All language subtitles for Aerial Asia Part 3 Indonesia 20170322, 720p HDTV x264 CBFM.Eng

ADAM LIAW: India is a country
that defies the imagination.

There's the sheer scale
of its population.

It's a timeless land
of great physical diversity...

..religious enlightenment...

..and celebration.

From soaring peaks...

..to fertile plains...

..this is a land where the past
and the present collide...

..a place of great innovation...

..and development challenges.

Join us on an aerial journey
as we explore this mysterious land

of stunning beauty...

..startling contrast...

..and infinite complexity.

India is an ancient land
of breathtaking diversity,

teeming population and rich history.

It's a nation
that has seen princely battles,

invasions and colonisation.

The majestic Mehrangarh Fort,

overlooking the city of Jodhpur
in the western state of Rajasthan...

..has borne witness
to such upheavals.

The fort was begun in 1460

by one of Jodhpur's
most famous kings,

Rao Jodha,
to consolidate his clan's power.

It would take another 200 years

to complete this architectural
and engineering masterpiece.

In 1891,
Rudyard Kipling dubbed the fort

"the work of giants".

Thousands of elephants
and camels were used

to haul into place
the red sandstone blocks

used to build
this magnificent edifice.

In a remarkable innovation
for the time,

water was drawn
from a small lake in the city

by a manually powered waterwheel

all the way up to the king's palace
at the top of the fort.

It's a reminder
of the past innovation,

grandeur and elegance
of a city and country

that have experienced everything

from the rule of the Mughals
to life under the British Raj.

All rich chapters
in the storied history

of one of the world's
oldest civilisations...

..India.

It's not just historical gems
like the fort

that make India remarkable.

This enchanting land
is also distinguished

by its amazing religious diversity.

Away in the far north of India
is the town of McLeod Ganj,

in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Located in the foothills
of the mighty Himalayas,

the town's 10,000 residents live
at over 2,000 metres above sea level.

The town is named after
Sir David McLeod,

the British governor of the Punjab,

who founded it in 1848 as a retreat
from the heat of the plains.

This is no typical Himalayan town.

McLeod Ganj is where
the spiritual leader

of Tibet's Buddhists,
the Dalai Lama, lives.

He fled here after
China's occupation of Tibet in 1959.

Accompanied by his followers,
the Dalai Lama made it to McLeod Ganj

after a 15-day journey on foot
across the Himalayas

from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

The Tibetan Cultural Centre
in the town

replicates parts of the Dalai Lama's
former palace in Tibet.

McLeod Ganj is also home
to the Tibetan government in exile...

..a body that's not recognised
by any other country.

With its large
Tibetan refugee population,

McLeod Ganj has become
a major learning centre

of Tibetan culture
and Buddhist rituals.

As the residence of the Dalai Lama,

it also attracts Buddhist pilgrims
from all over the world...

..a symbol of the strong influence
of Buddhism in India.

All across the country, though,

there is one religion
that dominates above all others...

..Hinduism.

80% of Indians are Hindu...

..and the massive popularity
of the religion is on show every year

at the spectacular Ganapati Festival
in Mumbai.

Millions of Hindu pilgrims
descend on the city...

..for an 11-day homage to Lord Ganesh
on his birthday.

He is one of myriad gods
and goddesses worshipped by Hindus

in a religion
whose essential philosophy

is the pursuit of salvation.

The most popular Ganesh idol
is Lalbaugcha Raja,

and his 24-hour procession
goes through the night.

It climaxes when the idol
finally reaches the ocean

and is immersed in the sea.

Devotees flock to the shore,
seeking the blessings of the god.

This amazing festival
began in 1893...

..as camouflage
for political activism.

The first leader
of the Indian independence movement,

Lokmanya Tilak, called on the masses
to turn out to celebrate Lord Ganesh.

His real motive was
to stir up nationalist feeling

amongst Indians at large,

beyond the circle
of independence-minded intellectuals.

The Ganapati Festival took off,
'Ganapati' meaning lord of many gods.

It has been celebrated ever since,
here and across India,

in a display
of mass religious devotion.

Islam came to India
as early as the seventh century

when Arab traders arrived
and settled on the southern coast.

