XXX Holy: Journeys into the Spiritual Heart of India

The prosperous inhabitants of Western countries have looked to India as a place to discover their spiritual selves -- and many who have visited India have been irrevocably altered by the experience. But what is it that enables a country to have such a deep spiritual impact on its visitors? Is it the wisdom of specific gurus or holy men? The rich tapestry of Indian cosmology? Its tradition of pilgrimages? German photographer Peter Bialobrzeski traveled all over India in search mystical truths and in order to discover the 'soul of India' for himself. Far from claiming to explain the complex universe of South Asian religions, Bialobrzeski's photographs feed off of a contradiction: on the one hand they look at India with the curious eye of a spiritual seeker, looking at India's holy places with wonder, reveling in its splendor; on the other hand these images possess a certain sense of analytical distance, of critique, self-awareness, and humor. These stunningly beautiful pictures offer us an intense visual experience but also examine -- and ultimately leave open -- the issue of what it is that we see when we look at India.Florian Hanig is the author of 'XXX Holy: Journeys into the Spiritual Heart of India', published 2000 under ISBN 9783934923041 and ISBN 3934923046.