1000 Sacred Places: The World's Most Extraordinary Spiritual Sit

Spanning prehistoric times to the present, 1000 Sacred Places is a richly illustrated guide to the world's most extraordinary spiritual sites.

ISBN 9783833154805

Price `1,407

20th Century Travel: 100 Years Of Globe-Trotting Ads

With an introduction, decade-by-decade analysis, and an illustrated timeline, this book highlights the cultural and technological developments that transformed travel from a cushioned journey of the elite into a convenient leisure pastime for the general public. "20th Century Travel" takes us on a grand tour of travel's golden age.

ISBN 9783836519410

Price `2,123

A JOURNEY THROUGH INDIA

A search for the essence of India: from the blue-white icy Himalayan settlements and crimson-clad Buddhist monks to Kanyakumari, where the three oceans meet. Also in French.

ISBN 9788174370587

Price `295

A PASSAGE THROUGH INDIA

An Indian journey is rich in its diversity, a colourful exploration of people, places, myths, monuments, art, culture, cuisine and celebrations. And India is a country not so much for seeing as for experiencing. In a departure from the merely exotic, A Passage Through India is a journey into the heartland of a nation that writers since the dawn of time have been exploring for independent interpretation. This account of a journey through India follows the natural contours of the land, and is amply illustrated with rare pictures from the sensitive camera of a gifted photographer. A Passage Through India offers written and visual images of a beautiful country, vignettes that transcend time to bring alive the spirit of one of the world's oldest civilizations.

ISBN 9788174361141

Price `850

AGRA

Few people know just how much more there is to Agra than the Taj Mahal. A recent listing by INTACH has identified many beautiful ruined Mughal gardens, tombs and mosques, colonial buildings, and havelis along the winding lanes of the old city. For those who want to range wider than the normal tourist route, Lucy Peck's new book takes the visitor through historic Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, revealing the lesser-known buildings to be found in both places. It is illustrated with photos, line drawings and numerous maps, many of which feature walks through the historic areas.

ISBN 9788174366115

Price `350

AJANTA & ELLORA

Ajanta & Ellora - grand, mysterious and awe-inspiring. These cave temples, located in a horseshoe-shaped hillside in Maharashtra, contain some of the world's most beautiful paintings and sculptures on their walls. Nameless artisans of another age, in one creative burst of energy, shaped these incomparable works of art that encompass Buddhist, Hindu and Jain beliefs. This book's lucid text and vivid photographs explain some of the mystique of these caves.

ISBN 9788174370990

Price `295

BANARAS

These souvenir books offer unbeatable value and quality. Subjects include places of interest, art and cultural heritage, erotica and cookery. The list is endless!

ISBN 9788174360198

Price `125

BANARAS & SARNATH

One of the oldest living cities in the world, Banaras is a blend of the mythical and the historical. This book brings alive the mystical town through brilliant photographs and an insightful text. Also in Japanese.

ISBN 9788174360519

Price `295

BHUTAN

Instead of putting the Gross National Product at the centre of our endeavours, let us strive for Gross National Happiness.' This quotation of Bhutan's fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, reveals the essence of what makes his country on the southern slopes of the Himalayas so exceptional. Bhutan has been cut off from the rest of the world for a long time. Though its borders have been open since 1974, few visitors have been there. Since the first democratic elections in 2008, Bhutan has now joined the modern world. In spite of that, it tries to be faithful to its own traditions while harvesting the advantages of modernity. Daily life is still characterized by its century-old religious and cultural traditions. They are the 'capital' of a society that strives for 'Gross National Happiness'. The faces in this book mirror the dignity and self-confidence of people who have found their place in society: members of the royal family, monks, religious dancers, peasants herders, artisans, children and elderly, women and men. Each one of them stepped voluntarily into the portable studio, told his/her name and explained where and how he/she lived and earned his/her livelihood. This portable studio, designed by the photographer himself, is like a huge black cube that can be set up anywhere: in the king's palace, on a village square or anywhere within the confines of a monastery of temple. The canvas provides a neutral background for the photography, so the eye of the viewer can concentrate fully on the photographed individual. The biographical data adds intensity to the portraits. People have a history and their history has a face. This unusual studio photography is accompanied and framed by photographs of an archaic landscape that can only be found along the slopes of the mighty Himalayas' towering mountains, fortress-like monasteries, grazing yak herds and untouched forests. This book offers a fascinating view of a world in the process of slow change. which in many respects has the power of being exemplary in a world beset by the ills of a far too fast moving modernity.

ISBN 9788174366788

Price `1,995

BHUTAN

Tucked away in the eastern Himalayas, between the riverine plains of India and the cold and arid Tibetan plateau, Bhutan is the country of dreams, dragons, legends and landscapes. With its sparkling verdant valleys, gurgling streams and forests aglow with wild orchids, this picturesque country is like none other. But Bhutan is more than just temperate forests and tropical jungles. It is the land where the king initiates the move towards democracy, where the people are firmly rooted in religion and are fiercely proud of their history. Most of all, it is a country on the path of development, but without sacrificing its values or polluting the environment. This book brings alive all these aspects of the dragon country through some exquisite illustrations in colour and a flowing narrative.

ISBN 9788174360618

Price `595

Bhutan

ISBN 9788174368591

Price `1,495

BIRDS OF KANGRA

The historic Himalayan valley of Kangra in northwest India isan area of unique natural beauty that is particularly rich in bird life. Mostvisitors notice the assortment of remarkably coloured forest birds and thenumerous birds of prey that are seen at close range from the hill station ofDharamsala. Every yearthousands of steppe eagles migrate through the area, while over 100,000 wetlandbirds from Siberia, Central Asia, Tibet and China winter at Pong Lake, one ofnorthwest India's most important wetlands. Birds Of Kangra details thebirds of this unique area. Combining over 500 photographs with precisedescriptions and stories drawn from rich local folklore, it is a thoroughlyresearched account of the more than 550 species of birds and a unique souvenirof the area.

