These men are making repairs to the 200-foot stone tower at Qutb Minar, an ancient city on the outskirts of Delhi. Indian historians separate the history of the capital into 12 separate cities, of which Qutb Minar was the 4th and the modern city of New Delhi is the 12th. Qutb Minar was constructed after Muhammad Ghuri's Muslim army conquered the Ganges plain in the late 12th century.

We found it interesting to watch the Hindu caste system at work in this construction project. The man shown here, although the oldest and frailest person involved, was apparently of a lower caste that does heavy lifting. Younger stronger men stood and watched while he hoisted heavy stone blocks into place.