Every year, Indians of every religious group travel by the millions to important temples, the graves of saints and historical monuments. Pilgrimage sites offer accommodation, food and transportation. They also support communities of artists who play a critical role in the pilgrimage experience, producing mementos or souvenirs that help pilgrims "stay in touch" with the site when they return home.

This desert town is the centre of worship for the Hindu sect of Pushti Marga, which is devoted to Krishna as a divine child-king, Srinathji. In the crowded streets and lanes around the deity's mansion (haveli), over 200 families of painters carry on a great artistic tradition. Their works, on paper and cloth, serve the shrines of Srinathji throughout India, the thousands of pilgrims who visit those shrines every year and, since the turn of the century, the printing industry in Mumbai (Bombay).

© Photo: Anne Marie Gaston