Prayer

Offerings on the banks of the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Hindus pray for deceased relatives along the Hooghly River (aka Ganges) during Mahalaya, Babughat, Kolkata, India

Hindus meditate and pray on the Ganges River, Varanasi, India

Offerings on the banks of the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Offerings on the banks of the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Hindu men pray and chant in Kalighat, Kolkata, India

Pujari wave incense and bells during Ganga Aarti, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi, India

A woman prays on the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Upper class Muslim father and daughter praying during Eid al-Adha, Red Road, Madian, Kolkata, India. I have the only photos taken by a foreigner of this most important day to Muslims at the most auspicious site in Kolkata for both 2012 and 2013.

A woman crafts small mud scupltures adorned with flowers as part of a Hindu prayer, Assi Ghat, Varanasi, India

A woman prays on the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Hindu devotees await sunrise on the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Ladies pray in the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Students pray at a school in Varanasi, India operated by Dutch NGO Duniya (duniya.org)

Durga idols are recovered from the Hooghly River after being immersed during the Durga Puja idols, Babughat, Kolkata, India. The idols are recovered to avoid polluting the river. They're made from straw and river clay, but the paints are not eco-friendly.

Offerings on the banks of the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Durga Puja idols are immersed in the Hooghly River at night, Babughat, Kolkata, India

A man receives a blessing during Kali Murti, Varanasi, India

Hindus attend Ganga Aarti along the Ganges River, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi, India

Women Hindu pilgrims with shaved heads pray during Ganga Aarti along the Ganges River, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi, India

Lovely scene at a small temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

A man offers morning prayers at a temple in Bhagwanpura village, Rajasthan, India

Ladies pray in the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Ladies pray in the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Hindu women offer prayers on the Ganges River, Kedar Ghat, Varanasi, India

Organic garbage and candles in the Ganges River at night, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi, India

Offerings on the banks of the Ganges River during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

Ganga Aarti, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi, India

Durga idols are recovered from the Hooghly River after being immersed during the Durga Puja idols, Babughat, Kolkata, India. The idols are recovered to avoid polluting the river. They're made from straw and river clay, but the paints are not eco-friendly.

Children pray on a painting on the outside of a nursery school, Salkia, Howrah, India

Strong look from a woman during Chhath Puja, Varanasi, India. Chhath Puja is a devotion to the Sun God Surya in which people gather at sunset and then on the following sunrise and offer prayers.

A woman prays for deceased relatives during Mahalaya, Kolkata, India

Students pray before lunch at a school in Varanasi, India operated by Dutch NGO Duniya (duniya.org)

Pilgrims bathing en masse along the Ganges River at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, India.

A group of girls perform puja (prayer) at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, India.

Two Hindu women shave their heads and bathe in the Ganges River as part of a religious ritual, Varanasi, India.

Ganga aarti on Dashashwamedh ghat, Varanasi, India.

A group of women pilgrims pray on the beach at Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela, India.

Conch shell used for Hindu prayer. Ganga aarti on Dashashwamedh ghat, Varanasi, India.

Ganga aarti on Dashashwamedh ghat, Varanasi, India.

Shrine at the base of the 80 foot tall statue of Buddha at the Thai Buddha Vihar in Sarnath, India - the tallest statue of Buddha in India.

Pilgrims in white pray on the beach at the Gangasagar Mela (festival), a pilgrimage to Sagar Island in India, where the Ganges River meets the sea.

Candle at an altar, Kolkata, India.

An elerly sadhu (holy man) does yoga at the Gangasagar Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage to Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal in India, where the Ganges River meets the sea.

Men hawk jewelry and souvenirs to Hindu pilgrims riding in boats on the Ganges River, Varanasi, India.

An elerly sadhu (holy man) does yoga at the Gangasagar Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage to Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal in India, where the Ganges River meets the sea.

A Hindu pilgrim takes photos of the Kapil Muni temple on Sagar Island, India, during the Gangsagar Mela.

Roses in the feet of a Buddha statue in a temple at the Thai Buddha Vihar in Sarnath, India. Sarnath, just north of Varanasi, is where the Buddha gave his first sermon, and is a modern day pilgrimage site.

Students pray before lunch at a school in Varanasi, India operated by Dutch NGO Duniya (duniya.org)

Pilgrims bath in the Hindu holy city of Pushkar during the full moon Puja (Kartik Purnima) of November 2012, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India.

A lantern burns during a ritual at the Gangasagar Mela, on the beach of Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal, India.

Pilgrims bath in the Hindu holy city of Pushkar during the full moon Puja (Kartik Purnima) of November 2012, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India.

Two Hindu men who have shaved their heads as part of a religious ritual, Varanasi, India.

Ganga aarti on Dashashwamedh ghat, Varanasi, India.

Celebration at a temple to the Goddess Ganga, on World Ganges Day, Varanasi, India.

People reading on the ghats, Varanasi, India.

A tourist takes a photograph of a man praying along the Ganges River, Varanasi, India.

Ganga aarti on Dashashwamedh ghat, Varanasi, India.

Harish Chandra burning ghat at night, Varanasi, India.

Children pray at a school in Varanasi, India operated by the Dutch NGO Duniya (duniya.org)

Pilgrims perform puja (prayer) with coconuts on the beach at the Gangasagar Mela, Sagar Island, India. Gangasagar is a Hindu pilgrimage to Sagar Island, where the Ganges meets the sea.

A man in white meditates on the banks of the Ganges River, Varanasi, India.

A pilgrim sits next to a painting of Jesus at a staging area in Kolkata, India for pilgrims going to the Gangasagar Mela on Sagar Island south of Kolkata.

An elerly sadhu (holy man) does yoga at the Gangasagar Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage to Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal in India, where the Ganges River meets the sea.

A girl collects discarded coconuts in the Bay of Bengal at the Gangasagar Mela (festival), a pilgrimage to Sagar Island in India, where the Ganges River meets the sea.

A man meditates along the Ganges River, Varanasi, India.

A father and son bathe in the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela, Sagar Island, India.

Hindu pilgrims perform prayers to departed relatives along the Ganges River, Varanasi, India.

A man prays and bathes in the Ganges River, Varanasi, India.

A group of women bathe and pray in the Bay of Bengal at the Gangasagar Mela (festival), a pilgrimage to Sagar Island in India, where the Ganges River meets the sea.

A table with apples used in prayer rituals sits in the waters of the Bay of Bangal on the beach at the Gangasagar Mela, Sagar Island, India.

Pilgrims bathing en masse along the Ganges River at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, India.

A group of women pilgrims pray on the beach at Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela, India.

Pilgrims pray at Kapil Muni temple on Sagar Island, India, during the Gangasagar Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage that attracts a million people.

Hindu pilgrims bathe in the Bay of Bengal at night at the Gangasagar Mela, Sagar Island, India.

A pilgrim sits next to a painting of Jesus at a staging area in Kolkata, India for pilgrims going to the Gangasagar Mela on Sagar Island south of Kolkata.

Two Hindu women shave their heads and bathe in the Ganges River as part of a religious ritual, Varanasi, India.

Students at a school in Varanasi, India operated by Dutch NGO Duniya (duniya.org).

A humble Hindu worker stands next to Buddhist pilgrims at the Sarnath Archaeological Site, Sarnath, India.

Pilgrims pray at Kapil Muni temple on Sagar Island, India, during the Gangasagar Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage that attracts a million people.

Krishna devotees eat dinner in a house in Chingrihata, Kolkata, India.