Ash Covered Face of a Fortune Teller
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The Jewelry of Mysore Maharaja
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A close up of fine jewelry
The jewelry of Mysore Maharaja |  |
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Girl Practicing Rangoli Art
Steps, courtyards, roads, footpaths are used to draw Rangoli in India |
The ribs of coconut leaves are used in manufacturing broomsticks.
Man making brooms from petioles |  |
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"Sumangali" -- Portrait of a Traditional Indian Woman
A vermilion mark on the forehead is considered to bring good luck. |
The festivals in India are celebrated in an eco-friendly way.
Strings of mango leaves indicate festive occasion. |  |
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Painted Face of a Devotee
Pictures of the mysterious Yellamma cult |
Member of the Mysterious Yellamma Cult
The system of Devadasis is a controversial practice in India |  |
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Initiation of a Brahmin Boy
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Introduction to the Mudras
Proceedings of a Upanayanam ceremony for a boy |  |
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Shanty Town Children Playing Hopping Game on the Street
The game of Kuntahalipi can be played on the streets |
Roadside Launderer Basavaraju
Man using a charcoal iron to press clothes |  |
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People Gathered for a Religious Ceremony
Group poses at Jambavali, Goa |
Man weaves coconut leaves into a carpet
The sheathe thus formed is used for thatched roofing as well |  |
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Peanut Vendor
Mother and daughter selling peanuts in Bangalore |
Self Immolation depicted in a Stone Sculpture
Atma Bali (Sacrifice of the Soul) -- Sculpture from Andhra Pradesh |  |
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A Mother's Love
A stray dog feeds its puppies, Bangalore 2001 |
A construction worker preparing dinner on the street
Woman baking Bhakkri |  |
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Man Gets a Tattoo by Roadside
The Village of Chandanpur, 1976 |
Coconut Leaves Used for Wall and Roof of a Hut
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Man Serves Food On Organic Plates
Notice how the leaves are stiched together to form a plate |
A Devotee Begging in the Name of God with a Long Horn
Also notice his left hand playing cymbals |  |
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An Important thing the Nation Builders Forgot...
Lack of public toilets is a common problem in India. Shown above: a woman relieves herself |
Tattoos of a Tribal Woman
The Kajuraho Folk Festival, 1977 |  |
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"Ain't afraid of thieves"
A homeless man sleeping on a street, New Delhi |
Stray Kids, Stray Puppies
Urchins playing on the streets with dogs |  |
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Woman Carrying Heap of Leaves from Forest
The leaves are used to cool the roots of the coconut trees on the Konkan coast |
Destitute Musicans
Disabled members of a street-side music band |  |
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Temple of Plant
Stone Tulasi in a courtyard of a home |
Fashionable Daughter of the Jungle
Notice the tattoos, pierced jewelry, and other decorations of this tribal woman photographed in the forests of Central India, 1977 |  |
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Banana Plants Welcoming Guests
Plantain leaves indicate an auspicious occasion in Hindu culture |
Temple Priest Announcing Prayer Time
Priest rings a metal plate |  |
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The Circumambulation
Woman performs a Pradakdhina to the Tulasi plant |
The Henna Art of the Feet of a Bride
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A New Bride Worships the Tulasi Plant
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Offerings Made to a Pepal Tree
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Declaring Religious Allegiance
A Shaiva devotee with sacred ash on forehead |
A Cock Fight in Progress
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The Painted Hands of a Bride
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Horizontal and Vertical Markings
The distinctive head markings (namas) identify the sects of Hinduism. Shaivites paint bands across their foreheads (left). Vaishnavites, adherents of Vishnu, wear three vertical lines (right). |  |
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Ragpickers on the Streets of Bangalore
A large number of people in urban India take to rag-picking as a
means of living. |
The Fruit that Yields Oil!
For a long time, ball-fruit oil was the primary source of fuel for lighting in some parts of India. |  |
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The Pinda Offerings
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Gifting of the Brahmins (brahmana puja)
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Feeding of the River
As part of the Hindu last rites, a man feeds a river. |
Tonsuring of the Head
A son shaves off his hair in mourning the death of his father. |  |
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The Feeding of the River
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Mourners reading Kamat's old letters
Kamat was a prolific letter writer. Most people who received his letters felt that they were worthy of preservation. |  |
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Symbolic Re-burning of the Dead
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Funeral Rituals at a Waterfall
The death rites are usually conducted outside the home, usually at the cremation ground or near a waterfall. |  |
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The Pinda (Rice Ball) Offerings
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Man Weaving a Platform from Bamboo Strips
Preparation of chatta -- a structure to carry the dead |  |
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The Ear Piercing Ceremony for a Newborn
Ancient Hindus regarded a pierced ear as a sign of how cultured a family was, and all the babies were pierced in a religious ceremony. |
Tree Worship
Detail from a North-Indian miniature painting |  |
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Golden Vessels
Artifcat from Mysore Palace, Karnataka |
Golden Footewear of a Pontiff
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Wedding of Shiva and Parvati
Painting by Rudrakumar Jha |
The Naming Ceremony for a Child
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Door-to-Door Jeweler Weighing Gold
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Tulasi Plant Worship
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Journey of the Dead to Heaven
Illustration based on art of pre-historic Indians |
Antyeshti Proceedings
Body being readied for funeral pyre, Bombay Burning Ghat |  |
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Plant Worship
Women worshipping sprouting plants |
The Ashoka Tree
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Hindus Worship Everything!
The signboard says "Place to Worship Cars" |
Hindu Death Anniversary Rites
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Rituals of "Shraddha"
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Waving of Sacred Fire
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Hindu Death Rites
Sacred place of Gokarn, 2006 |
Yama with a Noose
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Divine Assistance in Decision Making
A devotee attaches petals to a sacred pillar. Depending on which petals fall first in interpreted as a devine signal. |
Ancient Gold Coins of India
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Tulasi Platform
Tulasi Farms, Village of Manikkara, 2006 |
Man Slicing his Throat with a Dagger
Detail from a hero-stone, Gujarat |  |
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Relaxing by Roadside
Bangalore, Year 2000 |
Leader of Streetside Acrobat Play
Bangalore, year 2001 |  |
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Worshipping of Ashwatha Tree
Detail from an Indian painting |
Pooja Vessels
Gopalakrishna Temple, Honavar |  |
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Organic Farmers
The natural farming philosophy in India takes the approach that the insects have a right to life as well |
The Singar Flower of Betel Tree
Flowers of the Supari used for accent |  |
