekend!

Takero

Bluejeans (64251) 2010-01-09 3:59

Ola Angshuman ,
Beleza de trabalho aqui amigo em juntar estas 7 fotos , as colagens ficaram muito boas , й umas paisagem muito bonita com esta montanha central e agua nas laterais, gostei muito das cores com um bom contraste entre elas , bom ponto de visгo , parabйns!!
Um abraзo Gonзalo

Bom fim de semana

pierrefonds (115677) 2010-01-09 5:34

Hi Angshuman,

The stitch of the seven pictures is allowing me to see a panaromic view the fort and its surrounding. It is clear and precise. It is well framed. The blue sky is sending a light which is engancing the beauty of the colors. Well done, have a nice day.

Pierre

jasmis (58653) 2010-01-09 7:46

Amazing stitching. Superb place and splendid presentation.
Regards.

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2010-01-09 10:56

Dear Angshuman da,
absolute masterpiece in stitching and also composition. Great to see the fort from your point of view. The waters and the lands around the fort is just superb. Nice light and colours. Very well done. Tfs.
Regards
Subhendu.
PS- kajer chap to achhei, tobe last 10 dine ami 5 ta photo post korechhi, khub kom ki? Tomar hoyto pochhondo hoi ni ba kajer chape dekha hoye otheni.
Subho ratri.

gervaso (28437) 2010-01-09 13:25

Hello, Angshuman!

Beautiful place! The perspective is great to show this incredible landscape, and so are the colors, which are excellent! The large version has excellent quality! Very good job!

marietom (34611) 2010-01-09 13:26

hello Angshu,

magnifique paysage, et superbe version panoramique.
Bonne soirйe
Marie

jimkil (1706) 2010-01-09 14:16

Greetings for 2010 Angshu
Hope you are well in your part of the world?
Excellent stitch of the 7 images to bring us this splendid view. You have done well with the hard light that you encountered here, love the graduated like sky!! It kind of reminds me of monument valley for some reason - maybe the shape of this architecture. The people look like ants and give us the depth of the place.
Job well done!!
Jim

ciakgiak (30) 2010-01-09 14:24

Hello Angshuman,
this is a very spectacular image, a great subject with very interesting notes and great colours.
You did a very excellent work here, the stich of 7 pictures give a superb effect.
Congratulations, TFS.
Best regards.
Giorgio

adores (46979) 2010-01-09 15:31

Hi Angshuman!
I'm glad you have added the large version, because it shows so many details that are not visible here. The place looks great and you got a very good panoramic to show it.
Very good stitch work, I'm sure Didi is going to like this:)!

sayeed_rahman (6461) 2010-01-09 22:25

Hey Angshu..notun bochorer subhechha..wishing you your wife and your daughter a great year ahead..taking it a year at a time feels just right to me :)

A great stitch here..i love the landscapes and the mountains but ive never tried a stitch..

the right of the frame seems to be elevated a bit though..did you use that ugly looking three legged thing..??? if you had could that correction be made ?

nice story there..with you wife coming to the rescue..behind every successfull shot there is a woman ??

hmmmm.....

sayeed

Wanda1 (15142) 2010-01-10 0:44

Hi Angshuman,
You did a really great job of stitching here. There are so many fabulous details and textures in this shot and we can see them so well in the large version. Wonderful point of view from a slightly elevated position giving us a great idea of the fort and it's surroundings. Nice natural colours too.
Good thing you were not completely sucked into the mud ;-)
A very belated Happy New Year wish to you and your family!
Best Regards
Wanda

Graal (103040) 2010-01-10 3:08

Hi Angshuman,
very nice panoramic view. Superb quality of large version. Good presentation of fort. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

jaywalker (16105) 2010-01-10 4:21

Hi Angshuman, A truly beautiful panoramic scene, you really have captured this rocky area superbly, a gorgeous blue sky offering wonderful light, good sharp quality & TFS, kind regards Wilson.

anindya2u (287) 2010-01-10 7:17

Hi Angshu

Great composition and wonderful note as usual from your basket. I also liked the large version. In a way I think larger version is fine to view but the smaller one seemed to be a thumbnail.
All credit to you since the stitching is marvellous.
I liked the POV and the contrast with excellent colour tone.

Rgds
anindya

clio (27961) 2010-01-10 10:30

Hi Angshu,
Fantastic large version!
This fort surrounded with water is magnificent. The contrast of colors between the ground and the water is striking. Thank you for this wonderful visit.
I wish you a very happy new year!
Diane

pajaran (117201) 2010-01-10 10:57

Pozdrav, danas sam imao lep dan, bio sam u Nisu.
Odlican rad, dobre boje i format ove lepe fotografije, svidja mi se kako ste uradili.
Sve najbolje, Paja.

Waylim (25436) 2010-01-10 11:12

Sabaidee Angshu,
Even in this small post, one can see so much detail and clarity, great light management, beautiful and well saturated colors, compositionally very good for a panoramic shot, I'm sure you know as well that we normally don't want the prominent subject to be in the middle, but I understand here your intention to show both side of the lakes, and it is harder to think about your composition with you do a series of shot to stitch. So therefore, I think it is acceptable. Great stitching job. I wouldn’t have know if you didn’t say so, even the colors are well match and blend in very well. Thanks for the effort.
Way

sagar (2410) 2010-01-10 11:15

Great photo Angshumanda....superb pano....onekdin por abar elam TE te, khub bhalo laglo dekhe!
Wishes for a great year ahead!
Sagarneel.

