The pictures are very nice indeed. But picture no 8 is not Ganesha. Its the Kumari- Living Goddess of Nepal, housed in a Hanuman Dhoka. I hope the others are authentically tagged.

Some traditions are universal and know no borders.

I am from Catalonia, a small country in the Western coast of the Mediterranean, part of Spain. I belong to a group of Castellers, a very Catalan tradition which is very popular. I propose you an exercise: please have a look again at pictures #18 to #20, and then check these ones:

http://www.tirsabril.com/bordegassos/bdg_20090801_vilanova/pictures/IMGP1527.jpg

http://www.tirsabril.com/bordegassos/bdg_20090801_vilanova/pictures/IMGP1662.jpg

http://www.tirsabril.com/bordegassos/bdg_20090628_sant_just/pictures/IMGP9767.jpg

If you are curious and want to see more, you can visit my web, but please bear in mind that I'm not a professional photographer and therefore the pics are not as good as the ones shown here.

http://www.tirsabril.com/bordegassos/index.php?idm=en

Awesome pictures, especially #8

And my girlfriend got one of those tattoos (#15) as well. You can't believe how fast they do that.

the western world doesnt know how to party like this

La religion...opium du peuple...tout à fait vrai......mais c'est aussi un remède contre la désespérance.

religious fanatics by any name that pray to any god(s) are a problem... to pierce your face like the fanatic did with the large needle is simply insanity. What god would demand you endure pain like that?

It very much makes me happy to see a region and culture that still follows its TRADITIONAL, aboriginal faith and customs.

Beautiful photos, and any traditional customs are, IMO, a beautiful thing.

Vibrant pictures for sure.

Very nice pictures, makes me want to visit one day.

Very interesting pictures - I can only wish for fewer occurrences of the word 'Hindu' in the captions.

I agree that Ganesha is a Hindu god, however, the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi is done across the country. Being Hindu myself, I proudly share in Iftaar parties with Muslim friends and sweets on Christmas.

These are just another section of people who believe in something as God and do something which they follow. We are ultimately no one to criticize their beliefs and followings.

That said, the collection is pretty good.

Wow...These people are so lost.

Anyone else think #32 is kinda creepy?

as someone who is involved with various piercings... sure, it hurts, but it isn't as bad as some of you make it out to be. Breaking a bone or tearing a ligament in a sporting event is much more painful. And my personal opinion is that inflicting pain in reverence to a god is much more meaningful than inflicting pain to win a game.

I really enjoy seeing the different people that inhabit our planet. thank you for showing them to us.

The pictures are beautiful. For those who may have uncharitable comments to say, please know that unless you take the time to understand culture you will never be able to appreciate the symbolism behind peoples seemingly strange actions.

While we may all disagree - we have to learn to respect diversity. Yes, I agree , live sacrifice like chucking animals in volcanos etc is really going too far - but thats not the norm - its the exception.

Most Hindus are vegetarians so Animal sacrifice and things like that are repugnant to them. To just pass judgements is not the right thing to do
remember the American group EN VOGUE
"Free your mind .... and the Rest will follow ..."
P E A C E to one and all

Wonderful, vivid pictures that really take your mind to a different world!

I do agree with some of the above comments that religion can be a little scary when you see mass indoctrinations that shape people's values and orientations... I can't help but think of the new watch-word for critics of Religion: Kool-Aid!

These are some very beautiful pictures.It is just amazing to see the number of people who are connected together by the belief in the idol,even if it is commercial to a certain extent and also maybe a bit of lack of education but you still do bow your head with respect and faith,that I believe is the essence of the practice of idol worship.If you can bow down to the earth you are humble:)

Wow, this is awesome. I have never seen this festival being celebrated even though I am an Indian, myself. LOL. This is so cool. I wish I were there. I love the pics where the womena are getting their hands painted by henna, and the one in which the ladies dancing in beautiful red saris.

I would like to echo the comments of #11 & #44, among others: Beautiful world, beautiful people, beautiful country. Many, many ways to seek and see our creator. Please God bless us all and please forgive us.

57.beauty is rare in India..!! not a single good looking face.

From your name..you seems Pakistani.
Educate your self, India has won more beauty contest and Pak has none. LOL !
This is Holy festival not a beauty contest.

These are snapshots
Instants in time

Snapshots are appreciated

It is amazing the diversity of the beliefs of our world. It also amazes me at the ignorance of the peoplpe that belive their way of thinking and beliveing is the only correct one. To question the beliefs of one group or another, seems a bit pretentious to me. Especially when no one religion can actually prove the existence of any of their chosen deities.

