Intimate Portaits of Rajasthan India

Photographer Tito Dalmau's latest book, Rajasthan: Houses and Men, presents the Indian state as a vivid kaleidoscope of landscapes and magnificent architectural achievements through images that perfectly display the "terrible beauty" which results from the symbiotic relationship of decadence and dilapidation that characterizes Rajasthan.

Formed in 1949, Rajasthan, formerly Rajputana, is the largest State in India and was brought into existence on the heels of war, poverty, and famine. Stories of the land's people are chronicled through their architecture.

As scholar Maka Abraham, reflects in her essay at the beginning of the book, "Man builds houses not only for shelter, but also to define and show himself to others. In this sense, the architecture he produces is the best indicator of how he perceives his world." It is this communion between man and architecture that becomes the underlying theme throughout the photographs.

Dalmau creates photos with both the golden patina of history and the vibrant hues of man made architecture and in doing so reveals a world at once extremely isolated and neglected, yet rich and unbending in its traditions. These varied perceptions are the very embodiment of Rajasthan.

Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds

Pushkar Fair

One of the many stairs

Street for access to a stair

Buildings on Lake Pichola

Base of Samrat Yantra

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