India: People, Place, Culture, History

377 Pages·2008·55.59 MB·English

by  Abraham Eraly

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ISBN 978-0-7566-4246-4 (cid:69)(cid:103)(cid:94)(cid:99)(cid:105)(cid:90)(cid:89)(cid:21)(cid:94)(cid:99)(cid:21)(cid:56)(cid:93)(cid:94)(cid:99)(cid:86)
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P E O P L E P L A C E C U L T U R E H I S T O R Y
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INDIA_US_PLC.indd 1 12/5/08 11:12:29
I N D I A

I N D I A
abraham eraly yasmin khan george michell mitali saran
London, new York, MeLbourne,
Munich, and deLhi
Senior editor Paula Regan
Project editors Sam Atkinson, Rohan Sinha,
Sarah Tomley, Steve Setford
Assistant editor Manisha Thakkar
US editor Christine Heilman
Senior art editor Alison Shackleton
Project art editor Anna Hall
Designers Tannishtha Chakraborty, c o n t e n t s
Elly King, Clare Shedden
Managing editor Debra Wolter
Managing art editor Karen Self
LANDSCAPE INDIA’S HORIZONS
Art director Bryn Walls
Publisher Jonathan Metcalf Northern Mountains Himalayas and Foothills 8
Fertile Valleys Rivers and Plains 22
Production editor Phil Sergeant
The Arid West Deserts, Marshes, and Lakes 34
Production controller Rita Sinha
Southern Plateau The Deccan and Ghats 44
Picture researcher Louise Thomas Tropical Coasts Cities, Beaches, and Islands 52
Photography Gary Ombler and Christopher Pillitz
Additional photography Amit Pasricha and
Deepak Aggarwal HISTORY THE STORY OF INDIA
Illustrations Cathy Brear and Phil Gamble
Prehistoric India (4000–700 BCE) 64
Researchers / interviewers Sudha Menon and
Malavika Talukder The Age of Transition (700–362 BCE) 68
The First Empire (362–185 BCE) 72
First American Edition, 2008
An Empire Divided (185 BCE–100 CE) 74
Published in the United States by The Golden Age (100–500) 78
DK Publishing The Dark Ages (500–997) 84
375 Hudson Street
The Coming of Islam (997–1526) 88
New York, New York 10014
The Mughal Empire (1526–1757) 92
08 09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The British Raj (1757–1947) 98
Independent India (1947–2010) 106
ID077 – September 2008
The Future of India 110
Copyright @ 2008 Dorling Kindersley Limited
All rights reserved
PEOPLE A DAY IN THE LIFE
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under
Hindu Priest 114
copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, Apatani Tribeswoman 122
or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,
Nobleman 130
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without
the prior written permission of both the copyright owner Elephant Handlers 134
and the above publisher of this book.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited
A catalog record for this book is available from the
Library of Congress
ISBN: 978-0-7566-3977-8 (PLC)
ISBN: 978-0-7566-4246-4 (PLCJ)
Color reproduction by Media Development & Printing Limited
Printed and bound in China by Leo Paper Products Ltd.

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Train Driver 142 Amber Fort 318
Hindu Bride 150 Taj Mahal 324
Ayurvedic Masseur 162 Meenakshi Temple 332
Schoolchild 168 Baha‘i House of Worship 338
Dabbawallah 176 Great Stupa 342
Dance Teacher 184 Adinatha Temple 348
Mangrove Boatman 192 Lakshmana Temple 352
Langar Cook 196
Dhurrie Weaver 202 TRAVEL EXPLORING INDIA
President’s Bodyguard 208 Delhi & the North 358
Central India 360
CULTURE THE SPIRIT OF INDIA Eastern India 362
The Cycle of Life 218 Western India 364
Land of Many Faiths 234 Southern India 366
Art and Performance 246 Travellers‘ Needs 368
Classical Literature 264 Survival Guide 370
ARCHITECTURE BUILDING A NATION INDEX 372
Adalaj Vav 278 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 376
Shekhawati Haveli 284
Thatched Mud Hut 288
Portuguese Mansion 292
Stone House 298
Fatehpur Sikri 302
Padmanabhapuram 310

l a n d s ca p e
IndIa’s horIzons
Stretching 3,150 km (1,960 miles) from north to south, India’s vast territory
includes some of the most varied terrain to be found in any one country. High
mountains in the North give way to plains that are fed by some of the mightiest
rivers in the world. The rich greenery and foothills of the central region contrast
with the deserts and salt flats of the West, and the rocky belly of the Deccan
Plateau in the South is edged by the green ridges of the hills known as the
Ghats. Some of India’s landscape is truly unique, such as the high-altitude
desert of Ladakh in the North, or the immense tract of forest and salt water that
forms the Sundarbans estuary in West Bengal. Some of it is precious, like the
forests that harbour tigers and other endangered species, and the wetlands
that nurture rare bird life. Some of it is virginal, and some of it is marked forever
by human presence. But the landscapes of India do have one thing in common:
they are all extremely beautiful. This visual journey through the terrain of the
country captures the many physical faces of the Indian subcontinent.
landscape inDia’s horizons
extending along the northern edge of India from Jammu and Kashmir to arunachal pradesh,
the himalayas and their foothills comprise the Earth’s youngest and highest mountain range. This
2,500-km- (1,550-mile-) long barrier between the rest of india and the Tibetan Plateau includes varied
terrain, from temperate forests and high-altitude deserts to icy peaks. india’s northern mountains
shelter fragile cultures and ecosystems, sustain fruit orchards, feed hydroelectric power, and draw
travellers and adventurers with some of the world’s most beautiful and exciting scenery.
n o r t h e r n m o u n ta i n s
himalayas and foothills

Khalatse, Jammu and KashmIr
Winter snow patterns a field at Khalatse village, on
the banks of the Suru River. Four-fifths of Ladakh’s
population live in small settlements like this one,
made largely self-sufficient by their remoteness.