People have been given a good opportunity to visit the historic monuments through means of photo exhibition that is going on in Gaiety to mark the celebration of National Heritage day.

“If any lay man visits this exhibition I am sure he/ she will surely understand why Himachal is called Dev Bhoomi”, Rajesh Thakur, a local resident and a spectator

Shimla- Three days long exhibition; that is from April 18 to 20; on the monumental heritage of Himachal Pradesh to mark the celebration of the National Heritage Day (April 18), by Archaeological Survey Of India, Shimla Circle and State Archaeology Language and Culture Department, Himachal was organized at the historic Gaiety Theatre.

In the exhibition photographs of the existing Heritage monuments in the State were exhibited. The main thought behind the showcased photographs was to make the people aware about the rich heritage that the State has inherited from ancestors and to make people realize the worth of it by creating awareness among them.

In the exhibition there were approximately 150 photographs showcased including photographs of heritage temples like Nag Temple, Chaupal; Narvadeshwari Temple, Sujanpur; Hatkoti; Surya Narayan Temple to name some. It also showcases forts and Palaces in Himachal too giving insight into rich architecture of the state.

In the exhibition work of seven photographers including – Er. C.L. Kashyup, Archeological Engineer; Er. Sudershan Sharma, Addl. Asst. Engineer; Er. Naresh Thakur, Addl. Asst. Engineer; Late Hakam Sharma, senior photographer; Pyar Chand, Senior Photographer; Pritipal Sharma, Commercial artist and Satwinder Kaushal, Junior technical assistant with the department LAC have been showcased and cameras like Cannon Rebel XT; Sony Alpha100; Sony Cyber Shot W520; Nikon DMat; Sony Alpha100 and Nikon DMat; Cannon Powesrhot 640 and Sony Cyber Shot W520 have been used by the photographers respectively.

While sharing his experience Pyar Chand, one of the photographers said, “My showcased work includes photographs that I have clicked way back in 1983 and I have tried to capture the spirit of each monument that I have clicked. Eight five percent work displayed is result of roll cameras as it has been not long since when the digital cameras caught up which has made photography really easy as compared to what it usually was in olden days.”

The brief description about the monuments are also coming handy for the people as Anniruddha Thakur, on one of the spectators, while commenting on the exhibition said, “It is really an outstanding exhibition as it is quite informative and one can easily learn about the rich architecture and culture of Himachal Pradesh. I got a glimpse of places that otherwise I would not have been able to see as it is not possible for one to pay personal visit to all the places.”

“Main focus of photographers has been temples and I really feel that they have captured the essence of each temple as I personally felt that I am standing right outside the temples. If any lay man visits this exhibition I am sure he/ she will surely understand why Himachal is called Dev Bhoomi”, Rajesh Thakur,
a local resident and a spectator.

For any person weather religious or not it is a good opportunity to confront the rich architecture of various monuments as it showcases architecture from Century 7 to 17 with all the minute changes that the hill architecture went through over the period of time.