Exciting India. Bikram Grewal

Aryans of the north came to India from Central Asia, while Arabs, Parsis and Bahais came from the Middle East and settled along the western coast. Indians are also divided along religious and caste lines, with the Hindus predominating as a religious group.

      tHE HINDUS divided according to caste, a four-tiered system that predetermines the profession and status of individuals. At the top of the caste hierarchy are the Brahmins, who are intellectuals or priests. Then come the Kshatriyas, or warriors, followed by the Vaishyas - businessmen or traders. The Shudras are on the bottom rung of the ladder, doing menial jobs. Outside the divisions of caste are the outcastes - the lowest of the low.

      An aged goat-herd from rural India.

      The driver of a steam locomotive-India boasts the largest railway network in the world.

      Muslim children at a traditional Islamic school, or madrasa.

      A tribal woman. A sadhu puffs at his chillum. Agricultural labourers at work in a paddy field.

      Sikh men performing the bhangra, a vigorous dance accompanied by rhythmic drumming and singing.

      land of

       many faiths

      A multitude of faiths exist side-by-side in India, shaping the country's heritage, life and culture. Devotion to worship and a religious way of life (within the framework of a secular state) is a defining feature of Indian society.

      The Hindu festival of Dussehra celebrates the victory of good over evil, of Rama (an incarnation of god Vishnu) over the ten-headed king Ravana after a battle that lasted ten days. The epic story-the Ramlila-is narrated and performed over nine days, and on the tenth day effigies of Ravana are burnt. Seen here is a Ramlila performer.

      fOUR OF THE WORLD'S MAJOR FAITHS on Indian soil-Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. The first two took root in India, as did Jainism and Sikhism. India also has significant though small communities of Jews and Parsis or Zoroastrians. Hinduism, which originated as far back as 1500 BC, is the dominant faith with a following of nearly 600 million. Eclectic by nature, Hinduism is the only major religion with no single founder or holy book as the scriptural authority. The Hindu pantheon of gods centres on the trinity of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer).