India has always been a country of contrasts — and of incredible beauty. These 28 photos — taken between 1900—1908 — are not only interesting because they bring to life a past that doesn’t exist any more, but also because the people and places in these photos prove that India has always been a country that is gloriously, exhilaratingly alive. The heart of India beats on.
1. Man dives from the top of a 50 ft tower into a tank below — Fatehpur Sikri
2. State barge of the Maharaja of Kashmir — Srinagar
3. A man and his ox-cart — Kolkata
4. Rock-hewn temple — Elephanta
5. Parsi headmaster and his students — Uran, Navi Mumbai
6. Golden Temple — Amritsar
7. Mahapalika Marg — Mumbai
8. Colonnade at Dilwara Jain Temple — Mount Abu
9. Naldehra — Shimla
10. Inflating bullock-skin boats to cross the river — Banks of the Sutlej
11. Akbar’s Tomb, Sikandara — Agra
12. Temple pillars — Madurai
13. On the banks of the Ganga — Varanasi
14. Funeral procession — Agra
15. Lush country surrounding the Dilwara Temples — Mount Abu
16. Shepherds tend their flock — Mount Abu
17. Schoolboys at the Golden Temple — Amritsar
18. Bride and bridegroom — Mumbai
19. The Taj Mahal reflected in the Yamuna — Agra
20. Crowd watches a performing bear — Jaipur
21. Jama Masjid — Delhi
22. Worshippers at Dilwara Temple — Mount Abu
23. Entrance to Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandara — Agra
24. Temple pond — Varanasi
25. Palace of Man Singh — Gwalior
26. Crossing the Jhelum — en route to Kashmir
27. Meditating under the hot sun — Mount Abu
28. Shops on a busy street — Delhi
