John Muir in India
On September 29, 1903, John Muir arrived at the Indian port at Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1903 from a ship named Bengala. He spent the following month traveling all around the Indian subcontinent.
This little known expedition reveals a great deal about the interests, spirituality, and unique tolerance John Muir exhibited on this portion of his around-the world travels in 1903-1904.
Despite the growing recognition of John Muir’s global influence, his 1903 visit to British India at the age of 65 is a little-known part of his life.
Documenting and retracing his trip India is challenging, as all we have to go on are journal entries, a few letters home, and a smattering of newspaper articles.
New Research by Harold W. Wood Jr. and Dr. Chander Mohan Parsheera of Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, retracing Muir’s travels in India, offers a fascinating view of this part of Muir’s adventurous life.
In John Muir in India, by Harold W. Wood, Jr., the presentation of Muir’s visit to India is enlivened with copious use of contemporary and historical photographs, illustrations, and links to online videos and other resources.
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- Map of John Muir in India
- About John Muir in India, book by Harold W. Wood, Jr.
- Slide Deck – by Gemini Notebook – The Challenges & Opportunities for John Muir in India (PDF)
- John Muir in India – Video Overview by Gemini Notebook (YouTube)
- Foreword to Wood’s John Muir in India by Prof. Chander Mohan Parsheera
- Introduction – chapter from John Muir in India by Harold W. Wood, Jr. (PDF)
- Foreword to Chander Parsheera’s book John Muir Trail India, by Harold W. Wood, Jr.
- Videos from John Muir in India
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Muir began his exploration from the Great Banyan Tree in the Royal Botanic Garden in Calcutta (Kolkata). His exploration ended in Bombay (Mumbai), covering Himalayan peaks and gardens of Darjeeling, the Ghats of Varanasi (Benares), traces of the historic siege in Lucknow and Kanpur, the beauty of Taj Mahal at Agra, forts and gates of Delhi, and his most favorite, the Deodar Trees and snowy mountain peaks in Shimla.
John Muir in India
John Muir in India: A Naturalist’s Journey from the Great Banyan to the Snowy Himalaya by Harold W. Wood, Jr.
(Now available in ebook, paperback, or hardback from your favorite bookseller.)
John Muir’s encounters with India’s flora, landscapes, and people reveal a nuanced appreciation of the subcontinent’s ecological and spiritual richness. – Chander Mohan Parsheera, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla (India).
In October 1903, the renowned Scottish-American naturalist John Muir traveled across the Indian subcontinent in search of big trees and big mountains. Beginning at Calcutta’s Great Banyan Tree, his journey took him to many of the historic sites and gardens of the central India lowlands. But his main objectives were the views of the lofty Himalaya at Darjeeling, and his ultimate delight: the majestic deodar forests and snowy peaks viewed from Shimla.
This book brings Muir’s historic journey to life using his original journal entries and letters. Imbued with humor and curiosity, Muir’s own words reveal a global perspective far ahead of its time, viewing the Earth as a unified expression of divine beauty.
Muir’s writing is supplemented here with additional geographic and historical insights, as well as copious imagery.
John Muir’s appreciation and respect for the people he met, as well as his non-violent preservationist ethos, stand in contrast to the typical attitudes of many of his contemporary peers—including his own unlikely travel companion, big-game hunter Dr. William Lord Smith.
This book is for anyone interested in nature, history, and a fresh perspective of a visionary environmentalist.
About the Author:
Harold W. Wood, Jr. has been a wilderness preservation advocate and an independent Muir scholar for over 50 years, writing, editing, and curating multiple Muir-related articles and websites over the years.
Reviews:
This book is an invitation to rediscover India through the eyes of one of the world’s greatest naturalists. It also holds the promise of placing India more firmly on the global map of Muir’s legacy – encouraging scholars, conservationists, and travellers alike to engage with these landscapes in a spirit of respect and stewardship.
– Chander Mohan Parsheera, Department of Tourism, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla (India), Author of John Muir Trail India (Penguin India, 2026).
Muir authority Harold Wood gives us a look at Muir’s typically fascinating but little-known letters and journal entries in India, available in no other book about Muir. Having spent a year in India himself growing up, and visited several times since, Wood is an invaluable and knowledgeable guide. His book will complete the “Muir Shelf” of any dedicated disciple of the Father of Our National Parks.
– Raymond Barnett, author of Earth Wisdom: John Muir, Accidental Taoist, Charts Humanity’s Only Future on a Changing Planet. (2016)
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Muir and India Tourism
In 2025, after a year of extensive research, Dr. Chander Mohan Parsheera of Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, accompanied by Ms. Surjeet Chatterjee, retraced Muir’s travels throughout the subcontinent of India, following the path that Muir took in 1903.
