Nine Lives

Published in 2009, this work examines religious devotion and spiritual practice in present-day India through intimate conversations with believers across multiple traditions. Through William Dalrymple's extensive fieldwork, readers journey from Tibetan communities to Karnataka's temple towns, from Kerala's coastline to West Bengal's riversides, encountering practitioners whose commitment to their faiths shapes every aspect of their existence. The narrative explores both individual spiritual experiences and the broader social forces that have influenced religious life across the subcontinent.