Kerala

South India

A network of lagoons, canals and rivers runs parallel to Kerala's coast for nearly 900 kilometres, historically the state's main trade route and now its most distinctive landscape. Converted rice barges — kettuvallams, built without a single nail — drift between paddy fields that sit below the waterline, held back by mud embankments.

Village life continues along the banks exactly as it has for generations: washing done at the water's edge, fish traps checked at dawn, coconut palms leaning out over the canals as if reaching for their own reflection.