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Circus. Pushkar, originally uploaded by entrelec.

During the Pushkar camel fair some entertainments are proposed at night to pilgrims, and all the people staying here for the fair.One man selling tickets and another one wearing the "Scream" mask to attract customers to a circus performance. A little bit stange to see this mask in such place...
Pushkar is one of the oldest cities of India. Pushkar lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake Rajastan.

A lady in white, originally uploaded by subirbasak.

Shot it at Gangasagar fair.Gangasagar Mela(fair) is the largest fair celebrated in West Bengal. This fair is held where the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal form a nexus. Hence the name Gangasagar Mela. The river Ganga which originates in the Gangotri glacier in the snow clad Himalayas, descends down the mountains, reaches the plains at Haridwar, flows through ancient pilgrimage sites such as Benares and Prayag, and drains into the Bay of Bengal. Sagar Island, at the mouth of the river Hooghly in Bengal where the Ganga breaks up into hundreds of streams, and drains into the sea, is honored as a pilgrimage site.
A dip in the ocean, where the Ganga drains into the sea is considered to be of great religious significance particularly on the Makara Sankranti day when the sun makes a transition to Capricorn from Sagittarius and this town becomes home to vast fairs, drawing visitors and recluses from all over the state. There is a common belief among the locals that the girls who take the holy dip get handsome grooms and the boys get beautiful brides. When they are done with the ritual obligations, they head towards the Kapilmuni Temple situated nearby, to worship the deity as a mark of respect.

Rai Banshe 1, originally uploaded by ramesh_lalwani.

In the middle ages the Bengal infantry soldiers strictly used only bamboos for all fighting purposes. Today the Raibanshe dancers carry on this Bengal martial tradition in their performance through dance and acrobats. These dancers’ dress code is simple but striking consisting of white dhoti covered with a red waist band. This form of dance is traditionally performed to the accompaniment of dhol (the drum), the kanshi (a gong of bell metal) but in the recent times other instruments like flute and dhamsa (copper plate) have also been introduced.

Ruins of Bhangarh, originally uploaded by Atul Tater.

As it seems from the ruins, Bhangarh must have been a well planned walled town. As soon as you enter from the main gate, there's around 600 meters long street lined with shop-like structures on both the sides. This must have served as the market place for the town. There are four gates that you have to cross before you reach the core area of the town where the palace for the king existed.

The ruins and fort of Bhangarh is a full of myths and mysteries which say that the place is cursed. Now this place is under Archaeological Survey Of India (ASI) for excavation process and they put a signboard near the ruins which says “Staying After Sunset Is Strictly Prohibited In The Area”.

Colourful Smiles, originally uploaded by Atul Tater.

Women workers taking a lunch break at an archaeological excavation site in Bhangarh

Child Exploitation, originally uploaded by ramesh_lalwani.

This child who was less than 10 years old was part of Rajasthani group performing at Delhi Haat. I reported to office at Delhi Haat to stop this dangerous act by the child. However, They immediately sent for leader of the group.to stop this activity.

Sugana, originally uploaded by goddessofxanadu.

Sugana of the recently featured 'bridge family'. Here she is dressed up as an indian Goddess to try and earn a few rupees for herself and the family. Its tough growing up when your family live, literally, on a bridge. She amazes me by appearing so neat and fresh all the time. But Sugana is having a hard time of it coping with all trials and tribulations of adolesence while her family are homeless.

Wood for cremation. Varanasi, originally uploaded by entrelec.

All around Manikarnika ghat is the wood business for the cremations. Different qualities are proposed, but even with the baddest, it's really a problem for many families.

Varanasi located on the West bank of the River Ganga in India, is often called the City of Death. According to Hindu belief it is said to be the most auspicious place to die and have one’s remains submersed in the river. Varanasi also known as holy city where hundreds of old and sick await death on this final outcrop of the mortal world. According to legend the city was founded by the hindu deity, Lord Siva around 5,000 years ago, thus making it one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country. It is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus.

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade., originally uploaded by Fountain_Head.

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.
-- Chinese Proverb
This photo was taken during the Chennai Sangamam, a festival highlighting the Tamilnadu culture & its unique art forms. Everyone were so engrossed looking at the stage performance & I was also busy taking photos of the action there. A sudden impulse made me turn around & look at the crowd.
This girl was so happily leaning on the tree and lost in her own world paying no attention to the happenings around her.

D A N C E R S. Diu, originally uploaded by Claude Renault.

Siddis Dancers and musicians from Sasan Gir dancing during the shooting of a video in Diu. The Siddis came to india a few centuries ago from Uganda, according to a saying they were given as slaves to the nawab of Junagadh.

According to Wikipedia Siddis people were presented as slaves by the Portuguese to the local Prince, Nawab of Junagadh, the Siddis also live around Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, the last refuge in the world of the almost extinct Asiatic Lions, in Junagadh a district of the state of Gujarat, India.
On the way to Deva-dungar is the quaint village of Sirvan, inhabited entirely by Siddis, a tribe of African people. They were brought 300 years ago from Africa, by the Portuguese for the Nawab of Junagadh. Today, they follow very few of their original customs, with a few exceptions like the traditional Dhamal dance. Although Gujarati Siddis have adopted the language and many customs of their surrounding populations, some African traditions have been preserved. These include the Goma music and dance form, which is sometimes called Dhamaal (Gujarati: ધમાલ, fun).[19] The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of East Africa. The Goma also has a spiritual significance and, at the climax of the dance, some dancers are believed to be vehicles for the presence of Siddi saints of the past.

