Street vendor with toys, Kolkata, India
india-east-victoria-memorial-yoga.jpg
Resting rickshaw driver, Kolkata, India
Man shows off Odissi dance moves, Bhubaneshwar, India
Photographers gather at festival, Puri, India
Teenage monk at monastery, Gangtok, India
View of market in Gangtok, Sikkim, India
Painter works on piece, India
Tibetan sacred text, Gyalshing, Sikkim, India
Dock at sunset, Guwahati, Assam, India
Young monk gets head shaved, Ladakh, India
Rainbow over Phyang Monastery, Ladakh, India
Buddha statue, Ladakh, India
Villagers with flowers, Ladakh, India
Monks and tourist at Tikse Monastery, Ladakh, India
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Women in bright saris, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Blue City of Jodhpur, India
Cows mow grass near Taj Mahal, Agra, India
Woman in pottery shop, Jaipur, India
Students at Matrimandir, Auroville, India
Tree by yellow wall, Pondy, India
Girl with face paint, Madurai, India
Flower arrangement, Kerala, India
Meenakshi Temple at dusk, Madurai, India
Kailasa Temple, Ellora, India
Men in Indian defense force headgear, Mumbai, India
Woman at a water well, Anjuna, Goa, India
Woman with red umbrella on roadside, Goa, India
Tourists outside Basilica of Born Jesus, Old Goa, India
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india east street vendor toysIn "Passages Through India" in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler, we commissioned renowned photographers to capture the real India, the essence of this richly exotic country. Their travels took them to the far corners of the country—from Tamil Nadu to Ladakh, Kolkata to Mumbai. Here are just a sampling of their photographs. For more, see our magazine. And to plan your own Indian adventure, see our special India Trip Planner.

India: Jewels of the East

A Kolkata street vendor sells colorful furry animals. With a metropolitan population of more than 13 million, Kolkata—formerly known as Calcutta—is a hive of constant activity. Crowding can extend to the home, prompting young people to seek privacy in public spaces. "When it gets dark," says the photographer, "couples emerge to spend some private time together away from the prying eyes of their families."

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

Passages Through India

See photos of passages through India in this travel photo gallery from National Geographic.

October 20, 2010

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