Early in the 11th century,

Turkish Muslim armies
under Mahmud of Ghazni

invaded northern and western India.

Then came the Mughal conquerors
in the 16th century.

The Old City of Lucknow,
in northern Uttar Pradesh,

is a living monument
to the influence of Islam

and the Mughal Empire on India.

The Rumi Gate,
embellished with lavish decorations,

is the ancient entrance
to the Old City.

It's modelled on
the Sublime Porte gate in Istanbul.

Everywhere you look,

there is the architectural stamp
of the Mughal Empire,

which, by the 17th century,
had extended Islam all over India.

The Mughals appointed viceroys,
known as nawabs,

to manage their conquests,

and they set about
building magnificent monuments

to their religion and empire.

Lucknow's most famous nawab
was Asaf-ud-Daula,

who, in 1784,
built the majestic Bara Imambara...

..an amazing complex of gardens,
mosques and towers

that dominates the centre
of the Old City.

This was the nawab's seat of power.

He was inspired to build
the Bara Imambara

to provide employment for
the starving people of the region...

..who were suffering
under a devastating famine.

The Bara Imambara was not only
the centre of political power.

It was also a venue for Shiah Muslims
to carry out their annual ritual

of mourning for the grandson
of the Prophet Muhammad.

It remains one of the great symbols
of Islam in India.

Today, Muslims account for 14%
of India's population...

..172 million people.

450 kilometres north of Delhi,
deep in the Punjab,

is the city of Amritsar...

..the site of the Sikhs'
most sacred shrine...

..the Golden Temple.

This magnificent building
was completed in 1601.

In their daily prayers,

Sikhs all over the world
proclaim their wish to visit it.

Sikhism was established
and developed during the Middle Ages

by 10 gurus who are regarded by Sikhs
as enlightened teachers

through whom God revealed his will.

The Golden Temple
stands on a platform

in the centre of the shrine's tank,
or pool.

The waters around it are known as
the "nectar of immortality".

It is believed that,
if you bathe in them,

you will be guaranteed eternal life.

The upper floors of the temple
are dressed with gold,

which gives it
its distinctive appearance.

Unlike Hindu temples,
which have only one entrance gate,

the Golden Temple has entrances
on all four sides.

This symbolises
the Sikh religion's openness to all,

regardless of caste,
sex or previous creed.

In keeping with this philosophy,

the Golden Temple also houses
the world's biggest soup kitchen.

It's been providing free meals
since the 1600s -

up to 100,000 a day...

..reflecting
the first guru's determination

to have the Sikh faith welcome all...

..regardless of
their station in life...

..a revolutionary concept
at the time.

The Golden Temple is also home
to the holiest of Sikh scriptures,

the Guru Granth Sahib.

The temple houses the original copy.

The Guru Granth Sahib is a collection
of Sikh poems, prayers and hymns

compiled by the various gurus
over the centuries.

Continuous readings from it are given
on the first floor of the shrine.

The Golden Temple is one of the most
visited religious sites in India,

and the most important temple of
the world's fifth-largest religion.

Among all the religions of India,
there is one that isn't observed

in any of the nation's temples
or mosques.

This is a creed that brings together
all faiths under the one roof.

It's practised and preached
throughout the Subcontinent.

That religion is the game of cricket.

(CHEERING)

In Dharamshala, in northern India,

the Himachal Pradesh
Cricket Association

has built the highest international
cricket stadium in the world.

Under the gaze of the Himalayas,

this is a temple to a game
whose star players

are worshipped like gods
throughout the country.

Indians are fanatical about cricket.

1,400 metres above sea level,
Dharamshala is undoubtedly

one of the most unusual
cricket grounds in the world.

India is not just the home
of religious diversity.

It also has one of
the most diverse physical landscapes

of any country in the world.

India is a nation
of startling geographical diversity.

Step across the boundary
from one state to another

and you enter
an entirely different world...

..as you do in
the north-western region of Ladakh,

known as the "land of high passes".

Much of Ladakh is over 3,000 metres
above sea level,

with a dazzling mix of vast lakes...

..barren mountains...

..and cliff-hanging monasteries,
such as this one at Thikse.

