ceremony

Uttar Pradesh·ceremony · livestock

An elderly woman performs puja as she holds cow's tail and a priest recites mantras during the puja at Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. In the background, man with his shades on, busy on his mobile phone.

ceremony

Content uploaded for educational purposes. Bovines jump across flames as a ritual in India. Lesser known religious practises in India.

ceremony · livestock

In a quirky yet different attempt to spread the message of protecting cows, a group in Bhavnagar Kotiya village in Gujarat conducted a lavish wedding for 'Poonam' the cow and 'Arjun' the bull.

river · festival

Kumbh has a mesmerising influence over the minds of Indians as it is witness to the largest human gathering in history for the same cause on a single day irrespective of any worldly barriers of caste, creed, colour and religion.

ceremony · politics

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has gained some unlikely fans - including a right-wing Hindu group in India. Members of the Hindu Sena held a prayer in support of Mr Trump winning the US presidential election.

livestock · festival

Much less pollution by celebrating Diwali this way! While everyone else burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate Deepavali, the villagers of Gomatapura on Tamil Nadu and Karnataka border collected cow dung for a couple of days onl…

ceremony

A ritual of the traditional Chhath Puja- Indian devotees are seen rolling on the sand as a part of their tribute to the Sun god and their sister.

livestock · village

In Betul, people believe that smearing their kids in cow dung can help them lead a healthy life free from ailments. This unusual tradition takes place in a village in Betul district in Madhya Pradesh.

Maharashtra·ceremony · hills

Marriages may be made in heaven, but this one was sanctified "hanging" mid-air- over a 600-feet deep valley! Jaideep Jadhav, 30, a mountaineer and pharma marketer, and his bride Reshma Patil, preparing for her Indian Administrative Service…

ceremony · river

Chhat Puja is considered a true test of a would-be devotee's piety, since the rituals often call for great physical and mental strength.

festival · ceremony

Viewer discretion advised due to possible graphic content. Himachali people abuse each other on the occasion of Faguli festival. This bizarre ritual is an important part of the festival.

ceremony · hills

Marriages may be made in heaven, but this one was sanctified "hanging" mid-air- over a 600-feet deep valley! Jaideep Jadhav, 30, a mountaineer and pharma marketer, and his bride Reshma Patil, preparing for her Indian Administrative Service…

Himachal Pradesh·festival · temple

Captured in slow motion, Himachali men wear grass skirts and dance, which is part of Faguli festival in Himachal Pradesh. It could be weird for rest of the country or world.

ceremony · river

Kumbh has a mesmerising influence over the minds of Indians as it is witness to the largest human gathering in history for the same cause on a single day irrespective of any worldly barriers of caste, creed, colour and religion.

ceremony

'Every dog has its day' this quotation turns to be true as dog owners participate at the mass dog marriage held at the Ansal Plaza complex in Delhi.

ceremony

He ended his spiritual journey while meditating, in a sitting position! "Aakhri darshan kar lo, bhai!". Last rites for a Hindu saint, as opposed to the traditional means. They surround the sadhu with salt to aid in rapid decomposition.

flowers · hills

One of the smallest flowering Rhododendron shrubs - the talispatra, as seen above Dodital in May 1994, in Uttarakhand, India, at around 12, 500 feet altitude.

flowers · hills

Horned Lousewort, the curious species, inhabits tough and sometimes inaccessible areas of the Himalayan cold deserts.

ceremony · dance

Ritual drummers -- dhakis, carrying large leather-strung dhak ---- show off their skills during ritual dance worships called arati. Initially the Puja was organised by rich families since they had the money to organise the festival.

ceremony · music

The Dhakis are the people who have the talent to play this huge drum-like instrument called Dhak. They have been playing this traditional instrument for generations.

ceremony

What fabulous percussive competence from our Indian Army massed bands! When they lift their drum sticks and click them mid-war in unison, surely that the most amazing sensation of musicality, percussiveness and desk bhakti goose-bumpiness!…

festival · ceremony

A member of Royal family of Mysore performs rituals on Dasara. Mysore Dasara is a Royal Festival Celebrating victory of Truth over Evil.

river · ceremony

Sahasralinga is a pilgrimage place, located around 14 km from the Sirsi Taluk in the district of Uttara Kannada of Karnataka state in India.