The core beliefs of almost every religion, and indeed the main religions, is the respect of life, to do unto others as you would be treated (the Golden Rule). While there are fanatics of all walks of religions, that pervert their beliefs to fit their own ends, this is one rule is relatively true. Religion is the one of the few things that keep overall society from falling dreadly off the cliff into anarchy, lawlessness, decay, misery, and disaster. Without religion, the world may be a cruel, dark world that we might not be able to fathom.

Death comes to us all. The more important part is how you spend the time the you have been given, what impact you imprint on the world around you.

@arif(57) "not a single good looking face" - see pic #16. This blog is always sure to include at least one!

Amazing pictures.

They should've shown pics from USA too where this festival was celebrated in several parts of the country.

There is a considerable number of hindu temples in USA as of today.

Fotografias lindíssimas!

Seja o ritual Hindú, Mulçumano, Cristão, Indígena ou o que for, sempre rende curiosidade, espanto e belíssimas imagens. Louvada seja a diversidade, independente do fator religião.

beautiful images!

India is so colorful!!! I'd love to see this festival someday!

The depiction of Jesus on a cross and the statue of Mary with open arms are no less "idols" than a statue of Ganesh. Think before you comment. Who's "blind" now? Do the world a favor and open your mind or else your kids will be as ignorant as you.

Hindus and Muslims don't get along. Two different religions. Hindus don't kill people if the don't convert.

Thought you would enjoy....Bharat India. Enjoy!!!

For those of you in Boston, the Museum of Science is currently showing "Mystic India" at the Omni IMAX theater. It's a wonderful film that shows many of these celebrations, and it is breathtaking in the Imax format.

COMMENT 57
THERE IS NOTHING BEAUTIFUL
BEAUTY IS RARE IN INDIA

HA HA
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYES OF BEHOLDER

Here are some images from Venice Beach CA that are similar to those from pic 31 - Here known as the "Festival of the Chariots"

http://www.pbase.com/bradjh/fofc

Just a simple checklist for you...
(a) Is your God omnipresent, omniscient and eternal? (b) Is your God ever present in every molecule of this universe or localized to a place called heaven? (c) Is your God present in the earth, the wind, the water, the ether?If your answer to any of the above is 'no', your god is limited.
(d) Is your God, by association, present in the 'idols'?
If your answer to (d) is 'no', you are in denial.
Seeing God in idols, humans and any life-form, including cows is a natural outcome of your belief. Hope this clarifies the unity that Hindus see across the entire creation.

India is probably the only place where Jews were not persecuted because they chose to believe something else.... India is the only place where muslim rulers ruled over Hindus for thousand years and still saved their religion.... India is a land of 1 Billion people with a lot of history theres space for every kind of belief...I am not worried when people pray to idols... but I worry when they paint idols with toxics and immerse them in fresh water.... I am worried when rowdies masquerading as devotees coerce donations for their festivals and other infringement of rights...

"religious fanatics by any name that pray to any god(s) are a problem... to pierce your face like the fanatic did with the large needle is simply insanity. What god would demand you endure pain like that?"

=

No. Insanity is eating meat that's raised in the most appalling conditions in CAFOs where animals stand in their sh*t, are fed corn and soybeans - unnatural diet - to fatten them up, and are given antibiotics and hormones. Insanity is labeling such a system as progress and civilization and doing nothing about it.

Insanity is coming up with the idea to feed dead, pulverized animals to cows - and executing it - because it would save some money and increase profits.

Insanity is coming up with all kinds of chemical + sugar concoctions in shiny plastic bottles which generate waste, putting out multi-million dollar ads for the faithful around the globe and to get more people included in the blind faith and into drinking sugar water which causes obesity, and labeling it as "being cool", when simple water fulfills the same need.

Insanity is when getting sh*t-faced ("Woo hoo!!") every weekend and puking on the streets outside a bar is a religious rite of passage, to be celebrated and promoted.

I could go on, but you should get the idea, sitting on your high horse.

No matter what background, religiously or culturally, there is no limit to human stupidity.
cheers

wish you

Abhin said, "I don't think the beauty of these pictures comes from the fact that a whole lot of people believe in an invisible person in the sky but from the fact that a belief in this man brings them all together and makes them feel linked to one another."

I feel it should be pointed out that Hinduism has something in the order of a million or so gods, devas, and avatars, and that people in different parts of the country (and wider world) worship different ones in different ways. Though having said that, perhaps it's even more impressive that a religion with so many disparate parts can still bring so many people together under one (very large) roof.

