ceremony

music · village

A Hari Kirtan gathering in rural Odisha, India, featuring traditional devotional music, singing, and community participation.

ceremony · temple

During Maha Shivaratri, devotees gather at a Shiva temple to perform traditional puja and Abhishek rituals. Milk, honey, haldi, and chandan are offered over the Shiva Lingam, which is decorated with flowers.

ceremony · temple

Indian women and men performing puja to a Shivling during the Maha Shivaratri festival. Devotees pray to Lord Shiva, while women pour milk over the Shivling and place fruits and other offerings around it.

crafts · ceremony

An artisan in Lado Sarai, Delhi, is painting a clay idol of Lord Vishwakarma and adding the final details before Vishwakarma Puja. The outdoor workshop has several unfinished and partially painted idols placed around the work area to dry.

ceremony · river

Devotees performing an idol immersion (visarjan) ritual at Kalindi Kunj on the Yamuna River in Delhi, India.

ceremony · temple

Rituals are being performed before the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra at Shree Jagannath Mandir in Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India.

ceremony · festival

Experience the spiritual essence of Kumbh Mela as sadhus and naga sadhus perform sacred rituals by the bank of the holy Ganges.

river · ceremony

Ladakh's Stakna monastery on a hilltop high above the Indus river, prayer flags aflutter.

festival · ceremony

Hola Mohalla: Punjab India - known as the land of spirituality and philosophy. It is the birthplace of many religions and Sikhism is one such faith.

festival · ceremony

Holi is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus as a festival of colours. Happy yaoshang, folks! It is primarily observed in India and Nepal.

ceremony

Amrita Rao talks highly of Sooraj Barjatya as her director in the making of the film 'Vivah'. Vivah (Translation: Marriage) is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, written and directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya.

highway · ceremony

An aerial view of No. 5 Ashoka Road in Lutyens' Delhi circle of New Delhi city. The venue is all dressed up for a Big Fat Delhi wedding, in reds and much illumination.

ceremony

Syas Divya Khosla Kumar, the wife of T Series' Bhushan Kumar: "The reactions have been very nice, as this was my debut movie.

ceremony

Nearly 30 years ago when her father mother tied the knot in a quiet little ceremony, it made news but not headlines.

temple · architecture

Fly over the water tank or Sarovar and Sikh temple of the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi. A lovely aerial view of the water body and the main gurudwara of Bangla sahib in New Delhi, by night.

ceremony

Indian politicians, Sonia Gandhi, Mayawati, Chandrababu Naidu, Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi attend the swearing-in ceremony of Kumaraswamy in Karnataka. See the warm welcome Sonia Gandhi gives to Mayawati.

Gujarat·ceremony

An armed guard stands in front of the Surat Jail in Gujarat. Behind this wooden door, inmates are offering their evening prayer while some are gathered together. A prisoner narrates his history of illness and infection with HIV.

Uttar Pradesh·ceremony · festival

Staunch Hindu devotees at the site of a cremation as they prepare to celebrate Masan Holi in Varanasi. While a body is being cremated, the devotees and priest chant and play musical instruments.

politics · ceremony

Then President of India KR Narayanan is escorted to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister of India. L K Advani was also sworn in at the time. Deve Gowda loses from the state.

livestock · ceremony

A man in North India visits a 'Gai Mata priest' for seeking blessings from a cow. The priest takes the tail of the cow and places it in the man's hands whilst chanting the ritual mantras. Cows are considered sacred by Hindus in India.

West Bengal·ceremony · politics

Artists in Calcutta, West Bengal give final touches to the idols of Durga Maa and other characters before Durga Puja celebrations. The idols are made of clay and will be painted and adorned with accessories before the main festival.

ceremony · temple

The priest chants and offers incense to the goddess Durga in front of the devotees in the temple. Devotees play musical instruments and chant praises of the warrior goddess.

music · ceremony

Women of Bihar at Chhat Puja singing Bhajan while dressed for the festivities at the river bank.