Savitri going to place herselve in line to get free food : a bit of vegetable, Dal and Chapatis. By coming singing and praying everyday, twice a day she can get the free food and some roupies.

A young mother, Amrita, chatting with her neighbor inside the walls of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Meena and her child on a charpoi where they live, near the Iskcon temple. A lot of Hare Krishna devotees visit town and those poor people wait for some help. I would meet her every morning during my stay there. She and her family live under a tent on the side of the street. Still wondering how they managed wjth the amount of water falling during the Monsoon.

A Rajasthani waiting at one entrance of the old city of Jaisalmer.

A woman sweeping the floor inside the Pokharan's palace. The Maharaja and Maharani still live there, they transformed their palace into an upscale hotel for tourists. You can visit a little museum inside.


Two women coming out a small alley on Jaisalmer's walls. I was there in 1984 for the first time and I feel bad about what Jaisalmer has become. I wish it could be included on the Unesco World Heritage Site, to prevent people to destroy the whole city.

A Nice colored wall in Pushkar..

At the entrance of the Maharaja's palace in Bikaner. A beautiful place.
Some handprints reminding some Sati on the wall.

Neeja, sitting in front of her house in the village of Neemrana. A very quiet little place 2 hours south of Delhi.

Savitri, a widow from West Bengal , coming out of the Sri Bhajan Ashram in Calcutta. She is a witty lady, charming and a nice sense of humor i thought.
This is one of the first images I took of her, then we would meet everyday.

Women drying up saris alongside the sacred Yamuna river in Mathura.
A long line of picturesque, pink ghats - with their steps leading to the water's edge, arched gateways and a temple, of course pink, extending along the right bank of the River Yamuna, emphasise the sacred character of the town of Mathura. The birth place of Lord Krishna, "the best known, best loved and most complex of Lord Vishnu's manifestations". Mathura is today an important place of pilgrimage. An ancient city, Mathura's strategic location at the crossroads of various trade routes - that went westwards to West Asia and the Roman Empire; northwards, via Taxila, Pushkalavati and Purushapur to Central Asia and the Silk Route and eastwards to China - ensured its position as a centre of trade and a meeting point for many different cultures

Some students in a Lingaïte school in Sri sailam. This is shot inside the temple where they were studying.
This place is just so wonderful, not a single tourist in sight...

A family of pilgrims from the state of Andhra Pradesh, visiting Mamallapuram, 60 kms, South of Chennai.
Nestling on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, the town was once a port of the Pallava Dynasty. The Pallavas created many marvellous monuments with Sculptural Panels, Caves, Monolithic Rathas (stone chariots) and Temples. Once a thriving port trading with many distant nations, nowadays Mamallapuram is still a big sculpture centre. You can wake up in the morning to the unceasing sound of the chisels gently carving the stone.Apparently, the tradition of Pallava sculpture has never abandoned the place.

While in Bundi I saw this house , the only think that came to my mind was Mondrian.
A nice quitet town, even though I was there during the monsoon.

The Kalakshetra school of dance in Madras, now known as Chennai. That school is commited to the revival of classicaldance and music.
It offers complete courses under the tutorship of a guru in the Indian tradition of Gurukulam, where education is inseparable from other life experiences.
It's a magical place set apart in a huge park outside of Madras. A very quiet place..

A bunch of kids having a lot of fun in the sacred tank near the temple.
It was pretty hot and were very happy.

A Nagababa coming out of the sacred Ganges after having taken his Holy bath. Shot during the Ardh Kumbh Mela in January 2007.

Some pilgrims from Rajasthan coming to Rishikesh in Uttaranchal to bath in the Holy Ganges.
I liked the almost "movie sequence" here
Rishikesh represents the Gateway to the Himalayas in the splendid Tehri-Garhwal region of Uttaranchal. The spectacle of the Ganges rushing through the Himalayan foothills is an awesome sight. Several temples dot the banks of the river at Rishikesh, which represents the site where Vishnu vanquished the demon Madhu.

A woman drying up her saree in front of her house in the small town of Badami..A lovely place.

Tapo Ratna has been a Jain Sadhvi for the past 9 years. She is 32 years old. She is part of the "Svetambara" order, a very strict one. She is holding the "Rajurharan" in her hand, the symbol of that order. I met them in Mysore and spend a day walking with them on january first from Mysore to Brindavan..
On this image, you can see all her belongings next to her. The red bowl is called a "Patra". They can't use cars, buses, electricity, light..... etc.. They dress in white cloth.

