The main settings of A Passage to India are two Indian towns called Chandrapore and Mau. The narrator describes Chandrapore as "nothing extraordinary" beyond its mystical Marabar Caves—everything seems to be made of mud, and it contains a settlement of British expatriates. Mau is a Hindu region a few hundred miles from Chandrapore, and it becomes significant in the story because Aziz takes a job as the chief doctor to the Rajah of Mau. Beyond these two cities, Forster also writes of India as a whole, and the English often make generalizations about its character and qualities. When Fielding refers to it as a "muddle" in Chapter 7, he suggests that it is difficult to understand the country, saying, "A mystery is only a high-sounding term for a muddle [...]. Aziz and I know well that India’s a muddle."
The story takes place in the early 1900s during England's expansive colonization of other countries. Many characters arrive on a ship from England, hence the presence of Adela Quested, Mrs. Moore, and Cyril Fielding. The main drama in the novel stems from the conflict between England and India; the former has a great colonial presence in India, as represented by Ronny Heaslop, who is Adela's fiancé and an official in Chandrapore.
