Expressway Accident Photographs

These are photographs of accidents which have taken place on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In the last decade "the expressway witnessed 1,758 accidents that took more than 400 lives and maimed over 7,200. Of these 557 had serious injuries" and this statistic is of 2010. In May 2012 dozens of people dies and dozens injured in just one accident!

The causes of these accidents are mostly human error. Speeding and overtaking rashly is common. Some accidents are caused by tyre bursts.  There were just 26 deaths in 2006, but as many as 74 in 2009.
"Between May-July 2011, 74 accidents on the expressway have been reported, of which 21 resulted in deaths". Over 90% of accidents take place between the Lonavla entry and Khalapur toll naka.

A truck which veered into a ditch on the side of the expressway in the ghat section. A crane is trying to pull it out. This happened right outside the tunnel.

Here is a truck which has gone off the road on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A common sight in the rainy season.

A wreck of a car lying on the side of the road in the mountainous section of the Mumbai Pune expressway. There is something desolate about the image with the lone dog and no sign of human life.

Another overturned truck in the slippery roads in the monsoons. Many of these drivers drive rashly and worse, they get away with it again and again.

A truck run off the road on the Mumbai Pune expressway.  These heavy vehicles speed dangerously and lose control even in good weather.

Related Images: Accidents scenes - overturned and smashed vehicles photos or Taxis and auto rickshaws crammed with people or check out all images under the labels of Traffic or Transport

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Close ups of Ajanta's exteriors

These rock-cut caves near Aurangabad in India are a world heritage site and fairly well preserved. These 30 caves represent Buddhism. Although much of it has been eroded by the sands of time, it is worth a see. The  fact that they have been preserved since the fifth century B.C. is amazing. They lie inside a horseshoe shaped gorge, and a reason they were protected from the the harsh vagaries of nature. The caves are a fine example of ancient Buddhist architecture. These images show what the exteriors are like in general, and are just a sample. In actuality many of temples can be double storeyed and spread out over a large area.

An example of what the exterior of an Ajanta cave can look like.

Some type of Buddhist monastery at Ajanta.

Amazing how the ancients managed to carve such a thing of beauty into the dark rock.

A closer look at the sculpted exteriors of the Ajanta caves at Aurangabad.

Temples carved into the hard rock of the western ghats.

Related images: A View from Ajanta - scenery of rocks, caves and hills which is a panoramic view of the hills surrounding Ajanta caves. Or  see photos of Ajanta Caves exterior images which reveal the horseshoe shaped gorge and the temples carved into it. Or check out all the carvings, sculptures and paintings at Ajanta or Ellora, where you will find photographs of both the Ajanta and Ellora caves and the art.
Or try photos from these posts: Group of temples at Mahabalipuram or Mammallapuram or Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram or Mammallapuram or Meenakshi Temple or Tiru-alavai images
Or check out the scores of images filed under the label "Temples"

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Rubber Plantations in Kerala

Kerala is a lush green land and the home to several cash crops like coconut, tea, rubber, coffee and spices. These are pictures of the picturesque rubber plantations. These were first planted here by the Dutch as Rubber is not native to India. These tall slim trees are now a major revenue earner for the state of Kerala, India.

Plastic pouches are on the trees to collect the sticky white latex, the milk of rubber. Processing yields natural rubber. Rubber trees are tall with straight trunks and smooth green leaves.

You might also like Palm Plantations of Malaysia or Man and Bullock cultivating field  or Sugarcane fields
Rice fields near Chennai

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Melting Glaciers

There comes a time of the year when the snow starts to melt on the Swiss Alps and these are some photographs of the mountains with the melting snow. What is significant is that the glaciers retreating and thinning. These environmental changes which will impact the climate of the world have taken place over hundreds of years and could create flooding too. More and more of the mountains lie exposed today and earlier in the season.

As it says here on the Swiss government site:

Between 1850 and 1970 alpine glaciers lost at least one third of their surface area and about half their density.

