Front of the Nandi and Gokarnanatheshwara temple.
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By careful attention to the bamboo, this craftsman ensures that his acetylene torch doesn't char the wood. He bends it by hammering the hot bamboo.
Volunteer groups have decorated public walls with public service murals promoting good health practices, better nutrition, birth spacing the like.
Built in 1912, this temple honors Narayana Guru, an "Untouchable" who focused on social uplift.
Cattle are sacred in Hindu beliefs. They wander freely in public spaces, including this docking area for major ships.
Krishna (the blue figure) ranks among the most important Hindu deities.This statue in the Mangalore temple shows a crucial event in India's mythical religious history. In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna (the other individual in the chariot) learns about the role of war from Krishna.
Built by Augustinians early in the 17th century, this huge monastery was abandoned ~1835. Collapsed sections have been partially reconstructed by the Archaeological Service of India.
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church
"The colonial Portuguese Baroque style church was first built in 1541 as a chapel on a hill side overlooking the city of Panjim. It was eventually replaced by a larger church in the 1600s as part of Portuguese Goa's religious expansion.[2][3] This church houses the ancient bell that was removed from the Augustinian ruins of the Church of Our Lady of Grace (Nossa Senhora da Graça) in the once famed city of Old Goa. This bell is considered to be the second largest of its kind in Goa, surpassed only by the Golden Bell which resides in the Sé Cathedral in Old Goa." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_Church,_Goa)
Home owners' sign in Portuguese, Old Town section
Holi is celebrated each spring in India, as a festival of love. It is celebrated widely through South Asia and among persons of Indian descent elsewhere.
Also known as the Church of Divine Providence, built beginning 1665
This basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage site, houses the remains of St. Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuits. St. Francis, Basque by origin, devoted most of his life to missionary work in India. He also traveled to other Asian area, including Japan, Borneo and China.
"Bithnah Fort is thought to date back to the late 18th century, having been built as a result of the Wahhabi incursions of the early 1800s[5] following the battle of Bithnah. The fort is constructed from stone, mud-brick, adobe and palm-wood planking." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Bithnah)
Expensive traditional Emirates clothes for women includes heavy silver jewelry and dark colors. Full coverage of arms, legs and hair is essential
Note the [now non-functioning] well. A reliable source was needed for mosques so worshipers could clean and refrfesh themselves
A wide variety of pottery, decorative and practical, await shoppers outside the main city of Fujairah
Two different styles of cooking corn are shown here: 1] roasting until the ears are nearly charred
or 2] popping the kernels in Western-style machines
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the second largest mosque in the emirate. Built with funds from Abu Dhabi, its exterior is marked with 65 domes and minarets. It can accommodate 14,000 worshippers
Fresh fruit on sale, almost all imported
Take-out food advertised by picture, Arabic and English
In the Emirates, most notably oil-rich Abu Dhabi and Dubai, about 80% of the people are citizens of other countries. Of them, most come from South Asia, where elaborate moustaches of this sort are popular, particularly among military veterans.
This Ethiopian woman is brewing coffee in the traditional manner, grinding beans for each cup and allowing them to steep and settle for a few minutes.
From its origins in Ethiopia, coffee spread first to Yemen, then more widely through the Gulf area and eventually every continent. The process shown in this carpet remains in gourmet coffee shops around the world.
Don’t be deceived by the picture. In the Emirates, McDonald's offers Big Macs made with camel meat, not beef (as is most common around the world) or mutton (true in South Asia, to avoid problems with persons who don't eat either pork or beef for religious reasons.
Cities where large numbers of tourists gather often feature buses like this. Individuals can purchase tickets and get off or remount at various points along the fixed route. The heat of Dubai makes the air-conditioned interior far more comfortable, however.
Vasco da Gama, the first person known to circumnavigate the globe, died in Cochin in 1524, during his third visit to India. His body was subsequently reinterred in Lisbon. The church itself was completed in 1516.
Kochi became a major focus on trade on the 'maritime silk road,' running from China to Venice. Jews formed an integral part of the trade networks.
To keep parisioners cool during services, large, hand-operated ceiling fans circulated air.
Om and Malayalam sign outside temple gate
Om is a sacred Sanskrit word, honored by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.
