Maps of Movies
A Passage to India (1984)
Where A Passage to India says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
The Marabar Caves are not the Barabar Caves: Lean filmed them on two hills near Bangalore, with cave mouths carved by the crew.
View on the map
Scenes and places
Arrival at Bombay
Adela and Mrs. Moore reach India by sea, on their way to meet Ronny. Adela hopes to find out whether she can make a go of a life with him.
Set in Gateway of India, Bombay — The monument on Bombay's waterfront where visitors arrived by sea in the 1920s. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Bombay's seafront arch, built to greet arrivals by ship.
The train arrives in Chandrapore
The women arrive in Chandrapore, where Ronny is the city magistrate. They find a British community that has separated itself from the Indians around it.
Set in Chandrapore railway station — The station of the fictional city of Chandrapore, split between a British quarter and a native town.
A small railway halt standing in for a provincial Raj town.
Filmed at Doddaballapura railway station — Filming location named by a location blog; the coordinates are the town's, not the station's. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: A location blog places it about 23 miles north of Bangalore.
The British club
Adela and Mrs. Moore see how closely the British guard their own circle. Mrs. Moore challenges her son's attitude to the Indians.
Set in The British club, Chandrapore — The English social club of the fictional Chandrapore, closed to Indians.
A colonial-era club with lawns, the kind of place built for the Raj's social life.
Filmed at Bangalore Club — A Bangalore club garden used for the club scenes; a location blog says so, and a BBC 1984 report it reproduces. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Fielding's house
Fielding introduces the women to Professor Godbole, an Indian scholar. For the first time they feel welcomed across the divide.
Set in Fielding's house, Chandrapore — The home of the school superintendent Richard Fielding, who introduces the women to Professor Godbole.
A long-established hotel and its grounds.
The train to the Marabar Caves
Aziz, eager to please, leads the party toward the caves with his friends. For Adela it is a chance to see the real India.
Set in Train to the Marabar Caves — Aziz hosts an excursion by train and elephant to the caves outside Chandrapore.
A narrow-gauge hill railway that climbs through the Nilgiri hills.
Filmed at Coonoor railway station — Departure station of the excursion, per a location blog. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Nilgiri Mountain Railway, near Udhagamandalam — The film shot in Udhagamandalam; the coordinates mark a point on the line, not the viaduct. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Marabar Caves
Adela walks into a cave alone and something happens to her inside. She runs down the hill in distress.
Set in Marabar Caves — Caves in the hills outside Chandrapore, modelled on the real Barabar Caves in Bihar.
Rocky granite hills near Bangalore, dressed with man-made cave mouths.
Filmed at Savandurga — Hill used for the caves; the production carved small cave entrances. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Ramadevarabetta — Second hill used for the cave scenes. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The accusation and the trial
Aziz is arrested and jailed, and the town divides along lines of race. Fielding insists he is innocent.
Set in Chandrapore bazaar and courthouse — The town's market, police station and court where Aziz is held.
A built set of a bazaar in the grounds of a ruined palace.
Kashmir
Years of distance pass between the characters. A quieter life by the lake is where the story ends up.
Set in Srinagar, Kashmir — A city in the Kashmir Valley on the Jhelum River, close to Dal Lake. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The Jhelum river city with its wooden bridges and the lake on its edge.
Filmed at Fateh Kadal, Srinagar — Filming in Srinagar is stated by Wikipedia; the Fateh Kadal bridge is named by a location blog (coordinates are the city's). Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Dal Lake — Houseboat setting on Dal Lake, per a location blog. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Bangalore Palace — Some interiors Google Maps · Apple Maps
Filmed at Shepperton Studios — Some interiors Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Adela Quested — A young Englishwoman who comes to India hoping to see the real country.
- Dr. Aziz — An Indian doctor and widower who offers to host an excursion to the caves.
- Mrs. Moore — Ronny's mother, kind to Indians and uneasy about the British attitude.
- Richard Fielding — The local school superintendent who befriends Aziz.