The colorful, highly ritualized, highly sychronized, border-closing ceremony at the Pakistan-India border at Wagah.
Expectant crowds, on the Indian side
The Indian officer shows how its done
Team India march in
Some preliminary muscle-flexing
And some extravagant high-kicking
Team Pakistan are also in high form
Finally, the flags are lowered, in carefully synchrony
Amritsar
Golden Temple entrance
The Sikh Golden temple
Temple Guard
A mix of Pilgrims and Visitors
Graham, with mandatory head-scarf
Graham overlooking Golden Temple pool (Pity that I blinked!)
Part of the vast free meal service
A very large and busy kitchen
Enormous chai urns!
Central Amritsar
Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue In the former Victoria Square
Busy street leading towards the Golden Temple
That very rare sight, a strictly vegetarian McDonald's
Jallianwala Bagh garden The site of the infamous 1919 Amritsar massacre
Bullet holes from the masscare
Memorial to the massacre
Delhi
Smoggy view to Rashtrapati Bhavan
Smoggy view to Rashtrapati Bhavan
Very smoggy view to India Gate
Delhi: National Museum
Small seal stamp, Harappa, ~2700 BC Possibly "Gilgamesh holding two tigers"
Nataraja, Lord of Dance, 12th c
Garuda, 19th c
Griffin, Astana (!), 7th-8th c.
Buddhist painting, Dunhuang, 8-10th c Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara
Delhi: Qutb Minar
Qutb Minar
Stub of the Alai Minar A planned even larger minaret
The famed Iron Pillar Probably from the 4th c AD
Mumbai
A sadly smoggy day in Mumbai, mostly admiring Raj-era buildings.
Gateway of India, from the Taj
Gateway of India
Gateway of India: Inscription
The very grand Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (1903)
Taja Mahal Palace from waterfront
Taj, looking down a grand staircase
"Government of Maharashtra" Building
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum
Elphinstone College
David Sassoon Library and Reading Room (1870)
Rajabai Clock Tower, U of Mumbai
Raj-era Government building
Flora Fountain (1869) Named for the Roman Goddess
Very grand Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Formerly the Victoria Terminus
Victoria Terminus central tower
“Bombay Municipal Corporation” building (1893)
A mysteriously decayed grand dome The building below is still maintained and active
St Thomas Cathedral
Wandering cows Blessed with a bright sun ray!
Bombay Stock Exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange bull
Starbucks, "A Tata Alliance"
Unexpected and very welcome Pizza Express
Eccentric ITC Hotel Declaration
Smoggy sunset from Mumbai flight
Mumbai Bollywood Tour
On the sets of some Bollywood TV soap operas
Manicured "reality" only where needed
A street set
Please do not bring an emergency to this hospital
Our (tiny) Bollywood Dance Show
Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh: Tiger Encounter
Bandhavgarh National Park is famous for its tigers, but there is no guarantee of a sighting. I was lucky enough to get one five minute close-up encounter with a male Bengal Tiger beside the road. He was very polite and posed graciously for photos.
Pakistan