Bidis being made. These are inexpensive, handrolled cigarettes. Given India's large population, it often makes better economic sense to favor larbor-intensive jobs over capital-intensive development.
In India, 'homely' as an adjective has very different connotations from American English. There, it refers to 'domestic' in a positive sense.
In English, the sign reads: "Notice Entry strictly for Hindus only Worshipers are requested not to enter the temple wearing shirts, banians, lungis & foot we [rest of text cut off]
Although camels are rarely seen in emirates as highly developed as Abu Dhabi, they provide a theme widely used by local carpet makers
Women's dress on sale, traditional market
Bargaining is part of the traditional give-and-take of Arab markets. This is located inside the souk [bazaar]
This potter has set up shop inside Abu Dhabi's old town, in a section catering primarily to tourists
Islamic law and tradition favor ornamental designs without human or animal figures. This superb abstract design, inside the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, shows leaves and flowers
While the local guide explains the pietra dura technique - an inlay of tightly cut, fitted and polished ornamental stones - various women remain in the background, not wanting to show their faces to the photographer
Display photo Yasir Arafat with former Sheikh of emirate
Among the many pictures honoring Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004) is this honoring him and PLO leader Yasiri Arafat [1929-2004]
The modern city of Abu Dhabi has almost completely eliminated 'traditional' ways of living, including arts and crafts. This weaver has set up shop in a heritage museum in the center of the old city. Abu Dhabi is far and away the wealthiest of the seven United Arab Emirates. Established in 1971, the UAE is financially based on Abu Dhabi. 80% of its population are non-citizens, drawn to the Emirate on short-term contracts made possible by the oil industry. Its reserves are said to rank between 3rd and 7th in the world.
These murals decorate the inside of a fortress, where men would have heavily outnumbered women.
This dharma wheel symbolizes the Buddhist path to enlightenment (nirvana). Hindus and Jains use regard the dharma wheel as sacred, along with Buddhists. Gautama Buddha first taught in the deer park at Sarnath.
Oxen (bullocks) play vital roles in India's rural economy. They likely represent the most significant investment for any family outside cities. These oxen are gathered around a watering trough, possibly being filled by a relative of their owner.
Indian camel pulling large log for processing into timber, Grand Trunk Road
Roads in India are crowded with all sorts of transport. People on foot
motorcycles or motor scooters, almost all with two or more persons on them. The Grand Trunk Road extends more than 1500 miles, and dates back more than 2000 years.
This towering stupa was originally constructed in the third century before the Common Era, by the Indian emperor Ashoka. It is India's largest stone structure. What you see here is the result of extensive archaeological research and almosot total reconstruction. Professors Claude Welch and Jeannette Ludwig stand in front of the stupa.
Dutch tiles on floor of south Indian Jewish temple
Cochin's Paradesi temple was built in 1567, more than a century before the Dutch East India Company occupied the city. Traders flourished theret, since ships could obtain fresh food and water in their long transits between South Africa and present-day Indonesia. The Dutch ruled over Cochin 1661-1795, having initially wrested it from Portugal, then losing it to England. The synagogue, still in occasional use, receives thousands of visitors annually.
Representations of Hindu deities on sale by roadside
Motor scooters and pedicabs provide transport in Chennai, India's fourth most populous city. During British colonial rule and for five decades thereafter, Chennai was known as Madras. It serves as the capital of Tamil Nadu, India's sixth largest state with 72 million residents (2011 census).
Buddha statue and Buddhist flag, Dalit village
In 1956, the well-known Indian politician BR Ambedkar led a mass conversion of Dalits [once known as 'Untouchables'] from Hinduism to Buddhism. Ambedkar died shortly after his action, but Buddhism remains significant in India. The 2011 census showed nearly 8 million practising Buddhists, out of a total population over one billion. Professors Claude Welch and Jeannette Ludwig appear in the image.
About 250,000 were killed by a massive wave, tDecember 26, 2004. An earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami affecting the entire Indian Ocean. Coastal communities were largely destroyed. Farmlands were submerged by salt water, affecting their fertility. These fields in southern Tamil Nadu did not produce their full harvests, thereby impoverishing local farmers.
