MY COLLECTION - ANCIENT INDIAN COINS - ALBUM NO 4 - HINDU & BUDDHIST & MUSLIM DYNASTIES - 4

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY,
C/O COL GKS REDDY,hile on a visit

Secunderabad - 500 015.

ANCIENT INDIAN COINS

Kalachuris Dynasty, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Yadavas of Devagiri and Kabul Shahi Dynasty


Kalachuri Dynasty

         The Kalachuri Empire was the name used by two kingdoms who had a succession of dynasties from the 10th-12th centuries, one ruling over areas in Central India (west Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan) and were called Chedi or Haihaya (Heyheya) (northern branch-Kalchuri Rajput Clan) and the other the southern Kalachuri who ruled over parts of Karnataka. They are supposed to be offshoot ofAbhira of Traikutakas dynasty. The earliest known Kalachuri family (AD 550–620) ruled over northern Maharashtra, Malwa and western Deccan. Their capital Mahismati was situated in the Narmada River valley. There were three prominent members; Krishnaraja, Shankaragana and Buddharaja who distributed coins and epigraphs around the area. By religious affiliation they were usually followers of Hinduism, specifically of the Pasupata sect.

          At their peak, the Southern Kalachuris (1130–1184) ruled parts of the Deccan extending over regions of present-day North Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra. This dynasty rose to power in the Deccan between 1156 and 1181 AD. They traced their origins to Krishna who was the conqueror of Kalinjar and Dahala in Madhya Pradesh. It is said that Bijjala, a viceroy of the dynasty, established the authority over Karnataka after wresting power from the Chalukya king Taila III. Bijjala was succeeded by his sons Someshwara and Sangama but after 1181 AD, the Chalukyas gradually retrieved the territory. Their rule was short and turbulent and yet very important from a socio-religious point of view; a new sect known as the Lingayat or Virashaiva sect was founded during these times.

          A unique and purely native form of Kannada literature-poetry called the Vachanas was also born during this time. The writers ofVachanas were called Vachanakaras (poets). Many other important works like Virupaksha Pandita's Chennabasavapurana, Dharani Pandita's Bijjalarayacharite and Chandrasagara Varni's Bijjalarayapurana were also written.

        The Northern Kalachuris ruled in central India with their base at the ancient city of Tripuri (Tewar) near Jabalpur; it originated in the 8th century, expanded significantly in the 11th century, and declined in the 12th–13th centuries.

My Collection Kalachuri Coins - I have only one Kalachuri Coin in my collection

Ghaznavids

The Ghaznavid dynasty  (Persian: غزنویان‎) was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic mamluk origin at their greatest extent ruling large parts of Iran, much of Transoxiana, and North India from 977–1186. The dynasty was founded bySabuktigin, upon his succession to rule of Ghazna after the death of his father-in-law, Alp Tigin, who was a breakaway ex-general of the Samanid Empire from Balkh, north of the Hindu Kush in Greater Khorasan.

         Although the dynasty was of Central Asian Turkic origin, it was thoroughly Persianized in terms of language, culture, literature, and habits, and hence is regarded by some as a "Persian dynasty" rather than Turkic.

        Sabuktigin's son, Mahmud of Ghazni, declared independence from the Samanid Empire and expanded the Ghaznavid Empire to the Amu Darya, the Indus River and the Indian Ocean in the East, and to Rey and Hamadan in the west. Under the reign ofMas'ud I, the Ghaznavid dynasty began losing control over its western territories to the Seljuq dynasty after the Battle of Dandanaqan, resulting in a restriction of its holdings to modern-day Afghanistan, Punjab, Pakistan, and Balochistan. In 1151, Sultan Bahram Shah lost Ghazni to the Ghurid king Ala al-Din Husayn.

