India Hindu Ritual

Photos of the Week

A Hindu devotee walks at Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati during the annual month long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Magh Mela involves bathing on auspicious dates spread over a period of 45 days. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

More from this Slideshow

0 of 0

Teeny Tiny Frog In this Aug. 2009 photo released by Louisiana State University, a frog sits on a U.S. dime in this photo taken by Louisiana State University herpetologist Christopher Austin near the Amau River in Papua, New Guinea. The species was claimed as the world’s smallest vertebrate on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Austin was studying the area’s rich biodiversity when he and graduate student Eric Rittmeyer found the frog, which they named Paedophyryne amauensis for the village of Amau. The frog out-tinied a Sumatran carp identified in 2006. Its discovery was reported Wednesday in the journal PLoS ONE. (AP Photo/Louisiana State University, Christopher Austin)
Germany Weather Hikers enjoy the sunny weather at Lake Forggensee near Fuessen, southern Germany, Thusrday Jan. 12, 2012. More snowfalls are expected during the next days for the Alps in Germany,Austria and Switzerland. (AP Photo/dapd/ Joerg Koch)
Kansas Daily Lif... Kansas Statehouse is silhouetted as the sun sets in the distance Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, in Topeka, Kan. The Kansas legislature opened it's 2012 session earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kalachakra Buddh... Buddhist monks sit under a tree near the venue of Kalachakra Buddhist festival in Bodh Gaya, Bihar state, India, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012. Bodh Gaya, is believed to be the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
So Cal Weather A surfer takes advantage of summer like weather and a high surf as he maneuvers through waves as the sun sets Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 in Encinitas, Calif. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
Sri Lanka Buddhi... In this picture taken Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, a fire dancer performs in an annual Buddhist procession in Kelaniya, suburbs of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The procession, held on the full moon day in January, commemorates the visit of Lord Buddha to the temple. Hundreds of traditional dancers, drummers, decorated elephants and monks take part in the annual procession, considered one of the country's biggest Buddhist procession. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
India Fire Drill... Indian firefighters aim colored water at a target during the annual fire drill competition in Mumbai, India, Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. The drill is held every year aimed at enhancing the response of the personnel to emergency situations. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Madhav Narayan F... Nepalese Hindu women warm themselves before taking a holy bath in Salinadi River during the first day of Madhav Narayan Festival, in Sankhu, about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northeast of Katmandu, Nepal, Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. Hindu women observe a fast and pray to Goddess Swasthani for the longevity of their husbands during the festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Jungle Nymph Sti... A zookeeper poses with a Jungle Nymph stick insect during a media event for the annual stocktake at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, Britain, January 10, 2012. (REUTERS/Olivia Harris)
India Horse Show... An Indian participant jumps his horse during a horse show at Dholera, about 110 kilometers (63 miles) from Ahmadabad, India, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012. Around 150 horses are taking part in the show which is organized to promote, showcase and raise awareness about the Indian breeds of horses. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Anniversary of G... A man carries a statue of Gauchito Gil toward his sanctuary one day before the anniversary of Gauchito Gil's death, near Mercedes in Argentina's Corrientes state, Saturday Jan. 7, 2012. Gauchito Gil is a legendary character in Argentina's popular culture, an 1800's outlaw who became a mystical symbol of bravery, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Born Antonio Mamerto Gil Nunez, in Corrientes in the 1840's, he was executed on Jan. 8, 1878. Every year more than 100,000 people travel to his sanctuary, the spot where he was allegedly executed, to mark the anniversary of his death and leave offerings and ask for favors. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Basque Demonstra... Thousands pro independence Basque citizens march on the street in a rally calling to general amnesty for more than seven hundred prisoners of the Basque separatist armed group ETA, in Bilbao northern Spain, Saturday Jan. 7, 2012. This is the first demonstration against the new Spanish Government with Primer Minister, Mariano Rajoy of the Conservative Popular Party. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
Bosnia Christmas... Bosnian Serb children break the traditional Christmas bread to mark Orthodox Christmas Day festivities in Banja Luka ,140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of Sarajevo, Bosnia, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar. (AP Photo/Radivoje Pavicic)
Philippines Cath... Fireworks light up the sky during a dawn mass at the Rizal Park Monday Jan. 9, 2012 to celebrate the feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila, Philippines. More than 3 million devotees paraded the charred Christ statue, believed to have healing powers, through the Philippine capital despite a warning from President Benigno Aquino III that terrorists might target the gathering. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Rehearsal for th... Indian schoolchildren perform yoga during a rehearsal for the inaugural ceremony of the International Kite Festival in Ahmadabad, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2011. One Hundred and twenty kite flyers from India and abroad are expected to participate in the five-day long festival, which begins Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Romania Church F... Romanian firefighters spray water over a smouldering partly collapsed tower of an 18th century built church in Bucharest, Romania, early Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. The Saint Pantelimon church was badly affected by a fire that allegedly started from a faulty power line according to local media, but nobody was injured. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Russia Full Moon... The full moon rises among the clouds behind a statue of an angel fixed atop the Alexander Column at Palace Square in St.Petersburg, Russia, late Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
