Child impersonating Lord Shiva, in Badrinath

From the archive record

They say that there is God in everyone of us. Our camera caught this child posing the avatar of Lord Shiva for money on the road in Badrinath which is a holy town in India. Badrinath is situated on the Alaknanda river (a major tributary of the Ganga or Ganges) at an altitude of 3133 mts in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Badrinath was re-established as a major pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the ninth century. In recent years its popularity has increased significantly, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the 2006 season, compared to 90,676 in 1961. The temple in Badrinath is also a sacred pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites. Badrinath has been mentioned as a holy place in scriptures and legends for thousands of years. According to the Bhagavata Purana, "There in Badrikashra