Photo Gallery: Passages Through India

Photograph by Dilip Mehta

India: Jewels of the East

Early on an overcast morning I found this man practicing his yoga asanas in front of the Victoria Memorial," says the photographer. The white marble monument is one of Kolkata's most famous landmarks. Begun in 1904 and dedicated by King Edward in 1921, the massive memorial is surrounded by immaculate gardens—presided over by a statue of a dour Queen Victoria, the very symbol of Britain's colonial past in India.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Dilip Mehta

India: Jewels of the East

Imade this image in early evening in the small lanes surrounding a decaying mansion," says the photographer. "A rickshaw driver is resting at the end of the day. This scene was in the same area as the Tagore House, where poet Rabindranath Tagore was born." Kolkata's most famous native son, Nobel Prize-winner Tagore helped inspire India's movement for independence.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Dilip Mehta

India: Jewels of the East

Ashok Kumar Ghosal, a master of Odissi, an ancient form of dance in the state of Orissa, demonstrates some of the dance positions depicted in carvings on the Brahmeswar Temple in Bhubaneshwar," says the photographer. "Ghosal runs a school for children and young women." The capital of Orissa, Bhubaneshwar is a rich repository of art and cultural aesthetics, according to writer Daisann McLane.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Dilip Mehta

India: Jewels of the East

Photographers gather on the beach at Puri, a pilgrimage town famous for its 12th-century Jagannath Temple. "As part of the festival honoring Lord Ganesh, the photographers put up a stall where they could congregate and pray," says Dilip Mehta. "Large sculptures are made of Lord Ganesh, garishly painted and displayed. At the end of the festival, the sculptures are immersed in the sea or the nearest body of water."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve Winter

India: Himalaya Sojourn

Outside the city of Gangtok, Sikkim, 15-year-old monk Karma Yonten Phuntsok wanders the Lingdum Monastery all alone. "The other monks were away at a retreat," says photographer Steve Winter. "Young Phuntsok was, in effect, the keeper of the temple for the day. He was a bit shy but performed his duties with a calm demeanor."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve Winter

India: Himalaya Sojourn

The name Gangtok, given to this capital of the Indian state of Sikkim, means "hilltop." This shot, taken outside the main market, shows a sloping topography crowded with buildings. Sikkim itself is a lofty, formerly independent kingdom between Nepal and Bhutan that is nestled in the shadows of the Himalaya. Elevations in Sikkim range from a thousand feet above sea level up to 28,000 feet. Though its population is mostly Hindu, Sikkim is noted for its numerous Buddhist monasteries.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve Winter

India: Himalaya Sojourn

Apprentice artist Urgen Bhutia puts the finishing touches on a painting at the Government Institute of Cottage Industries. This center, with a showroom where visitors can buy finished works, teaches young people a craft they can use to help make a living. "Bhutia paints beautiful tankas, which are traditional Tibetan paintings, that are sold at very good prices," says photographer Steve Winter. "Other handmade goods available when I was there included carpets, stuffed animals, woven scarves, and other clothes."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve Winter

India: Himalaya Sojourn

I shot this traditional Tibetan sacred text at the Tendong Lho Rum Faat, a festival celebrating the Lepcha culture in the town of Gyalshing in west Sikkim," says photographer Steve Winter. "Participants told me the text was over 200 years old and contains prayers of the Lepcha people." The Lepcha are the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim, with their own language and script.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve Winter

India: Himalaya Sojourn

In Guwahati, Assam, a tour boat returns from the popular sightseeing destination of Peacock Island in the Brahmaputra River. "Lots of people take river tours," says photographer Steve Winter. "There are dinner and party boats you can take to enjoy the river at sunset." A deceptively large city with the soul of a small market town, Guwahati, population 968,818, is the cultural and financial center of Assam and home to one of the world's largest tea auctions. Highlights of the city include a large public garden of interlocking lagoons, a well-used cricket pitch, a hopping downtown shops district, and outlying bazaars.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve McCurry

