INDIA - Victoria Terminus, Bombay

 Thanks to Canute for the card.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) also known by its former name Victoria Terminus, is a historic terminal train station and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. 

The terminus was designed by British born architectural engineer Frederick William Stevens, in an exuberant Italian Gothic style. Its construction began in 1878, in a location south of the old Bori Bunder railway station, and was completed in 1887, the year marking 50 years of Queen Victoria's rule, the building being named, Victoria Terminus. 

The station's name was changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (station code CST) in March 1996 to honour Shivaji, the 17th-century founder of the Maratha Empire, whose name is often preceded by Chhatrapati, a royal title. In 2017, the station was again renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (code CSTM), where Maharaj is also a royal title. However, both the former initials "VT" and the current, "CST", are commonly used."

INDIA - Holi Spring Festival

Thanks to Annja.

"Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the start of spring. Celebrated across India, it's an ancient festival with the first mentions of it dating all the way back to a 4th century poem. It was even described in detail in a 7th century Sanskrit play called "Ratnavali," written by the Indian emperor Harsha. "Witness the beauty of the great cupid festival which excites curiosity as the townsfolk are dancing at the touch of brownish water thrown ... Everything is colored yellowish red and rendered dusty by the heaps of scented powder blown all over,"

INDIA - Mumbai

Mumbai. Face of Today’s India. Thanks to sender.

"Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) is a densely populated city on India’s west coast. A financial center, it's India's largest city. On the Mumbai Harbour waterfront stands the iconic Gateway of India stone arch, built by the British Raj in 1924. Offshore, nearby Elephanta Island holds ancient cave temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The city's also famous as the heart of the Bollywood film industry."

INDIA - Santhome Cathedral

Thnak to Mahadev for the card.

"San Thome Church, also known as St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Thomas is a Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) minor basilica in Santhome, in the city of Chennai (Madras), India. It was built in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers, over the tomb of Saint Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. In 1893, it was rebuilt as a church with the status of a cathedral by the British. The British version still stands today. It was designed in Neo-Gothic style, favoured by British architects in the late 19th century. This church is one of the only three known churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle of Jesus, the other two being St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia, Spain."

INDIA - Palace in Rajasthan

Thanks to Balakumar for the card.

INDIA - Golden Lotus Tank, Sri Meenakshi Temple Madurai

Thanks to Rohit for the card.

"Meenakshi Temple, also referred to as Meenakshi Amman or Minakshi-Sundareshwara Temple, is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshwar, a form of Shiva. The temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, with the goddess temple mentioned in 6th century CE texts."

INDIA - Jalikattu

A scene from Jalikattu, a 5000 year old traditinal sport of Tamil people.  Thanks to Bala for the card.

INDIA - Cover

INDIA - Flower

Thanks to Murthy for the card.

INDIA - Khajjiar, Himachal

Thanks to Lomin for the card.

"Khajjiar (Hindi: खज्जियार) is a hill station in Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India, located approximately 24 km from Dalhousie. Khajjiar sits on a small plateau with a small stream-fed lake in the middle that has been covered over with weeds. The hill station is surrounded by meadows and forests. It is about 6,500 feet (2,000 m) above sea level in the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges of the Western Himalayas and peaks can be seen in the distance. It is part of the Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary. Khajjiar can be reached from Dalhousie, the nearest major town and hill station, by bus in an hour or so. It has a rare combination of three ecosystems: lake, pasture and forest.

On 7 July 1992, Mr. Willy T. Blazer, Vice Counselor and Head of Chancery of Switzerland in India brought Khajjiar on the world tourism map by calling it "Mini Switzerland". He also put a sign board of a yellow Swiss hiking footpath showing Khajjiar's distance from the Swiss capital Berne-6194 km. Khajjiar is among the 160 locations in the world that bear topographical resemblance with Switzerland. The counselor also took from Khajjiar a stone which will form part of a stone collage around the Swiss Parliament to remind the visitors of Khajjiar as a Mini Switzerland of India"

INDIA - Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

Thanks to Bn for the  card.

"The Jantar Mantar monument in Jaipur, Rajasthan is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, and completed in 1734. It features the world's largest stone sundial, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is located near City Palace and Hawa Mahal. The instruments allow the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye. The monument expresses architectural innovations, as well as the coming together of ideas from different religious and social beliefs in 18th-century India. The observatory is an example of the Ptolemaic positional astronomy which was shared by many civilizations."

INDIA - Jane Cooke Wright

Thanks to Archit for the card.

Jane Cooke Wright

Oncologist

"Jane Cooke Wright (also known as "Jane Jones" or "Mr. David Jones") (November 30, 1919 – February 19, 2013) was a pioneering cancer researcher and surgeon noted for her contributions to chemotherapy. In particular, Wright is credited with developing the technique of using human tissue culture rather than laboratory mice to test the effects of potential drugs on cancer cells. She also pioneered the use of the drug methotrexate to treat breast cancer and skin cancer (mycosis fungoids)."

INDIA - The Chapel of St. Catherine

The Chapel of St. Catherine: This small Chapel stands out as a historical monment erected in 1510 o the site where formerly stood the gate through which the Portuguese first entered the city of (Old) Goa after conquering it. The Chapel seems to have been subsequently rebuilt. 

Thanks to Shruti for the card.

INDIA - Taj Mahal Entrance

Thanks to Muthu for the card.

INDIA Maxicard - Nature:India

Thanks Davinder for the maxicard.

INDIA - Taj Mahal, Agra

The Taj Mahal meaning "Crown of the Palace") is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. 

Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion rupees (U.S. $827 million). The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

The Queen surrounded by her family

Thanks to Megha for the Queen card.

INDIA Maxicard - Jayadeva & Geetagocinda

Thank so much to Akhil for the maxicard from India.

INDIA -

Dal is a lake in Srinagar (Dal Lake is a misnomer as Dal in Kashmiri means lake), the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.  The urban lake, which is the second largest in the state, is integrated to  tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is named the "Jewel in the crown of  Kashmir."

Thanks Biju for the card.

INDIA - Khajuraho Group of Monument

The card read:  Khajuraho Group of  Monument is attributed to the Chandela rulers of  Central India.  The ensemble of monuments that have survived belongs to the Hindu and Jain religious practices with striking fusion of sculpture and architecture.  Of the 85 temples built, only 22 temples have survived in an area of 6 sq km.  Located in the state of Madhya Pradesh, it was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1982 for its unique artistic creation.  In the picture are the Parvati Temple In the foreground) and the Vishwanath Temple to the north-east.  Built with fine sculptures and painted in white the Parvati temples has a distinctive look.

Thanks to Bala for the card.