Gandhi lived in this home 1917 to 1934, as a long-term guest. He launched his ultimately successful Satyagraha movement and other mass efforts to end British colonialism. It has served as a museum since 1955, and attracts large numbers of prominent visitors.
State University of New York at Buffalo.
Freshly dyed cloth drying atop Mumbai buildings
Dyers fill an entire district of Mumbai. This image shows men working with cloth in the dying vats and scores of sheets drying in the sun.
This bronzed fisherman stands in front of a Chinese-style fishing net. Rather than being towed in the open sea, such nets are attached to land.
Christianity supposedly reached southwest India long before it came to Europe. St. Thomas, one of the 12 apostles, is said to have come ~52CE.
Using his canoe and slender pole, this herder has verb? into a confined area.
People approach one of the famed Khajurado monuments, built between 950 and 1050. Their lavish ornamentation and artistic significance make the area a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Because of their natural behavior patterns, camels require close attention when they're around tourists. These camels will shortly head off with tourists mounted on their backs.
Despite the color of the peel, these are oranges. None of the people shown seem interested in buying or selling.
Clothes dry outdoors, taking advantage of the bright Indian sun.
Indians prepare tea (chai) with milk and sugar. During the centuries of British rule, tea was India's major export. Currently, only China produces more tea than India.
Economic growth can be observed in electrification, concrete construction, and is there water?
Despite the dust and noise, traveling in the back of a truck is more rapid than using a bullock.
In Hinduism, multiple arms signify power. Kali represents the destroyer and the deliverer of moksha (liberation from the cycle of life).
Working from an intricate design, this woman's carpet will sell for many times more than machine-woven ones.
No machine here: he is adding designs with a hand stamp
Inflated hot air balloon seen from below
The delicate colors and unusual contours of the balloon are as fascinating as the scenery below.
A variety of expressions mark these Indian citizens, some of whom may not have seen Westerners before.
As the balloon floats quietly, passengers can view a properous farm.
The rising sun illuminates fields in the agriculturally rich Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Hot air balloons prepared for liftoff, northern India
In a few minutes, adventurous travelers will board these balloons. Very early morning is the best time for ballooning, since wind gusts are less likely.
Inflating hot air balloon at dawn, northern India
Designed for well-heeled tourists, this balloon is being prepared to float over the plains of Rajasthan. Passengers travel in large wicker baskets (foreground and behind).
Non-polluting and easily manuverable, tricycles like this are widely used for urban deliveries in India.
Practically all his stock is on display. Given the heat of India, light-weight, comfortable sandals are preferred.
Exceptional delicacy and skill are reflected in this of place. Any other details to add? The silver reflects light, adding a shimmering effect.
An experience many better-off visitors to India enjoy is an elephant ride. This group is returning to add place.
Haircuts are generally given beside city streets. These two men find a moment to converse.
The ginger and oranges seller at the left may be sitting higher
but the older man with other vegetables has some shade.
Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism, and hence are not killed for meat. (Muslims and some Dalits do consume beef, however.) Cows have received protection under the Indian Constitution and a variety of laws. Electoral battles have frequently erupted over cattle, with Hindu nationalist parties the strongest supporters of protection.
Merchants in these cramped areas usually live above their shops, adding to safety while reducing costs. The neighborhood is electrified, a sign of India's rapid economic development.
Many Indian merchants sell goods from carts.
Labor is cheap because of rapidly increasing urban populations. Western visitors are often surprised by the large number of shop attendants: they don't grasp the economics of India.
Given high population pressure in India - one-third the size of the continent US, with more than three times the inhabitants - space is precious. No wonder historic public space like this is used by invidual families.
Particularly in South India, rice is a staple dish. Consumers buy in large sacks like these. In 2009, the average consumption was 68.2 kg 150 (lbs.) milled rice per person per year.
The three monkeys give universal signs for caution, especially needed around cash dispensers.
The meaning is clear, whether in Hindi or English
Partly as a result of British rule and class distinctions, two types of education can be found in India. State-supported schools usually teach in the vernacular of each state, with English introduced often after many students have already dropped out. Costly private schools, indicated by the uniforms worn by the girls, start English much earlier, meaning graduates have advantages in the job market.