Tuesday August 31, 2004, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Sikh religious celebrations

Sikh men bath in the sacred pool at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Sikh men bath in the sacred pool outside the Golden Temple.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Tuesday November 19, 2002, Bihar, India

Buddhist ceremonies in India

A bird sits on the head of a monk during the Kalachakra held at the site where Buddah attained enlightenment in the Indian state of Bihar.

A bird sits atop the head of a Buddhist monk.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday May 2, 2003, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, India

Child marriage in India

A three-year-old child bride is held by her father, beside the young girl's 15-year-old husband. Altough child marriages were made illegal after India gained its independence in 1947, some regins of the country continue the practice.

A child bride is held by her father beside her groom ahead of a marriage ceremony at a local temple.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday September 10, 2004, Mcleod Ganj, India

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama at his official residential compound in McLeod Ganj. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled Tibet for India in March of 1959 after a major uprising against Chinese troops asserting control over the disputed region.

The Dalai Lama at his official residence in India.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Tuesday May 9, 2006, Srinagar, Kashmir, India

Daily life in Kashmir

A young girl peers out from inside an auto rickshaw while riding through the Kashmiri city of Srinagar. The economic nerve center of the Kashmir Valley, Srinagar has been celebrated as a tourist destination for centuries.

A girl rides in an auto rickshaw.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

2007, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Acid attacks a common outrage in Bangladesh

An acid burn victim recovers at a hospital in Dhaka. In Bangladesh and India, attacks with nitric or sulfuric acid are common, especially those directed at women. Victims attacked in this manner are often ostracized by their families and condemned to a lifetime of trauma.

An acid burn victim recovers at a hospital in Dhaka.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

2007, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Acid attacks a common outrage in Bangladesh

An acid burn victim is rapped with gauze at a hospital in Dhaka. In Bangladesh and India, attacks with nitric or sulfuric acid are common, especially those directed at women. Victims attacked in this manner are often ostracized by their families and condemned to a lifetime of trauma.

An acid burn victim is rapped with gauze at a hospital in Dhaka.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

2007, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Acid attacks a common outrage in Bangladesh

An acid burn victim meets with a councilor, herself a burn survivor, at a hospital in Dhaka. In Bangladesh and India, attacks with nitric or sulfuric acid are common, especially those directed at women. Victims attacked in this manner are often ostracized by their families and condemned to a lifetime of trauma.

An acid burn victim meets with a councilor, herself a burn survivor.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Wednesday March 15, 2006, Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, India

Sikh religious celebrations

A Sikh religious warrior known as a "nihang" is covered in colored powder during a celebration of the "Hola Mohalla" in the Punjab town of Anandpur Sahib.

A Sikh religious warrier, known as a Nihang, is covered in colored powder.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Wednesday November 10, 2004, Agra, India

Four centuries after its construction, the Taj Mahal continues to marvel the world

Built between 1631 and 1654 by a workforce of some 20,000, the Taj Mahal was built by the Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Arjumand Bano Begum. It is generally considered as the finest example of Mughal architecture and combines elements of Indian and Persian styles. Rather than being one building, the Taj Mahal is actually a complex of several structures and an extensive garden. Arjumand Bano Begum's tomb is located beneath the main white marble structure.

A botman travels along the Yamanu River, passing the Taj Mahal at sunrise.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday April 23, 2004, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, India

Child marriage in India

A child bride is carried by her brother as they walk beside the groom during a marriage ceremony in Madhya Pradesh. Altough child marriages were made illegal after India gained its independence in 1947, some regins of the country continue the practice.

A child bride is carried by her brother as they walk beside the groom during a marriage ceremony in Madhya Pradesh.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday November 12, 2004, Armritsar, Punjab, India

Sikh religious celebrations

Sikh children visit the Golden Temple in Armitsar during Diwali, the annual Festival of Lights.

Sikh children gather before lit candles outside the Golden Temple during the Festival of Lights.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday November 12, 2004, Armritsar, Punjab, India

Sikh religious celebrations

Sikhs visit the Golden Temple in Armitsar during Diwali, the annual Festival of Lights.

Sikhs visit the Golden Temple during the Festival of Lights.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday May 2, 2003, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, India

Child marriage in India

A child bride and her seven-year-old groom take part in a marriage ceremony in Madhya Pradesh. Altough child marriages were made illegal after India gained its independence in 1947, some regins of the country continue the practice.

A child bride and her seven-year-old groom.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Thursday August 15, 2002, Mumbai, India

Dabbawallas toil in a centuries-old trade in Bombay

Dabbawallas wait for a commuter train at a station in suburban Mumbai. Sometimes referred to as tiffin-wallas, dabbawallahs work to ferry freshly made food from home in lunch boxes to office workers. Though the work sounds simple, it is actually a highly specialized trade that is over a century old and which has become integral to Mumbai's culture.

Dabbawallas wait for a commuter train.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Sunday April 10, 2005, Katmandu, Nepal

Bisket Festival in Nepal

Nepalese youth pull and push a colorful chariot through a town square outside the city of Katmandu during the Bisket Festival.

