Saturday, June 1, 2013

A Mother's Mantle - St. Mary's Basilica


Last Sunday while roaming the crowded streets around Commercial Street in Bangalore, we chanced upon the St. Mary's Basilica. Amidst the chaos of Shivajinagar and the bustling Russel Market, the church appears like an oasis: a beautiful immaculate structure, the embodiment of peace and harmony. At twilight, the dipping sun created a nice golden glow in the sky as a backdrop to the church.

St. Mary's Basilica, Bangalore

Built in Gothic style with stained glass windows, arches and ornamental motifs, the oldest church in the city, it was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1973. At present, it's the only basilica in the state of Karnataka and only the sixth in the country.

St. Mary's Basilica, Bangalore

The church was built from 1856 to 1882 and consecrated in September 1882. Dedicated to Mother Mary, it is famous for St. Mary's feast held every year in the month of September. The festivities, attended by thousands from in and around Bangalore across religions, goes on for 10 days culminating in a grand chariot procession on the last day. Looking forward to attending this festival this year.

St. Mary's Basilica

130 comments:

  1. Wauw, this is just an amazing church, wouldn't expect this in India. Just top.

    Greetings,
    Filip

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by. It is indeed in India :)

      Delete
  2. Wow!!Amazingly captured beauty!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stunning photos -- especially the first outdoor shot! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The light was really good for an HDR. So gave it a shot!

      Delete
  4. beautiful - I love visiting places of worship. Thank you.
    Have a wonderful week, and thankyou for stopping by my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You too have a wonderful week. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  5. Wow...have gone past this church so many times but I got to admire it in a whole new angle from your 1st pic!!! Lovely capture...nxt time i pass by i knw i'll think of your pic..:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the compliment. The light was amazing.

      Delete
  6. How did you manage to get that lighting on the church (in the first pic) ? HDR? What technique/effect did you use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The shot was taken at twilight with the light falling fast. So took multiple exposures and merged into an HDR. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  7. Remarkable image. It looks a little unreal!

    Stewart M - Melbourne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably due to the HDRish effect. It was twilight and with the falling light, it was the only way to go.

      Delete
  8. My eyes popped out when I saw the pictures. BRILLIANT capture Ramakant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind words. I got lucky, the light was amazing.

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Thank you for the kind words. Hope to see you here more often.

      Delete
  10. The church looks beautiful inside and out, great shots!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it's a beautiful church indeed! Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  11. That does look like a beautiful church.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed it is quite beautiful. Thanks for your kind words!

      Delete
  12. Fantastic works of Art, thanks for your visit and kind comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a lovely place to visit. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  13. Congratulations for your interesting compositions, delicious colors and lights, I really like how you captured this church!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the lovely words. They are very encouraging for me.

      Delete
  14. It's very beautiful, inside and out.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Amazing photography and rendering...thanks for sharing this!
    Do have a good visit there and share some more amazing artworks with us:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Vinaya for stopping by and sharing these encouraging words. I'm already looking forward to the festivities this year.

      Delete
  16. Terrific lighting, exposure and frames, Ramakant. Your photography invariably lifts the soul. Important nuggets of information about the basilica too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by. Your words definitely lift the soul :)

      Delete
  17. Stunning church, amazingly and beautifully captured.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda for the kind words. Happy to know you enjoyed the visit,

      Delete
  18. really gorgeous!

    thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is a very beautiful church, and your first photo is simply spectacular.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The church is indeed beautiful and I tried my best to do it justice. I got lucky with the first picture, the light was just amazing :)

      Delete
  20. Lovely clicks, first time here & I really love the way to captured these incredible shots :) A pleasure I would say ! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my blog Tanya. Happy that you enjoyed your visit. Hope to see you here more often :)

      Delete
  21. Wow - fabulous shots of this sumptuous church!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wonderful set of images. I like that first shot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The church is really beautiful, isn't it? Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  23. Hi There, Thanks for visiting my blog... Hope you come back often. I am enjoying yours. That Basilica is absolutely gorgeous --and you captured it well with your camera... WOW!!!

    Thanks for stopping by.
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You had some lovely pictures in your blog. I will be sure to stop by. Happy to know you liked my photography :)

      Delete
  24. These are truly magnificent images.
    Wonderful colors and light.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Lisa for the kind words. Coming from a fantastic photographer like you, it's high praise :)

      Delete
  25. What an amazing and unexpected find.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was quite an exciting feeling when we suddenly turned a corner in the crowded street and there stood the majestic basilica in front of us. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  26. Beautiful shots of the church.

    ReplyDelete
  27. First time here and your photographs are awesome !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my blog Pooja. Happy to know you enjoyed the visit :)

      Delete
  28. Oh, my, what a spectacular place of worship! You got some really great photos!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's an awesome place. I just got lucky with the shots :)
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  29. What an amazing sight and series of captures! It really is a breathtaking place, a real gem!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the kind words. The basilica is truly an amazing place.

      Delete
  30. Thanks for your visit to my site. The phographs are splendid and resplendant. The Church is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed the awesome Haiku's on your blog. Thanks for stopping by and commenting here.