Jake (post #30): So far this year we've had five religious-themed photo sets - two Christian, two Hindu, and one Muslim. So, instead of marching off in a huff over perceived bias, why not use the simple search feature at the top of the page? After that, you might also consider thinking about why you're so quick to jump to unfounded conclusions.

Andy said, "I have never read about a Hindu trying to blow up a plane, punishing a woman for reading a book/ wearing trousers or going on a crusade and killing thousands for their beliefs."

Then you need to look harder and take off the rose-colored glasses. Regrettably, Hindus are indeed represented in acts such as this, e.g. the Malegaon bombings and other attacks on Muslims, women getting beaten up in the street by Hindu men for going out to have a drink in a bar, etc. etc.

See how colorful we are.....how some foolish people even try to think that they can make our life "Black & White"..

Nice nice nice pics.. incredible!

I know.......I was there....

awesome only

they made it and then worshiped it? creepy! :)

I love the colors of the photos, I dream of visiting India one day.. a culture-rich country.

Hindu festivals are so much colorful, full of faith and enthusiasm.
But the material of idols for immersion should be biodegradable with organic colors so that water is not polluted. Social awareness needs to be enhanced to save the precious element of nature

People relax! Enjoy the beauty of the pictures. As for India and its religions, we don't try to judge others till they cause us any major problems. Atleast most Indians. That is the reason we can still live with each other happily. There are many in India (belonging to all religions) who do all despicable acts, but thankfully we are still much more in number. Remember this is the only country that has survived quite well inspite of so much diversity and differences, and that too in a region where no democracy has survived. The pictures here depict only a little bit of India, its much much more than this (obviously the aim here was not to show off India!).

It always amazes me that people feel the need to go out of their way to denigrate someone else's way of life. If you're a Christian or an atheist and you don't experience as Hindus experience, what drives you to come to this site then and look at these photos? Why the need to put them down? Why not just ignore it? It's not as if the people in these photos or these photos themselves are in some way belittling you or your beliefs. And if you think they are, then that says more about your own insecurities about your "certainty about what is the truth" than anything else.

As a Hindu, I don't identify with Western atheism or with the three Semitic religions of the middle east, but I don't feel the need to go to sites merely showing photos of their beautiful celebrations and act like an uptight killjoy and ruin the fun/beliefs of others. Are your Gods or lack of Gods that insecure and jealous of someone else's Gods?

As for commenter #60, these lines can be found in the Hindu Rig Veda:

"Who really knows? Who will here proclaim it? Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation? The gods came afterwards, with the creation of the universe. Who then knows whence it has arisen?

Whence this creation has arisen - perhaps it has formed itself, or perhaps it did not - the one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven, only he knows - or perhaps he does not know."

In addition to this skepticism, nastik or "atheist" viewpoints have been part of important Hindu schools of philosophy. Nastik Hindus are still considered Hindu, so you see we've all the angles covered:)

"Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti": The truth is one, the sages call it by different names.

So one can arrive at the truth - whatever that is - via God, via no God, via "intellectual, scholarly" religion such as just reading the Vedas or the scriptures of any religion or via the ordinary, everyday rituals that people take comfort in and that make life that much more colourful and enjoyable for the most part. Traditions often have to change with the times, and should change when necessary. Religious customs also vary according to where they are taking place, so there are differences between what Indonesian Hindus and Indian Hindus do, although there are also many similarities.

This would be a very dour, sour world without all the diversity we have in it.

Please people for the love of god... Understand why a cow is sacred to Hindus.

To my humble knowledge,

1) No where in the Hindu "holy books" does it "explicitly" state that cow meat should not be consumed or that cows should be worshiped.

2) Before the advent of modern farming techniques, cows were used to till the land. Cow's milk provided milk, and from it, all its derivatives (butter, cheese, yogurt.....).

3)It provided the much needed sustenance, that your entire family could depend on.

4) A cow is considered holy because of what it is. A provider of life.

5) Also, in the Hindu mythology, the cow plays an important role in the story of Krishna, and this gives it some more "holiness".

6) And, So we "chose" not to eat cow meat. And Over the centuries that became a custom.

@114 Excellent summarization of the core principles of Hinduism.

Hinduism does not punish you for asking questions. It is believed that knowledge is the ultimate goal. Hinduism never says do this or do that, or else burn in hell for all eternity. It gives you choice to do as you wish, at the same time suggests that you are responsible for your actions or "Karma". This is the core principle.

I believe Hinduism is a very mature religion. It gives you freedom to think and question any thing that you find is not reasonable or fair. The Hindu mythology are a collection of several stories. No one is required to believe they are true. Instead readers are urged to find the moral in that story.

Hinduism as I see it is more a way of life than a religion. Because there are no rules. There are only suggestions. You can choose to follow them or not.

And I believe, the reason why "most" Indians are tolerant and knowledgeable about other religions is because we live in a truly integrated society. Indians celebrate all major festivals, and in turn learn about its customs and traditions from our friends. I am truly blessed to have grown up in such I society where I was allowed to experience all this variety, and from it choose the best of what I believed were the good and reject the bad.

I agree with #7

Nice pictures.
Comment #24 is the best comment in this whole lot of noise and clamor

Hinduism is the only major religion in the world that does not claim to be the only true religion.

Hinduism is uniquely a religion without fundamentals. We have, after all, an extraordinary diversity of religious practices within Hinduism which have no single sacred book but many. Hinduism is, in many ways, predicated on the idea that the eternal wisdom of the ages and of divinity cannot be confined to a single sacred book and we have no compulsory injunctions or obligations. We don't even have a Hindu Sunday, let alone an injunction to pray at specific times and frequencies.

I'm Proud to Be a Hindu

Hey all,

Beautiful pictures, as always. 9, 25, and 30 especially resonate with me. The colors and movement of these festivals make for some amazing shots.

Anyways, I've been reading this photoblog for quite a while and it inspired me and one of my close friends to start our own. We're both seniors in high school and both have been doing amateur photography for quite a while. We both travelled to Fiji this summer so many of the pictures are from there. I know everyone in this community shares a love for photography and hope some of you will check us out.

I realize the URL may be deemed irrelevant but I assure the moderators I'm posting with no ill intent, I just want to share our pictures :)

The URL is:
bestandard.wordpress.com

Thanks, I hope some of you take the time to have a look :)

i love da guy in da yellow dip, dats my hubby

Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhachya warshi lavkar ya.

To all the people who detest a few of the pictures I humbly suggest you to expand your thinking,
You seem to be going thru the "Frog in the well" phase.
You may be right in pointing out a few things like piercing and other stuff ..
But if something good comes out of it .. without inflicting pain to others.. I don't anything is wrong in it. :)

Hindu civilisation is the oldest in the world dating back to thousands of years.Christianity and Muslims came much later.Who ever is born in this world is first a Hindu and then converted to christanity thro baptism and Muslims thro circumcision.As Hindu religion is much older it has passed on the beliefs which are true and diverse in nature.Hindus have three Gods which are supreme Brahma,Vishnu and Mahesh.All the three Gods have left their footprints on the sands of time.There are evidences which prove that they are still there.Hindus also believe in the five elements earth,wind,water,sky and the sun.Therefore you see the diversity and the idol worship of the gods.It is easy for the non believer to downgrade Hinduism but the Hindus have given to this world because of their religion and beliefs YOGA,AYURVEDA,taught Mathematics and gave ZERO to this world,most intelligent race by giving brilliant DOCTORS,ENGINEERS
and Mathamaticians.DO I Have to say more ???I can write pages on contribution by Hindus to this world

.

Wow, remarkable that a posting of these beautiful photos of devotion and spiritual celebration can turn into an inane debate of the virtues and evils of various religious beliefs. Apparently, for some ignorance is god.

A Hindu can worship any God irrespective of religion. The scriptures say that "like rain falling anywhere ultimately reaches the sea, whoever you worship will eventually reach the ultimate God". But for Christianity liberation will be obtained only for those who believe in the "only God". Hinduism should not be measured seeing one fanatic piercing his body for suffering. Hindus do not count Christianity by watching these pictures. Just go out and enjoy the heterogeneous world. Any religion is OK, as long as it does not disturb the peace of the society. And try not to judge others with a narrow minded view. See an article here, narrow mindedness can have no limits.

if religion is the opium for the masses, then fundamentalists, evidenced by some of the comments above, are on crack

p.s. hinduism is so universal and encompassing that even an atheistic philosophical school of thought - charvaka - finds space within the religion.

Yup, idol worship is stupid. But believing that god and his off spring jesus will come back to earth and resurrect every last Christian who died over the last two thousand years and take them to heaven, is worthy of mensa membership.

p.s. i never understood why bowing before jesus' statue is not idol worship?

Fantastic pictures as always. 31 is so eerily real that I thought it was for a moment!

I am from India,i we welcome your comments but please study our culture first.

"Live simply so that others may simply live." -M.K. Gandhi

relegion is a great comfort.But that doesnt make it true.

good photo

As far as worshiping idols goes. Isn't the point that you don't worship things besides god? I am sure all these idols are not what the people are praying to, but the symbolism that they represent. This is the same as having pictures of the saints in churches, or praying under statues of Jesus on the cross. I believe in one god, but it is my belief. I will not try to force anyone against their will to change what they believe.

