via BBC News

Each year, about half a million people make a pilgrimage to 1,500 temples of the Jain religion, perched high on a hill overlooking the town of Palitana in Gujarat, western India.

The ornate buildings make up one of the holiest sites for Jain followers – who believe in lives of harmlessness and think that animals and plants, as well as human beings, contain living souls.

Here, the BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder visits Shatrunjay Hill and makes the long climb with the pilgrims. (follow link for slideshow)