Brusselicious Belgian chef Pierre Wynants, left, together with 616 other Belgian chefs throw their hats into the air to kick off a year of "Brusselicious", a year long culinary exposition to show off Belgian cooking, at the Grand Place in Brussels, Monday Jan. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
India Hiding Sta... Indian workers cover elephant statues at Ambedkar Park in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Workmen using truckloads of cloth raced Tuesday to comply with election officials who ordered the statues of Chief Minister of Utter Pradesh state Mayawati, who is a hero to India's lowest castes, along with nearly 200 statues of elephants, her party's symbol, be covered. The Election Commission said the statues were built using public money and their display violates rules for next month's election in her Uttar Pradesh state. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
India Kite Festi... Birds fly around a kite during a kite festival in Ahmadabad, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. (AP Photo)
India Buddhist F... A young Buddhist monk laughs as he attends the final day of Kalachakra Buddhist festival, in the town of Bodh Gaya, believed to be the place where Buddha attained enlightenment, in the eastern state of Bihar, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Final Day of Kal... Tibetan dancers perform a ritual dance in front of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center, on the final day of Kalachakra Buddhist festival, in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Bodh Gaya is believed to be the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Golden Gate Brid... In this photo, University of Richmond students Ana Galan, bottom left, and Jorge Mallen, both from Spain, take pictures as fog rolls past the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, the City launched a yearlong 75th anniversary celebration of the opening of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge with a string of parties, guided tours and festivals to be held along the waterfront graced by the burnt orange span since 1937. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
India Hindu Ritu... A Hindu devotee walks at Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati during the annual month long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Magh Mela involves bathing on auspicious dates spread over a period of 45 days. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Philippines Demo... Residents burn tires and wave a flag as they await for the riot police and demolition crew to dismantle their homes in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines, Wednesday Jan. 11, 2012. Several residents and police as well as demolition crew were injured as residents resist the demolition of their houses which allegedly was effected to pave the way for the development of the prime property such as the building of a new city hall, a shopping mall and condominiums. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
South Korea Wint... Half-naked South Korean Special Warfare Forces members hurl snow during a winter exercise in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. More than 200 soldiers participated in the one-month winter exercise. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Boeing 737 Boeing 737 engines stand, Tuesday Jan. 10, 2012, at the company's factory in Renton, Wash. Boeing celebrated the increased production rate of 737 line to 35 planes per month on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
New Hampshire Pr... Voters cast ballots in the gym of the Webster School in Manchester, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
India Gate Touri... An Indian soldier stands watch as a laser light show projects light on the other side of the India Gate Monument as part of a show by India Tourism in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. The show, which involved 3D animation, was intended to promote the Clean India program aimed at attracting more tourists to India. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
hina Pandas A panda chews bamboo in Panda Valley natural reserve in Dujiangyan city, in southwestern China's Sichuan province, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Six pandas bred in captivity wandered into the enclosed nature preserve in their native central China on Wednesday, a step toward eventually being reintroduced to the wild. (AP Photo)
India Cold Weath... A Hindu devotee tries to cover herself and her child in a shawl to protect themselves from cold at the Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Delhiites got no respite from the biting winter chill as the minimum temperature continued to hover around 5 degree Celsius for the second consecutive day today, according to PTI. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Gadget Show Convention goers gather to watch a 3D demonstration at the LG exhibit during the opening day of the 2012 International CES tradeshow, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Spain Weather A man crosses the Magdalena bridge as low-lying cloud envelops the Arga River, near Pamplona, northern Spain, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
Alpine Skiing Wo... U.S.A. Bode Miller starts during a men's alpine skiing, World Cup downhill training session in Wengen, Austria, Thursday Jan. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
