ceremony

ceremony · festival

A family is filmed while offering Surya Puja to the sun on the occasion of Durga Puja at Katwaria Sarai, Delhi. The women of the family are seen offering fruits, flowers and water to the sun as part of the ritual during Durga Puja.

ceremony · festival

Temple priest distributes Asthami Prasad during Durga Puja at Katwaria Sarai. The food prepared for offering to the gods during any religious ritual is referred to as Prasad in Hinduism.

ceremony · festival

Devotees at a temple in Katwaria Sarai, Delhi take blessings that come in the form of the flames during Sandhya Puja during the Durga Puja celebration.

ceremony · temple

Women, men, children sit on the floors of the temple at Katwaria Sarai in Delhi. The devotees feast on the food prepared as offering for the goddess Durga. The gods are offered the specially made food after which devotees follow.

ceremony · festival

The Hindu ritual of consigning sacrifices in flames is known as Havan in simple terms like this one in a smaller private celebration.

ceremony · festival

Durga Puja held indoors during the Corona Pandemic with less fanfare than the previous celebrations. The mood is subdued as evident in this clip. The event of Maha Aarti with devotees mostly women holding a lit Diya or lamp in each hand.

ceremony · flowers

Devotees begin preparing for a ritual of garlanding the idol of goddess Durga with flowers and leaves of Wood Apple. Diyas are lit and prasad or food for the god prepared while the priest can be heard chanting in the background.

ceremony · festival

Devotees at the banks of a waterbody in Katwaria Sarai, Delhi on the last of the Durga Puja celebrations. Devotees with chants drag the huge idol of goddess Durga into the water as a send-off.

ceremony · temple

Social distancing and wearing masks have taken a backseat with devotees and temple priests removing the idol of goddess Durga after 10 days of rituals and celebrations.

ceremony · festival

Social distancing and wearing masks have taken a backseat with devotees and temple priests removing the idol of goddess Durga after 10 days of rituals and celebrations.

ceremony · festival

Devotional songs fill the air as devotees take part in the Maha aarti during Durga Puja Dashami. The priest is sen with an offertory plate filled with flames from clarified butter and standing in front of the idol of goddess Durga.

ceremony

Pedestrians near Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi are provided with free meals during the occasion of Navratri before the last day of Durga Puja.

ceremony

Pedestrians near Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi are provided with free meals during the occasion of Navratri before the last day of Durga Puja.

ceremony

The feet of Kanjak or virgin girls is washed during the Kumari or Kanjak Puja or Ashtami, during the Durga Puja festival in India. Thankfully, everyone is wearing masks in this age of Covid19!

ceremony · temple

Corona Pandemic has changed the way Hindus in India celebrate their religious festivals. Safety and preventive measures have discouraged the gathering of thousands which is normally the case in most Indian religious festivals.

ceremony

A priest at a temple in Delhi is filmed preparing Bhog or savoury offerings for goddess Durga during Durga Puja. The preparation of the sacred offering is done in front of the idol of the goddess.

ceremony · festival

Devotees at a temple in North India light diyas or traditional earthen lamps in front of the idol of goddess Durga as part of the celebration of Durga Puja.

ceremony · dance

Durga Puja and Wet Bengal come to mind for most of us but here is a glimpse of the colourful culture of Durga Puja in India. Our cameramen filmed this celebration at a temple in New Delhi with Hindu devotees of the Odia community.

ceremony

A glimpse inside the celebration of Kumari, Kanjak Puja or Virgin Puja of the Odia community in Delhi. Children dressed in colourful clothing are seated waiting for their share of the prasad or food for the gods prepared in the temple.

ceremony

Kumari Puja is an important part of Durga Puja celebration among Hindus and the celebrations differ from region to region. However, the meaning behind the worship of young unmarried girls names Kumari or Virgin girls are similar.

festival · ceremony

Corona pandemic has changed how we celebrate festivals in India. This is one such example where the celebrations are limited to close-knit groups instead of the gathering of thousands which are common before the pandemic.

ceremony

Festivals with thousands gathered and crowded has taken a swift turn to a more private and less crowded. A family and close knit friends are seen in a small pandal at an open ground with their personal priest present.

ceremony

Women and men are seen in small numbers at a pandal during the Durga Puja celebrations amid the Coronavirus pandemic. The women are seen wearing masks and sitting at distances as a safety protocol.