India: Ladakh

A young Buddhist monk gets a head shave at Hemis Gompa, one of Ladakh's biggest monasteries. Ladakh largely follows the Tibetan Mahayana model of Buddhism, but the religion has Indian roots: The prince who became Buddha spent his childhood in northern India and Nepal. As a young man he rejected the wealth he'd been born into, setting out on a quest for enlightenment and nirvana that took him through eastern India. He is said to have died in Kushinagar, south of India's border with Nepal.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve McCurry

India: Ladakh

Like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the 16th-century Phyang Monastery stands as a beacon of Buddhist enlightenment. Home to monks of the Red Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism—the other sect in Ladakh is the Yellow Hat—Phyang Monastery also features collections of antique weapons, manuscripts, and artwork. "There was a sense of timelessness at Ladakh's monasteries," says photographer Steve McCurry, "a profoundly serene quality that pulls you in."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve McCurry

India: Ladakh

All color and gilding, a large statue of Buddha adorns the 15th-century Tikse Monastery, one of the biggest and most imposing of Ladakh's many monasteries. "Visiting Ladakh is a way to glimpse Tibet—a center of Buddhism and the traditional home of the Dalai Lama—without all the paperwork to enter Tibet. Even better, it is only a one-hour flight from New Delhi," says photographer Steve McCurry. "That's one of the wonderful things about India: You can be in Rajasthan one day, visiting its Hindu palaces and forts, and the next you're in Ladakh, trekking the Himalaya among Buddhist temples."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve McCurry

India: Ladakh

A place apart: Two villagers in Ladakh's Dha-Hanu region, an area only recently opened to visitors, don ceremonial attire. Members of the Brokpa, a people thought to have Indo-Aryan roots (perhaps descendants of soldiers who fought in India under Alexander the Great), these locals wear flowers to propitiate a local deity who reflects their religion's mix of Buddhism and animism. "In our age of globalization," says photographer Steve McCurry, "this is a pocket where people adhere to their ancient traditions."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Steve McCurry

India: Ladakh

With the valley of the Indus River unspooling below them, two monks at the Tikse Monastery—followers of the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism—blow horns as a tourist looks on. "Ladakh's mountainous terrain, dramatic expanses of landscape, ancient traditions, and clarity of light made it a wonderful challenge in a photographic sense," says photographer Steve McCurry. "Every corner I turned, I discovered a new world."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Land of the Maharajas

This jolly man with a long mustache was one of thousands of performers from all over Rajasthan who gathered in the old part of Jaipur to celebrate Teej, a festival at the onset of the monsoon season," says photographer Palani Mohan. The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur was laid out in the 1720s at the direction of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Buildings in the old city are painted a distinctive shade of pink, and include the massive City Palace and the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Land of the Maharajas

I came upon these women in bright saris gathered at Jaipur's Temple of the Sun God, which is also known as the Monkey Temple," says the photographer. A sere desert state where browns dominate the colors of nature, Rajasthan seems to compensate with the radiant colors of saris and turbans, and buildings painted in rich hues. Even the most humble dwelling may be decorated with intricate designs, usually just before a local festival.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Land of the Maharajas

A sweeping view of the "Blue City" of Jodhpur and the distant countryside can be had from the Mehrangarh Fort," says the photographer. Standing 400 feet above the surrounding plain, the buttressed walls of the fort enclose a well-preserved monument with excellent presentations for visitors, including audio guides, live musicians, and a superb gift shop. The city itself offers "one of the most atmospheric bazaars in all India," says writer John Krich.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Land of the Maharajas

It was interesting to watch this man using cattle to mow a grassy field near the Taj Mahal," says the photographer. Located on the banks of the Yamuna River in the midst of the jam-packed city of Agra, the world-famous monument to love is accented by sweeping grounds featuring gardens around a central reflecting pool. Begun in 1631 as a memorial to the dead wife of Shah Jahan, the Taj Mahal took an army of 20,000 laborers about 20 years to complete.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Land of the Maharajas