Nepalese children push and pull a colorful chariot during the Bisket Festival.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Thursday September 15, 2005, Mumbai, India

Daily life in Mumbai

The Indian city of Mumbai, which boasts a population of 18 million serves as a hub for numerous financial institutions, including the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Reserve Bank of Inida. The city's glitzy financial district belies the many problems faced by a large urban center the likes of Mumbai. Moderate crime, poverty and poor health care are all problems faced by many of the city's inhabitants.

A man chats on his cell phone while holding onto scaffolding which supports billboards.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Saturday September 10, 2005, Leh, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Buddism in India's former Ladakh region

Buddhist nun walk around a prayer wheel on the roadside outside the town of Leh. Once the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, today the Leh District is a part of the embattled Jammu and Kashmir state.

Buddhist nun walks around a prayer wheel.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday April 7, 2006, Katmandu, Nepal

Neplis protest rule of monarch

Protesters in Katmandu confront riot police during a demonstration against Nepal's King Gyanendra. Violoent protests against the monarch have enveloped Katmandu in recent weeks, leading to the deaths of over a dozen protesters.

Protesters in Kathmandu confront police during a demonstration.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Thursday August 5, 2004, Bhopal, India

Reminders of the Bhopal disaster

A gas survivor activist holds the deformed hands of a woman exposed to deadly chemicals during the Bhopal disaster. In the early morning hours of December 3, 1984, a Union Carbide subsidiary pesticide plant accidentally released 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas, immediately killing nearly 3,000 people and ultimately causing upwards of 22,000 total deaths.

A gas survivor activist holds the deformed hands of a woman exposed to deadly chemicals during the Bhopal disaster.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Saturday September 10, 2005, Hemis, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Buddism in India's former Ladakh region

A man walks his bull back home at sundown near Hemis. Once the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, today the Leh District is a part of the embattled Jammu and Kashmir state.

A man walks his bull back home at sunset.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday September 2, 2005, Srinagar, Kashmir, India

Daily life in Kashmir

Each year at the main mosque in Srinagar, tens-of-thousands of Kashmiri's come to view a relic believed to be a piece of hair belonging to the prophet Muhammad. The economic nerve center of the Kashmir Valley, Srinagar has been celebrated as a tourist destination for centuries.

Kashmiri muslims reach out towards the sky while gathered together in a large crowd to see an Islamic relic.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Sunday October 5, 2003, Calcutta, Bengal, India

Durga Puja Festival in Bengal

Devotees carry a Goddess statue into the waters of the Bay of Bengal during an immersion ceremony held at the close of the Durga Puja Festival. The largest festival for Bengali Hindus, Durga Puja is held over a ten-day period, which is traditionally viewed as the coming of the married daughter, Durga, to her father, Himalaya's home.

Devotees carry a Goddess statue into the waters of the Bay of Bengal during an immersion ceremony.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Tuesday August 12, 2003, Trimbakeshwar, India

Naga's celebrate Kungh Mela in India

Naked sadhus, or "naga" take part in the royal bath at the Kumbh Mela. These Hindu pilgrimages occur four times every twelve years and rotate among four locations.

Naked sadhus, or "naga" take part in the royal bath at the Kumbh Mela.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

2007, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Assassinated politician buried in Kashmir

Kashmiri men carry the body of an assassinated politician for burial in the Martyrs cemetery in Srinagar.

Kashmiri men carry the body of an assasinated politician during a funeral.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday February 7, 2003, Calcutta, West Bengal, India

Durga Puja Festival in Bengal

Devotees of Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge, carry her idol to an immersion ceremony in Calcutta. The largest festival for Bengali Hindus, Durga Puja is held over a ten-day period, which is traditionally viewed as the coming of the married daughter, Durga, to her father, Himalaya's home.

Devotees of Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge, carry her idol to an immersion ceremony.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday September 16, 2005, Mumbai, India

Daily life in Mumbai

With one million inhabitants, Dharavi is considered the largest slum in all of Asia. Located to the north of Greater Mumbai, it is a place of squalor and hardship but also enterprise and non-stop activity. Throughout the small alleyways of Dharavi, a sort-of sub-economy has developed. The production of items the likes of clay pots and leather bags in the area have contributed to an annual turnover of $665 million in product sales. Some of the more famous visitors to Dharavi include former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Prince Charles.

A young rag picker walks along a huge water pipeline that rund through a Mumbai slum.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Thursday August 15, 2002, Mumbai, India

Dabbawallas_in_Bombay

A dabbawalla rides a bike loaded with tiffins while delivering meals in Mumbai. Sometimes referred to as tiffin-wallas, dabbawallahs work to ferry freshly made food from home in lunch boxes to office workers. Though the work sounds simple, it is actually a highly specialized trade that is over a century old and which has become integral to Mumbai's culture.

A dabbawalla rides a bicycle loaded down with lunches to deliver.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Friday April 23, 2004, Rajasthan, India

Child marriage in India

The hands of a child groom are adorned with henna during a marriage ceremony. Altough child marriages were made illegal after India gained its independence in 1947, some regins of the country continue the practice.

The hands of a child groom are adorned with henna during a marriage ceremony.

Credit: Christopher Brown / Polaris

Christopher Brown