Catching sight of old Ceylon

It’s been a funny few weeks. Having moved back to freelance life after a decade of commissioning, I’ve been frantically busy, but I’ve also found a few spare moments to embark on the long-overlooked task of sorting through the …

Great Graves: Exploring the most impressive tombs in Europe

Skulls grin in the Paris Catacombs©Joseph O. Holmes/CC by-NC-ND 2.0

There’s an element of pilgrimage in visiting the graves of departed heroes. Gazing onto the final resting places of national icons such as Beethoven and Napoleon is a window onto history and the ever-changing narratives that drive national identity. …

Dead but not forgotten: exploring the great London cemeteries

Karl Marx looking out over Highgate East Cemetery © PTWO /CC by-2.0

The dead live in London. Their names are immortalised on road signs, blue plaques and etched brass plates on landmark monuments. But what about the actual final resting places of great, departed Londoners? Most are overlooked, once you get …

Understanding India’s Shakti Peeth temples

Temple bells chime at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati © Priyambada Nath/CC by-2.0

If you spend any time in India, you’ll hear the term shakti peeth. In a country overflowing with sacred sites, these landmark Hindu temples have an extra level of significance. You’ll probably encounter your first shakti peeth by …

India’s most unusual temples

Rats scurry across the floor of the Karni Mata Temple © Jean-Pierre Dalbéra/CC by 2.0

People often say that god exists in everything, and in India people take that idea to its logical conclusion. Dotted around this spectacular subcontinent are surprising shrines to sportsmen and Bollywood superstars, and temples paying homage to humble household …