Their goal was to bridge the gap between contemporary India and the experiences Muir had 121 years ago; thereby providing his followers with a well-structured itinerary to retrace his footsteps. By promoting a tourism “John Muir Trail India,” Dr. Parsheera and Ms. Chatterjee hope “to intertwine the legacy of John Muir, a pioneer of modern environmentalism, with the diverse natural and cultural landscapes of India. By carefully tracing Muir’s journey in India and aligning it with his philosophy of conservation and exploration, the trail can serve as a bridge between history, ecology and community development”
Professor Parsheera hopes that his research and his new book about it will highlight the potential of the trail “to not only celebrate Muir’s environmental ideals but also to address modern challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change and unsustainable tourism. Through innovative trail design, stakeholder engagement and sustainable practices, the John Muir Trail India can become a model for eco-tourism and a source of inspiration for global conservation efforts.”
Professor Parsheera’s book about the research and the trip, with a Foreword by Harold W. Wood, Jr., was published by Penguin Books India in 2026. Available only in India, it makes a worthwhile companion to Harold Wood’s exhaustive John Muir in India.
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On October 11, 2025, Penguin Random House India held a Book Cover Launch for the new book John Muir Trail India.
In the photo above, authors Surjeet Chatterjee and Chander Parsheera are accompanied by Dr. Amit Arya, Vice Chancellor of a university near Delhi (center).
Foreword by Chander Mohan Parsheera to John Muir in India by Harold W. Wood, Jr.
John Muir in India
by Harold W. Wood, Jr. (in publication)
Foreword by Chander Mohan Parsheera
The legacy of John Muir has long transcended the landscapes he so passionately described, reaching across continents and generations to inspire a deeper reverence for the natural world. In this remarkable volume, John Muir in India,
Harold Wood brings to light a lesser-known yet profoundly meaningful chapter of Muir’s global journey, that is his visit to India in 1903. Through meticulous scholarship and heartfelt interpretation, Wood enriches our understanding of
Muir not only as a naturalist, but as a global thinker whose spiritual and ecological vision knew no boundaries.
Harold Wood stands among the foremost interpreters of Muir’s life and philosophy. His association with the Sierra Club since the early 1970s, combined with decades of scholarship, public engagement, and advocacy, reflects a rare synthesis of intellectual depth and practical commitment to environmental conservation. Through lectures, digital initiatives, and educational outreach, Wood has ensured that Muir’s voice continues to resonate meaningfully in contemporary discourse. His work bridges the gap between historical insight and present-day environmental challenges, making Muir’s ideas accessible and relevant to a global audience.
This book is a testament to Wood’s deep engagement with Muir’s writings, letters, and journals. It carefully reconstructs the narrative of Muir’s Indian sojourn—an unplanned yet deeply significant journey undertaken at the age of sixty-five. From Calcutta to the Himalaya, from the sacred ghats of Varanasi to the colonial landscapes of Lucknow & Kanpur, Wood presents Muir’s observations with clarity and authenticity. The reader encounters not only vivid descriptions of landscapes and flora, but also Muir’s philosophical reflections: his sense of wonder, his spiritual interpretation of nature, and his belief that the Earth, in all its diversity, is a unified expression of divine beauty.
Particularly engaging is the account of Muir’s companionship with Dr. William Lord Smith, whose contrasting perspective as a collector and hunter offers a compelling juxtaposition to Muir’s preservationist ethos. Their shared journey reflects a moment in history where differing approaches to nature coexisted, united by curiosity and exploration. Such episodes enrich the narrative, adding both human depth and historical context.
Wood’s work is equally notable for its attention to botanical detail and cultural insight. His portrayal of Muir’s encounters with India’s flora, landscapes, and people reveals a nuanced appreciation of the subcontinent’s ecological and spiritual richness. The inclusion of Muir’s own words—imbued with humor, curiosity, and profound sensitivity brings authenticity and immediacy to the narrative.
My own association with Harold Wood began through an academic connection facilitated by Mike Wurtz from University of the Pacific, California, at a time when I embarked on retracing John Muir’s journey in India. His guidance, knowledge, and encouragement proved invaluable in shaping my own work, John Muir Trail India. It is through such scholarly collaboration that Muir’s legacy continues to expand, inspiring new pathways of exploration and understanding. John Muir in India is more than a historical account; it is an invitation to rediscover India through the eyes of one of the world’s greatest naturalists. It also holds the promise of placing India more firmly on the global map of Muir’s legacy —encouraging scholars, conservationists, and travellers alike to engage with these landscapes in a spirit of respect and stewardship. At a time when environmental concerns are increasingly urgent, this work serves as both inspiration and reminder: that nature, as Muir believed, is not merely to be observed, but to be cherished, protected, and understood with humility.
I am confident that this book will stand as a significant contribution to environmental literature and Muir scholarship. It will inspire readers to reflect on their own relationship with nature and to carry forward the ethos of conservation with renewed commitment.
Professor Chander Mohan Parsheera
Department of Tourism
Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla (India)
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