The annual monsoon rains have come heavy and early to India, swelling the Ganges, India's longest river, sweeping away houses, stranding thousands, and and killing more than 100 so far. Record downpours fell in Uttarakhand state, situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, causing mudslides and flooding mountain villages. The high water is now reaching the capital of New Delhi, where nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated to government-run camps on higher ground. Authorities there said the situation would ease as the level of the Yamuna River was expected to start receding Thursday afternoon. [23 photos]
A submerged idol of Hindu Lord Shiva stands in the flooded River Ganges in Rishikesh, in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, on June 18, 2013. Torrential monsoon rains have cause havoc in northern India leading to flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides as the death toll continues to climb and more than 1,000 pilgrims bound for Himalayan shrines remain stranded. (AP Photo)
diversity is everywhere in India, from its religions and languages to its economy, and climates. The second-most populous nation in the world, India is home to more than 1.2 billion people. Most are Hindu, but seven other religions -- including Islam, Christianity and Sikhism -- make up nearly 20 percent of the population. January 26 will be India's 62nd Republic Day, marking the date in 1950 when the country's constitution came into force. Collected here are recent photos from across the vast nation, offering only a small glimpse of the people and diversity of India. [41 photos]
Indian soldiers from the Border Security Forces atop camels stand at attention in front of the Presidential Palace during a ceremony in preparation for the annual Beating Retreat in New Delhi, India, on January 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
- Adam Davidson
- Ahmadabad
- Ajay Verma
- Ajit Solanki
- Allahabad
- Allahabad
- Altaf Qadri
- Altaf Qadri
- America
- Amitabh Bachchan
- Amritsar
- Andrew Cohen
- Arabian Sea
- Arthur Rizer
- Avanti
- Bal
- Bangalore
- Bihar
- Bihar
- Bodh Gaya
- Border Security Forces
- Brian Resnick
- Buffalo
- Caitlin Flanagan
- Carl Sagan
- Chander Kote hills
- Chandigarh
- Christmas
- Christmas Day
- Conor Friedersdorf
- DC
- Delhi
- Derek Thompson
- Dinesh Trivedi
- Drew Bonifant
- Election Commission
- FDA
- Frances Beinecke
- Ganges
- Geography of Uttar Pradesh
- Geography of Uttarakhand
- Getty Images
- Gujarat
- Guru Nanak
- Himalayan
- India
- India
- Indian Navy
- Indian parliament
- International
- Iris Chang
- Jammu
- Jammu
- Jitendra Prakash
- Joan Didion
- Joe Paterno
- Jordan Weissmann
- Jyoti Amge
- Kashmir
- Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg
- Kevin Frayer
- Khadir Island
- Kolkata
- Kutch
- Lama
- Local media
- Lucknow
- manufacturing town
- Maria Popova
- Martin Mulcahey
- Marty Nemko
- Massoud Hayoun
- Megan Garber
- Molly Ball
- Mukhtar Khan
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- National Football League
- New Delhi
- NFL Playoff
- oil lamp
- Pakistan
- Rafiq Maqbool
- Rajesh Kumar Singh
- Rebecca J. Rosen
- Republic Day
- Rigvedic rivers
- river Ganges
- river Jehlum
- river Jhelum
- river Saraswati
- river Yamuna
- rivers Ganges
- Rivers of India
- Rob Molloy
- Sam Panthaky
- Siddarth Abraham
- Solder
- SONEPUR
- South Carolina
- Srinagar
- Standard Chartered
- States and territories of India
- steel factory
- Steven A. Cook
- Surat
- Syria
- tear gas
- The Great Gatsby
- the Kalachakra Buddhist festival
- the Presidents Fleet Review
- Tom Hawking
- Turkey
- United States
- Uttar Pradesh
- Walled City
- World Bank