Portal:India/Selected pictures/Archive

Ajanta paintings are found in Ajanta caves, which is celebrated for its cave art and architecture. The Ajanta Caves are UNESCO World Heritage Site specifically nominated for the international World Heritage program. There are a total of 29 such caves excavated till date. Ajanta takes the name after the village Ajinṭhā in Aurangabad district, in the state of Maharashtra.

Photo credit: Eloquence

The Apa Tani, also spelled as Tani or Apatani, is a tribal group of about 25,000 in the Apatani plateau Jiro, in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The Apa Tani tribe has Tibetan origins.

Shown in the picture above is a tribal woman wearing a nose ornaments made of bamboo, during a wedding celebration. Originally, this practice started because the women wanted to look unattractive to males from other tribes. The popularity of this practice has been on the decline in the recent years. Photo credit: Doniv

The second-most populous nation in the world, India has long played a major role in human history. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism all have their origins in India, while Islam and Christianity enjoy a strong cultural heritage. Colonised as part of the British Empire in the nineteenth century, India gained independence in 1947 as a unified nation after an intense struggle for independence.

This blank map of India is one of the most comprehensive on the Internet in terms of its borders with respect to its territorial disputes with Pakistan and China.

Map credit: Nichalp

The Bengal tiger or Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger found in parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. It is the most common tiger subspecies, and lives in a variety of habitats - grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, scrub forests, wet and dry deciduous forests and mangroves. Its fur is orange-brown with black stripes, although there are also white tigers.

Photo credit: Hollingsworth, John and Karen (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Dal Lake is a famous lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, India. The lake itself is connected to a number of other lakes of the valley. With the onset of Terrorism in Kashmir in the state tourism dwindled in the 1990s, however after concerted efforts by the authorities, tourist inflow has slightly improved. During the winter season the lake sometimes freezes over. Water hyacinths and silt are the major problems affecting the lake.

Photo credit: Weft

The Gateway of India is a monument located on the waterfront of South Mumbai. Its central dome is a basalt arch, 15 metres in diameter and 26 metres above ground at its highest point. While Indo-Saracenic in architectural style, elements are derived from the Muslim architectural styles of 16th century Gujarat. The Gateway is traditionally the first thing visitors arriving by boat would see of Bombay.

Photo credit: Rhaessner

Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest lakes in the world located at an altitude of 17,100 feet (5210 m). It lies on the North side of the Khangchengyao Range in a high plateau area contiguous to the Tibetan Plateau. The stream emerging from the lake is one of the source-streams of the Tista River. The lake is named after Guru Padmasambhava, who is also known as Guru Dongmar.

Photo credit: Abhi182

IAF Mirage 2000 is a French-built multi-role fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. Its first role is to be an interceptor, yet it retains a ground-attack capability. Using only the basic concept of the delta interceptor previously seen on the classic Mirage III, Dassault built a totally new design. The Mirage 2000 has a maximum speed of Mach 2.2. In 2005, the IAF expressed its desire to purchase about 200 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft.

Photo credit: Deepak gupta

Idli is a traditional South Indian food. It is made by steaming batter made from rice and pulses (specifically black lentils), into two to three inches thick patties using a mold.

Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack, idli are usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other accompaniments. Mixtures of crushed dry spices such as milagai podi are the preferred condiment for idlis eaten on the go.

Photo credit: Nick Gray

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur is an autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institute of higher education established by the Government of India. IIT Kharagpur was the first of the seven IITs, established in 1951. The Main Building of IIT Kharagpur (pictured) houses most of the administrative offices of the institute, and also has the Central Library, an auditorium, and lecture halls. The tower of the Main Building has a Steel tank with 10,000 gallons of water capacity for emergency supply needs.

Photo credit: Saikat Sarkar

Goa is India's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. It is located on the west coast of India, in the region known as the Konkan. The state is divided into two districts: North Goa (purple shades) and South Goa (orange shades) and the districts are further divided into eleven talukas. Panaji is the state's capital, and Vasco-da-Gama (Vasco) its largest town.

