Religion and Festivals
Indian sadhus (Hindu holy men) wait to bathe at Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers -- on the auspicious day of 'Basant Panchami' at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on February 10, 2019. - Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge in holy rivers on the most auspicious bathing days of the Kumbh Mela festival, led by naked, ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by chants from Hindu holy texts. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Allahabad India
Hindu devotees take part in a traditional gathering during the Lathmar Holi celebrations, the spring festival of colours at a temple in Barsana village of India’s Uttar Pradesh state on March 23, 2021. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) Barsana India
Indian Hindu devotees offer prayers in Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on November 21, 2018. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Varanasi India
Indian widows light earthen lamps or 'diyas' during Diwali celebrations at Gopinath temple in Vrindavan on October 16, 2017. - Diwali, the Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory of good over evil and the triumphant return of Lord Ram to the city Ayodha after vanquishing Ravana in the kingdom of Lanka. (Photo by Xavier Galiana / AFP) Vrindavan India
Shiite Muslim mourners pray during a procession on the tenth day of Muharram which marks the day of Ashura, in New Delhi on September 10, 2019. - Ashura is a period of mourning in remembrance of the seventh-century martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Imam Hussein, who was killed in the battle of Karbala in modern-day Iraq, in 680 AD. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) New Delhi India
A Shiite Muslim mourner bleeds as he flagellates himself during the tenth day of Muharram which marks the day of Ashura, at the Karbala and Dargah Sha-e-Mardan in New Delhi on August 30, 2020. - Ashura is a period of mourning in remembrance of the seventh-century martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Imam Hussein, who was killed in the battle of Karbala in modern-day Iraq, in 680 AD. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) New Delhi India
In this photograph taken on July 7, 2018, Indian Buddhist monks perform 'Parikama', a circumambulation around Tnagyud Gompa monastery, in Komik in the Spiti Valley in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. - Some 18,000 feet (5,500 metres) above sea level in the Indian Himalayas sits the Tnagyud Gompa Buddhist Monastery, where snow leaves the monks in complete isolation for seven months a year. Right now the monks and people in the nearby village of Komik, said to be Asia's highest, are feverishly preparing for winter, stocking up on food and drying vegetables and fuel -- and praying. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) / TO GO WITH India-religion-Buddhism, PHOTOESSAY by Xavier Galiana Komik India
Hindu devotees take part in a traditional gathering during the Lathmar Holi celebrations, the spring festival of colours at a temple in Barsana village of India’s Uttar Pradesh state on March 23, 2021. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) Barsana India
This photograph taken on January 14, 2018 shows Indian devotees taking a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, for a holy dip during the annual Magh Mela festival in Allahabad. - Millions of Hindu devotees are gathering in northern India for the Magh Mela -- one of the world's biggest religious festivals involving ritual bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges river. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) Allahabad India
Youths throw coloured powder to their friend as they celebrate Holi, the festival of colours along a street in Jodhpur on March 29, 2021. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) Jodhpur India
Indian Muslim devotees wave flags as they parade atop vehicles along a street during Eid Milad-un-Nabi, which marks the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad, in Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on November 21, 2018. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Varanasi India
Indian Hindu devotees perform a ritual along the banks of the Ganges River at Assi Ghat in Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on November 21, 2018. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Varanasi India
Indian naked sadhus (Hindu holy men) bathe at the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers -- on the auspicious day of 'Basant Panchami' at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on February 10, 2019. - Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge in holy rivers on the most auspicious bathing days of the Kumbh Mela festival, led by naked, ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by chants from Hindu holy texts. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Allahabad India
Hindu women beat a man with sticks as they traditionally celebrate the Lathmar Holi, the spring festival of colours near a temple in Barsana village of India’s Uttar Pradesh state on March 23, 2021. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) Barsana India
An Indian sadhu (Hindu holy man) wades at the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers -- on the auspicious day of 'Basant Panchami' at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on February 10, 2019. - Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge in holy rivers on the most auspicious bathing days of the Kumbh Mela festival, led by naked, ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by chants from Hindu holy texts. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Allahabad India
Followers of a Hindu Baba hold flags along a beach during the Gangasagar Mela, at Sagar Island, some 150 km south of Kolkata on January 15, 2020. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Gangasagar India
Indian sadhus (Hindu holy men) return after bathing on the auspicious day of 'Basant Panchami' at the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers -- at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on February 10, 2019. - Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge in holy rivers on the most auspicious bathing days of the Kumbh Mela festival, led by naked, ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by chants from Hindu holy texts. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Allahabad India
An Indian naked sadhu (Hindu holy man) bathes with the help of an international devotee at the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers -- on the auspicious day of 'Basant Panchami' at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on February 10, 2019. - Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge in holy rivers on the most auspicious bathing days of the Kumbh Mela festival, led by naked, ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by chants from Hindu holy texts. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Allahabad India
In this photograph taken on July 9, 2018, Indian Buddhists monks prostrate during a morning 'puja' at the prayer hall of Tnagyud Gompa monastery in Komik in Spiti Valley in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. - Some 18,000 feet (5,500 metres) above sea level in the Indian Himalayas sits the Tnagyud Gompa Buddhist Monastery, where snow leaves the monks in complete isolation for seven months a year. Right now the monks and people in the nearby village of Komik, said to be Asia's highest, are feverishly preparing for winter, stocking up on food and drying vegetables and fuel -- and praying. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) / TO GO WITH India-religion-Buddhism, PHOTOESSAY by Xavier Galiana Komik India
This photograph taken on January 15, 2018 shows Indian devotees lighting 'diyas' at holy man Shiv Yogi Moni Swami's camp in Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati during the annual Magh Mela festival in Allahabad. - Millions of Hindu devotees are gathering in northern India for the Magh Mela -- one of the world's biggest religious festivals involving ritual bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges river. (Photo by Xavier GALIANA / AFP) Allahabad India
In this aerial photo taken on January 14, 2020, Hindu devotees gather to take a holy dip in the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela, at Sagar Island, some 150 kilometres south of Kolkata. (Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP) Gangasagar India