I was amazed by this pottery shop in the old part of Jaipur, with its dizzying array of pots, bowls, and other items," says the photographer. Such utilitarian merchandise is meant for the local market, while travelers are drawn to Rajasthan's finer handicrafts, which range from intricate miniature paintings to handmade carpets and dhurries to silver or gold jewelry set with colored stones. Every city and region specializes in some form of folk art.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Michael Melford

India: Serenity of the South

Auroville, a New Age city founded in 1968 and located six miles north of Pondicherry, is an ongoing experiment in ecological and spiritual living. Its ideals of "progressive harmony" center on the Matrimandir, a hundred-foot-tall golden globe-shaped meditation center that looks like something out of a '60s-era sci-fi film. "While I was visiting," recalls photographer Michael Melford, "this school group showed up. All the children were well behaved, neat, and clean. After about five minutes the kids lost interest in the dome and talked among themselves."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Michael Melford

India: Serenity of the South

As Pondy is known for being the French part of India, I was looking for something that would relate that," recalls photographer Michael Melford. "When I saw this yellow wall, I was thinking I could just as well be in France. Also, photographing trees is my passion. Any tree, anywhere, any time, as long as it makes a good picture."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Michael Melford

India: Serenity of the South

The many visitors to Madurai have spawned a vibrant tourist trade among the locals, including this child in face paint. "The poor girl hangs around the entrance to the temple to get money from tourists who take her picture," says photographer Michael Melford.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Michael Melford

India: Serenity of the South

Flower blossoms float in a pan of water at Philipkutty's Farm, a guest resort along the backwaters of Kerala. "Each day a different flower arrangement was put out in the small courtyard near where we ate," says photographer Michael Melford. "It very much reminded me of being in Japan, where all is Zen-like. We'd always take our shoes off when we came inside or even into the courtyard."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Michael Melford

India: Serenity of the South

Before getting "templed out" in India, visitors should sample the ultimate temple experience, in the city of Madurai. The vast Meenakshi Temple, shown here, is a focal point of Hinduism, drawing 15,000 pilgrims a day during festivals. Its gopurams, or towers, loom over the city and are covered with sculptures of fish-eyed goddesses and bug-eyed gods who look appalled and appalling by turns.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Wonders of the West

A man-made tour de force, the ancient Kailasa Temple in Ellora dates to the eighth century. "This is one of the most spectacular places in India," says photographer Palani Mohan of the Hindu structure. "In some ways it is more magnificent than the great temples of Angkor in Cambodia. It's amazing to think that it took thousands of workers more than 100 years to carve this out of a single enormous rock. I sat for hours on top of a hill looking down at the temple, wishing I could go back in time to photograph it in its heyday."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Wonders of the West

Boldly colored ceremonial headgear distinguishes members of the Indian defense force as they prepare for the Independence Day celebration in Mumbai. India gained its independence from the United Kingdom in August 1947, an event it commemorates with flag-raising ceremonies and festivities.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Wonders of the West

A woman collects water from a well in the beach village of Anjuna, in the coastal state of Goa. "Goa is special," says photographer Palani Mohan. "In such a small region you have beaches, rice fields, cathedrals, one of India's most quaint capital towns—and great natural beauty. The people you find there are just as varied: hippies, rich Indian tourists, vacationing families, and religious pilgrims. It makes it almost the perfect destination."

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Wonders of the West

So much depends upon a red umbrella: Stormy summer weather lends an intense light to a poetic roadside scene in Goa.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

India: Wonders of the West

Considered one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India, the 16th-century Basilica of Bom Jesus is a major attraction in the evocative colonial town of Old Goa. Not only is it a World Heritage monument; it also houses the tomb and relics of St. Francis Xavier, a renowned Spanish missionary who, at great personal sacrifice, traveled Asia to aid and convert native peoples. When he died, in 1552 at the age of 44 while trying to enter China, his body was brought all the way back to Goa and put on display in the basilica. It still lies in the church today, in an airtight glass coffin resting in a silver casket, which is still occasionally opened for viewings.

Read more about India in "Passages Through India," a special section in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.