Perhaps the most Famous Window of Spiti, a photo from Himachal Pradesh, North

Photographer's Note

Dhankar Gompa (Monastery) in Spiti - The setting of the monastery in Dhankar is nothing short of spectacular, located at height of apprx. 3,900m (12,774 feet above the sea level) near the confluence of Spiti and Pin rivers.

Dhan means cliff, and kar means fort, hence Dhankar means "fort on a cliff". And this is the uniqueness of this monastery. It appears to be perched on a razor’s edge on the left bank of Spiti River. It virtually appears to be hanging in the air giving an impression to the onlooker that it will fall very soon. The monastic complex is built on a 1,000-foot (300-metre) high clay spur overlooking the confluence of the Spiti and Pin Rivers, above Shichilling village – one of the world’s most spectacular settings for a gompa. The houses of the monasteries fit in to the nooks and crannies of the cliff.. Dhankar is one of those places where you lose sense of space and time!

The monastery belongs to the Gelugkpa School of Order and serves as the residence of approximately 150 monks.

Its very dark inside the monastery with the musty smell of old parchment books hanging in the air. The small window provided light from outside to those who wanted to go to the upper floors of the monastery. I liked the lively & wonderful red & blue shades and the contrast with the staircase....

This may well be the most famous window In Spiti, at least photographically...given the number of pictures I've seen in the www

papagolf21, danos, annjackman, Subhogen, rigoletto, timecapturer, Royaldevon, pierrefonds, imageme, COSTANTINO, Romano46, jhm, pajaran, Graal, Didi, fotka, Kielia, ChrisJ, adores, josepmarin, delpeoples ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

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rbassin (27472) 2014-01-17 0:47

Hello Angshuman
c'est du beau travail, exécuté avec précision.
J'aime bien le gros plan avec la lumière, les couleurs et les détails.
Bonne journée
Roland

papagolf21 (152605) 2014-01-17 0:48

Bonjour, cher Angshu,
Une très belle image où l'ambiance des lieux est magnifiquement reproduite.
Un bijou photographique.
Amitiés.
Philippe

danos (110407) 2014-01-17 0:50

Hi Angshu,
great the view as the presentation of the interior of this room of the Monastery,with the window of Spiti to dominating the image.I like the two colours as painted the walls giving a spectacular sention of beauty.The light and the colour management are captured superb.
You know 'spiti' in Greek language means house/home.

Regards,Danos

annjackman (23019) 2014-01-17 1:24

Hello Angshuman,
This is a very unusual interior and wonderfully photographed in difficult lighting. The colours of the walls and steps are beautifully earthy. The steps are worn and textured suggesting many years of wear.
Excellent photo.
Kind Regards, Ann

Subhogen (4067) 2014-01-17 1:42

Hello Angshuman,
Excellent photo dada, I would be inclined to call this a minimal composition where you have played so successfully with colours, textures, light and shadow. I do not miss the presence of an apparent subject at all. The result is so beautiful. I have never been to this place had to stop at Kalpa due to elder parents and small kid. Hope to visit this valley some day. Thanks for sharing a very good photo. Coincidentally we are on the same theme today :-)
Regards,
Subho

SnapRJW (31631) 2014-01-17 2:30

Hello Angshu - Excellent! The rustic and hand-crafted small interior details reminds me of some of the old monasteries we saw in Bhutan. The steps look well-worn and the walls wonderfully textural. Beautifully managed light and rich colours to me the image is evocative and special. Warm regards Rosemary

sevy (58) 2014-01-17 2:38

Hello Angshu,

I can understand this window is well known in the web, it is lovely with the pattern of colors giving a graphic and modern impact.
Good composition, well balanced.

Yves.

rigoletto (34279) 2014-01-17 4:29

hi angshu. i hereby thank you for bringing this famous window of spiti on TE, as www is almost limited to TE and yahoo-mail for me, and i had not seen or heard about it before. no wonder why it is a fav for photogs: it is simply beautiful. those pastel colors and ancient textures of paint and abrased stone are literally photogenic. good sharpness for 1/13. are you working for improving your photographer muscles? my neck was thicker after that dome photo in sevilla :))

timecapturer (49288) 2014-01-17 5:58

Hi Angshuman
this is wonderful. The light management is flawless and the colours and textures expressive and beautiful. A striking and stunning presentation. I love it!

