Monday, July 2, 2012

Ratha Yatra: the Hindu chariot festival in India (16Pics)

Hindu devotees gather to pull a Rath, or the chariot of Lord Jagannath, during the 135th annual Rath Yatra, or chariot procession, in the eastern Indian city of Puri

A Hindu holy man watches outside the registration counter for the annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage in Jammu

A pigeon rests in the 16-foot long dreadlocks of Hindu sadhu (holy man) Sukhdev Baba Santi at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, India

A cow rushes through a crowd of Hindu devotees waiting to see the chariot procession, in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad

A girl reacts as Hindu devotees pull the rope of a Rath, or the chariot of Lord Jagannath, in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad

Devotees throng around the chariot as they wait to pull it during the annual festival in Mahesh, north of Calcutta

Temple priests take a break on top of a chariot in Puri, Orissa state

A dancer performs in Calcutta

Hiindu devotees, including devotees participate in the Sri Krishna Rath Yatra in Hyderabad, India

Hindu holy men exhale smoke outside the registration counter for the annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage in Jammu

Thousands of devotees take part in the festival in Puri, Orissa

Devotees pull holy chariots in Puri, Orissa

Hindu devotees wait to participate and pull the rope of the Chariot of Lord Jagannath in Calcutta

A woman performs a dance as a chariot approaches in Calcutta

Hindu devotees participate in the annual festival in New Delhi

Devotees create a brightly coloured design known as a Rangoli on the ground in Calcutta