Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram, India

Postcard IN-177804 from India shows the Shore Temple, built with blocks of granite in 700–728 CE, overlooking the shore of the Bay of Bengal at Mahabalipuram in India. It is one of the oldest structural stone temples of South India. Mahabalipuram was once a busy port during the reign of Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava dynasty. 

As one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, the Shore Temple was recognized as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Giant Shoe at Cosmopolitan

Outgoing postcard US-3372310 to India shows a giant shoe at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, one of the sculptures made by artist Roark Gourley of Santa Ana, California. At 9 feet or 2.7 meter tall and big enough for a person to climb into for a photo, the sculptures were originally designed as art and not playground equipment. After being roped off for a while and sent back to studio for repair and rejuvenation in 2012, they are back and welcome visitors to take pictures, on only by them, but also in and on them.

π and the Great Pyramid

It is Albert Einstein's (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955) birthday today. A German-born theoretical physicist who won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, Einstein developed the general theory of relativity and was best known in popular culture for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc².

March 14, or 3/14 in the month/day date format, is also known as “Pi Day,” an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi), due to its resemblance to the first three digits in the decimal expansion of π. Pi Day in 2015 is very special because the corresponding date 3/14/15 represents the first five digits of π (3.1415), which only comes once a century. In addition, at 9:26:53 a.m. and 9:26:53 p.m. the date and time of the moments represents the first 10 digits of π (3.141592653).

English publisher and writer John Taylor (1781–1864) argued in his 1859 The Great Pyramid that the numbers Pi and the golden ratio may had been deliberately incorporated into the design of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. The original height of the Great Pyramid was 146.5 meters or 481 feet with a base of 230.4 meters or 756 feet in length. By dividing the perimeter (4 x base length) of the Pyramid by its height, one obtains 6.29 which is a close approximation to 2π. Since π is defined as the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, John Taylor suggested that the Great Pyramid was intended to be a representation of the spherical Earth, with the height corresponding to the radius from the center of the Earth to the North Pole and the perimeter corresponding to the Earth's circumference at the Equator. However, such significance has been discounted in recent years.

Postcard US-2543275 to India shows a replica of Great Sphinx of Giza and the pyramid-shaped tower of Luxor Las Vegas, a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada that opened in 1993 and was named after the city of Luxor (ancient Thebes) in Egypt. The reflecting pool is gone now after renovation and a tram station is in its place.

Amer Fort, Rajasthan, India

Postcard IN-123650 from India shows Amer Fort, a major tourist attraction located in Amer near Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India. Built with red sandstone and marble by Raja Man Singh I on a hill overlooking the Maota Lake, Amer Fort is known for its artistic style of Hindu elements highlighted by large ramparts, series of gates and cobbled walkways.

Hummingbird in Costa Rica

Hummingbird by "Mike" Michael L. Baird, 2012

Postcard US-2738802 to India shows the Violet Sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus), a large hummingbird native to southern Mexico and Central America that lives as far south as Costa Rica and western Panama.

The photographed was taken by "Mike" Michael L. Baird at Bosque de Paz, Rain Forest Lodge, Cloud Forest, Costa Rica on May 8, 2012, near the villages of Palmira and Pueblo Nuevo, and Bajos del Toro. The Volcan Poas National Park and the Juan Castro Blanco National Park were close by. Used under a Creative Common license.

Harry Potter and Stamp Collecting

Postcard US-2545660 is going to India to a Harry Potter fan. It comes with a newly issued Harry Potter stamp by the USPS. However, the decision to issue those stamps is controversy as the USPS has bypassed the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee that has been charged with researching and recommending subjects for new stamps, The panel was dismal on the Postal Service's marketing department that has placed mass appeals and commercial values over stamps' culture values.

Inspector General David Williams at the USPS is asking for public input over the controversy:

• Should the Postal Service market stamp images that focus on a younger audience in hopes of reaching beyond traditional collectors and generating sales?
• Should the Postal Service be allowed to develop themes and images that do not focus on American heritage for the sake of sales?
• Or, should stamps be works of art and pieces of history and not based on fads or celebrities?
• What stamp images would you like to see?

If you have strong opinion on this topic, you can let your voice to be heard by adding comments to this blog.

Elephant Stables in Hampi, India

Elephant Stables, Hampi, India

I received a postcard IN-54195 from India today. It shows a long building with a row of domed chambers where the ancient royal family housed their ceremonial elephants. Hampi, once the capital of Vijaynagar Empire from 1336 and 1565, is a ruined city. However, the elephant stables are among the few least damaged structures.  The ground in the front was a parade place for the elephants and troops. The domes and the arched gateways indicated the Islamic influences on the structure. Hampi is now listed as a "threatened" UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to heavy vehicular traffic and constructions nearby.