Bordering Tibet to the east
and reflecting its influence,

Ladakh is nicknamed Little Tibet.

50% of the population
are Tibetan Buddhists.

In the Nubra Valley stands
the incredible Maitreya Buddha.

This giant statue watches over
the ancient caravan route

between Tibet and China.

The Maitreya is a future successor
to the existing Buddha.

He is shown seated
on his ornate throne,

awaiting that time
of spiritual calling.

In stark physical contrast

are the vast golden sand dunes
of the Thar Desert.

Located in the north-western state
of Rajasthan,

this enormous desert stretches
over 320,000 square kilometres

and extends over the border
into Pakistan.

Most of the desert is covered
by these huge shifting sand dunes

built up from sediments
blowing in from the coast.

The desert is in perpetual motion,

as the sand dunes
are blown about continuously

by the high winds
that sweep across it.

Farming areas around the desert
suffer from windblown sand

that erodes arable land.

This arid region
is sparsely populated

with nomadic tribespeople

who roam the desert
with their animals

in their never-ending search
for water.

By the tranquil waters of Lake Loktak

in the north-eastern state
of Manipur,

it is again another world.

Fishermen ply their trade

on the largest freshwater lake
in the region.

It is known for
its unusual floating islands.

These clumps, known as phumdis,

are masses of vegetation,
soil and other organic matter.

Only 20% of a phumdi
is above the water.

It may reach as far as two metres
beneath the surface.

Many are sturdy enough
for the fishermen to build huts on.

More than 4,000 fishermen
make their living from the lake.

It's a daily battle for survival...

..with the lake getting shallower
and more polluted year by year.

70% of India's population
live in rural regions like this.

It is beautiful,
but as their catches dwindle,

the temptation for the fishermen
to join the exodus to the cities

grows by the day.

At Dal Lake in the Kashmir Valley
in India's far north,

life is more abundant.

This was the summer resort
of the Mughal emperors,

who ruled India for over 300 years
from the early 16th century.

The lake is shrouded in mist
during the winter months,

but life goes on on the water...

..for many people
live in the houseboats

moored all around the lake.

They don't only provide a roof
over the locals' heads.

They are also home
to floating markets,

hotels and gardens...

..the heartbeat of the community.

The houseboats were
a British innovation.

In the 19th century,
the local ruler, the Dogra,

forbad the building of any new homes
in the surrounding valley.

The British got around this

by commissioning houseboats
to live in on the lake.

The houseboats rarely leave
their moorings.

To get around, the locals use
small boats known as shikaras.

It is all part of
the otherworldly life at Dal Lake...

..an Indian treasure.

The striking physical contrasts of
this vast subcontinent are endless.

Down on the south-east coast,
the beaches of Puducherry

attract holiday visitors
from everywhere.

Puducherry,
formerly known as Pondicherry,

is a time capsule
of foreign presences in India.

The city became a French colony
in 1674

after the French East India Company
set up a trading centre.

At various times,

the Portuguese, Dutch and British
all had a presence in Pondicherry,

but it was the French influence
that proved the most enduring.

The plan of the city
uses the French grid pattern,

with streets laid out
at regular right angles.

Many of them retain
their French names to this day,

making this slice of France
a distinctive landmark in India.

France lost control of Pondicherry,

regained it in 1816
and remained until 1962.

That was fully 15 years

after British India
gained its independence in 1947.

From coastal Puducherry
to the fertile rice fields of Karnal

in the north-western state
of Haryana,

the geography
couldn't be more different.

The farmers of Karnal
play an important part

in feeding
India's enormous population

of 1.3 billion.

Haryana is India's
second largest producer of rice -

a staple of the Indian diet.

When harvest time arrives
in November,

these farm workers rise before dawn
to get the crop in.

Mechanical harvesters are used
to cut much of the rice.

A good proportion of it, though,
is still cut with sickles...

..backbreaking work
that is often done by women.

After the rice is cut,

it's threshed to separate
the grain from the stalk.

It is then cleaned
and sent to market.

The Karnal rice market
is one of the largest in Asia.

Here, the farmers bargain
with the local mills

to strike the best price.

Once bought, the grain is milled
to remove the husk,

producing an edible
white rice kernel,

ready for consumption.

