A Passage to India (1984)

Bangalore Palace

Bengaluru, India

Former residence of the maharajas of Mysore, located on Palace Road. The palace was abandoned in the early 1980s; it is now open for visits.

The scene : The bazaar of Chandrapore was built in the palace park. The Turtons drive through it to reach the Civil Lines, and Fielding passes through in a tonga after Aziz's arrest, heading to the police chief McBryde's station, which is set in the same location. Some interiors were also shot at the palace.

Bangalore Club

Bengaluru, India

Founded in 1868 under the name Bangalore United Services Club, it was originally reserved for British military personnel stationed there. It is now primarily a civilian club, one of the oldest in India.

The scene : The Bangalore Club serves as the English club of Chandrapore. Mrs. Moore and Adela have tea there, first in the lounge and then on the balcony; Mrs. Moore wishes to let Aziz in, as the club is closed to him. They play billiards under ‘God Save the King’ and an amateur troupe puts on a play that Mrs. Moore prefers to avoid. In the park, the band plays ‘Tea for Two’ for the reception given to the Indians.

Taj West End

Bengaluru, India

The former West End Hotel on Race Course Road, which has since been integrated into the Taj group.

The scene : The hotel serves as Fielding's home. Aziz arrives early and waits for his host to come out of the shower; around the pool, Godbole dips his feet and tastes a sweet during tiffin, until Ronny comes to pick up Adela, who is mingling with the Indians. The outskirts of the court were filmed at the same location when Turton's official car brings Adela there for the trial.

Doddaballapur railway station

Doddaballapura, India

Broad gauge railway station connecting Bombay via Dharmavaram, about thirty kilometers north of Bangalore. The original buildings, those of the film, were demolished in February 2017, and the platform was raised by about 80 cm.

The scene : The Imperial Mail coming from Bombay arrives at the station: this is the first image of Chandrapore. On the platform, a welcoming committee forms for Collector Turton; Ronny comes to meet his fiancée Adela and his mother, then Turton exits through the old ticket booth between two rows of policemen.

Coonoor railway station

Coonoor, India

Nilgiri Mountain Railway's narrow gauge station, halfway along the line between Mettupalayam and Ooty, in a garrison town.

The scene : The Coonoor station serves as the departure and return point for the expedition to the caves. Aziz slept on the platform to not miss the morning train, Adela dismisses the servant Anthony, and Fielding and Godbole arrive too late. Upon the return of the Marabar Express, the crowd waits on the platform and Aziz is arrested as soon as he steps off the train.

Coonoor, India

The scene : The Marabar Express crosses the viaduct on its way to the caves. Aziz moves onto the step outside the train to announce to Mrs. Moore and Adela that they are approaching, imagining himself as Douglas Fairbanks.

Coonoor, India

A mountain railway with a narrow gauge track that climbs from Mettupalayam, in the Tamil Nadu plains, to Ooty. Its steam locomotives are produced by the Swiss Locomotive Works in Winterthur, and it is the only rack railway in India.

The scene : The line carries the journey of the expedition to the Marabar Caves: Aziz walks alongside the train on the outside, the convoy passes in front of a waterfall south of Coonoor, and the Marabar Express departs for Chandrapore filmed from level crossing no. 8, between Kallar and Mettupalayam.

St Thomas Church (Ooty)

Udhagamandalam, India

The scene : Ronny, Mrs. Moore, and Adela arrive in a carriage at the Sunday office; a servant takes the reins in front of the church. Adela and Ronny have reconciled, and their engagement is back on.

Udhagamandalam, India

The scene : On the polo field, Adela speaks with her fiancé Ronny: troubled by what she has seen, she tells him that she will not marry him.

Savandurga

Savandurga, India

Village at the foot of the Savandurga monolith, a massif of two hills separated by a valley, Karigudda, the black hill, and Billigudda, the white hill, about fifty kilometers west of Bangalore.

The scene : The expedition to the Marabar Caves sets off on elephant back from the village of Savandurga. Adela climbs a ladder to join Aziz and Mrs. Moore in the howdah, in front of a small temple whose roof is covered with villagers, then the caravan crosses the village between two lines of extras before ascending into the hills.

Lower Cave (Savandurga)

Savandurga, India

Small rocky valley in the Savandurga forest, not far from the access road, now overgrown with vegetation.

