The Flickr Terrypridemore Image Generatr

Located near the inland waterway and Bradley Creek, between Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, NC, Airlie Gardens is now owned and operated by New Hanover County as gardens and nature preserve. This year they had a pair of bald eagles successfully raise a chick, numerous nesting ospreys, many aquatic birds, humming birds, and alligators, turtles and much more.

Located near the inland waterway and Bradley Creek, between Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, NC, Airlie Gardens is now owned and operated by New Hanover County as gardens and nature preserve. This year they had a pair of bald eagles successfully raise a chick, numerous nesting ospreys, many aquatic birds, humming birds, and alligators, turtles and much more.

The Lotus Temple is surrounded by acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. It's brightly lit at night and is easily distinguishable from above due to its distinctive shape. The lotus is a common symbol of rebirth and hope in eastern religions. The Baháʼí sect is similar to the Unitarians in the west, it's open to all faiths. There was a simple service inside the temple that consisted of two lovely young women with excellent voices singing verses of scripture and prayer from all the major religions; for Christians one of them sang The Lord's Prayer.

—from Wikipedia
The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship in Kalkaji, New Delhi, Delhi, India. It was completed in December 1986. Notable for its lotus-like shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all Bahá’í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all people, regardless of religion or any other qualification. The building is composed of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides, with nine doors opening onto a central hall with a height of slightly over 34 metres and a capacity of 1,300 people. The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards and has been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles.

The Lotus Temple is surrounded by acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. It's brightly lit at night and is easily distinguishable from above due to its distinctive shape. The lotus is a common symbol of rebirth and hope in eastern religions. The Baháʼí sect is similar to the Unitarians in the west, it's open to all faiths. There was a simple service inside the temple that consisted of two lovely young women with excellent voices singing verses of scripture and prayer from all the major religions; for Christians one of them sang The Lord's Prayer.

—from Wikipedia
The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship in Kalkaji, New Delhi, Delhi, India. It was completed in December 1986. Notable for its lotus-like shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all Bahá’í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all people, regardless of religion or any other qualification. The building is composed of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides, with nine doors opening onto a central hall with a height of slightly over 34 metres and a capacity of 1,300 people. The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards and has been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles.

Tigers will allow this bird to pick its teeth clean, hence its nickname.

—from Wikipedia
The Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda) is a treepie, native to the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspicuous. It is found commonly in open scrub, agricultural areas, forests as well as urban gardens. Like other corvids it is very adaptable, omnivorous and opportunistic in feeding.

Note the amazing screens around the terrace which are intricately hand carved out of white marble. This terrace was part of Shah Jehan's private quarters. It's located in Muthamman Burj also known as 'Shah-Burj' (the imperial or king's tower), a palace in the Agra Fort. Shah Jehan was the fifth Mughal emperor who also built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for the most beloved of his wives. He spent the last eight years of his life imprisoned here after being usurped by his son. This palace was originally built of red sandstone by Emperor Akbar, but Jehan had it rebuilt in white marble. Here you can see that the white marble is extensively inlaid with semi-precious stone.

Located in Muthamman Burj also known as 'Shah-Burj' (the imperial or king's tower), a palace in the Agra Fort, these were the private chambers of Shah Jehan (the fifth Mughal emperor who also built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for the most beloved of his wives. He spent the last eight years of his life imprisoned here after being usurped by his son. This palace was originally built of red sandstone by Emperor Akbar, but Jehan had it rebuilt in white marble. Here you can see that the white marble is extensively inlaid with semi-precious stone. There is a splendid view of the Taj Mahal from the windows.

This is a view from Agra Fort, the center of the Mughal Empire. We're looking across the Yamuna River to the west. On this side of the Taj Mahal within the compound is the mosque with three domes and four small minarets. On the other side, you see some of the library/study center that was built as an exact match of the mosque just for symmetry. Left of center you see a tower with a dome at the near corner of the wall that surrounds the square compound. There is a large gatehouse in the center of each side of the compound.

Located in Agra, India, the Taj Mahal is deservedly called the most beautiful building ever built; it's definitely one of the wonders of the world, and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum by the 5th Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan was later buried there as the empire declined due to infighting among the royals and other pressures. Construction of the mausoleum was completed in 1648, but work continued on other phases of the project for another five years.

Jahangir Palace is the largest structure inside the walled Mughal fortress city in Agra, India. Built mostly of red sandstone, this palace was the home and seat of government for several Mughal emperors. There are multiple palaces, gardens, courtyards, halls and other structures inside the massive complex. It was mostly built during the 16th century; Agra Fort was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of its importance during Mughal rule.

Anguri Bagh, the garden in the courtyard features an interlocking pattern made of red sandstone borders. The Agra Fort is the walled Mughal fortress city in Agra, India and the seat of government for several Mughal emperors. There are multiple palaces, gardens, courtyards, halls and other structures inside the massive complex. It was mostly built during the 16th century; Agra Fort was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of its importance during Mughal rule. A portion of the fort is used today by the Indian military.