My Collection of Ghaznavid Coins

Ghurid Dynasty

The Ghurids or Ghorids (Persian: سلسله غوریان‎; self-designation: شنسباني, Shansabānī) were a dynasty of Eastern Iranian descent (presumably Tajik, but the exact ethnic origin is uncertain), from the Ghor region of present-day central Afghanistan. The dynasty converted to Sunni Islam after the conquest of Ghor by the Ghaznavid emperor Mahmud of Ghazni in 1011. Abu Ali ibn 

        Muhammad (reigned 1011-1035) was the first Muslim king of the Ghurid dynasty to construct mosques and Islamic schools in Ghor. The dynasty overthrew the Ghaznavid Empire in 1186, when Sultan Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad of Ghor conquered the last Ghaznavid capital of Lahore. At their zenith, the Ghurid empire encompassed Khorasan in the west and reached northern Indiaas far as Bengal in the east. Their first capital was Firozkoh in Mandesh, Ghor, which was later replaced by Herat, whileGhazni and Lahore were used as additional capitals, especially during winters. The Ghurids were patrons of Persian culture and heritage.

         The Ghurids were succeeded in Khorasan and Persia by the Khwarezmian dynasty, and in northern India by the Mamluk dynastyof the Delhi Sultanate.

My Collection of Ghurid Coins

Yadavas of Devagiri

The Yadavas of Devagiri were the descendants of the feudatory nobles of the Western Chalukyan ( Chalukyas of Kalyani )Empire. The most important territory which they had under them was between Devagiri (Modern Daultabad) and Nasik and was known as Sevana or Seuna, though they had influence in modern Maharashtra,iri Coins North Karnataka and parts of Southern Madhya Pradesh. They are known as founders of Marathi Culture. The name Seuna has been used for them in the Hoyasala and Kakatiya inscriptions and seems to be probably derived from the name of Seunachandra, second ruler of this dynasty. This dynasty was founded by Dridhaprahara. His son Seunachandra ruled an area of present Khandesh which was known as Seundesa.

My Collection of Yadavas of Devagiri Coins

The Kabul Shahi Dynasty

          The Kabul Shahi also called Shahiya dynasties ruled one of the Middle kingdoms of India which included portions of the Kabulistan and the old province of Gandhara (now in northern Pakistan), from the decline of the Kushan Empire in the 3rd century to the early 9th century. The kingdom was known as Kabul Shahi (Kabul-shāhān or Ratbél-shāhān in Persian کابلشاهان یا رتبیل شاهان) between 565 and 879 when they had Kapisa and Kabul as their capitals, and later as Hindu Shahi.

       The Shahis of Kabul/Gandhara are generally divided into the two eras of the "Buddhist Shahis" and the "Hindu Shahis", with the change-over thought to have occurred sometime around 870.

My Collection of Kabul Shahi Coins

Note:- The information about the Dynasties has been Extracted from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia.

MY COLLECTION - ANCIENT INDIAN COINS - ALBUM NO 4 - HINDU & BUDDHIST DYNASTIES - 3

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY,g
C/O COL GKS REDDY,

Secunderabad - 500 015.

Ancient Indian Coins

Chola Dynasty, Chera Dynasty and Pandya Dynasty

Chola Dynasty.

         The Chola dynasty (also called Choda and Cholan) was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of southern India. Together with the Chera and Pandya dynasties, the Cholas formed the three main Tamil dynasties of Iron Age India, who were collectively known as the Three Crowned Kings. The earliest datable references to the dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE, left by Ashoka of the Maurya Empire, and in the ancient Sangam literature.

       The heartland of the Cholas was the fertile valley of the Kaveri River, but they ruled a significantly larger area at the height of their power from the later half of the 9th century until the beginning of the 13th century. The whole country south of the Tungabhadrariver was united and held as one state for more than two centuries. Under Emperor Rajaraja Chola I and his successorsRajendra Chola I, Rajadhiraja Chola, Virarajendra Chola and Kulothunga Chola I the dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in South and Southeast Asia. The power of the new empire was proclaimed to the eastern world by the expedition to the Ganges in northern India which Rajendra Chola I undertook and by the occupation of cities of the maritime empire ofSrivijaya in Southeast Asia, as well as by the repeated embassies to China. The Chola fleet represented the zenith of ancient Indian sea power.

