Chaukhandi Stupa at Sarnath, near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India 1865 - 1866

This is Samuel Bourne’s photograph of the Chaukhandi Stupa at Sarnath, near Varanasi, India. Bourne has rendered the entire scene in tones of sepia, the eye is drawn to the stupa, built on what appears to be a rounded mound. The structure is placed off-center, allowing a field to dominate the foreground. The photograph's composition is divided into distinct horizontal layers. Notice how the lines of the cultivated fields lead the eye towards the elevated stupa, creating a sense of depth. The geometric precision of the architecture contrasts sharply with the natural forms of the mound, complicating any clear distinction between nature and artifice. Bourne's placement of small human figures against the backdrop serves to emphasize the stupa's scale. Ultimately, Bourne’s work invites reflection on the interplay between architectural form and the landscape and on the ways structures can shape our perception. The image exists as a site for an ongoing discourse between the observer, the observed landscape, and its cultural and historical context.