ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY, THE WORK OF PEPPER K. ETTERS

Asia: India 2002

One of the largest and most populated countries in the world, India is a land of extremes. Home to all major religions, countless ethnicities, hundreds of languages, and just about every ecosystem imaginable, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the wealth of sensory data that inundates a visitor to this incredible country. But with a little patience and good humor, it's not difficult to come away from an experience here without a greater respect for cultural, religious, ethnic and environmental diversity.

A lone devotee prays at the mosque of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
   
A man seduces cobras outside the palace of Jaipur.
   
Two riders lead their camels across the flood plains below the Taj Mahal.
     
  
The mosque at the Taj Mahal sits empty in Agra.
   
The classic view of the Taj Mahal is still one of Earth's most impressive sights.
  
The Taj Mahal is framed by a dark archway.
     
  
A young boy rows a boat on the Ganges River in Varanasi. Varanasi is considered by Hindus to be the most sacred place on earth, and believers come from around India to bathe in the river and purify their souls.