Nuzzled between Nepal and Bhutan and sitting just below Tibet, Sikkim is India's smallest and least densely populated state. It's a place where both modern India and traditional Himalayan culture are on display in a land of spectacular beauty.
Children in front of their parent's shop in Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim
Construction is on the rise. As India's bourgeoning middle and upper classes seek mountain retreats from the heat, Sikkim is becoming a destination for domestic tourists and those running from the din of Indian cities.
Young monks practice traditional Tibetan horns at the last Bon monastery in Sikkim. Bon Buddhism predates the Tantric Buddhism that is widespread within Sikkim.
Young men in Gangtok. Connected to the world through the internet and influenced by international tastes and culture, Sikkim's largest city is a microcosm of India's drive towards Western ammenities and vices.
Fog descends upon a hilltop village outside of Khecheopalri, in West Sikkim.
A local healer visits a village home to help cure a pregnant woman suffering from an illness in West Sikkim. The music and chanting is belied by an air of concern as the entire village comes together to help the woman.
British bird watchers on holiday in Sikkim take lunch on a Buddhist stupa.
Pala (right) is 84 years old. He worked as a chef for the Dalai Lama for 40 years in Tibet and Dharemsala before moving back to his native Sikkim.
Men dance at an engagement party in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim.