E. M. Forster’s 1924 novel A Passage to India takes place during the beginnings of the Indian independence movement in the 1920s and the beginning of the end of the British Raj, which had exploited old, deep-seated religious and cultural conflicts between India’s Hindu and Muslim populations to sustain its imperial power.  It centers on four characters: Dr. Aziz, his friend Cyril Fielding, Mrs. Moore, and Miss Adela Quested.  The conflict occurs during a trip to the fictitious Marabar Caves, when Adela believes she been alone in a cave with Dr. Aziz, when in fact he was absent.  A sexual assault is assumed, and the ensuing charges, trial, and its aftermath enflame the simmering racial tensions and prejudices of the colonial era. The work is known for its development of the relationships between his characters, which are fraught by a wide range of precarious cultural, social, and political dualisms: East/West, imperial/colonial, and male/female. Forster takes his famous theme expressed by “only connect” in Howards End to its limits, examining the difficulties and the inherent impossibility of “connection” across racial, sexual, religious, and social divisions. The novel is based on Forster's experiences in India and derives its title from Walt Whitman's 1870 poem "Passage to India". It appears on the Modern Library list of the 100 great works of 20th century English literature and on the Time magazine "All Time 100 Novels" list.

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