      During the period 1010–1200, the Chola territories stretched from the islands of the Maldives in the south to as far north as the banks of the Godavari River in Telangana. Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular South India, annexed parts of which is now Sri Lanka and occupied the islands of the Maldives. Rajendra Chola sent a victorious expedition to North India that touched the Ganges and defeated Mahipala, the Pala ruler of Pataliputra. His army went on to raid what is now Bangladesh.[citation needed] He successfully invaded cities of Srivijaya in Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern Thailand. The Chola dynasty went into decline at the beginning of the 13th century with the rise of the Pandyan dynasty, which ultimately caused their downfall.


My Collection of Chola Coins.

Chera Dynasty.

          The Chera dynasty also known as Kerala Putras, Chera was an ancient dynasty in India, ruling over an area corresponding to modern-day western Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Together with the Chola and the Pandyas, it formed the three principal warring Iron Age kingdoms of southern India in the early centuries of the Common Era.

         By the early centuries of the Common Era, civil society and statehood under the Cheras were developed in present day western Tamil Nadu. The location of the Chera capital is generally assumed to be at modern Karur (identified with the Korura of Ptolemy). The Chera kingdom later extended to the plains of Kerala, the Palghat gap, along the river Perar and occupied land between the river Perar and river Periyar, creating two harbor towns, Tondi (Tyndis) and Muciri (Muziris), where the Roman trade settlements flourished.

          The Cheras were in continuous conflict with the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas. The Cheras are said to have defeated the combined armies of the Pandyas and the Cholas and their ally states. They also made battles with the Kadambās of Banavasiand the Yavanas (the Greeks) on the Indian coast. After the 2nd century AD, the Cheras' power decayed rapidly with the decline of the lucrative trade with the Romans.

          The Tamil poetic collection called Sangam literature describes a long line of Chera rulers dated to the first few centuries AD. It records the names of the kings, the princes, and the court poets who extolled them. The internal chronology of this literature is still far from settled, and at present a connected account of the history of the period cannot be derived. Uthiyan Cheralathan,Nedum Cheralathan and Senguttuvan Chera are some of the rulers referred to in the Sangam poems. Senguttuvan Chera, the most celebrated Chera king, is famous for the legends surrounding Kannagi, the heroine of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram.

          The Chera kingdom owed its importance to trade with West Asia, Greece and Rome. Its geographical advantages, like the abundance of exotic spices, the navigability of the rivers connecting the Ghat mountains with the Arabian sea, and the discovery of favourable Monsoon winds which carried sailing ships directly from the Arabian coast to Chera kingdom, combined to produce a veritable boom in the Chera foreign trade.

          The Later Cheras ruled from the 9th century. Little is known about the Cheras between the two dynasties. The second dynasty, Kulasekharas ruled from a city on the banks of River Periyar called Mahodayapuram (Kodungallur). Though never regained the old status in the Peninsula, Kulasekharas fought numerous wars with their powerful neighbors and diminished to history in the 12th century as a result of continuous Chola and Rashtrakuta invasions. The Chera dynasty was supported by Tamil warriors such as Villavar, Vanavar and Malayar clans.

         The Chera rulers of Venadu, based at the port Quilon in southern Kerala, trace their relations back to the later/second Cheras.Ravi Varma Kulasekhara, ruler of Venadu from 1299 to 1314, is known for his ambitious military campaigns to former Pandya and Chola territories.

My Collection of Chera Coins.

Pandya Dynasty.

The Pandyan or Pandiyan or Pandian dynasty was an ancient Tamil dynasty, one of the three Tamil dynasties, the other two being the Chola and the Chera. The Pandya King, along with Chera King and Chola King, together were called as Three Crowned Kings of Tamilakam. The dynasty ruled parts of South India from around 600 BCE (Early Pandyan Kingdom) to first half of 17th century CE. They initially ruled their country Pandya Nadu from Korkai, a seaport on the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, and in later times moved to Madurai. Fish being their flag, Pandyas were experts in water management, agriculture(mostly near river banks) and fisheries and they were eminent sailors and sea traders too. Pandyan was well known since ancient times, with contacts, even diplomatic, reaching the Roman Empire. The Pandyan empire was home to temples including Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, and Nellaiappar Temple built on the bank of the river Thamirabarani in Tirunelveli. The Pandya kings were called either Jatavarman or Maravarman Pandyan. From being Jains in their early ages, they became Shaivaits after some centuries of rule. Strabo states that an Indian king called Pandion sent Augustus Caesar "presents and gifts of honour". The country of the Pandyas, Pandi Mandala, was described as Pandyan Mediterranea in the Periplus and Modura Regia Pandyan by Ptolemy.