That ends the production cycle.

After China, India is
the world's largest producer of rice.

Its farmers play a vital role
in feeding not only India,

but the globe.

India has a lot of mouths to feed...

..but that hasn't
dampened its ability

to dazzle over the centuries
with innovative development ideas.

India is renowned for coming up
with development initiatives

that transformed
the lives of its citizens.

Even in the ninth century,

its engineers were coming up
with newfangled ideas,

like this medieval step well
at Abhaneri,

240 kilometres west of Delhi.

This remarkable creation was
an engineering landmark for its time.

The elaborate stone steps
descend to the watertable,

providing an ingenious solution
for gathering water,

bathing and seeking relief
from the fierce sun.

The first step wells in India

were constructed as early
as the fourth century.

They symbolise the engineering
and architectural wonders

that define this ancient land.

Tea was another major player
in the development of India.

The British introduced tea
in the 19th century,

using seedlings from China.

Determined to break
the Chinese monopoly on tea,

the British offered free land
in regions like Darjeeling,

among the Himalayas in West Bengal,

to any European
willing to grow tea for export.

Production took off in 1841

when a British surgeon,
Arthur Campbell,

established the first tea estate
in Darjeeling.

Under the Raj, all of the estates

were founded and managed
by British planters.

The estates were
the dominant presence

in the life of the local communities.

They were even given
magisterial powers

to settle any labour disputes,

and their decisions were upheld
by the British courts.

Plucking tea is slow
and time-consuming on the steep hills

as the workers labour
to get the crop in.

India produces more than
1.3 billion kilos of tea a year

and consumes 80% of it domestically.

After China,

it's now the biggest tea producer
in the world.

India also has the fastest-growing
economy in the world.

To maintain that momentum,

it has been investing in
large-scale infrastructure projects,

like the Sea Link bridge in Mumbai,
formerly Bombay.

Mumbai was choking with traffic
and had only one causeway

connecting its Western Suburbs
to its business district.

The Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link
changed all that.

Opened in 2010,

this amazing construction is
India's first eight-lane freeway...

..with two massive
cable-stayed bridges

spanning the open sea.

It can carry
up to 140,000 vehicles per day.

If all its steel cables
were laid out in a line,

they could stretch around
the circumference of the Earth.

The construction
of the Chenab railway bridge

in the mountainous Himalayan terrain
of Jammu and Kashmir

is another herculean
engineering challenge.

Travelling by road is fraught
with peril in these mountains.

The Chenab railway bridge network
will transform that experience

and connect Jammu and Kashmir
with the rest of India.

When the network is completed,

almost 70 kilometres
of tunnels and bridges

will provide a direct route
through the mountainous terrain.

The biggest challenge is to cross
the deep gorge of the Chenab River.

To span it,
a steel arched railway bridge

is under construction.

When completed, the curved bridge

will be 30 metres higher
than the Eiffel Tower.

The tallest railway bridge
in the world,

it will make
a massive economic contribution

to one of
the most inaccessible regions

anywhere on Earth.

India is also seeking
alternative sources of energy.

Here at Bitta,
in the westernmost state of Gujarat,

is the extraordinary
Adani solar farm.

Funded by a billion-dollar loan
from the World Bank,

the solar panels cover
a massive 142 hectares.

This amazing development
is a vital cog

in India's ambition
to provide 40% of its power

from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

Perhaps India's biggest
development challenge

is the demands placed on it

as the world's second
most populous nation after China.

With 1.3 billion people,

this is humanity on a mass scale.

It's not just the numbers
that are startling.

It's the density of population.

Here in Mumbai, over 22 million

are crowded into
India's second biggest city.

The large inflow of rural migrants

is overwhelming Mumbai's ability
to house them all.

40% now live in slums,
like Dharavi in Greater Mumbai.

In Dharavi, 1 million people

are crammed into
just over 200 hectares -

less than two-thirds the size
of New York's Central Park.

To deal with
such a pressing population problem,

India has been planning
and building new cities.

New Mumbai, in the north-eastern part
of the city,

is India's answer to what to do

when a major metropolis
is consuming itself with pollution,

traffic chaos and a lack of land.

By the 1970s,
Mumbai was bursting at the seams.