The scene : At the lower cave, the expedition makes a stop: they set up a picnic, the elephant takes a bath in a pond, then the guide leads Adela, Aziz, and Mrs. Moore into the cave, followed by a crowd of villagers. Mrs. Moore comes out feeling oppressed and sits under a parasol; Adela, Aziz, and the guide begin the ascent and take a break on some rocks, where Adela questions Aziz about love and marriage. Later, Aziz comes back down the hill to where Fielding arrives too late.

Savandurga, India

The darker of the two hills of Savandurga, known as the black hill; a small Nandi sanctuary crowns its second summit.

The scene : The elephant from the expedition slowly moves over the rocks at the base of Karigudda; this is where the wide shot of the caravan in front of the hill was taken, often reused to illustrate the film.

Savandurga, India

The scene : At the start of the expedition, the elephant and its passengers pass by the temple while crossing the village of Savandurga.

Savandurga, India

High fort built in 1543 by Samantha Raya, an officer of the Vijayanagar empire, passed to Mysore in 1728. Under Hyder Ali, its prison was reputed to be impossible to escape from, hence its nickname Savina Durga, the fort of death. Lord Cornwallis captured it in 1791; little remains of it.

The scene : The caravan leaves the village and climbs into the hills, passing through the old ramparts of the fort, as it approaches Karigudda.

Ramadevara Betta

Ramanagara, India

Granite hill located a few kilometers north of Ramanagara. Its cliffs, which are home to several species of vultures, have formed the Ramadevara Betta Vulture Sanctuary since 2012; it is also on these rocks that Sholay (1975) was filmed.

The scene : Aziz helps Adela climb the steps to the row of caves at the summit. While he smokes a cigarette, she enters one of them alone; Aziz then runs along the entrances to find her and only discovers her binoculars, while Adela tumbles down the thorny slope to Mrs. Callender's car.

Shepperton Studios

Shepperton, United Kingdom

Historic film studios of Surrey, in west London.

The scene : The interiors of the caves were filmed in the studio: the guide makes the echo resonate in front of Adela, Aziz, and Mrs. Moore, who is gasping and hastily exits. Other interiors of the film were also shot there.

Iver Heath, United Kingdom

Large British film studio founded in 1936 in Iver Heath, birthplace of the James Bond saga.

The scene : Pinewood Studios are among the English film sets.

Mumbai, India

Monumental arch made of basalt on the waterfront of Colaba in Mumbai, erected in 1924 to commemorate the visit of King George V.

The scene : The film opens in Bombay in front of the Gateway of India: horse troops await the viceroy, who passes through the gate with his wife during the English military parade.

Mumbai, India

Iconic palace in Mumbai, opened in 1903 facing the Gateway of India, blending Indo-Saracenic and Edwardian styles.

The scene : The Taj Mahal Hotel appears in the early Bombay shots of the film, including a close-up of one of its balconies.

Delhi, India

The scene : The British troops in the opening shot, gathered in front of the Gateway of India, were filmed in Delhi and then superimposed onto the image of Bombay.

Srinagar, India

Srinagar Bridge over the Jhelum, also known as Third Bridge, was built around 1500 by Sultan Fateh Shah and rebuilt in 1902 by Maharaja Pratap Singh. The wooden bridge used in the film has since been replaced by a concrete bridge, slightly upstream.

The scene : At the end of the film, in Srinagar, Godbole rides his bicycle across the Fateh Kadal bridge over the Jhelum, with the Hari Parbat fort and the spire of the Shah Hamdan mosque behind him. It is in this old town area by the river that Aziz opened his small hospital.

Dal Lake

Srinagar, India

Large lake of 6.4 km by 4 km along which Srinagar extends, divided by causeways into Bod Dal and Lokut Dal.

The scene : Fielding crosses the lake by boat to meet Aziz on his barge; another rowboat joins him, with Akbar and Jamilla, Aziz's children. The scenes between the two men on the barge were filmed on the lake.

Srinagar, India

The scene : Nigeen Lake is among the Kashmiri locations of the shoot.

Banihal, India

A 2.2 km long road tunnel under the Banihal Pass, long the main entry point to the Kashmir Valley.

The scene : At the beginning of the Kashmir sequence, Fielding and his wife Stella drive from Jammu to Srinagar; their car enters the Jawahar tunnel, carved beneath the Banihal pass.