The early Pandyan Dynasty of the Sangam Literature faded into obscurity upon the invasion of the Kalabhras. The dynasty revived under Kadungon in the early 6th century, pushed the Kalabhras out of the Tamil country and ruled from Madurai. They again went into decline with the rise of the Cholas in the 9th century and were in constant conflict with them. The Pandyas allied themselves with the Sinhalese and the Cheras in harassing the Chola empire until they found an opportunity for reviving their fortunes during the late 13th century. The Later Pandyas (1216–1345) entered their golden age under Maravman Sundara Pandyan and Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan (c. 1251), who expanded the empire into Telugu country, conquered Kalinga (Orissa) and invaded and conquered Sri Lanka. They also had extensive trade links with the Southeast Asian maritime empires of Srivijaya and their successors. During their history, the Pandyas were repeatedly in conflict with the Pallavas, Cholas, Hoysalas and finally the Muslim invaders from the Delhi Sultanate. The Pandyan Kingdom finally became extinct after the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate in the 14th century. 

My Collection of Pandyan Coins.

Note:- The information about the Dynasties has been Extracted from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia.

MY COLLECTION - ANCIENT INDIAN COINS - ALBUM NO 4 - HINDU & BUDDHIST DYNASTIES - 2

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY
C/O COL GKS REDDY

Secunderabad - 500 015.

Ancient Indian Coins

Kushan Empire, Western Kshatrapas, Indo Sassanian Kingdom and 

Chalukyas of Gujarat & Saurashtra

Kushan Empire.

The Kushan Empire (Bactrian: κοϸανο; Sanskrit: कुषाण राजवंश Kuṣāṇ Rājavaṃśa; BHS: Guṣāṇa-vaṃśa; Parthian: Kušan-xšaθr was an empire originally formed in the early 1st century CE under Kujula Kadphises in the territories of the formerGreco-Bactrian Kingdom around the Oxus River (Amu Darya), and later based near Kabul, Afghanistan.[6] The Kushans spread from the Kabul River Valley to also encompass much of the Indo-Greek Kingdom, from which they took their first official language (Greek),[2] Bactrian alphabet, Greco-Buddhist religion, coinage system, and art. They absorbed the Central Asian tribes that had previously conquered parts of the northern central Iranian Plateau once ruled by the Parthians,[citation needed] and reached their peak under the Buddhist emperor Kanishka (127–151), whose realm stretched from Turfan in the Tarim Basin to Pataliputra on the Gangetic Plain.

The Kushans were one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation, a possibly Iranian or Tocharian, Indo-European nomadic people who had migrated from the Tarim Basin and settled in ancient Bactria Their official language, theIndo-European Bactrian language, is closely related to the modern Afghan languages.

During the 1st and early 2nd centuries CE, the Kushans expanded across the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi (Benares), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan emperorKanishka, which began about 127 CE  Around 152 AD, Kanishka sent his armies north of the Karakoram mountains. They captured territories as far as Kashgar, Khotan and Yarkant, in the Tarim Basin of modern-day Xinjiang, China. A direct road from Gandhara to China was opened which remained under Kushan control for more than 100 years. The security offered by the Kushans encouraged travel across the Khunjerab Pass and facilitated the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China.

The Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sassanid Persia, Aksumite Empire and Han China. While much philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record we have of the empire's history today comes from inscriptions and accounts in other languages, particularly Chinese. The Kushan control fragmented into semi-independent kingdoms in the 3rd century AD, which fell to the Sassanians who targeted from the west. In the fourth century, theGuptas, an Indian dynasty also pressed from the east. The last of the Kushan and Sassanian kingdoms were eventually overwhelmed by the Hepthalites, another Indo-European people from the north.

