The Irava Atlas

India, place by place. Faith by faith.

Move through living traditions, layered histories and regional cultures—without flattening their differences.

9Religions

28States

8Union Territories

45Entry points

Sacred worlds

Religions

Origins, beliefs, texts, festivals and the many ways faith has shaped life in India.

9 places to begin

Religion

Hinduism

A diverse family of Indian religious and philosophical traditions shaped over millennia, without a single founder or uniform creed.

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Religion

Islam

A monotheistic faith that reached India through trade, migration, scholarship and political change, developing many distinctive regional traditions.

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Religion

Christianity

A global faith centred on Jesus Christ, with Indian traditions that include ancient communities as well as Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches.

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Religion

Sikhism

A monotheistic tradition founded in Punjab by Guru Nanak and shaped by ten Gurus, the Guru Granth Sahib and the institutions of sangat and langar.

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Religion

Buddhism

A tradition originating with Siddhartha Gautama in ancient India and organised around the path from suffering toward awakening.

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Religion

Jainism

An ancient Indian tradition centred on non-violence, disciplined self-restraint, many-sided truth and liberation from rebirth.

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Religion

Zoroastrianism

An ancient Iranian religion whose Parsi and Irani communities have played an influential role in India’s urban, industrial and philanthropic history.

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Religion

Judaism

An ancient monotheistic tradition with long-standing Indian communities including Cochin Jews, Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jews.

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Religion

Baháʼí Faith

A nineteenth-century global religion teaching the unity of humanity and religions, represented in India by diverse communities and the Lotus Temple.

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A federation of cultures

States of India

Every state and union territory, approached through language, food, art, memory and place.

36 places to begin

SouthState

Andhra Pradesh

Capital · Amaravati

A Telugu-speaking coastal and Deccan state shaped by river deltas, pilgrimage centres and classical arts.

NortheastState

Arunachal Pradesh

Capital · Itanagar

A Himalayan border state with extraordinary linguistic, ecological and community diversity.

NortheastState

Assam

Capital · Dispur

A Brahmaputra valley culture known for Bihu, satras, tea, silk and many ethnic traditions.

EastState

Bihar

Capital · Patna

A Gangetic state central to ancient empires, Buddhism, Jainism and major centres of learning.

CentralState

Chhattisgarh

Capital · Raipur

A forested central Indian state with strong Adivasi traditions, metalwork and archaeological landscapes.

WestState

Goa

Capital · Panaji

A Konkan state where coastal, temple, Catholic and Lusophone histories intersect.

WestState

Gujarat

Capital · Gandhinagar

A western state of maritime trade, stepwells, textile traditions and devotional cultures.

NorthState

Haryana

Capital · Chandigarh

A north Indian state of agrarian traditions, archaeological sites and strong sporting cultures.

NorthState

Himachal Pradesh

Capital · Shimla

A western Himalayan state of temple valleys, Buddhist regions, pastoral routes and hill architecture.

EastState

Jharkhand

Capital · Ranchi

A plateau state with rich Adivasi histories, sacred groves, mineral landscapes and mural traditions.

SouthState

Karnataka

Capital · Bengaluru

A Kannada-speaking state spanning Deccan empires, coastal trade, living craft traditions and a global technology centre.

SouthState

Kerala

Capital · Thiruvananthapuram

A Malayalam-speaking coast shaped by oceanic trade, temple arts, matrilineal histories and social reform.

CentralState

Madhya Pradesh

Capital · Bhopal

A central Indian state of prehistoric rock art, sacred towns, forest cultures and monumental architecture.

WestState

Maharashtra

Capital · Mumbai

A western state of Maratha history, Bhakti traditions, cave architecture, cinema and industrial modernity.

NortheastState

Manipur

Capital · Imphal

A valley-and-hill state known for Meitei traditions, diverse tribal cultures, polo and classical dance.

NortheastState

Meghalaya

Capital · Shillong

A high-rainfall hill state of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo cultures, living root bridges and matrilineal traditions.

NortheastState

Mizoram

Capital · Aizawl

A hill state with strong Mizo community institutions, weaving, choral music and bamboo landscapes.

NortheastState

Nagaland

Capital · Kohima

A mountainous state of many Naga peoples, languages, village histories and distinctive textile traditions.

EastState

Odisha

Capital · Bhubaneswar

An eastern state of temple architecture, Jagannath traditions, classical dance, crafts and coastal landscapes.

NorthState

Punjab

Capital · Chandigarh

A fertile border state central to Sikh history, Punjabi literature, agrarian life and Partition memory.

WestState

Rajasthan

Capital · Jaipur

A desert state of forts, courtly arts, pastoral cultures, devotional traditions and living craft economies.

NortheastState

Sikkim

Capital · Gangtok

A Himalayan state of Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepali cultures, Buddhist monasteries and mountain ecology.

SouthState

Tamil Nadu

Capital · Chennai

A Tamil-speaking state with deep literary traditions, monumental temples, classical arts and an urban-industrial present.

SouthState

Telangana

Capital · Hyderabad

A Deccan state where Telugu, Urdu, Persianate court culture, folk traditions and technology converge.

NortheastState

Tripura

Capital · Agartala

A northeastern state of Tripuri and Bengali cultures, royal heritage, bamboo craft and forested hills.

NorthState

Uttar Pradesh

Capital · Lucknow

A populous Gangetic state containing major sacred cities, court cultures, craft centres and sites of modern political history.

NorthState

Uttarakhand

Capital · Dehradun

A Himalayan state of pilgrimage routes, forest movements, mountain communities and sacred river headwaters.

EastState

West Bengal

Capital · Kolkata

An eastern state of river deltas, Himalayan hills, literary modernity, devotional cultures and celebrated public arts.

IslandsUnion Territory

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Capital · Port Blair

An island archipelago with unique Indigenous communities, layered colonial history and rich marine ecosystems.

NorthUnion Territory

Chandigarh

Capital · Chandigarh

A planned modern city serving as the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana.

WestUnion Territory

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

Capital · Daman

A western union territory combining forested inland districts with former Portuguese coastal enclaves.

NorthUnion Territory

Delhi

Capital · New Delhi

India’s capital territory, layered with Sultanate, Mughal, colonial and post-independence urban histories.

NorthUnion Territory

Jammu and Kashmir

Capital · Srinagar / Jammu

A Himalayan region of Kashmiri, Dogra, Gujjar, Pahari and other cultures, renowned for craft and sacred landscapes.

NorthUnion Territory

Ladakh

Capital · Leh

A high-altitude trans-Himalayan region of Buddhist and Muslim communities, caravan history and fragile mountain ecology.

IslandsUnion Territory

Lakshadweep

Capital · Kavaratti

A coral archipelago with Malayalam-speaking Muslim island cultures and deep maritime knowledge.

SouthUnion Territory

Puducherry

Capital · Puducherry

Four former French enclaves with Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cultures and a distinctive colonial urban legacy.