Diwan-i-Aam, Hall of Public Audience, is where the public could petition the Mughal emperor for consideration or redress. Built mostly of red sandstone, Agra Fort was the palace and seat of government for several Mughal emperors. It was mostly built during the 16th century; the Agra Fort was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of its importance during Mughal rule. This pavilion was built mostly of white marble.

Jahangir Palace is the largest structure inside the walled Mughal fortress city in Agra, India. Built mostly of red sandstone, this palace was the home and seat of government for several Mughal emperors. It was mostly built during the 16th century; Agra Fort was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of its importance during Mughal rule.

There is an interior courtyard on each side of the multi-level central section of the Jain Temple at Ranakpur, India. The central section is topped by a large dome; there are several smaller domes the inside of which are all intricately hand carved in white marble. There are two large wings to the outside of the two courtyards. Also known as Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara, this temple was built in the 15th century and is considered one of the most beautiful temples in India. It is all hand carved out of mostly white marble. This was actually constructed more as a meditation retreat for Jain priests rather than as a temple. Jainism is one of the four main dharmic religions which includes Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Jains have traditionally figured prominently in business and this remains true even today in modern India.

Something caused this juvenile tiger to pause for a long look. This is one of three juvenile tiger siblings (two male and one female) that we sighted. It's rare to sight multiple tigers because they are solitary animals that will sometimes fight to the death over territory. We were very fortunate to see them in open ground and good light. We sighted three at once because they are siblings still under the protection of their mother. Male tigers have very large territories and can have multiple tigress territories within their own. There are now about 70 adult tigers in Ranthambore National Park, India, which once had numbers as low as 16 or 17. The area remained mostly wild because little of it is suitable for agriculture. Tigers have unique stripe patterns so they are tracked and monitored by motion-sensitive cameras.

—from Wikipedia
Ranthambore National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It covers a total area of 1,334 km2 (515 sq mi). It is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. It is named after the historic Ranthambore Fort, which lies within the park. Ranthambore National Park was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955, initially covering an area of 282 km2 (109 sq mi). It was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1974. It was declared as a national park in 1980.

From the main gate, this mosque is to the left of the Taj Mahal. This is still a functioning mosque, so the Taj Mahal and its grounds are closed to visitors on Fridays for prayers. For symmetry, there is an identical building to the right of the mausoleum that once functioned as a library and study center. The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum by the 5th Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Mughals were Islamic invaders from central Asia. At the height of their empire, they controlled almost all of the subcontinent.

While the Taj Mahal is clad mostly in white marble, all of the other structures are covered in red sandstone with white marble highlights. Beautiful in their own right, these structures are also carved in patterns and inlaid with semi-precious stone. These other structures include the four gates, the walls, the mosque, and the matching library.

Located in Agra, India, the entire complex backs to the Yamuna River which is the second longest tributary of the Ganges River. While Agra was established as the capital of the Mughal Empire, the river flows downstream to Delhi which was a second capital of the empire. The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum by the 5th Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. He planned to build his own mausoleum directly across the river and connect the two with a processional bridge. However, he was usurped by his fourth son who held him in captivity for the final years of his life. Thanks to the pleas of his daughters, he was interred next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.

This is the scene from just inside the main gate. Located in Agra, India, the Taj Mahal is deservedly called the most beautiful building ever built; it's definitely one of the wonders of the world, and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum by the 5th Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan was later buried there as the empire declined due to infighting among the royals and other pressures. Construction of the mausoleum was completed in 1648, but work continued on other phases of the project for another five years.

The Taj Mahal is covered with a veneer of white marble that is delicately decorated with inlaid semi-precious stone. It's perfectly symmetrical and the same from all four sides. Each central doorway is surrounded by passages in Arabic from the Koran written in inlaid black marble. Other elements are simply decorative based on plant and flower motifs. There are also carved patterns used to highlight and separate areas. The white Indian marble used has a high amount of crystal quartz embedded and is quite translucent which can add a glowing quality depending on the angle of the light.

Located in Agra, India, the Taj Mahal is deservedly called the most beautiful building ever built; it's definitely one of the wonders of the world, and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum by the 5th Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan was later buried there as the empire declined due to infighting among the royals and other pressures. Construction of the mausoleum was completed in 1648, but work continued on other phases of the project for another five years.

This white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) seemed to be having a difficult time dealing with the large scorpion it caught.
Ranthambore National Park, India

This is one of three juvenile tiger siblings that we sighted. It's rare to sight multiple tigers because they are solitary animals that will sometimes fight to the death over territory. We sighted three at once because they are siblings still under the protection of their mother. Male tigers have very large territories and can have multiple tigress territories within their own. There are now about 70 adult tigers in Ranthambore National Park, India, which once had numbers as low as 16 or 17. The area remained mostly wild because little of it is suitable for agriculture. Tigers have unique stripe patterns so they are tracked and monitored by motion-sensitive cameras.

—from Wikipedia
Ranthambore National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It covers a total area of 1,334 km2 (515 sq mi). It is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. It is named after the historic Ranthambore Fort, which lies within the park. Ranthambore National Park was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955, initially covering an area of 282 km2 (109 sq mi). It was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1974. It was declared as a national park in 1980.