My Collection of Kushan Coins.

Western Kshatrapas.

          The Western Satraps, Western Kshatrapas, or Kshaharatas (35–405) were Saka rulers of the western and central part of India(Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states).

          They were contemporaneous with the Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and were possibly their overlords, and the Satavahana (Andhra) who ruled in Central India. They are called "Western" in contrast to the "Northern" Indo-Scythian satraps who ruled in the area of Mathura, such as Rajuvula, and his successors under the Kushans, the "Great Satrap" Kharapallana and the "Satrap" Vanaspara. Although they called themselves "Satraps" on their coins, leading to their modern designation of "Western Satraps", Ptolemy in his 2nd century "Geographia" still called them "Indo-Scythians".The power of the Saka rulers started to decline in the 2nd century CE after the Saka rulers were defeated by the south Indian EmperorGautamiputra Satakarni of the Satavahana dynasty. Later the Saka kingdom was completely destroyed by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE.

          Altogether, there were 27 independent Western Satrap rulers during a period of about 350 years. The word Kshatrapa stands forsatrap, itself descended from Old Persian and which means viceroy or governor of a province.

My Collection of Western Kshatrapas Coins.

Indo Sassanid Kingdom.

        The Indo-Sassanids, Kushano-Sassanids or Kushanshas (also Indo-Sassanians) were a branch of the Sassanid Persians who established their rule in the northwestern Indian subcontinent during the third and fourth centuries at the expense of the decliningKushans. They were in turn displaced in 410 by the invasions of the Huna people. They were able to re-establish some authority after the Sassanids destroyed the Hephthalites in 565, but their rule collapsed under Arab attacks in the mid 7th century.

My Collection of Indo Sassanian Coins.

Chalukyas of Gujarat and Saurashtra.

          The Chalukyas of Gujarat ruled from 750 to 850 AD .History of Gujarat mentions that Raj and Beej, both brothers came from Kalyani. Most historians have mistakenly took this Kalyani as the famous Kalyani, capital of a strong Chalukyan Kingdom in Southern India. Researchers have shown that there exist a place Kalyankataka, mentioned inPrabandchintamani, Ratnamala and many other books, is believed to be in Vindya ranges in Central India. The bard of Roopnagar, the Jagir Solanki Rajputs in Mewar, traces lineage of his masters to the kings, who ruled near banks of Soram river, which is in central India.Inscriptions of Kaluchari Kings of Central India describes that this place was under the supremacy of Chalukyan Kings. Thus, the belief that Chalukya of Gujarat and Southern India, shares a common lineage and both were migrated from North-central India. Though they have got separated many years before, but shares their title.

       The Chalukya brothers from Kalyankataka, migrated to Gujarat and established a dynasty, which was one of the most powerful and famous dynasty of Indian history. This dynasty had changed the future of Gujarat and its surrounding areas.

        In the western India, people pronounces "Cha" as "Sa". When the Chalukya Kings migrated to Gujarat, the name Chalukya was pronounced in local language "Salukya, Saluki", and later got changed to Solanki. There are many maratha families in Maharasthra which still have their title as "Saluki or Salunke". In the inscription, which were written in Sanskrit, it was spelled correct "Chalukya", but in local language it got variations and now got a common pronounciation "Solanki". From the period, when the history was started to be written in local languages and the name was written as it was spelled "Solanki".

My Collection of Chalukyas of Gujarat Coins.

Note:- The information about the Dynasties has been Extracted from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia and other connected sites.

VISIT TO EUROPE - UNITED KINGDOM - LONDON - HOLBORN & WEST MINISTER

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY,
C/O COL GKS REDDY,hile on a visit

Secunderabad - 500 015.

Visit to Holburn (Camden County)

          While on a visit to London in Mar 2014, to meet my children and also to tour some of the European Countries, with London as the Base, I decided to meet Col Sanjay Chibber (Retd), an ex - colleague of mine from National Defence Academy, Kharakvasla (Pune) and an Infantarian like me, who took voluntary retirement from Indian Army, after commanding an Infantry Battalion and moved to London and settled down.