Morning. A woman praying to gods alongside the Sacred Yamuna river, one of the seven sacred riversin the country, during the "Ganga" festival in Agra.

Agra came to its own when Shah Jahan ascended to the throne of the Mughal Empire. He marked the zenith of Mughal architecture, when he built the Taj in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
The monument is magnificent, and is usually photographed from the front. I thought that changing the perspective and including the people in the river in the morning light (6.50a.m.), might give it a more real, lively look.

This shot was taken inside the Theosophical Society in Chennai. It’s located in the middle ofa huge park full of Banyans, a beautiful tree. One get a sense of peace there

A woman giving water to a poor person in Badami. I must add that before giving him water, she gave him food,
I wasn't ready to click...What else to say.

Baidehi is an old woman, people told me, 100 years old. She is a destitute woman from the state of Bihar.
She came to Varanasi to die. She is living with other older women inside a house next to the cremation ghats. You can see all her belongings next to the clay oven where she cooks her meals.
Next week I'll be shooting a story about Widows in india

Dishes, Playing, Boating, a daily scene alongside the Ganges In Varanasi

Pilgrims from Nepal staying a few days in Varanasi on Assi ghat. They were all coming back from the Ardh Khumbh Mela in Allahabad before heading back, home to Nepal

A woman carrying a basket in the Gulbarga market in Karnataka. A Beautiful look, like a lot of Indian women.

Coming from all over the country, often on foot, to the town of Haridwar, pilgrims and sadhus are overwhelmed by tiredness, and lay on the bare ground of the ghats, while others eat or attend to their children. I find these scenes as attractive as the place itself, better, the place would be inconceivable without its pulsing life, which often includes animals, as well as human beings. I feel myself completely at ease in these surroundings.

Pilgrims from Rajasthan taking their holy bath in the Ganges. Gangotri. Whatever the temperature of the water pilgrims are flocking to Gangotri to bath in the Ganges. This image was shot in May, and the water was at the time very cold.

A tired pilgrim, trying to hide from the scorching sun, is waiting for the opening of the temple in Tiruchendur.
Tiruchendur is one of the six Aarupadai veedu shrines of Murugan. It has been venerated by the Tamil Sangam literature and is one of the most visited shrines in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the seashore in the southern part of the state between Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

Selling spices in a Calcutta's street.

A little girl having fun in the train from Madurai to Tanjore..
I waited quite a while to get it.

Pilgrims having their visit recorded in Haridwar.
"Most of the Hindu people of North India visit The Ganga river at Haridwar at important times of their lives, like a marriage, a birth or a death, to bath in the river and cleanse themselves for a new beginning. Now the photo shows the office of a Panda, so each family has a chosen Panda, you can say a family accountant. Whenever anyone from the family goes to Haridwar they go to their family Panda and get their visit registered in his record books along with details like name and number of people visiting, occasion, date etc. So these records are kept across generations with the same auditor's family. The volume of books look intimidating but they have a neat system of maintaining records and classifying them into house, street, locality and city levels".

In a little village of Southern Tamil Nadu.
Village life.

Women drying up Saris after having taken their holy bath in Prayag at the Ardh Kumbh Mela 2007, last january.

May be my favorite.. I use it on my laptop screen.

A scene of the Pushkar ghats in the morning. A woman, a man and a cow. A peaceful scene that can be witnessed every day in this little jewel of a town, all around the sacred lake. And this, despite the fact that the place has become a tourist “Mecca”.
The sacred Pushkar Lake is believed to have been created by the falling of a lotus from the hand of Lord Brahma. It is therefore considered to be as old as creation itself. It is certainly one of the most worshipped spots, and it is believed that one dip in the waters of the lake is equivalent to performing yagnas for several hundred years.

The charming lake amidst the hills has fifty-two bathing ghats, built all around it. The water next to each ghat is supposed to have special powers: the Naga Kund is believed to give fertility, Roop Tirth gives beauty and charm, Kapil Vyapi Kund water helps in curing leprosy and a dip in the Mrikand Muni Kund grants the boon of wisdom.

