India

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163 images | Updated: 14 Oct 2008 | VIEW SLIDESHOW

This is a collection of photographs of sanctuaries, temples, locations, monuments, landscapes, rituals, festivals and people of India.

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  • A boy crouching near a pond looks on while a farmer pulls his fishing net from a pond, Assam, India.
  • A fisherman pulls his net out of the water, Majuli Island, Assam, India.
  • A young woman crouched in a field with her sibblings nearby, Karbi Anglong District, Assam, India
  • A bodo woman crosses a bamboo bridge, Karbi Anglong District, Assam, India.
  • A farmer stands a field of elephant grass near Kaziranga, Assam, India.
  • A woman carries long thin branches to be used as construction wood, Karbi Anglong District, Assam, India
  • Early morning light at a tea plantation near Kaziranga, Assam, India. Assamese tee gardens are unique for using trees to cast shadows onto delicate tea bushes.
  • Farmers harvesting rice, Sonapur, Assam, India.
  • Assam, India. A fisherman casts his fishing net in the shallow waters neighboring a rice paddy while a young bodo woman uses a different fishing technique involving a woven straw basket and a clay storage bucket.
  • A woman walks under ornate arches at the City Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
  • Considered the most spectacular courtyard of the City Palace in Udaipur, (Rajasthan, India), Mor Chowk - the 'Peackock Courtyard' - showcases sophisticated 19th century glass mosaics in the walls overlooking the courtyard itself. The Peacock Courtyard one of the main features of Mardana Mahal (Palace od Kings) which is part of the larger City Palace complex. Often hired as a wedding venue, Mor Chowk provides an intimate setting for up to 50 guests.
  • Originally created in the 14th century, Lake Pichola in Udaipur (Rajasthan, India) was progressively extended by successive Mewar Kings to cover its modern catchment area of 55km2. Despite the variety of environmental issues it faces, Lake Pichola continue to enhance the appeal of Udaipur as one of India's most important tourism destinations.
  • Shiv Niwas Palace illuminated at dusk, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.<br /> <br /> The palace originally served as the residence of Maharana Fateh Singhji (1884-1930), one of the rulers of the rajput kingdom of Mewar. Shiv Niwas is now a luxury hotel.
  • Group of men playing cards, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
  • Unperturbed by passing pedestrians, a nonchalant cow lies on a small bridge crossing Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.<br /> <br /> For close to a billion indian hindus, reverence for animal life is central to their faith. The respect enjoyed by cows across India is linked to hinduism's sacred texts and in particular to Lord Krishna, a deity considered one of the avatars of Vishnu, the Supreme God.
  • Colorful buildings in a residential neighborhood, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
  • A street butcher chopping meat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • Rock carving detail of a meditating Buddha at Mrigadavam, an ancient temple complex where Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon
  • A rowboat navigates on the Ganges river at sunrise
  • A man sweeps garbage off Dasashvamedh Ghat - one of the main staircases leading to the sacred Ganges river - while an impassible goat sits nearby
  • A man packages kumkum into small plastic bags; Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. Kumkum is a saffron or turmeric based powder used as a cosmetic by hindu women. Kumkum is applied as a distinctive dot on the forehead, between the eyebrows.
  • A woman's teeth bear the marks of many years of 'paan' chewing. Paan is preparation of areca nut mixed with a variety of spices, wrapped in betel leaves
  • Daydreaming pedestrian, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
  • Boy selling eggs, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • A boy crossing a rice field carries bales of hay, Assam, India.
  • Wooden boats moored on the Ganges river at sunset, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • A man cycles past advertising billboards in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, Undia.
  • A man washes his clothes in the Ganges river as the sun sets, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • The sun rises over a hilly region separating the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, India.
  • Patrons at a small Burrabazar tea stall in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. While its roots lie in textile trade, Burrabazar has become one of India's largest wholesale markets where more tha 50,000 traders offer an impressive array of goods and foodsstuffs.
  • Happy boys, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • Smoking with one hand and washing his clothes with the other, a man crouching at a village's water well pump in rural Punjab, India, proves that men can also multitask.
  • Man at the Hinimari market near Guwahati, Assam, India.
  • Local boy, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India.
  • A female dancer balances seven water vessels (chari) on her head. The 'chari' dance is one of the many colorful aspects of the culture of Rajasthan, India
  • Empty boats float along the shore of the sacred Ganges river in the early morning hours.
  • Rice fields sit at the bottom of the hills near Cherapunji and the Bangladesh border, in the state of Meghalaya, India. The hilly region is one of the most humid in the world, with rainfalls averaging 10,000 cm (3937 inches) a year.
  • A radio repair man inside his workshop
  • A group of five young women with long braided hair, wearing similar clothes.
  • Bicycles and pedestrians in Rue Dumas, Union Territory of Pudducherry, India.
  • A woman walks on the decorated floor of the Shri Minakshi hindu temple.
  • An elephant and his master stand under the arcade of the Shri Minakshi hindu temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, on December 27, 2007. Upon entering the sacred site, hindu devotees make coin offerings to the elephant in return for a gentle trunk tap on the head, in lieu of blessing. Elephants are revered in India as they are associated with Ganesh, the son of Lord Shiva. Ganesh is often invoked at the beginning of any undertaking, as he is the 'remover of obstacles'.
  • A group of children sit in a store's staircase, looking a bit bored.
  • A man selling plastyic containers.
  • Beggars sitting outside the entrance of the Shri Minakshi temple.
  • An elderly woman and her grand daughters sift through peanuts on a sidewalk, before selling them at a nearby market, Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • A group of Hindu pilgrims travel on the Ganges river in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.<br /> <br /> The sacred river lies at the very heart of Hindu faith. It is considered sacred because of its ability to "wash sins" and help attain salvation. Daily cremation rituals take place on the river's shore and the ashes of the departed are cast into the water, with the belief that the soul travels to heaven.