Enjoy the weekend - B.

Sergiom (117241) 2014-01-17 6:14

Bonjour Angshuman

J'aime beaucoup cette composition. Un beau petit côté graphique des plus intéressant, un très beau rendu des couleurs grâce à une belle gestion de la lumière.

Amicalement

Serge

jurek1951 (42198) 2014-01-17 6:32

Hi,
a very attractive photo with spectacular composition and beautiful colours, the POV is superb, effective architectural photo,
Georg

Royaldevon (85674) 2014-01-17 7:11

Hello Angshu,

This certainly looks old but with colours that are unexpected. You have composed the shot expertly so that each portion not to be missed and there is an expectation to move upwards, to next section. It is sharp with textures that are almost palpable.

I enjoyed looking at all the other photographs from this site. It is certainly precarious but in a magnificent setting.

Have a lovely w/e,
Bev :-)

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2014-01-17 7:16

Hello Angshuman,
Nice colours and textures on this stairs with his beautiful colours. Nicely composed.
best wishes,
Achim

adidas5nb (5743) 2014-01-17 7:24

wow angshu da this is amazing.i really like these kinda frames and you have taken a gem.love the lines and the shapes along with the light and shadow and colors..beautiful.
regards
dwaipayan

holmertz (102066) 2014-01-17 8:47

Hello Angshuman,
Your title certainly arouses my curiosity. This is no doubt a photo worth a close look. I love how everything looks handmade, a bit tilted and uneven, the window not quite fitting the frame. I also love the roughness of the material used and the vivid colours of the wal but I would be very careful when climbing this steep staircase. You have handled the weak light beautifully, giving us a perfectly well exposed photo with great clarity and sharpness.
Kind regards,
Gert

pierrefonds (113676) 2014-01-17 9:22

Hi Angshuman,

The point of view is showing the détails and colours of this section of the interior of the monastery. The light coming through the small window is helping for the output of the colours. Have a nice day.

Pierre

imageme (1790) 2014-01-17 12:23

Hi Angshuman, A spectacular scene of this steps. The texture and the craftsmanship are so original. I like the colourful wall and the little window. You have captured its beauty with good light and angle. I like the sunlight touches on the stairs. Thank for sharing
Anna

npecanhuk (79329) 2014-01-17 14:48

Hello Angshuman!
What a beautiful picture with special regards to the exposure, colors and, of course, composition!
TFS - congrats,
Enjoy your week-end,
Neyvan

COSTANTINO (115605) 2014-01-17 23:05

Hello
impressive capture of the interior of this
monastery room a different shot from the
usuals your notes are very useful
regards
Costantino

Romano46 (18472) 2014-01-18 2:18

Ciao Angshuman
una fotografia straordinaria e meravigliosa.
Alle suggestioni della penombra e dei giocvhi di luce si unisce la magia del colore per un risultato eccellente.
Una delle tue foto più belle.
Complimenti
Ciao e buon fine settimana
Romano

Kamilutka (8107) 2014-01-18 20:35

Hello,
well spotted fragment of the architecture and in my opinion it has been very well framed. The window takes the prominent part of the composition but the rest of the elements stay in excellent relation to it. Perfect proportions and superb colors.
Thanks for sharing
Kamila

jhm (211734) 2014-01-19 4:23

Hello Angshu,

These entrance and stairway are very strong but excellent maintain.
Good notes too.
Excellent composition, nice captured.
Lovely interior and perfect presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice Sunday,
John.

abmdsudi (95869) 2014-01-19 7:44

Namste Angshu
It's the dappled light, colours, shadows and feel of 3D that make this image so fabulous displaying the beautiful textures of the wall and everything of this interior. This is really a wonderful sight full of character and rustic feel in it and I'm very pleased with this beautiful composition and pov. Pin sharp and lovely tones and striking contrast. Exquisite work and your photo does it justice and a real treat with this great image and useful notes guiding us through. Well done
Best regards