A thin layer of ice and snow covers a steep slope of a Swiss mountain. Tourists walk along a narrow and slippery path in the middle of the mountain.

A thin blanket of snow covering a part of a Swiss mountain.

The rocky surface underneath the mountain can be seen underneath the thin layer of ice on this Swiss mountain.

The snow and ice has all but melted on this mountain slope in Switzerland.

Related Images: Panoramic views of the Swiss Alps: Photos taken from Jungfrau, a summit in the Swiss Alps Or breathtaking scenes from Switzerland: Swiss Alps from the air or Lake Lucerne Photos

Or check out all the photographs on Switzerland , including that of people and places.

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Mumbai Pune Expressway

These are photos of the Mumbai Pune Expressway, the official name of which is the Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway. It is a six-lane concrete highway, just under a 100 kms long and India's first such type of road.

It has a toll which keeps rising every year just like the accidents.

Hardly anyone follows the traffic rules and there are no policemen to be seen. This expressway connect Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra to Pune, which is a bustling industrial and educational city. Unfortunately most drivers have no idea how to use this beautiful expressway. Their vehicles are ill-maintained and the drivers rash and no rules are followed. Its shocking but trucks and buses have no qualms driving on the right lane. Trucks don't even have tail lights and the policemen don't care.

The pretty dividers do not stop speeding vehicles from crossing over and crashing into the other side.

The expressway going off into the distance and the tunnels are seen at the end of it.

A part of the Mumbai Pune expressway.

This stretch of the Mumbai Pune Expressway is nearer Mumbai.

The route is pretty scenic.

A bridge on the expressway near Lonavala.

For some very beautiful scenes: Views from the Mumbai Pune Expressway Ghat section

Other related images: Mumbai Nashik Road Pictures or Mumbai Ahmedabad Highway scenes or Toll Plaza on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Or Expressway Accident Photographs or Accident scenes - overturned and smashed vehicles photos

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Camera color reproduction poor

This is an example of how badly a digital camera can record or capture color. The camera is a Canon Ixus 115 HS, one of the better cameras in the market, but as this illustrated example shows, the colours are way off from the real ones. Lavender colored flowers look blue in the image. The camera which is taking the photograph of the hand and the flowers is a digital SLR, undoubtedly the superior camera. The flowers are actually lavender, not blue! Reproducing color is a common problem in many digital cameras.

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Silhouettes of Women in Uniform

A half silhouette of an uniformed Chinese woman ticket checker at a train station in China. She is thin and pretty and dressed very smartly like most Chinese women.

A full silhouette of an Indian policewoman wearing a khaki uniform and a beret. She has a walkie talkie hanging on her belt and is standing with her hands behind her back.

A silhouette of an airline personnel, an uniformed woman, at Bangkok airport.

A silhouette of a woman in uniform walking at the airport, holding a small purse.

You can also check out Young Women Walking Silhouettes  or Travelers or Women with bags Silhouettes or silhouettes of Travelers or men with bags or Men with luggage or travel trolley bags

Or try the label "Silhouettes" for all the silhouette images which include that of places, important world monuments and also more silhouettes of people.

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Global Pagoda in Maharashtra

The Global Vipassana Pagoda near Manori and Gorai is being built in the same architectural style as the Buddhist Shwedagon Pagoda in Burma. It contains some relics of the Buddha. This structure, on the coastline of Maharashtra, near Manori and Gorai, is still being built. It is a few minutes walk from Essel World. The entry is free, although some people give donations.

This is the photograph of the entrance to the Pagoda. The white dome in the background is the main prayer and meditation hall. The pillars of the Pagoda are painted with gold and red and two fearsome looking animal statues with gold seals on their chests guard the entrance. The dome has gold coloured carvings.

Here is a closer look at the prayer hall, housed in the white domed structure. A small shrine is near the steps leading to the hall.