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Beauty. Kanchipuram. Tamil Nadu
02/06/07

A beautiful girl sitting in front of her house in Kanchipuram. I love the architecture of those houses, where the shape of the beautifully curved porch is almost like a sculpture, inviting !

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Saree. Haridwar. Uttaranchal

A Rajasthani pilgrim drying up a saree on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar

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Chai. Calcutta. West Bengal
28/05/07

Drinking Chai in front of his shop..

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Juxtaposition. Kolkata. West Bengal

The goddess and the woman next to a shrine on the ghats not far from the Kali temple in Kolkata.

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Dhobi Wallah. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh
27/05/07

Washing the daily laundry in Varanasi, early morning.

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Sheperd. Nagarjuna Sagar. Andhra Pradesh
26/05/07

A sheperd and his wife, a Lambadi woman, near Nagarjuna Sagar.

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Smile. Sri Sailam. Andhra Pradesh

One of the reason I love India. Everybody is accepted the way he is. I met this young biy everyday when in Sri Sailam, his daily smile was making my day worth it.

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Water. Mamallapuram. Tamil Nadu
25/05/07

An Indian woman drinking at a fountain in Mamallapuram. Water shouldn't be misused the way we do it in the west with long showers, car cleaning, swimming pools, etc.

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Ganga. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh
23/05/07

Taking care of his Grand-Son alongside the Ganges, near Assi Ghat in Varanasi

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Betel. Kanchipuram. Tamil Nadu
20/05/07

A woman in the Sri Ekambaranathar temple in Kanchipuram. This woman, after doing her laundry was waiting for it to dry and spitting betel.. A common scene all over India.
Kanchipuram is one of the 7 sacred cities of India. One of my favorite.. The other cities sacred are Ayodhya, Haridwar, Varanasi, Mathura, Ujjain and Dwarka.
In the Indian sub-continent, the leaves of the betel (piper betle) are used as wrappers for ‘pan’, a roll of raw spices that are chewed slowly as a digestive and stimulant—a chewing gum substitute

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Begging. Puri. Orissa
17/05/07

A woman begging for food during the huge Rath Yatra. A famous festivals in Puri.

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Colors. Omkareshwar. Madhya Pradesh
16/05/07

Pilgrims in marvellous Omkareshwar. Almost an abstract painting.
Just love colors

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Offering. Madurai. Tamil Nadu
10/05/07

A woman doing an offering to a Goddess of fertility inside the beautiful Meenakshi temple in Madurai

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First Bath. Haridwar. Uttaranchal
06/05/07

The first bathing of the baby in the sacred Ganges, in Haridwar, in the State of Uttaranchal. The frightened baby must have been rather cold, as I personally verified. Haridwar has also been called Gangadvar, meaning 'Door of the Ganges' as it is here that the
sacred river Ganges leaves the mountains to flow out upon the Indian plains

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Namaste. Tiruvanamalai. Tamil Nadu
01/05/07

A Pilgrim from Karnataka in front of the Arunachaleswar Shiva temple in Tiruvanamalai 
 situated at the foot of the Arunachala hill, is one of the largest and oldest temples in all of south India. 
"This fire is considered holy and everyone takes a blessing from it by waving ones 
hands over it and then rub the hands over own face"

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Saris. Tiruchendur. Tamil Nadu
29/04/07

A pilgrim hiding beneath her drying sari on the beach in Tiruchendur. The last one of a series...

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On the Ghats. Pushkar
21/04/07

Women on the Ghats in beautiful Pushkar. I shot this before this one.The white cow on the left will climb on the platform next to the woman in orange and blue, then a man will come next to them in the water..

www.flickr.com/photos/clodreno/46378381/in/set-1063383/

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A quiet Life. Badami. Karnataka
02/04/07

A woman working, another enjoying life in Badami. A beautiful place.
The type of composition I particurlarly like to do..

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Waiting to open up. Erode. Tamil Nadu
28/03/07

Two women waiting for the Perumal temple to open up, in Erode, a town in Northern Tamil Nadu, not on the tourist trail. Neither the city nor this specific temple are particularly important, the frieze with the Vishnu symbol is rather simple, if compared to the ones in most of the temples in this State, but this scene is to me of the greatest relevance, because it represents that peaceful feeling I so often had in Tamil Nadu and it has those powerful colours that I like to present flattened on the picture

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holy Bath. Prayag. Uttar Pradesh
26/03/07

An old man being helped out of the River Ganges after having taken his holy bath during the Ardh Kumbh Mela 2007 in Allahabad.

