India, April 19 -- Rhododendron (Buransh) comes into bloom in the Himalayas in March-April. Images of crimson trees framing a distant, snowy peak or a 'red carpet' welcome of fallen blooms for those traversing forest trails are quite common. A recent photo essay from Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) casts the beauty of the bloom in a different light.

Jot is a quaint hamlet that sits on the pass between Chamba and Kangra districts at an altitude of more than 8,000 feet. It is ringed by forests and brooding mountains. Here, villagers collect Rhododendron blooms and dry them for pharma and medicinal tea factories. The flowers are purely organic, collected from forest slopes.

Since the flowers come packed in baskets, they have to be spread out to ...