Great pictures, and wonderful blog.

I am proud to be a Hindu...my ancestors were brought from India in 1845 to the Caribbean and although so much time has passed, and so many attempts have been made to convert us Hindus have, as always, persevered even here so far away from India. To those who live in glass houses its not a remarkably bright idea to throw stones. All religions have symbols, all religions seek an image of God that looks like us,all religions have fanatics, all religious have festivals. Most importantly for me though , whilst other religions have at one time or the other sought to convert others to their side of the fence, Hinduism has never done this and has survived for so long. The pictures were great , its that simple.

Thanks for the lovely collection of photos. Bringing these images to those who find them startling is a great way to crack open a few shells.

Great Photography, Pictures very interesting and informative.
I believe that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and religion,whatever it might be? It is their right and we should not interfere.
Over my 70 plus years, living in Canada, I have watched as Canada has become a very multi-cultural society, with people from all over the world moving here. To me, the main thing that matters is, that we all get along together, "AND LIVE IN PEACE", as human beings to make Canada and the world as a whole, a better place to live in.

The Hindu gods and mini gods are no different than Catholic Saints, they basically believe in one God, but different manifestations...sort of like the many Jewish names for God, the various Catholic Saints for special causes, it's no different...but a lot more colorful. As for the sheep, in the old testament animals were sacrificed all the time. I do not agree with it but at least this one was rescued. I'd like to be Hindu but my husband says I cannot becuase you have to be born Hindu, is that true?

We are all One and we learn what it is to be human through each other. These beautiful pictures convey some of the tremendous energy and diversity of expression of joy and gratitude to the unseen forces that hold sway in the universe. Communion with the Absolute takes so many forms, colored by the land, the climate, and the culture of each people, but coming from the same impulse to give worship. These religious rituals are some of the great wonders in this world. Thank you for sharing them.

Fabulous!

i'm speechless.. & ofcourse proud to be an indian ..

Beauty of the picture is in eyes of beholder !
These are the amazing pictures and photographer is very good ! every shots is fabulous !
That's the Real India !

wonder full
says a ganesha addicted woman

Impressionante!!!

wonderful pictures.. people nned to visit india to understand indians..

God bless all.. Bhadresh. kenya.

thank you for correcting the mistake pointed out by me in picture no 8.

Small typo in #24: the god's name is Bhairav.

Beautiful pictures.

Out of all of those, I love that you told the story behind the last two photos. Worshipers "sacrifice" their animals to a volcano every year... and practical minded locals have dinner and livestock the next day. Awesome.

23 Beautiful picTURES. JAI MATA CHINTPURNI DI

PARVEEN
Anika
PUJA----JALANDHAR

Ah my view of Ganesh as I imagine (http://spooftimes.com/sft_archives.aspx?articleId=f7746ef2-d2e4-41d3-92ea-7dde2e5fb316)

The best part is that India has so much to give to the world, especially to the west.

6.5+ billion people on this small planet now, 9 billion by 2050. After looking at all of this, is it hard to see how over crowed we are? Chant the matra: "Too Many People."

And these pictures are only like 10% of festivals. The biggest like Diwali, Holi are not represented here. So are sothern India festivals like Onum or Punjabi lohri.

i am humbled and amazed by these beautiful photographs. thank you.

nice snaps

This is so wonderful to see people celebrate. instead of fighting and
hurting inncent people.

It was mesmarizing to see all the events and goodness happiness on
people's faces.

SIr u r great..... excellent composition.

good

nice cultuer

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful pics.

WOW - India n Hindus embrace all faiths which reflects in these colors, enthusiasm, celebrations and joyfulness. No wonder, Hindu's are able to enjoy all festival with so much gusto. I love my India !

There's enough picture here from Nepal and some Indonesia as well... not only India.
Great shots.

Breath taking collection

Some of finest pictures of real India and its festivities.

THESE KINDS OF CELEBRATIONS NO DOUBT UPLIFT THE JOY AND TEMPO OF OF OUR PEOPLE, BUT THERE IS NOTHING LIKE INNER PEACE AND BLISS FOR WHICH ALL OF SHOULD TRY TO ACHEIVE BY SELF REALIZATION AND MEDITATION. GOD BLESS ALL OF US.
JAYANT PATEL

INDIA
THE GREAT HINDOO NATION WHERE VARIETY AND BELIEF IN GOD EXIST IN ALL HINDOOS IN INDIA AND ELSEWHERE WHERE INDIANS LIVE.It is not the rituals only it is one-ness of hindoos and will remain same as long as hindoos live.