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Students. Tiruparankundram. Tamil Nadu

Brahmins students going to classes in the temple of Tiruparankundram, a little town 20km away from Madurai. Those students study to become priests.

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Puja. Omkareshwar. Madhya Pradesh
24/03/07

14th of August. A group of women performing the puja in the river Narmada, in Omkareshwar. The brown colour of the river, almost overflowing, is due to the Monsoon season. Omkareshwar, located in Madhya Pradesh, on the Mandhata hill on the banks of the Narmada, is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. The river Narmada branches into two and forms the island Mandhata or Shivapuri in its center. The shape of the island resembles that of the visual representation of the Omkara sound, Om. There are two temples there, one to Omkareshwar and one to Amareshwar. The Omkareshwar temple built in the Nagara style is characterized by a lofty shikhara. There are also shrines to Annapurna and Ganesh.

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Eyes. Tso Kar. Jammu and Kashmir

The eyes of a young nomad, shot under a tent during a wedding ceremony near the lake Tso Kar in Ladakh.

EOS 1 n . Fuji Velvia. Canon EF L 28/70mm f:/2,8

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Sleepy Sadhu. Patna. Bihar

A sleepy saddhu at the door of a small temple in Patna. The Sadhu tradition has a long history. It consists of renouncing
worldly ties in pursuit of higher values of life. Ideally a sadhu lives in the society but is detached from its pleasures and pains.

Sadhus typically survive on bhiksha (alms) provided by families, and on natural resources, and they spend much of
their time in meditation.

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Beauty. Kanchipuram. Tamil Nadu

In a Chai shop in Kanchipuram.. The daughter of the owner was almost awake. So cute

Posted by Claude Renault 10:11 3 commentaires

Alone. Puri. Orissa
23/03/07

A picture taken during the festival in Puri, Orissa at the end of June. A Kid on his father's shoulder coming to pray in front of the 3 Chariots. One million people came to visit the gods.

The Jagannath Temple of Puri is one of the four most famous holy pilgrimages of the Hindus. The festival of Rath Yatra celebrated here on the second day of the bright fortnight of Ashada (June-July), is world famous for the enormous crowd of devotees that gathers to witness Lord Jagannath's yearly journey in his huge chariot. Lord Jagannath, with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, goes to his garden house for five days. At the end of the five days, the three siblings are brought back to the Jagannath temple ( A temple where non hindou can't have access) in a procession called the Ultarath

Posted by Claude Renault 15:13 0 commentaires

A kid and a tank. Amber. Rajasthan

A kid diving into the sacred tank in Amber. The ancient Hindu village extends behind the imposing fortress, and is surprisingly rich in unvisited marvels, like the Krishna temple, all carved in white marble. Beautiful, welcoming and peaceful. The water tank tradition is of the utmost importance in the arid and semi- desert Indian state of Rajasthan, The tank needs to be very deep, so a lot of stairs are geometrically built, a graphic delight.

Posted by Claude Renault 08:21 4 commentaires

Siesta and Fishing. Varanasi...Uttar Pradesh
22/03/07

On the sacred Ganges in Varanasi

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Dhotis. Pushkar. Rajasthan

Men drying up Dhotis after their ritual bath in the sacred lake in Pushkar.
A beautiful little city.

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A beggar. Bubaneshwar. Orissa
21/03/07

A beggar in front of the temple in Bubaneshwar counting her day's earning.

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Ritual. Omkareshwar. Madhya Pradesh
20/03/07

An old man coming out of his ritual bath in the Holy Narmada river.
One of the favorite image in my stream. It was shot during the Monsoon season.
I also like the "funny" touch since it seems that he had a "Vuitton" wallet in his pocket.

Posted by Claude Renault 17:26 1 commentaires

Pilgrims. Sri Sailam. Andhra Pradesh
19/03/07

A group of pilgrims touring the sites around Sri Sailam .

Canon EOS 5D ,Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM

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Praying. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh
17/03/07

A woman praying in a little shrine on the Ghats, alongside the ganges in Varanasi

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Saying Hello to God. Sri Sailam. Andhra Pradesh

I went with a group of indian tourists to visit all the sites around Sri Sailam, a superb place.
This Nandi, Shiva's mount, was on top of a hill. Everybody going there was doing the same thing, I was wondering what it was. A lovely lady asked what they were doing, the answer came : "Saying hello to God".. I liked it..
A nice answer I thought....