The pagoda is huge and this photograph was taken while walking around the great white dome. As you can see here there are gold coloured carvings all over the pagoda. There are huge wooden carved doors leading the mediation halls (not in the picture).

One of the statues of animals at the Buddhist Pagoda.

A small golden dome like structure at the side of the main dome with a Buddha statue in a meditation pose.

This poster sums up what is being planned for the under construction global pagoda. "Right at the top is an umbrella shaped canopy. It is taller than 40 feet high and decorated with more than 400 bells, each about 12 inches in height. The umbrella weighs more than 110 kg. The flag, Dhamma Dhaja, is a valuable golden ornament, studded with genuine diamonds and rubies. At the top of the canopy is a crystal of about 3 feet high, which signs by sunlight during the day and by artificial light via optic fibre during the night."

You might also like to see all the images related to Buddhism where you will find statues and paintings of Buddha from different parts of the world.

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Silhouette profile of an Indian beauty

A silhouette of a the profile of an Indian woman with a bindi and wearing an embroidered saree and earrings.

More Silhouettes of people and places.

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Thai Baht currency notes

The Baht is Thailand's currency and these images show 1000 Baht, 500 Baht, 100 Baht and 20 Baht notes.

Some 1000 Baht, 500 Baht and 100 Baht notes scattered on a table with a cell phone used as a weight

Thailand's currency notes cut-out image.

A collage of Thailand's currency - Baht notes.

Thailand's currency of 100 Baht, 500 Baht and 1000 Baht notes being held against a dark background.

Thailand's currency, the Baht, on a desk with spectacles used as a weight.

Another photograph of Thailand's currency notes with a pair of spectacles in the image.

A close up of Thailand's currency notes and a pair of bifocals lying on top.

A person's hand clutching Thailand's currency notes of 100, 500 and 1000 Bahts against a rough navy blue background.

You might also like: Dollar Notes - Free Images or British Pound or GBP Images and Currency Collage or
Rupee Notes Images

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Laying underground pipes

Digging up roads to lay pipes is a constant operation on in the cities, whether the roads old or new.
A picture of a deep canal being dug by the side of the road to lay a pipe. A cheerful Macdonalds sign stands in contrast to the dug up roads.

A picture of the same site where the side of the road has been dug up.

Related Images: Road Construction in India or Flyover construction or Water Pipeline in India

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Street musicians playing the panpipe

The pan flute or pan pipe is a 6000 year old ancient musical instrument which has its origins in different parts of the world. It is a type of flute, a very basic musical instrument made of closed wooden tubes although several other materials can be used.

These pictures are of street musicians who appear to be of Native American origin playing the pan pipe.

The several pipes are of gradually increasing length as shown in the pictures below. It has been a folk instrument, and is also a type of mouth organ, and as such the "ancestor of both the pipe organ and the harmonica". It is named after the Greek God Pan.

You might also like The Tarpa Wind Instrument of Indian Tribes or Musician in the London Metro or
Pilgrims singing and playing the Manjira musical instrument

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Serene scenes from the life of rural India

The countryside can be very peaceful, capturing the way time seems to almost stop.

This scene was shot on the banks of Wai river. The hills and the river in the background and crops and cattle in the foreground. The serenity is not just in the leisurely way the cattle is grazing but there is also something about the blueness of the sky which adds to it.

In the day of motorised vehicles, there is something quite charming about a bullock cart slowly making its way up the hill. This scene was shot in the Maharashtra country-side where motor-cycles, vans, cars and buses roaring their way down the country roads are not an unfamiliar sight.

A quiet road in Goa. A well made road disappearing into the distance and a woman making her way down it. The palm and banana trees and the greenery add to the serenity of the scene.

Another man with his bullocks going home after a hard day's work.

You might also like Nature headers - hilly landscape and a country road or more Nature Headers or all Nature scenes.

Or Cattle grazing in the countryside and A village in Maharashtra and Country Roads in India and Cowherds in Rural India or Rural women carrying water and firewood

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