...milk men....rural India, originally uploaded by l_elias_l.

They are just having a break...u can notice that person rubbing something in his palm ....he is mixing tobacco and lime to chew. A scene from rural Indian village.

drummer, baijnath, originally uploaded by Samir D.

this old-man plays the drums in the "baijnath" temple of himachal pradesh....This ancient temple of Baijnath is particularly beautiful and is 16 Km from Palampur. Built of stone in the 9th century AD, in the shikhara style, it is a fine blend of sculpture and architecture. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Baijnath is close to Palampur and Kangra.

Floating in the wind, originally uploaded by oochappan (on toer).

Madurai - Vaigai River
These saris belong to the Ohm Sakthi community. Actually they are old saris bleached, repainted, gommed, washed and dried at the Vaigai River. The cummunity gives them for free to members when they go on pilgrimage .

On the road to find out, originally uploaded by goddessofxanadu.

Whilst in McLeod Ganj I visited the Dalai lama's temple quite regularly, its a lovely place to sit and meditate, the atmosphere does wonders for the quality of my sits, its as if all the accumulated mindfulness it the atmosphere filters through to me. This day I was also able to listen to a teaching given in english English by the venerable elder monk standing in the photo. He is taking questions from his monks and nuns here at the end of his teaching.

Almost ready to go..., originally uploaded by Atul Tater.

The father tied the bundle of wood on back of his bicycle. The girl sat on the front rod of the bicycle and they rode back to home. The story ends here... I just hoped they had a warm evening. This shot was taken from Sariska, Rajasthan

Big bells at the Virupaksha temple, Hampi, originally uploaded by vkiran_2000.

Curious children trying out the two ancient and large bells in the Virupaksha temple coutyard ,Hampi, Karnataka state. These bells were cast during the reign of king Krishna Devaraya . He was a great patron of art, poetry and music. He also built the famous Vithalswami and Hazara temple in Hampi. These temples and many other more are magnificent specimens of the Vijaynagar style of Hindu architecture.

mouliner les prières, originally uploaded by >> Anne.

Leh, Ladakh.

A prayer wheel is a cylindrical 'wheel' (Tibetan: 'khor) on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or even coarse cotton. Traditionally, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in Sanskrit externally on the wheel. According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.(wiki)
Tibetans place dharmas wheels in monasteries, temples,etc. and turn them at every opportunity to convey the blessings of compassion and harmony, prevent natural disasters, and promote peace in the world

Dhimsa Dance, Araku Valley, originally uploaded by Suman Chatterjee.

Dhimsa dance is a dance of young and old, men and women of Valmiki, Bagata, Khond and Kotia tribes living in the enchanting Araku Valley in the hilly tracts of Vishakhapatam district Andhra Pradesh. Scanned from slide.

P O R T R A I T. Sonepur, originally uploaded by Claude Renault.

Nayeem-Ud-Din, the caretaker of Rangmalla, a 30 years old elephant from Chapra village in sale at the Sonepur mela, Bihar.He had to take Rangmalla to take her bath in the Gandak river twice a day during the 3 weeks long fair.

Friendly, originally uploaded by belthelem.

Travel to Gangaur Ghat was one of the best experiences we remember from our trip to India. Besides the spectacular views, we enjoyed the friendliness and the smiles offered by men, women and especially children. Lake Pichola in Udaipur (Rajasthan) is not only known for its Lake Palace or the scenes of the movie Octopussy, is also the place where residents come for daily ablutions or simply to cool off and wash clothes.

Life In Technicolor, originally uploaded by avenue...

In India, often in the rural areas the women and even small girls are supposed to do all the household work including sweeping, washing the utensils,clothes etc,,its really depresses me to see them in such a condition..Every developed city in india has a neighboring slum unknown to the residents of the city... ..well not a good pic to upload on a new year day,but recently shot them while returning from a friends place ,so thought to upload it.

Summer of 2009, originally uploaded by SUBHROCLiCKS.

I clicked this in North Bengal, Where those little boys were diving to entertain us. Usually they do this to earn some money from tourists. This is one of my favorite photograph.

A mysterious little boy, originally uploaded by goddessofxanadu.

i'd often see this little lad on the Temple road, in Mc Leod Ganj. He seemed to be afflicted with cerebral palsy or some such, he would drag a leg and drool, as he is doing here, and generally appear pitifully afflicted..

However, after dark, i'd see him slipping through the shadows like a greased eel, although I could never be 100% sure it was him, perhaps i'm wrong, but i don't think so...there was too much life and mischief in those eyes for one so stricken.

The street kids of Mc Leod fascinated me with their ability to survive, their bottomless boxes of tricks for the hapless tourist really a breathtaking endeavor of ingenuity.

Ive always left Mc Leod before the snows come, but always wondered how the kids survive then. One year i mean to stay through the cold season at one of the settlements to see how I can make my self useful, and learn from these incredible folk.