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Walking by. Jodhpur. Rajasthan
16/03/07

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The Blue ctiy. Jodhpur. Rajasthan

Jodhpur is know in India as the blue city..
You find other colors too.

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Pilgrims. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh

Pilgrims from Nepal staying a few days in varanasi on Assi ghat.
They were all coming back from the Ardh Khumbh Mela in Allahabad before heading back to Nepal.

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Waiting to go. Ooty . Tamil Nadu

Some passengers waiting to go.
Aboard the little train climbing up the blue mountains to reach Ooty.

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Horsemen. Calcutta. West Bengal

"Horsemen" taking a rest in a Calcutta's street.

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Colors and water. Delhi.

A pan seller in Delhi

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Praying Hanuman. Madurai. Tamil Nadu

A woman praying to the monkey god Hanuman inside the magnificent Meenakshi temple in Madurai.
The enormous temple complex is dedicated to Shiva, known here as Sundareshvara and his consort Parvati, or Meenakshi. The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the entire credit for making it as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayaks. The Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and left a majestic
imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi - Sundareswarar Temple.

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Shy. Pattadakal. Karnataka
15/03/07

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On the Ghats. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh
14/03/07

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Soni. Prayag. Uttar Pradesh

Soni, a little girl playing around inside the Nirvani Akhara during the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Prayag

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Naga Baba. Ardh Khumbh Mela 2007. Prayag
09/02/07

A Naga Baba from the Juna Akhara during his holy bath on January 19th In Prayag during the Ardh Khumbh Mela last month.
You can spot the Trishul in his right hand. One of the most prominent Sadhu sects, the Juna Akhara, consists of the warrior-ascetics or Nagas (the naked). They smear their bodies with holy ash and sport long matted hair, symbolic of their devotion to Lord Shiva, generally known as the God of destruction, but to Sadhus better known as the Lord of Yoga.

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Holy Bath. Prayag. Ardh Khumbh Mela 2007

A sadhu after having taken his holy bath in Prayag during the Ardh Khumbh Mela

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Cremation. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh

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Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh. Varanasi........ ...Uttar Pradesh
26/12/06

On the ghats...

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Smile . Tiruvanamalai. Tamil Nadu

An image shot in front of the temple in Tiurvanamalai.
A girl with her family, she actually leans on her mother's back.
Pilgrims from Bangalore ..

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Flowers. Mysore. Karnataka

Flower sellers under the protection of Ganesh, on the wall, in the Devaraja market in Mysore.

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Kalakshetra school. Chennai. Tamil Nadu

Students training in Baratha Nathyam.
Founded in 1936, by Rukmini Devi Arundale and her husband Dr George Arundale, Kalakshetra has played a significant part in the revival of Indian art and crafts, especially the dance form of Bharatnatyam.

Kalakshetra (which means 'holy place of art'), is situated on a sprawling 100 acre campus at Adyar. Students enjoy that hard-to-get proximity with greenery and the sea. Today, some of the most respected exponents in the performing arts are products of Kalakshetra.

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Krishna temple. Puri. Orissa

A old man, inside a Krishna temple in Puri, during the morning puja.
Puri the abode of Vishnu as Jagannath which contributed the word " Juggernaut" to the English language.
Puri being a coastal district of Orissa , is famous for its Historic antiquities and Religious sanctuaries

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Nara Simha. Sri Sailam. Andhra Pradesh

A portrait of, Nara Simha ( Man Lion ), a sadhu from Dampur shot in Sri Sailam where he spend the winter.

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Laundry Day. Badami. Karnataka

Two women doing their laundry in the sacred tank in Badami. For some reason the water was really green.
Beautiful silk sarees are drying up on the stairs..

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Water ritual. Pushkar. Rajasthan

A woman performing her early morning Puja in Pushkar, opposite the main Ghats, in a rather secluded part of the sacred tank. It was amazing to observe how agile even older women were, when climbing and descending the high stone steps, urging to touch the water. The rituals were performed every day, accompanied by prayers and chants.
A peaceful, enchanting scene.

