It is easy to get overawed by magnificent edifices and miss out on the exquisite details that contribute to making them awe-inspiring in the first place.
With my design background, it isn’t so much that I don’t notice the finer nuances of architectural construction, as that I get so carried away by their intricacies that I forget to capture them on camera. I additionally get distracted by the people-watching the more popular sites afford.
Here’s a sampling of close-ups that did make it to my albums:
From the Taj Mahal, Agra – that benchmark for simple perfection – a pietra dura panel and delicately turned marble edge molding.
A skillfully carved marble plinth from the Red Fort, Delhi.
Back home in Chennai, the detail of a doorway in the Kapaleeswarar temple. Its ornate painted spire forms the background.
Detail from an equally colourful spire across the bay in the beautiful Wat Arun, Bangkok. 
And finally a set of gorgeous features from Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur;
Detail of ornate door shutter – Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Until next time……..happy travels, no matter where life takes you!
The Urge To Wander 
It shows you are a true artist, who else can see the detailed work that you have captured in your shot. It’s truly amazing ,Madhu, Congrats. From Ranu
Aww, thank you for the lovely compliment Ranu! I think this blog is influencing the way I ‘see’ things these days!
Fascinating to see the details so close up, Madhu. Those spikes look like a very effective deterrent.
Thanks Sylvia. Those spikes looked pretty intimidating from down below, must be even more so at elephant eye level 🙂
Such artistry and skill in those ancient hands. Your pictures capture that, Madhu.
The details are extraordinary Madhu, the marble plinth is amazing work. Beautiful shots of the close-ups ~ hope you have a lovely weekend.
Beautiful photographs Madhu. I too am captivated by details.
Alison
I couldn’t agree more! It IS all in the details.
So intricate, love such details…
I love these close ups Madhu for the detail they show. The work done is truly magnificent.
This is a lovely perspective, very true we all get lost in the grandeur of the historical structure and the visiting people around us who keep distracting us and they are busy in their own world, many times only when we sit back and reflect we realize that there was so much things to see and so may things to learn but we didn’t have enough time, what an irony we go to place just to tick our list of places to visit and put only our broad agenda on track and not the details…life is in details not in the devil, we realize when we see the details how much thinking and time has gone in making it what it is today…
Thanks so much for bringing out this overlooked dimensions of beautiful architecture around us.
😀
They are all comforting to these eyes that have been offline so often! Well, those metal spikes look pretty brutal, but the others, ah, so lovely! Thanks for giving me a dose of history and culture!
That level of detail is mind-blowing, when you think of all the work that went into it.
Hard to pick a favourite but it would have to be the Taj detail. Madhu. I never saw anything more exquisite. 🙂
Fabulous details, Madhu. I was only thinking the other day, that on my next trip I must concentrate on details a little more, as I often seem to get too caught up with capturing the whole.
Simply exquisite! God and the devil are in the details! I think we Indians are so spoilt and take the intricacies and finer details for granted.
Ah, what gorgeousness lies in these details, Madhu! It’s so easy to get caught up in the grander scale of things and miss these extraordinary delights. Thanks for sharing these beautiful images!
Historic places have the most beautiful carvings. I think it’s becoming a lost art. Your photographs have incredible detail that only close ups could showcase. I enjoyed them all.
Very nice ..!!! 😀
Those elephant spikes look mean, the devil is in the detail. Great photos.
So Chennai is home?? Pray tell! 🙂
Have lived here for the last 25 years, so yes, it is now home 🙂
Hahaha! Always nice to see someone from Chennai!
I don’t always notice such details, you must have an artist’s eye. I must start to look closer.
Such intricate details beautifully captured, my dear Madhu!
Have a lovey weekend! 🙂
Really beautiful photos – the door shutter detail is my favorite. I had a similar post/thought process in Istanbul – grand city – but so many beautiful details!
I love this post, especially the details in front of the blurred image of their setting. I tend to take closeups because they’re less daunting than vastness, which I’m not good at capturing. I agree with praise for your eye: it too is exquisite.
Each picture carries its own meaning doesn’t it? The sharpened steel rods reminds me of a nail bed a holy man near our residence in Pune used to lie on. Don’t know how he did that without serious injury.
Indeed, Madhu. We get so spellbound by their overall magnificence and fail to appreciate the finer details that make them what they are. These are great shots that makes one take note of those intricacies.
These photos are simply gorgeous. I would say “stunning” but everyone uses that word to praise photos on WP. We need a new word for you. Great take on the prompt.
Interesting post.
I don’t think anywhere beats India for its magnificent detail, even the elusive Jodhpur it seems x:-)x
And you definitely do have an eye for details, Madhu! Thank you for sharing these really beautiful captures with us 🙂
Amazing photos. I hope you’re selling these online! They are very, very good 🙂
Your artistic side captured details that many others don’t notice.
Lovely! Often, caught up in the larger picture, we miss the smaller details – and that’s where the beauty lies. (My first time here, enjoying browsing through your posts)
True, it is easy to forget that it is the details that transform the mundane into the magnificent.
Welcome to my blog Charukesi. Happy to connect with you here and on Twitter.
PS: My background and index menu are missing this morning due to some WP issues. Apologies for the inconvenience.
All of these, they are wonderful the details so much for the eye to take in. The forth in the series though, draws the eye (at least mine), is that a hand? What else is there? I want to see more.
Great captures – from a keen eye. Taj Mahal – gorgeous. And so are all of these…as usual!
This is great, such detail and perspective that comes from your lens…it is a look into a whole new world that makes me want to go further and further. Beautiful work.
Such beautiful examples of detail. i love the variety. The metal spikes made me squirm a bit I will admit. 🙂
Awesome photos
Wow!! Such splendid photos!
Stunning photos, Madhu! Loved the vibrancy of colours in them.
The elephant spikes were umm scary, but yeah!
These photos are beautiful! You have inspired me to pay more attention to the little things with my camera when I am travelling!
It’s like magic looking at this beautiful details with your eyes, Madhu. This is great artistic work, from you as well as the architects and builders.
Such rich photos, Madhu, thank you for sharing. Being myopic, I am prone to looking at things closely (sometimes a little too closely) – refreshing to promote this point of view. It’s another world altogether, lurking in the details, waiting to be unfurled.
An exquisite set of photos, Madhu. Your background in design is apparent in the way they are taken. I’m just the opposite I think – for me getting carried away by the intricate detail means clicking away with my camera like no tomorrow!
so cool to see them 🙂
Gorgeous shots Madhu – seriously beauty does lie in the small details. Love the angle at which you have captured those spikes… and the cows look almost life like!