      Delete
  31. My hubby and I may have gone panning for gold, but YOU found it in that first picture. Just gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well..it was really a gem of a find, wasn't it? :)
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  32. Wow, this place is amazing. Would love to see it one day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are many beautiful places in India. I am pretty sure you will be covering them in your travel website some day :) Thanks for your kind comment.

      Delete
  33. Beautiful images! The first one is my favourite - I love the detail in the church, and the light shining from behind it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The twilight hour added the lovely colours to the background and HDR did the rest :)
      Thanks for stopping by and leaving your kind comment.

      Delete
  34. Beautiful images and interesting history behind it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It had quite a bit of checkered history around it. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  35. As others have mentioned, the first picture has come out quite well. I am not sure why we humans have a fascination for anything tall/large...

    Destination Infinity

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's quite natural I guess...tall buildings, tall people, you name it :) Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  36. Awesome one!...have seen the church everytime i pass by the place. Never knew it such history. Next time will try to spend sometime in there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure do. When you find some time for yourself :)

      Delete
  37. Oh my gosh what stunning pictures! The top one looks like a painting -- and if churches used publicity shots (which I assume they do not) this would certainly be perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for such amazing words. Your words sure make me full good about the pictures :)
      Nice of you to stop by.

      Delete
  38. Thank you Ashwini for the kind words. It was a lovely sight.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Wow! Stunning captures, the church indeed is an embodiment of beauty and tranquility. Looking forward to the festivities through your lens :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Arti for taking some time to leave this beautiful comment. I hope I get some good shots from the festival this year.

      Delete
  40. Gorgoues and stunning! Been to Bangalore years ago, stayed for nearly 2 months there but never saw this church. I must not pay attention enough.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Its gorgeous for sure. I have been living in Bangalore on and off for almost a decade now and this was the first time I came across St. Mary's basilica :)

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  41. What a beautiful place to hold a festival. Your pictures are spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  42. WOW!!! Such awesome photography!! Love the pics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Veronica for your kind words. Hope to see you here more often.

      Delete
  43. St. Mary's Basilica looks stunning in your photo

    ReplyDelete
  44. Wow - very impressive shots of the cathedral! Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I was about to say "Wow", and noticed many of them have said that :)
    The pictures are amazingly taken. I particularly loved the first one - HDR'ish with golden background...speaks volume! WEll done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Anu for stopping by and leaving a wonderful comment. With the falling light, I thought of getting multiple exposures to try out a HDR. And it came off pretty decent :)

      Delete
  46. I never knew this basilica is THIS beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a lovely piece of architecture. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  47. Amazing....But dont hate me if I say that in the first picture...I did not notice the church. I was too mesmerized by the orange sky.!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The glow of the setting sun did lend a different aura to the picture. It was a beautiful moment. Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  48. WOW! WOW! WOW! Such beautiful shots. I stared at them for quite sometime before reading the post. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got lucky with the light. Thanks for leaving a wonderful comment :)

      Delete
  49. The first picture is just amazing! lovely captures :)

    ReplyDelete
  50. These are wonderful photos. I especially like the vivid colors.


    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Joyce for stopping by and leaving a lovely comment :)

      Delete
  51. Gosh yes. It is a little bit of quiet in the midst of all the craziness of Shivajinagar. It often goes unnoticed when you get stuck in between those crowds, right? It's so cool that you got a good shot of the outside.
    I'd never stepped in, so it was really nice to see the inside of the church in the second shot.

    Nice pictures, all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The place is always over-crowded. So it's not unusual if someone hasn't noticed the church at all. I was actually surprised when I caught my first glimpse of the towering structure through a break in the crowd.
      Nice of you to stop by :)

      Delete
  52. Absolutely gorgeous! I am not a church goer, but I love looking at the beautiful architecture of old churches! You took some very wonderful shots!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Theresa for the compliment. I have never been one to be considered too much into religion. But have always loved visiting churches, temples, mosques; they have such fantastic architecture and provide a very serene environment.

      Delete
  53. beautiful colours & composition...lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kalyan for stopping by and leaving a nice comment :)

      Delete
  54. Hi, You have a Very Nice Blog :) I had Just Started Following it. . . :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for liking this blog and following it. Hope you will enjoy your visits here :)

      Delete
  55. Some beautiful pictures, inside and outside of the Basilica.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Wow... i enjoy your blog !! Real nice photos !!

    Thanks für the nice comment on my blog... Now i follow you !!

    Have a nice week..

    Greetings from Germany

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to know you enjoyed your visit here. Hope to see you here more often. You too have a nice week ahead!

      Delete
  57. A surprise to see this where you are! Thanks for sharing. Your pictures are luminous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. India has a fair number of old churches, of historical importance, especially in Goa and Pondicherry. Some of these are a photographer's delight :)

      Delete
  58. I like your blog very much and hence award you with Liebster. You can collect it here.http://eyeswantstosee.blogspot.com/p/recoginitions.html

    ReplyDelete
  59. This one is fantastic! I have shot here many a times, but never good this good images.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the kind words. I guess I just got lucky with the light. Being at the right place at the right time as they say :)

      Delete

I really appreciate all your comments and feedback. Due to increase in spam, comment moderation has been enabled. Any inconvenience is regretted.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
Creative Commons License
Tryst with the Shutter Bug by Ramakant Pradhan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.