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Resting. Chennai. Tamil Nadu.
16/12/06

two working women taking a rest in a street of Chennai

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Dhobi Wallah. Mumbai
12/12/06

A Dhobi Wallah during the monsoon in Mumbay

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Saree. Omkareshwar.. Madhya Pradesh

A woman drying up a sari at the confluence of the Narmada and Kavery rivers in Omkareshwar.
Omkareshwar is an island, shaped like the holy Hindu symbol of ‘OM'. Thousands of pilgrims gather at this holy city to offer prayers to the Jyotirlingam (one of the twelve throughout India), at the Shiva temple of Shri Omkar Mandhata. The jyotirlingam and the shape of the island combine to increase the religious importance of the island for devout Hindus.
The Shri Omkar Mandhata, a temple dedicated to Shiva, is constructed from local soft sandstone. Sandstone being easy to work with, the masons and artisans were able to achieve a very high degree of intricate carving, particularly on the upper parts.

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Ayappas. Sri Sailam. Andhra Pradesh
28/11/06

Those pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh were coming to Sri sailam to pray, on their way to Sabarimala . They are devotees of Lord Ayappa. They go through a 41 day penance abstaining from sex, meat and intoxicationg drinks before undertaking the trek up the forested mountain chanting the celebrated three words "Samiye, Saranam Ayappa ( Oh lord Ayappa, I come to thee for refuge.)

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Grain seller. Bidar. Karnataka

A grain shop in Bidar

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The Music School. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh

A teacher playing Tablas in the Sarita School of Music.

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Diving. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh
26/11/06

Kids diving on the Ghats in Varanasi. The heart of the city.

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Betel nuts. Cochin. Kerala
25/11/06

A woman calibrating the Betel nuts in Cochin.

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A Golden prayer. Amritsar. Punjab
24/11/06

A Sikh reading his sacred book alongside the tank of the Golden Temple. A minimalist shot, showing the reflection
of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, literally, pool of nectar.

This piece of architecture draws on both Hindu and Moslem artistic styles, yet represents a unique co-evolution of the two. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones. Within the sanctuary, on ajewel-studded platform, lies the Adi Grantha, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. This scripture is a collection of devotional poems, prayers, and hymns composed by the ten Sikh gurus and various Moslem and Hindu saints. The image was shot the day before
the 400th anniversary of when the Holy Book was first taken to its holy site. Beginning early in the morning and lasting
until long past sunset, hymns were chanted to the accompaniment of flutes, drums, and stringed instruments.

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Kali Temple. Calcutta. West Bengal

A boy sitting next to kali inside the Kali temple in Calcutta, an incredible place.

you can see it here, On the cover of this book "The way home"

An exhibition I had in England last fall

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Smoking. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh

Saddhus smoking Ganja near a small shrine alongside the Sacred Ganges. I was invited to join in !!

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Wringing out the cotton. Ayampattai. Tamil Nadu

In a small workshop located about 15klm away from Kanchipuram. All the epople in the village seem to be working in the Dyeing industry

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Siram. Vaiteeswarankoil. Tamil Nadu

Siram is a small boy who came with his father, mother, brother and sister to visit and pray at the temple in Vaitheeswarankoil.The family was from Vellore. His hair had been shaved for the sacred occasion. His head is sprinkled with an antiseptic powder which is widely used after the ritual shavings.

Situated about 24 km. from Chidambaram, the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped as Vaitheeswaran or Vaidhyanadha Swamy. His consort is known as Thaiyal Nayaki.

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Deep Sleep. Calcutta. West Bengal
23/11/06

An old man sleeping in front of a closed shop in Calcutta.
I wwas just amazed at how white the pillow was.

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Sarees and Puja. Pushkar. Rajasthan

Some women drying up saris while in the background some people are performing a Puja

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Colors. Chennai. Tamil Nadu

Sudents in front of the University near Marina Beach in Chennai waiting for their bus.

Canon EOS 5D ,Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM

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Grain seller. Bidar. Karnataka

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The first bathing. Haridwar. Uttaranchal

The first bathing of the baby in the sacred Ganges, in Haridwar, in the State of Uttaranchal.
The frightened baby must have been rather cold, as I personally verified.