Fis2 (169847) 2014-01-20 2:45

Witaj Angshu!
Fantastic interior,
beautiful window.
Excellent colors.
I like it.
Have a nice afternoon
Krzysztof

Nicou (193806) 2014-01-20 6:45

Hello

avec cette fenêtre quelle vue ce rouge et ce bleu sur les murs et ces escaliers quelle intimité et iamge sueprbe vue.
Bravo et amitié
Nciou

pajaran (115025) 2014-01-20 9:28

Dobro vece.
Interesantan tekst o manastiru, sa opisom ...
Lep pogled i trenutak sa svetlom koje je dalo misticnost mestu.
Dobar snimak i kontrast, lepo pokazana unutrasnjost prostorije sa stepenicama, lepe boje.
Prijatno vece i sve najbolje u novoj nedelji koja je pocela.
Paja.

Good evening.
An interesting article on the monastery, with a description ...
Nice view and a moment of light that gave the mystique place.
Good footage and contrast nicely demonstrated indoors with stairs, beautiful colors.
Good evening and all the best in the new week that started.
Paja.

Graal (103040) 2014-01-21 4:50

Hi Angshuman,
amazing window. Good presentation. I like the composition and colorful walls. Fine photo and good note. I like it.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

Didi (61589) 2014-01-21 10:03

Salam Angshu
Very nice lights ambiance in this old house
Good sharp picture
Well done
Best regards

yquem46 (38752) 2014-01-23 0:38

Bonjour Angshu
I do not know HP and therefore no idea of the existence of this window in Spiti !
But I see here here a nice graphical shot thanks to its strong colors and its simplicity in the compo
Difficult light well copped with
Have a nice day, all the best
patrick

nikkitta (17070) 2014-01-24 9:51

Hola Angshu,

May be you have seen photos of this window, first time to me and quite fascinated by the colors contrast, light and composition along with the informative note
Like to see the textures of stairs and walls
Well done and presented
Congrats
Maria

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2014-01-25 2:00

dada darun hoyechhe eta... I like here the effect of light and shadow. Framed with apt tightness. Excellent exposer. Overall a very good result obtained. Superb one. Tfs.
S

fotka (8909) 2014-01-26 9:11

Hello Angshuman,
Thank you for taking me inside into very old monastery. With difficult light condition this photo turned very nicely. Perfect quality shot as well colors, light, sharpness and interesting note.
Kind regards,
Zbigniew

ManuMay (36447) 2014-01-28 5:10

Hi Angshuman!

Easy to know why!!

A splendid light management to show this colourful corner where even textures are richly captured, difficult light very well managed...Excellent work!

Have a nice day...

Manu

Kielia (24077) 2014-01-28 9:15

Hello Angshuman,
excellent light brings out the colors and contrasts in this fascinating scene. Different structures and shapes make a great subject. The composition and the photographer’s perspective are excellent. My compliments also for the notes!
Warm regards
Harriet

ChrisJ (171340) 2014-02-07 12:30

Hello Angshuman,

I love the warm cold colour contrast between the blue and red. Good shadow detail and sharpness. The upward pov works well here. Excellent textural and tonal details and the reflected light in the fg is just wonderful. Tfs!

adores (46979) 2014-02-08 16:04

Hi Angshuman!
I can see why it is famous, it's simple but very beautiful. You framed it and managed light very well. The textures are excellent! Maybe not a very easy place, but you got a great result!

josepmarin (59385) 2014-02-14 2:18

Namaste, my friend Angshuman,
a beautiful composition, based on the simplicity of this traditional architecture, where the window, the stone walls and stairs, and the vivid colors of this elements, have a good aesthetical role.
The subtle play of light and shades provide a pleasure at sight, and adds a little mysterious atmosphere.
A great work.
Best wishes,
Josep

delpeoples (60342) 2014-02-26 2:34

Namaskar dear Angshu

A very characteristic and artistic image. I like the rich colours and the subtle light and shaded areas. There is a lot of atmosphere to this photo, complemented superbly by your excellent note. And something different for your gallery.

Warmest wishes

tatadalou (7459) 2014-03-29 7:15

Hello Angshuman,
I love the soft light on the stairs, that's very well managed despite of the difficulty.
Best regards,
Delphine