ISBN 9788190129749

Price `450

BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE

Buddhist Pilgrimage takes us on a journey through beautiful, evocative illustrations and a text on the Buddha's life, the places where he lived and taught, and the millions who follow his teachings. Also in Japanese.

ISBN 9793174370869

Price `295

CALCUTTA

Calcutta is the place where the West first truly encountered the East. Founded in the 1690s by the East India Company merchants besides the Hoogly River, Calcutta grew into both India's capital during the Raj and the second city of the British Empire. Named the City of Palaces for its grand neo-classical mansions, Calcutta was the city of Clive Hastings, Macaulay and Curzon. It was also home to extraordinary Bengalis such as Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Noble laureate; and Satyajit Ray, among the geniuses of world cinema. Above all, Calcutta (renamed Kolkata in 2001) is a city of extremes, where exquisite refinement rubs shoulders with coarse commercialism and savage political violence. Krishna Dutta explores these multiple paradoxes, giving personal insight into Calcutta's unique history and modern identity as reflected in its architecture, cinema and music. City of artists: modern India's cultural capital; home city of Tagore, Ray and Jamini Roy; college street and the annual book fair; a city of learning and books. City of Durga and Kali: Kumortuli's holy images and the flamboyant annual Durga Puja; Kalighat Temple, and Kali, Calcutta's divine and terrible protectress. City of palaces: grand colonial monuments and crumbling mansions of the Bengali babus; a mix of Palladian, Baroque, Rococo, Gothic, Hindu and Islamic architecture.

ISBN 9788174362605

Price `295

China Art Now

he Cultural Revolution suppresed the creativity of the Chinese people for a generation, but following the death of Mao in 1976, Chinese artists immediately began making their mark on the international art scene. Never has interest in Chinese contemporary art been greater than it is now at galleries in London, New York, Paris, Shanghai, and even Beijing.

ISBN 9782080304407

Price `2,526

CRUISE: IDENTITY, DESIGN AND CULTURE

Cruise delightfully recalls a time of gracious travel, as well as the modern-day evolution of cruising at sea. It explores the design and culture of cruise ships from the golden age of the interwar period, up to the present when cruise ships have come to embrace "entertainment architecture." Packed full of illustrations of all aspects of cruise ship designinteriors, entertainment, travel posters, and other ephemerathis timely book also documents the current renaissance in cruise vacations.Traveling by cruise ship, especially between the wars and into the '50s, was the most luxurious and stylish form of transport available. Many of the greatest liners were built during that time, including France's Normandie, whose Art Deco interior was one of the most lavishand beautifulever created. This up-to-date visual history of ocean travel, complete with full illustrations and a lively survey of every aspect of sailing on the high seas, will appeal to and delight a broad audience including cruise ship enthusiasts, designers, and nostalgia buffs.

ISBN 9781856694469

Price `595

DELHI

Delhi's glorious history comes alive through Lucy Peck's text, which provides insights into Delhi's built heritage and weaves in interesting anecdotes from the city's past. From early Sultanate Delhi to New Delhi today, the author traces the architectural influences of each period of the city's past and brings to attention even the lesser known ruins found scattered throughout Delhi. This accessible guide to Delhi's rich architectural heritage includes photographs, line drawings and maps of all the areas covered. Aimed at both local inhabitants as well as the interested visitor, the book includes over 600 structures and walking routes for each area covered.

ISBN 9788174363541

Price `500

DELHI

Delhi, the seat of empires from prehistoric times, has witnessed seven dynasties trying to found cities at its site. Modern Delhi incorporates not only Lal Kot, Ferozabad, Jahanpanah and Shahjahanabad, but also Lutyens' Delhi, which was the British attempt at rivalling the earlier glory. However, Delhi is not just history. It is a living and growing modern city, embodying in itself all the contradictions that go into making India.

ISBN 9788174370341

Price `125

DELHI, AGRA & JAIPUR

A book on the three cities for everyone - the tourist, the ardent shopper, the souvenir hunter, the gourmet and the historian. Also in French, Spanish and German.

ISBN 9788174370082

Price `295

DELHI, AGRA, JAIPUR

The kaleidoscope that is India comes to evocative life in its capital, Delhi, where a succession of cities have influenced the country's fortunes over centuries. Here, powerful empires have left behind their impress in a celebration of ritual festivities, art, music and dance, in food, and in that touchstone of great civilisations - monuments that have stood the test of time. If Delhi provides a tantalising glimpse of India's history, caught in a time-warp of the past and the present, then Agra - once also the capital of the country - is a shrine for worshippers of beauty. Its leitmotif is the Taj Mahal, humankind's purest, most beautiful requiem to love, a tomb that is a memorial palace to an empress and her emperor, Shah Jahan. Yet there is so much more to discover here, from abandoned cities to smaller garden tombs, making Agra one of those cities where great empires once challenged time. At the third end of this golden triangle is Jaipur, the provincial capital of Rajasthan. Established by the solar-descended Kachwaha dynasty, here is medieval India preserved with all its splendour of palaces and forts, temples and crafts, colour, pageantry and celebration. This book captures the ambience of these three cities, in words and pictures, blending them together to offer a fascinating glimpse of enduring India.

ISBN 9788174370624

Price `595