Photos: Indian Muslims celebrate the beginning of Ramadan

New Delhi, India – India is home to the world’s third-largest Muslim population, with approximately 200 million Muslims living in the country as a minority in a predominantly Hindu country.

According to new religious projections data from the Pew Research Centre, India will have the distinction of having the largest populations of two of the largest religions in the world – Hinduism and Islam – in the coming decades.

In 2050, the country is expected to have 311 million Muslims, 11 percent of the global total.

This Ramadan, Muslims in the capital New Delhi have come together to celebrate the advent of the holy month according to their social and cultural customs, giving Ramadan a distinct identity.

Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims, with intense prayer, self-discipline, dawn-to-dusk fasting, and nightly feasts.

Al Jazeera visited old Muslim neighbourhoods, historical mosques, seminaries, and markets in its historical capital city to bring you this gallery of how Muslims observe Ramadan in India.