          We decided to meet in his office in Holborn, in the Camden County, adjoining central London on 31 Mar 2014. Since there are two Tube routes to Holborn from Rayners Lane, where I was staying with my daughter - The Fast Metro Line to King's Cross and back to Holborn or The slow Piccadilly Line, which goes directly from Rayners Lane to Holborn, without any changes enroute, I decided to take the slow Piccadilly Line. On the morning of 31 Mar, I took Piccadilly Line at about 1100 h and reached his office in Holborn at about 1200 h.

Holborn

Holborn (/ˈhoʊbərn/ hoh-bə(r)n)[a] is an area of central London and also the name of the area's principal street, known as High Holborn between St. Giles's High Street and Gray's Inn Road (the junction being roughly where Holborn Bar—the entrance to the City of London—once was) and then Holborn Viaduct between Holborn Circus and Newgate Street. Since boundary changes in 1994, the street runs along the boundary between the London Borough of Camden and the City of London; previously the boundary was less obvious in the area and crossed the street at Holborn Bar.

We decided to chat over a glass of English Wine and have lunch at the famous Bleeding Hearts bar at Holborn. We had a long chat about our days together at NDA and Indian Army and at the end of the day decided to celebrate our meeting after a long time by Visiting Lille in France together on 03 Apr 2014. After Lunch, we walked back to his office through the famous Holborn Bars, a heritage building, taking a few snaps enroute

Holborn Bars Building

          Located close to the Holborn Bar city boundary of the City of London it was built on the site of the former Furnival's Inn building of the Inns of Chancery. Designed in Gothic Revival style for the Prudential Assurance Society in phases between 1885 and 1901 by architects Alfred Waterhouse and his son Paul Waterhouse and modified 1930-32 by E. M. Joseph, who introduced Art Deco features. It was expanded again in 1993 by EPR Architects to a floor area of 34,931 square metres.

         The block is bounded by Holborn to the south, Brooke Street to the west, Leather Lane to the east and Beauchamp Street to the north.

        The building featured a library, restaurant, chapel, hall, rooftop promenade and a women's entrance. The complex encloses a courtyard, Waterhouse Square, named after the original architect, who also designed the Natural History Museum and Manchester Town Hall.

The building was listed Grade II* on 3 March 1972.

A view of a the left portion of Holborn Bars upto the central Tower

A view of the central Entrance to the Holborn Bars with my 

colleague Col Sanjay in the foreground

Another view of the Central entrance with self in the Foreground

A view of the rear wing of Holborn Bars from the inner courtyard

Another view of the rear wing of the Holborn Bars

Old Pearl Assurance Building

          On my way back from Col Sanjay's Office to Holborn Tube Station, I was impressed by the Old Pearl Assurance Building, just before the Holborn Station and took a few snaps. The old Pearl Assurance Building, is presently used by the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel.

A long shot of the Old Pearl Assurance building with a 

dome on top from across the Road

A frontal view of the central entrance of the Renaissance Chancery 

Court Hotel (Former Pearl Assurance Building) 

A view of the Metro Bank Building, a heritage building located 

just across the Square in front of Holborn Tube Station

Visit to Central London

Visited Central London alongwith my elder daughter, son-in-law and Grandson on 18 May 2014, primarily to see London Aquarium. Since I had problems with my camera to take snaps of the Aquarium due to the dim lighting and reflections in the underground Aquarium, I decided to take a few snaps of the area around instead.

A view of the London Aquarium Building taken from the 

South Bank of the West Minister Bridge

A view of the London Eye from West Minister Bridge

A closer view of the Aquarium Building

A view of the South Bank Lion

A closeup of the Inscription on the South Bank Lion Pedestal

A decorative lamp post in front of the Aquarium, 

with West Minister in the Background

A view of the Old MI 5 Building located across the River from the London Eye

Another view of Old MI 5 Building

A long shot of West Minister, Big Ben and West 

Minister Abbey from the London Eye

Another view of West Minister and Big Ben from the London Eye

Some Close Views of London Eye

A close view of London Eye

An even closer view of London Eye

A full view of London Eye from across the Park in front of it

Note:- The information about the places visited has been Extracted from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia.