INDIA | The Land of Dreams and Romance

INDIA | The Land of Dreams and Romance

In 1896, at age 60, Mark Twain traveled throughout India for three months.  As I read his words, I saw my photographs of India…

“This is indeed India; the land of dreams and romance,

Taj Mahal_Agra_India

Couple at Taj Mahal_Agra_India

of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty,

of splendor and rags,

Jaipur_India

of palaces and hovels,

Jaipur_ India

of famine and pestilence,

of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps,

of tigers and elephants,

the cobra and the jungle,

Monkey_ Narlai_India

the country of a thousand nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods,

cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech,

mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of tradition,

whose yesterdays bear date with the mouldering antiquities of the rest of the nations;

the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant,

for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor,


the one land that all men desire to see,

and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.”

Mark Twain
Following the Equator, 1897

Photo by Photo credit: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

There are 6 comments for this article
  1. Tami at 7:14 pm

    “mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of tradition” My favorite pictures that tell a beautiful story without words. Precious!

  2. Evelyn Thomas at 11:22 pm

    Favorites: Back view of woman in blue, baby in cradle, the goat herder, the three Graces on the window sill.  Thanks again for my visit to India, Pam.

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