R A M A N A N. Rishikesh

Ramanan, a sadhu praying and living in a small hut on the bank of the Ganges.

Taken by Claude Renault

Aarti

"Aarti time at Pashupatinath". Nepal. Taken by pablodadiablo

Hindu devotee

"Many devotees pray here during the week before the procession.

A trusted relative pierces tens (or hundreds?) of spikes into the devotee's body. Or a large skewer trough his mouth.
Nobody cringes. Nobody bleeds! I mean I didn't see anybody feeling pain at Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur.

The prayers done, friends and relatives start loading the kavadi frames onto the shoulders of devotees. They will go up the steps deep into the Batu caves, where the skewers and hooks will be taken out as the final part of the prayer ....

Thaipusam preparations are never quiet affairs. In the background, musicians pound drums and blow bugles.

This music gets the devotees into the right frame of mind, I am told."

Taken by Igor

Meditation

"A man is praying at the Ganges in Varanasi". Taken by Dick Verton

D H O T I. Pushkar

"A pilgrims drying his Dhoti on the ghats in Pushkar. Rajasthan". Taken by Claude Renault

G Y M. Varanasi

"A man doing some morning exercises in an Akhara of Varanasi". Taken by Claude Renault

Nagababas

"Nagababas ready for the last Royal bath of Maha Kumbh Mela... Juna Akhara, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India". Taken by s i a m

P A R A D E.

"A parade during Holi in Vrindavan". India. Taken by Claude Renault

Parmarth Niketan along the Ganga

"It promised to be a rather cloudy Aarti.
Late afternoon I went to the roof of the ashram at the blue hour". Taken by oochappan

Moonlight

"In the evening when the tourist and the pilgrims leaves the ghats in Varanasi, then is there time a chat with each other , sitting on the roof of a building, with the light of a lamp and the full moon!". India. Taken by Dick Verton

Sadhu

"Nice and colourful sadhu with his stick". India. Taken by Dick Verton

G A N E S H. Kanchipuram

"A painter in the streets of Kanchipuram. He is drawing Ganesh". India. Taken by Claude Renault

Malay Hinduism

"While doing my usual touristic walk through Jonker Street, in the heart of Melaka's Chinatown, I found myself amazed that in a very small radios I could see a church, a mosque and a Hindu temple. Everyone is really open to foreigners and people of different religions, eager to show you around their praying temples and customs". Taken by Dave_B_

Pushkar India

Taken by Jehouda

Aarti

"The Ganga Aarti ceremony in Varanasi, India. This ceremony is performed every night at dusk on the Ganges River". Taken by Dick Verton

When the Street is an Altar

"Street is the best place for dying the long strings (manja) used for flying kites. The thread is coated with colored rice paste under the protection of the worker's mother, the gods… Yes, the day will go fine… Aren't we just behind the famous the Swaminarayan temple of Ahmedabad?". Taken by Eli Shams

Elephant

Preparing the elephants, Ardh Kumbh Mela 2007 in Prayag (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India. Taken by s i a m

Blindingly Bright

"Durga Odissi Dance - Konark, Orissa, India". Taken by Sanatan

People and Flowers

Kumbh Mela pilgrimage, Allahabad, India. Taken by Siam

Kirtan

"The Sanskrit word 'kirtan' refers to the Hindu tradition of devotional chanting of hymns and mantras. It is usually accompanied by instruments such as the harmonium, the two-headed pakawaj, sometimes tabla drums, as well as karatal, or hand cymbals. It is a major practice amongst Vaisnavas (Vishnu devotees). I was walking in the old city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, when I heard the music and was soon invited to join in by some of the people who had gathered in someone's house for the occasion". Taken by Fredcan