MarianneS (15338) 2010-01-10 12:42

Hi Angshu,
A great sight! The large version is very impressive, it is a nice dedication to our friend Didi!
Excellent light to enhance this so special landscape.
Yours,
Marianne

JT50 (1491) 2010-01-10 12:44

Hi Angshu,
An excellent skillfully executed panaromic stitch. I think it creates an optical illusion. The surroundings seem to converge on the Gagron fort. You have achieved a circular form around the fort. Well done and thank you for sharing.
Have a nice week.
Janak

pablominto (53746) 2010-01-10 22:11

Hello Angshu,

Interesting to see the remains of this ancient fortification, where the water is used as part of the defence system!
The wide angle shows the location well, and the fine light renders great colours...
Well framed and sharp fine details!

Greetings,
Pablo -

emka (158962) 2010-01-10 23:26

Hi Angshu,

Rajasthan has so many forts. This one is very spectacular and the setting by the river, not on a hill, is very unusual. I suppose uit is difficult to go there. You were lucky your wife was with you, so you saved the camera :). Great shot, perfect stitching job.

Regards

Malgorzata

josepmarin (59385) 2010-01-11 3:47

Namaste Angshuman,
Your stitch of 7 photos is perfect.
The quality of the image, the light and the natural colors do a very attractive photo, which is enjoyed much more in the LV.
Undoubtedly this fort seems impregnable, surrounded by both rivers and by the forests.
Beautiful composition, and good informative note, as usual.
Friendly regards,
Josep

carper (96) 2010-01-11 3:50

very nice one Angshu,
well taken shot here, good LP shot, well composed, technical very nice and a nice place for a shot like this, good photo job, have a nice day.
regard jaap

Didi (61591) 2010-01-11 11:02

Hi Angshu
Thank's for these nice words, but I am not a master :)
Well done for your stitch, I felt entering tos this nice place when I saw the large version.
What software didi you used for your work ?
Best regards

patdeph (35750) 2010-01-11 11:37

namaste Angshuman
thank you very much to make me discover some new palces!This one is splendid with the ort in the middle of the water,and the colors are really beautiful!
Regards
Pascale

emjleclercq (15778) 2010-01-11 13:17

Surely a well isolated fortress with the water all around. Probably better protected after the firearms have started to be used, because this large space all around will provide perfect fields of fire...

All the best,

Emmanuel

supi4u (601) 2010-01-11 23:45

hi Angshuman

Amazing panaromic view. spectacular color detailing lighting and exposure. Very Well done. TFS
-Supriya

DRAKOLIMNH (1224) 2010-01-12 16:39

Hello,magnificent frame with fantastic colours and light managment-congratulations my friend,
happy new year,
Petros

jafadabret (56501) 2010-01-13 8:27

Bonjour Angshu.
Cette photo est extraordinaire. La version large est particuliиrement impressionnante. La forteresse au milieu de ce paysage est grandiose. J'aime la beautй des couleurs et des formes.
Excellent !
Amicalement
Jacques

eversmile (11636) 2010-01-13 12:02

Hi Angshu,

Indeed it looks spectacular and it feeds my desire to return to Rajasthan. The view is fantastic and the story of your expedition across the river is funny. I can almost see it by your description. The feeling that the central rock with the fort has attracted the whole landscape around is very strong and surprising. I have difficulties to imagine the distances, really. And unfortunately, I don't know why, I can't see the Large Version when I click on any of the link, nor on the beta version, neither on the new one. Frustrating. I guess it is much more impressive and I would very happy to see it. I would like to know how far the small hill is, from the fort? Bravo for your stitching work with beautiful bright colors.
Regards
Marine

plimrn (21344) 2010-01-13 17:24

Hi Angshu,
Wow!! Another masterpiece of wonderful framing and color; the large version shows the perfect sharpness and stitching well. Sure glad you only lost your shoes!!
HLJ, Pat

Atousa (7131) 2010-01-23 5:58

Salam Angshu,

Seems really spectacular!..You did a very good job to stitch the 7 shots.. I like the details seen in the large version, thanks for uploading it .. also thanks to your wife who saved your camera .. the result of your efforts is outstanding.. well done!
Best regards, Atousa

jmcl (14535) 2010-01-27 19:38

HI Angshuman,

Well worth your footware. ... the panoramic format really amplifies the landscape .. and the commanding view of the fortifications .. the way all those lines converge to the center is stunning ... wonderful image.

take care,

John

kordinator (8738) 2010-11-28 1:04

Hello Anshuman
Great composition
Beautiful panoramic view.
Light is amazing.
Perfect sharpness ,superb quality.
Excellent presentation of fort.
Very well written note.
Great job.
Regards
Saљa

Mistral (15416) 2013-11-03 8:41

Thanks dear Angshu
for the superb POV and the very detailed and informative note!
A smile
Luca