So vast and varied are its contrasts that India seems to exist as a world unto itself. My favorite places thrive beyond the country’s sleek marketing campaign, so I make my way to Nagaland in the northeast, among the mass of humanity that is the Kumbh Mela festival and to meet the dignified Rajput villagers struggling against the desert near Jaisalmer.

A woman from the Dard Brokpa minority in the Aryan Valley, Ladakh.
Tso Moriri lake in Ladakh, sitting at an altitude of 4,522m
Konyak Naga tribesman at the Hornbill Festival in Kohima, India.
The ancient Gwalior Fort in India's Madhya Pradesh.
Rajput woman living in the Thar Desert, near Jaisalmer, India.
Taj Mahal shortly after sunrise.
The marble Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, India.
Konyak Nagas at the Hornbill Festival, Kohima, India.
Portrait of an Indian farmer in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Woman from the Meena tribe, near Alwar in Rajasthan
Chatris of Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Portrait of a monk at Hemis Monastery, Ladakh.
Tribal performers at the Hornbill Festival in Kohima, Nagaland.
Naga Baba at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahbad, India.
Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.
The road leading into the Nubra Valley in Ladakh, India.
Panorama of the Nubra Valley, India.
Monks blowing horns at Thiksay Monastery, Ladakh, India.
A teenage girl from the Dard Brokpa minority in the Aryan Valley, Ladakh.
Gangaa Aarti performed in Varanasi, India.
Nomad boy at Tso Moriri Lake, Ladakh.
A man navigates his boat before sunrise at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India.
Hawa Mahal palace in Jaipur, India.
Buddha image at Thiksay Monastery, Ladakh, India.
A man from the Angami tribe in Nagaland displays his full traditional attire at his home in Kohima