Tag Archives: rajasthan

The Thar Desert, or Great Indian Desert, is an arid region that forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. A relatively large area, it spreads across four Indian states (Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan) and two Pakistani states. The Thar Desert is the most densely populated desert in the world, with 83 people per square km. This population lives in small villages, far apart from each […]

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There are countless deities in the Indian pantheon. Sometimes it seems that the number of religions and cults is almost as high. Scattered around the Western Thar Desert of India and Pakistan are villages of people calling themselves Bishnois. Followers of “Jambhaji”, as Guru Jambheshwar of Bikaner (b.1451) became known, these people are predominantly descended from Jat peasants and Rajput warriors from the north: Haryana, […]

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It was only the promise of masala chai, or “mixed-spice tea”, that got me out of bed before the sun, and onto a Jaisalmer rooftop with my tripod and cameras on a cold November morning. I love chai. Nothing says “India” to me like chai: that hot sweetened tea, made rich from the boiled buffalo milk (or full-cream cow milk) and spicy […]

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India! Hot air and warm smiles. Chaos everywhere: trash and cow pats underfoot, birds overhead, and roadways crowded with pedestrians, cows, cars, and bikes all around. But it’s the colour that I love… And the natural grace of the people: everywhere you look there are people, young and old, draped on doorsteps or leaning against […]

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