Photo credit: Nichalp

Munnar is a small town located in Idukki district, of the southern state of Kerala in India. The name is most often used to refer to the whole tourist area, of which the town forms a part. It is located at the confluence of the mountain streams Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. It is surrounded by wild jungles and is wet and cold for most of the season.Though part of Kerala state,Tamil workers brought from Tamilnadu and their successors are now majority in Munnar.

Photo credit: Coolmallu1

The Nishi tribe is a Sino-Indian tribe, concentrated around Arunachal Pradesh in India. Photographed is a Nishi tribal man at Lumdung, Arunachal Pradesh. The unique headdress, which features a Great Indian Hornbill beak on the top, and in this case, monkey hair at the back is a distinguishing feature of the tribe. The headdress itself is made of bamboo/cane, which the tribals weave themselves. They tie their hair in a knot at the front, and pass a slender brass skewer through it.

Photo credit: Doniv

Pangong Tso (also known as Pangong lake) is a lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4500m. It is 134 km long and extends from India to Tibet. Two thirds of the length of this lake falls in Tibet (China). It is only 8 km wide at its broadest point. In winter, the lake freezes completely despite being salt water. It can be reached by road in a couple of hours from Leh. The road passes through the third highest pass in the world, the Changla pass.

Photo credit: martinl

The National Highways of India provide a means of long-distance travel and movement of freight. Majority of the 227 national highways are two-laned (one in each direction), and constitute a total of about 58,000 km, of which 4,885 km are median-separated express highways. This roadway map of India provides extensive details of the national highways in India.

Map credit: Planemad

The Sidi Saiyyad Ni Jaali is the name given to the intricately carved stone window flanking the central aisle of the Sidi Saiyyed mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Jaali is the Gujarati word for net. The name literally means "the net of Sidi Saiyyed". The design of intertwined tree and foliage, a palm and parasite motif has become an unofficial symbol of Ahmedabad.

Photo credit: User:L1CENSET0K1LL

The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India is one of the twelve Jyotirlings (golden lingas) symbols of the God Shiva. It is mentioned in the Rig Veda. Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal".

Photo credit: Bharath12345

The Sakyamuni Buddha is the earliest form of the Buddha to be worshipped in India. This form shows the Buddha in the moment he reached enlightenment, as depicted by the "ground-touching" position, touching his lotus with the tip of his hand and with a serene expression on his face. The photograph shows a statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in the Tawang Gompa in Arunachal Pradesh. It is a 8 metre high gilded statue, and is the most important feature of the Gompa.

Photo credit: Doniv

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, was commissioned by the 17th century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a mausoleum for his Persian wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Built over a period of 23 years, it is a masterpiece of Mughal architecture, featuring the finest materials from all over India and Asia. Its gleaming facade is clad in white marble from Rajasthan and inlaid with 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones.

Photo credit: Sandeep Dhirad

A vertical Tibetan prayer flag in the Zanskar region of northern India. The vertical style, called darchor, is less common than the horizontal style, called lungta. Horizontal prayer flags are squares connected at the top edges with a long thread. The less used vertical prayer flags are usually single squares or groups of squares sewn on poles which are planted in the ground or on rooftops. Unique to Tibetan Buddhism, these flags are panels or rectangles of colourful cloth strung along mountain ridges and peaks in the Himalayas to bless the surrounding countryside. Prayer flags are believed to have originated with the original Bön religion which pre-dated Buddhism in Tibet.

Photo credit: Moumine

The Toda people are a small pastoral tribe of less than 1,000 people who reside in the Nilgiri hills of Southern India. Shown here is a typical Toda hut, about 3 m (10 ft.) high, 5.5 m (18 ft.) long and 2.7 m (9 ft.) wide. They are built of bamboo fastened with rattan and thatched. The hut has only a tiny (about 0.9 x 0.9 m, 3 x 3 ft.) entrance at the front, which serves as protection from wild animals.

Photo credit: Pratheepps