It couldn't accommodate
any more people

and had nowhere to go.

India committed to creating
a new Smart City, New Mumbai.

It's a model
of planned government development.

It has wide roads,

a modern infrastructure

and plenty of recreation spaces.

14 townships have been created
within the city...

..a rail network has been built
and commercial areas constructed.

New Mumbai has now attracted
over 2.1 million people.

It proudly calls itself
"the city of the 21st century".

When it comes to development,

one of the most dynamic areas
of the Indian economy

is the film industry.

Think Indian film

and you automatically think
of Bollywood.

But India's largest integrated
film city is not in Mumbai,

but here in Hyderabad,
in southern India.

Ramoji Film City
is spread over 650 hectares

and is a one-stop shop
for movie production.

The massive lot has gigantic sets

like this vast replica
of a Mughal garden.

The Wild West is also here,

along with a host
of other cinematic options

to satisfy just about every whim
of a movie maker's imagination.

Ramoji is so big, it can accommodate

over 20 film productions
at the same time.

It has become an integral player

in the incredible development story
of the Indian film industry.

India now produces more films

than any other country
in the world...

..over 1,600 a year...

..in an industry now worth
just under $3 billion annually.

Just like its movies,
India loves to entertain.

From the exotic joy
of the Pushkar Fair

to the big Indian wedding,

India likes nothing better
than a grand celebration.

India loves to celebrate,

and there is no event more exotic
than the annual Pushkar Fair.

Located in the northern state
of Rajasthan,

Pushkar is quiet
for most of the year.

That all changes
when the Pushkar Fair comes to town.

Held in the Kartik month
of the Hindu calendar

when the full moon falls,
usually in October or November...

..this is an amazing fiesta
of colour and culture.

Hordes of people descend on Pushkar

for this century-old celebration
of the town's annual animal sale.

Camels in all their finery
are paraded to prospective buyers.

An incredible 25,000
of these kings of the desert

are sold during the five-day fair.

Cattle are also paraded
and haggled over,

along with horses,
in this extraordinary animal bazaar.

It's not just an animal event.

All the fun of the circus
is available too.

There are tightrope walkers,

like this young girl,
performing their acts...

..and endless games events...

..to entertain the crowds.

The games include
the ancient Indian one of kabaddi,

with top competition teams
battling each other for victory.

Kabbadi is a contact sport

fought out between defenders
who hold hands

and raiders who attempt
to disrupt and invade them.

It's all part of the fun
of the Pushkar Fair...

..a grand celebration
of the vibrant culture

and traditions
of Rajasthan and India.

The most impressive celebration
in India

is undoubtedly
the big Indian wedding.

This is a country that witnesses
10 million weddings a year...

..with the carnival-like celebrations
peaking during the wedding season

between November and March.

For this Hindu wedding in Ahmedabad,

the largest city
in the state of Gujarat,

the celebrations and rituals
blessing and honouring the couple

are spread over a week.

Before the big day,
the bride celebrates at her own party

with friends and family,

as does the groom
at his own celebration.

It's a night of song,
dance and revelry.

The wedding symbolises not just
the union of two individuals,

but also the coming together
of the couple's families.

The wedding ceremony
commits the couple

not just to marriage
for this lifetime,

but for seven lifetimes.

The week of fine food,
dance and religious commitment

doesn't come cheap.

This wedding extravaganza
for a wealthy couple

will cost them $1 million.

Traditionally,
the bride's family picks up the tab,

but increasingly the bill is shared
across both families.

The wedding events industry in India

is estimated to be worth
$40 billion a year...

..an amazingly lucrative business...

..and all because of
the Indian wedding...

..a festival in itself.

India's most famous monument to love
is without question the Taj Mahal.

Built on the banks
of the Yamuna River

at Agra in northern India,
230 kilometres from Delhi,

this marble masterpiece
was constructed

by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan
in memory of his favourite queen.

It was completed in 1631.

The Taj Mahal,
in all its beauty and splendour,

is revered by Indians.

They're proud of the identity
it gives them

and their incredible country
of so many people.

India celebrates its heritage

and is embracing its future
with confidence, energy and vision.

Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) SBS Australia 2019