  • The hindu ritual called 'Arati' is performed daily at 'Dasashvamedh Ghat' in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • Traders under the Howrah bridge, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • An elderly man making tea, Kolkata, west Bengal, India.
  • Man carrying flowers, Kolkata, west Bengal, India.
  • Shy girl, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • Children playing in the street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • Men washing in street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • A woman chouched near her sidewalk dwelling, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • Vendors at the Malik Ghat market in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • A man carrying empty barrels on his head, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • School children, Guwahati, Assam, India.
  • A mother and her children in a rice paddy, Dharang, Assam India.
  • A woman pushing her bicycle, Botabari, Assam, India
  • Young women in a rice field, Assam, India.
  • Man by a river at sunrise, Jorhat, Assam, India.
  • Woman carrying water, Khaziranga, Assam, India.
  • A groom with henna motifs on his palms, Himachal Pradesh, India.
  • A groom's hands are decorated with a henna motif, Himachal Pradesh, India.
  • Old man,Una, Himachal Pradesh, India.
  • The Golden Temple at night, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
  • Sikh man near the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India
  • Panoramic view of the 'Golden Temple' in Amritsar, Punjab, India.
  • A group of musicians sing traditional songs in a village near the Thar desert in Rajasthan, India.
  • Birds fly above the cenotaph of Jaswant Thada in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The monument was built in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, the former ruler of Jodhpur.
  • Pigeons fly above the 'Jaswant Thada' cenotaph in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The carved marble landmark was erected in 1899 in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, the ruler of 'Marwar', another name for the Jodhpur region.
  • The city of Udaipur (Rajastan, India) seen through an ornate window.
  • Two boys carry cow dung on their heads near Beawar, Rajasthan, India.
  • Villagers at a cattle fair near Beawar, Rajasthan, India.
  • A young carries hay on his motorcycle, Beawar, Rajasthan, India.
  • Sadhus (spiritual seekers), Pushkar, Rajasthan, India.
  • A group of orphans gather around a fire in the Thar desert, Rajasthan, India.
  • Women walking on the road in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. The small town attracts dozens of thousands of visitors for its renowned camel fair and also for 'Karthik Purnima' a hindu sacred festival during which thousands of pilgrims bathe in Pushkar's lake.
  • Brightly decorated elephant at the City Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
  • A turbaned man walks in the City Palace courtyard in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
  • Two young men at 'Jantar Mantar', an open-air astronomical observatory in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. The long staircase is an integral part of a giant equatorial sundial said to be the largest one in the world. The Jantar Mantar observatory was commissioned by The Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II and comprises fourteen distinct devices.
  • A cobra charmer in Jaipur, Rajasthan India.
  • City gates, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
  • Boy sitting by the roadside, Rajasthan, India.
  • Young woman from Rajasthan, India
  • A Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) crosses a grassy area at the Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Rajasthan, India. Rhesus monkeys have given their name to the rhesus antigens present in their blood. Its discovery in 1940 has helped medical scientists to determine the different blood groups in humans.
  • The Taj Mahal's main gate and garden at dusk, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.
  • An indian couple walks on the esplanade below the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. The world-famous mughal monument was built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan in remembrance of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
  • A vendor of flower garlands picks her nose.<br /> <br /> 'Puja' is the name of the Hindu worship ritual. It can be translated as "flower act." Elaborate garlands, fragrant flowers and piles of petals are offered daily to Deities in temples, shrines and homes all over India. Though any available flower can be used for puja, Gods and Goddesses are said to have specific likes and dislikes of certain species.
  • A fisherman standing between two 'thanguvallam' (planked canoe) daydreams on the beach. <br /> <br /> The marine fish landings of the State of Kerala constitute nearly one third of India's total fish production and a corresponding number of India's seagoing fishermen live in the State.
  • A man takes a nap next to his motorcycle.
  • A 'sadhu' or holy man is typically a hindu mendicant ascetic who practices meditation, yoga and a host of stringent rituals with the objective of attaining liberation and union with the Universe. Some sadhus cover their bodies with ashes - sometimes taken from cremation grounds - symbolic of death and regeneration.<br /> <br /> This particular sadhu is a tourist attraction who enjoys a smoke after a long day.
  • The complexities that women in India challenge are the caste system, the longstanding religious customs, as well as the even stronger power that men hold in India. With a fast changing society, indian women are now following the direction of their Western world counterparts and are demanding equal treatment in various settings of public society.
  • A groom is showered with gifts by friends and family. Several garlands of bank notes hang around his neck. Arranged marriages are part of India's culture, although larger cities tend to be increasingly progressive.
  • A boy showers on the pavement under the supervision of his sister.
  • Telephone and electricity cables create an eye-catching visual in the Paharganj neighbourhood of the indian capital, Delhi. The Indian government is targeting 500 million telephones, both fixed and wireless, by 2010. Based on current trends, most of the demand for new connections is likely to be for mobile services.
  • A boy drags his pet goat through the narrow streets of a popular muslim neighbourhood.
  • On a winter morning, a farmer sits in the shade and waits for a maintenance worker to fix the pump at the heart of his irrigation system. Punjab generally enjoys a generous monsoon season from july to september. The amount of rainfall in the state ranges between 250 and 1000 mm. The maximum falling near the Shivalik Hills and the minimum towards the desert in the west.
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