Germany Lovers L... Newlyweds Alicia of Wisconsin and Sven from Cologne kiss after fixing a padlock onto a fence of a train bridge over the Rhine in Cologne Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. A German custom says that lovers who fix a lock to the fence and throw the key into the river Rhine will have their love forever locked. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Austria Weather Skiers pass a snow covered tree in the skiing resort of Steinplatte near Waidring in the western Austrian province of Tyrol during sunny weather, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. Parts of Germany, Switzerland and Austria have been hit by heavy snowfalls in the last few days. (AP Photo/dapd, Andreas Schaad)
Hong Kong Stockb... Hong Kong stockbrokers holding placards gather outside the Exchange Square in Hong Kong Thursday, Jan 12, 2012. Several hundred Hong Kong stockbrokers have marched to the city's stock exchange to protest plans to trim their lunch break between morning and afternoon trading sessions to an hour. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Queen Elizabeth ... Asanga Amerasinghe an ice sculptor puts the finishing touches to his creation depicting a celebration of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II diamond jubilee year in London, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. An sculpting festival takes place in the financial district of London over the upcoming weekend. The Queen will celebrate her diamond jubilee ( 60 years ) since her accession to the throne in 1952. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Indonesia Lunar ... A workman makes a head of the dragon mask in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. People of Chinese descent in the world's most populous Muslim country are gearing up to celebrate the Lunar New Year which falls on later this month. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Nome Iced In In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the Russian tanker Renda transits through the Bering Sea with the Coast Guard Cutter Healy’s assistance Jan. 10, 2012. The Renda is carrying 1.3 million gallons of petroleum products for delivery to Nome. Progress was stalled by thick ice and strong ocean currents Tuesday. The vessels made nine miles but drifted with the ice while at rest for a total gain of just six miles, Coast Guard spokesman David Mosley said. Ice conditions remained tough Wednesday. The Coast Guard said the two vessels were in densely concentrated ice about 100 miles from Nome by mid-afternoon. (AP photo/US Coast Guard)
Giant Pandas Rel... A giant panda sits in a tree at a panda breeding center in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province January 11, 2012. The giant panda is among six young giant pandas which were bred in captivity and were released as a group of "pioneers" into an enclosed forest in Sichuan province. The release is the first step of a project aiming to help the endangered species to adapt to the wild environment and eventually survive in the wild, Xinhua News Agency reported. (REUTERS/China Daily)
Bangladesh Musli... Bangladeshi Muslim pilgrims stand on boats and offer Friday prayer on the banks of the River Turag in Tongi, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. The three-day long annual Islamic congregation began here Friday. (AP Photo/ Pavel Rahman)
Gadget Show An industry affiliate tries out the Sensics 3D SmartGoggles headset at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Haiti Earthquake... A woman who lost both her arms from injuries sustained in the 2010 earthquake and a group carrying funeral wreaths, arrive at the mass grave site in Titanyen to attend a memorial service for people who died in the 2010 earthquake, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday Jan. 12, 2012. Haitians are marking the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake with church services throughout the country on what is a national holiday of remembrance. The government has said the disaster killed 316,000 people and displaced 1.5 million. More than 500,000 are still in temporary settlement camps. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Panama Jazz Fest... A boy takes a break from his drum lessons at the Danilo Perez Foundation music school in Panama City, Thursday Jan. 12, 2012. The Central American capital will host the ninth edition of the Panama Jazz Festival from Jan. 16 to 21. Panamanian Grammy winning pianist Perez is also the founder and artistic director of the festival that this year will honor saxophonist Carlos Garnett. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
Austria Weather Skiers Thomas and Martina rest in the sun in the skiing resort of Steinplatte near Waidring in the western Austrian province of Tyrol, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. Parts of Germany, Switzerland and Austria have been hit by heavy snowfalls in the last few days. (AP Photo/dapd, Andreas Schaad)
Netherlands Orph... A volunteer feeds a seal a herring at the Pieterburen seal creche, north of the town of Groningen, northern Netherlands, Thursday Jan. 12, 2012. Storms that have lashed the Dutch coast this year have created a wave of orphaned baby seals, some so young their umbilical cords are still attached, wrenched from their mothers and washed up on beaches and dikes. An existing Pieterburen seal rehabilitation and research center (SRRC) near the northern city of Groningen has been so inundated with pups and older seals in recent weeks it has erected a temporary tent to house them while they are nurtured back to health before being returned to the wild.(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
India Republic D... Indian soldiers train on stunt motorcycles in preparation for an upcoming Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
Italy Madonna di... Artists perform with artificial torch lights during a show in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Thursday, Jan.12, 2012. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
India Hindu Pilg... Hindu performs walk after taking a dip at Gangasagar, on Sagar Island, the confluence of River Ganges and Bay of Bengal about 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Kolkata, India, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. Hindu pilgrims will take an annual holy dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14th. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)