Islam

A Hindu boy with cerebral palsy begs during the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, 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.

Muslim gravesite on a hilltop near Kaklana village, Rajasthan, India

Aerial view of Longia Mohalla, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

A muslim woman begs during Eid al-Adha, Maidan, Kolkata, India

A girl asks motorists for money at an intersection in Lake Gardens, Kolkata, India.

An artist works on a needlepoint tapestry or rug, Varanasi, India.

Silhouette of birds flying near a mosque in Shyambazar, Kolkata, India.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

A mosque in the Dharavi slum, Mumbai, India.

Police officers during Eid-al-Adha on Red Road, Kolkata, India.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

A Muslim man passes an impoverished man on the street near Red Road, Kolkata, India.

Blacksmith shop, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

In a very unusual scene, a small Hindu boy on the Maidan (Central Park) begs money from Muslim men leaving the observance of the Eid al-Adha holiday on Red Road in Kolkata, India.

A Muslim woman, her face obscured, poses with her child, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

A girl in a blue headscarf stands over a group of Muslims praying during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Blacksmith shop, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

A man sleeps at the foot of a monument in a Muslim area of Esplanade, Kolkata, India.

Muslim fish processors in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Carved idols in a shop at Chor Bazaar, also known as the Thieves Market, Mumbai, India.

Muslim fish processors in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Religious figures in a shop at Chor Bazaar, also known as the Thieves Market, Mumbai, India.

Muslim fish processors in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

A girl in a blue headscarf stands over a group of Muslims praying during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Religious figures in a shop at Chor Bazaar, also known as the Thieves Market, Mumbai, India.

A Muslim woman holds a baby girl in yellow, near Crawford Market, Mumbai, India.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Colorful painted door in the Dharavi slum, Mumbai, India.

A banana seller near Jama Masjid (Mosque) in Bandra, Mumbai, India.

A woman carries her daughter on a street near Crawford Market, Mumbai, India.

Three sisters at the observance of Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslim fish processors in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Blacksmith shop, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Three sisters at the observance of Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Elderly Muslim woman at a market in Metiabruz, Kolkata, India.

Muslim women and children in the Arabian Sea during a monsoon rain, Juhu Beach, Mumbai, India.

Exterior of a crowded antique and curio shop in Chor Bazaar, also known as the Thieves Market, Mumbai, India.

Three sisters at the observance of Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Colorful plastic crates at a vegetable stall are covered in plastic during monsoon rains, Bandra West, Mumbai, India.

Sunset over the Haji Ali Dargah Mosque and Haji Ali Bay, Mumbai, India.

A man begs for money at the observance of Eid-al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India.

Religious paintings and carvings in a shop at Chor Bazaar, also known as the Thieves Market, Mumbai, India.

Street scene near the Jama Masjid mosque in Old Delhi, India

Three sisters at the observance of Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Portrait of two brothers in Sion, Mumbai, India.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

A woman buys eggs in the Dharavi slum, Mumbai, India.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Blacksmith shop, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Sunset over the Haji Ali Dargah Mosque and Haji Ali Bay, Mumbai, India.

Muslims pray during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Three sisters at the observance of Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

A girl in a blue headscarf stands over a group of Muslims praying during Eid al-Adha on Red Road in Kolkata, India. Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, and Red Road is considered perhaps the most auspicious site in Kolkata. More than 50,000 people pray here en masse. Editorial note: These are the only images captured of this event in 2012 by a foreign photographer.

Men stir a huge wok during the Muharram festival, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Muslim butcher relaxes outside of his shop in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Muharram festival, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Children play on a swing during the Muharram festival in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Muslim girls in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Men stir a huge wok during the Muharram festival, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Elderly man with a red beard and his grandson in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

A full moon rises over a small mosque in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India

Girl in Jodhpur during the Muslim Muharram festival, Rajasthan, India

Sisters in Jodhpur during the Muslim Muharram festival, Rajasthan, India

Muslim men play large drums during the Muharram festival, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Muslim girl in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Muslim girls in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India