Haridwar has also been called Gangadvar, meaning 'Door of the Ganges' as it is here that the
sacred river Ganges leaves the mountains to flow out upon the Indian plains

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Cubist Portrait. Tiruvanamalai....... Tamil Nadu
22/11/06

A woman smiling at me when I passed in front of her house
in the beautiful temple city of Tiruvanamalai.

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Baratha Nathyam. Mamallapuram. Tamil Nadu

During the Baratha Nathyam festival in Mamallapuram. It takes place every january.
Simply beautiful

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Still life. Rishikesh. Uttaranchal

A saddhu quietly resting alongside the sacred "Ganges" in Rishikesh.

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Senoraa sarees. Madras. Tamil Nadu

A shop in Chennai called "Senoraa", behind the mirror where we can see the
reflection of the sales clerk, a woman is trying a saree.

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Goddess. Mamallapuram.Tamil Nadu

A little girl in Mamallapuram.

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Street Life. Calcutta. West Bengal
21/11/06

A little girl playing in the street in Calcutta.
It was shot during the monsoon season between two showers.
She was in front of her father's shop, but she wasn't attached like it seems.
No cropping at all ...

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Neelkanth Mahadev. Haridwar. Uttaranchal

A real nice man, Neelkanth Mahadev, a sadhu, his name meaning "blue throat", one of Shiva's name.
This image was taken on the banks of the river Ganga in Haridwar.

Haridwar located in the foothills of the Himalayas, represents the point where the Ganga reaches the plains. Haridwar is an ancient pilgrimage site, held in reverence for centuries. Several temples and ashrams dot this town and a visit to Haridwar is like stepping into a totally different world.

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Aarti. Pampassar. Karnataka

Near Hampi is a place called Pampassar. Here the meeting of Ram and Hanuman
-chief caracter of the Ramayana - took place, centuries ago… "
This is the picture of a Saddhu, priest of the temple performing an
"Aarti", the waving of lights for the Lord.

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Praying in Jaipur. Rajasthan

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Colors. Tiruvanamalai. Tamil Nadu

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Home sweet Home. Orchha. Madhya Pradesh

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Lingapa. Hampi. Karnataka

Lingapa is a farmer from Hampi, he is plowing his rice paddy in a really magical place,
set in the kingdom of Kishkinda...

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So good !. Bijapur. Karnataka

A grand mother feeding her grand-son next to her shop in Bijapur.

Playing around. Tiruchendur. ..........Tamil Nadu

Kids playing on the beach in Tiruchendur.
This image has been used in England to raise funds for the Tsunami that happened there in december 2004.

Prayer. Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh

A man praying on the ghats in Varanasi. Early Morning light.
You can see Nandi, Shiva's mount and the Lingam.

Praying. Uttarkashi. Uttaranchal

On my way to the souces of the Ganges, I stopped a few days in Uttarkashi.
This woman was praying alongside the Holy river, holding a stick of incense ..
I loved the colors of her clothing. You can tell we are in the mountains so they dress up differently..

Devotion. Sri Sailam. Andhra Pradesh
19/11/06

An older woman praying next to a lingam in the temple in Sri Sailam.

Deep Look. Amritsar. Punjab

A young girl sitting in the shade inside the Golden temple in Amritsar.

Worker. Udaipur. Rajasthan

A woman working in the sewer in Udaipur.

Bharat. Bidar. Karnataka
18/11/06

Bharat means India in Hindi. This man had a shop renting materials for wedding.

Oh God... Jodhpur. Rajasthan

Two women chatting in Jodhpur...

Chapati Making. Gulbarga. Karnataka

Remambi, a moslem woman invited me in her house to have a Chai..
She was making Chapatis. When I left she insisted that I accept some.
People are so nice in India.

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Faith. Tiruvappur Muthu Mariyamman temple. Tamil Nadu

Faith. Tiruvappur Muthu Mariyamman temple

When a loved one falls ill, the family prays to God to heal their child. And when the person is cured, their family takes them to the temple (usually where the main diety is a Goddess) and makes them lie down and "offered" to God, this is symbolically meant to say "Thank you Almighty, this loved one has been healed, we offer her and her good health to you, for without you nothing is possible". A lot of deadly diseases like small pox have made people over the centuries believe that a lot is not in their hands, and it is only upto God to heal them. This is a mark of reverence to the Almighty.

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Camel Fair. Pushkar. Rajasthan

At the end of the day in Pushkar during the camel fair.
A cropped image for once..